Nightforce ATACR and NX8 1-8 scopes are out!!

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Nightforce ATACR and NX8 1-8 scopes are out!! (Page 1 of 5)

Posted: 12/14/2017 6:57:21 PM EDT

Time long awaited...

http://nightforceoptics.com/atacr/atacr-1-8x24-f1

http://nightforceoptics.com/nx8/nx8-1-8x24-f1

Mine are on the way!

Posted: 12/14/2017 7:18:18 PM EDT

[#1]

ehhh smaller exit pupil and smaller fov than the accupower.Only cool things i'm seeing are the nx8 at 17oz and the reticle designs.Not really impressed by the specs but maybe they'll be special in person

Posted: 12/14/2017 7:28:40 PM EDT

[#2]

On the atacr page, it lists the weight at 24oz in the description, but 21 oz on the specification. Which is correct?

Either way, very interested to see if these are truly daylight bright on 1x.

Keep us updated OP, you have my interest!

Posted: 12/14/2017 7:54:56 PM EDT

[#3]

Price?

Posted: 12/14/2017 7:57:02 PM EDT

[#4]

I will post up when they show up. I have a feeling with SHOT coming up, as well as the holidays, there is no telling when they will actually ship.

Posted: 12/14/2017 7:59:43 PM EDT

[#5]

FFP on a 1-8x designed for a 16" carbine is stupid.

Posted: 12/14/2017 8:30:02 PM EDT

[#6]

Seeing as how all the big players use FFP on their 1-8s, I guess you can call them all "stupid". Sure makes it nice for dual reticles though...

Posted: 12/14/2017 9:03:15 PM EDT

[#7]

Hmm, I was hoping for the FC-3G reticle or something like it. I also was hoping for capped turrets on the NX1-8.

Posted: 12/14/2017 9:33:56 PM EDT

[#8]

Quote History

Quoted:
FFP on a 1-8x designed for a 16" carbine is stupid.

View Quote

Yeah, I can't believe Nightforce did that with a heavily researched and anticipated optic.

Posted: 12/14/2017 9:51:47 PM EDT

[#9]

Quote History

Quoted:
Hmm, I was hoping for the FC-3G reticle or something like it. I also was hoping for capped turrets on the NX1-8.

View Quote

I wonder what their reasoning is behind only offering capped turrets on the ATACR model?

Posted: 12/14/2017 10:06:42 PM EDT

[#10]

I am sure these will sell but close but honestly it's pretty close in weight to the trijicon. Has a recticle I like a little better, but slightly less fov, and is twice the price.

I have the trijicon and it does its job. I am sure that the nf may be a little nicer in a few areas but honestly not sure if it's a 2700 dollar scope to me.

For a 5 to 25 power, I have no issued spending 3k on a scope, on a lpv that I will zero and never adjust bc of its bdc, I am just not seeing it.

Posted: 12/14/2017 10:39:02 PM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:
Price?

View Quote

Euro Optic has the NX8 at $17XX and the ATACR at $27XX.

Posted: 12/14/2017 10:41:00 PM EDT

[#12]

One thing to note is that both scopes have a very bright, daylight visible illumination system.

When coupled with the FFP reticles, it provides the bright dot at low power, but gives the hold off ability that's usable from 4-8x depending on what you need.

Posted: 12/14/2017 10:58:08 PM EDT

[#13]

Pretty cool, I'll use my 2.5-10x24 for now though, but shit I wish it was ffp

Posted: 12/14/2017 11:13:10 PM EDT

[#14]

Wow, NF came to play, finally! You gotta love innovation and competition.

Posted: 12/15/2017 12:27:15 AM EDT

[#15]

Quote History

Quoted:
Seeing as how all the big players use FFP on their 1-8s, I guess you can call them all "stupid". Sure makes it nice for dual reticles though...

View Quote

Good point. Though FFP IS of questionable utility for msny LPV optics, shrinking that illuminated circle down to a tight central element turns it into a nice, sharp dot-like thing. It Is true that many people got caught up in demanding FFP for their 1x6s and then didn’t ever try to range with them at anything but 6x and would have been better served with a cheaper, better designed SFP optic. But, also I think FFP for stadiometric purposes might start to make more sense for a 1x8. Though not near so much with a MIL-based ret where most shooters probably would want to range only on the highest setting. FFP really has become something that more people want than need. Capitalism at work, perhaps.

I wonder if NF might be hoping that this optic might strike the fancy of SOCOM and get them to move up to a 1x8 on their recent request for a MIL-based 1x6? The price point of near $3K makes me think it might be more aimed at the military market.

Posted: 12/15/2017 12:35:26 AM EDT

[#16]

fuck I want that... but 2700 is fucking ridiculous!

Posted: 12/15/2017 12:47:49 AM EDT

[#17]

That $1700 one is competitively priced considering that's cheaper than Kahles and Swaros 1-6x.

Posted: 12/15/2017 5:16:24 AM EDT

[#18]

Ive owned a USO SR-8 M for years. Why is this such a big deal now? What does the NF do better?

Posted: 12/15/2017 5:47:33 AM EDT

[#19]

Quote History

Quoted:
FFP on a 1-8x designed for a 16" carbine is stupid.

View Quote

No, it's not. It's really all reticle and illumination dependent. At 1x the semi-donut acts like an RDS, and the reticle itself becomes useable between 6x-8x. I'd wager most users would be using it at either the absolute lowest or highest power setting. A lot of well-respected industry guys have already said that the illumination is very much DV. I'm optimistic and will buy one once the holidays are behind us.

Posted: 12/15/2017 6:39:58 AM EDT

[#20]

Quote History

Quoted:

No, it's not. It's really all reticle and illumination dependent. At 1x the semi-donut acts like an RDS, and the reticle itself becomes useable between 6x-8x. I'd wager most users would be using it at either the absolute lowest or highest power setting. A lot of well-respected industry guys have already said that the illumination is very much DV. I'm optimistic and will buy one once the holidays are behind us.

View Quote

DV will be a new thing for NF as I’ve basically considered their illumination useless during the day. I like my NF scopes but didn’t buy them for illumination so it will be refreshing to see what they do.

These are nice optics but I don’t have a need for them. I’m very content with my 2.5-10x42 and have gotten spoiled with the generous eye box. I don’t think I can step down to these smaller exit pupils.

Posted: 12/15/2017 7:55:25 AM EDT

[#21]

For my 16" carbine, with a max effective range of 500 yards or so, I'm not ranging with the scope. Give me a RFP 1-8x with a good recticle, and that's all I need to make effective hits our to 500-600 yards. The new 1-8x Strike Eagle would be a near perfect scope for a fighting carbine if the glass quality was better.

I don't want a scope that I have to use the illumination to see the aiming point at something less than 3-4x.

Posted: 12/15/2017 8:17:27 AM EDT

[#22]

Having owned a Leupold Mk8 1-8x, a 34mm tube becomes really damn top heavy on an AR platform, even in the .308 variety. I’ll pass on the ATACR. The NX8 however has very appealing physical specs. 30mm tube and less than 9”, 17oz. NX8 FTW.

I haven’t tried the Trijicon 1-8x, only because the 1-4x and 3-9x Accupower scopes I owned had garbage glass and frail plastic turrets. Maybe the Trijicon 1-8x is better?

Posted: 12/15/2017 10:17:10 AM EDT

[#23]

Quote History

Quoted:
I wonder if NF might be hoping that this optic might strike the fancy of SOCOM and get them to move up to a 1x8 on their recent request for a MIL-based 1x6? The price point of near $3K makes me think it might be more aimed at the military market.

View Quote

I don't think it's about striking a fancy. USSOCOM doesn't have a request for a MIL-based 1-6x. They have a solicitation that is for 2 items - first and second optic Squad Variable Power Scopes (S-VPS). The requirement for magnification is true unity at the lowest magnification and a "minimum of 6x" at the highest magnification. It's pretty well known that the SFP selection will likely be a 1-6x, but that the FFP selection will most likely be a 1-8x.

Posted: 12/15/2017 10:19:38 AM EDT

[#24]

These are interesting, especially the NX8 with the 30mm tube.

Already owning a USO SR-8C I don’t really have a need for another 1-8x. Currently in the market for a 2-10xish optic though.

Posted: 12/15/2017 11:21:16 AM EDT

[#25]

Due to my line of work, ive had the privilege over the past year to handle and shoot both of these. If you are judging the performance of these scopes purely on paper statistics and specs, youre selling yourself short. In my opinion, there are no other LPV scopes with daylight visible illumination that compare (and if you look at my EE sales, ive owned just about every one of them multiple times for various weapons). Both of them are respective in their own rights and will each have a place for different setups.

To address some of the other comments, the Army's original Squad Common Optic (SCO) requirement, followed soon after by SOCOM's Squad-Variable Power Scope (S-VPS), were a driving force behind the development of these two optics. Now that the USMC and USAF have almost identical requirements, im pretty sure these will be serious contenders.

I have the NX8 going on my Scar 16, and the ATACR going on my Scar 17... I cant think of a better matched optic for both.

Oh, and for those questioning, the illumination is NUCLEAR bright! As stated, ive had most of the other options available, or at least an opportunity to use them on someone elses rifle/testing purposes, the NF stuff will be tough to beat! Ive had gripes about each of the others so far (again, as seen by how often I change, and what im willing to "accept" as something that bothers me) and will finally have NF stuff on all my rifles, where as previously I didn't use any of their short range stuff other than the 2.5-10x42.

Posted: 12/15/2017 11:29:38 AM EDT

[#26]

Quoted:
Having owned a Leupold Mk8 1-8x, a 34mm tube becomes really damn top heavy on an AR platform, even in the .308 variety. I’ll pass on the ATACR. The NX8 however has very appealing physical specs. 30mm tube and less than 9”, 17oz. NX8 FTW.

I haven’t tried the Trijicon 1-8x, only because the 1-4x and 3-9x Accupower scopes I owned had garbage glass and frail plastic turrets. Maybe the Trijicon 1-8x is better?

View Quote

I almost bought one multiple times, especially when various companies were blowing them out this summer in the $9xx range, but it just felt too cheap to me. Ive seen the quality first hand of higher end Trijicon products, and this seemed to be more of a rebranded low end scope to fill a hole in their lineup as opposed to something they actually developed to compete with Leupold, USO, and various other "premium" optics. Prior to the NF stuff, my two favorites were the Razor 1-6 and Leupold MK6 (couldn't get myself to love the MK8), but I still had gripes about each, and after a couple months of having each one, they got the better of me and I switched again. Ive gone back to those two at least 3 times each though as the glass is still absolutely amazing on both of them, but overall not enough for a permanent seat on my rifles.

Posted: 12/15/2017 12:07:38 PM EDT

[#27]

A long time coming and it doesn't seem to disappoint.

Question though...I don't really keep track, but aren't most AR optics 30mm? So is it normal to go for a 34mm on larger stuff like the Mk8? I guess I'd just never noticed that before.

Second question: What is the functional difference between the NXS version and the ATACR version? I keep looking and can't find one other than a slightly different reticle and adjustments and of course tube size.

Posted: 12/15/2017 12:50:05 PM EDT

[#28]

Quote History

Quoted:
A long time coming and it doesn't seem to disappoint.

Question though...I don't really keep track, but aren't most AR optics 30mm? So is it normal to go for a 34mm on larger stuff like the Mk8? I guess I'd just never noticed that before.

Second question: What is the functional difference between the NXS version and the ATACR version? I keep looking and can't find one other than a slightly different reticle and adjustments and of course tube size.

View Quote

Im sure there are others with opinions as well, but the 34mm is supposed to let in more light, and also allow for a greater amount of overall elevation in the turrets/reticle. Oddly enough, until these, I really liked the 30mm Razor and thought it was better in almost every way than the 34mm MK6 and MK8, but 34mm tends to be the standard among "higher end" glass.

As far as the differences between these two (again my opinions, others may vary, and I will get to test them more once my personal pair come in for my rifles) -
the ATACR has the better ED glass, better low light performance (34mm tube) HUGE eye box, and better eye relief (much more forgiving)
The NX8 has the NXS quality glass, a lightly larger FOV than the ATACR, a much tighter eye box, and is similar to the NF 1-4, obviously other than having 8x and being FFP as well as daylight visible illumination where as previous models came up short.

While the ATACR has less FOV, the HUGE eye box gives the feel of a larger FOV than what the specs state. Both are a true 1x, but diopter adjustment can skew actual appearance as adjustment will effectively add or remove a small amount of magnification. At Zero diopter, which is how they come preset from NF, they are a true 1x. Honestly though, ive run almost all of the 1.x-8x scopes, Acogs and other optics with both eyes open, and it really doesn't bother me if it isn't a true 1x. Prior to this, the favorite for 1x has been the Razor with the bright red dot, I just hated how it was 25 ounces on a light Scar and pretty much offset any weight savings I had done to it with the shorter barrel and PMM parts. Its also nice not having to buy an aftermarket switchview lever, as required with the Leupold and Vortex, since the NF has the PTL.

Posted: 12/15/2017 5:09:38 PM EDT

[#29]

For anyone saying that the Trijicon 1-8 is better, consider the fact that at 100yds your stadia lines are 4" wide. At 400yds they're 16" wide. That's a no-go for accurate work. And hell even getting a solid zero with softball sized crosshairs. Trijicon straight fckd up there.

Both of these NFs will be 1.25" center dots at 100.

Posted: 12/15/2017 6:12:31 PM EDT

[#30]

Frank Proctor has both of these now and is posting some thoughts on his IG.

https://www.instagram.com/frankproctorshooting/

I may also get some hands on time with them as well and if that happens, I'll post some pics.

Posted: 12/15/2017 7:12:00 PM EDT

[#31]

Quote History

Quoted:
For anyone saying that the Trijicon 1-8 is better, consider the fact that at 100yds your stadia lines are 4" wide. At 400yds they're 16" wide. That's a no-go for accurate work. And hell even getting a solid zero with softball sized crosshairs. Trijicon straight fckd up there.

Both of these NFs will be 1.25" center dots at 100.

View Quote

i do kinda wish the lines were thinner on the trijicon but its not impossible to get accurate groups with it.

heres at 100 yards testing my first handloads.

.856 5 shot group

.233 3 shot group (ran out of ammo cuz im an idiot and only brought 8 rounds to test

)

my only other complaint about the trijicon is it needs 1 more brightness setting for full florida sunny days.

I really like the trijicon reticle for 1x power but think id like the nightforce more for 8x.

might have to get the ATACR variant to try for myself.

Posted: 12/15/2017 8:01:36 PM EDT

[#32]

They have the same eye relief at 1X and 8X?

Posted: 12/15/2017 9:27:41 PM EDT

[#33]

Quote History

Quoted:
Due to my line of work, ive had the privilege over the past year to handle and shoot both of these. If you are judging the performance of these scopes purely on paper statistics and specs, youre selling yourself short. In my opinion, there are no other LPV scopes with daylight visible illumination that compare (and if you look at my EE sales, ive owned just about every one of them multiple times for various weapons). Both of them are respective in their own rights and will each have a place for different setups.

To address some of the other comments, the Army's original Squad Common Optic (SCO) requirement, followed soon after by SOCOM's Squad-Variable Power Scope (S-VPS), were a driving force behind the development of these two optics. Now that the USMC and USAF have almost identical requirements, im pretty sure these will be serious contenders.

I have the NX8 going on my Scar 16, and the ATACR going on my Scar 17... I cant think of a better matched optic for both.

Oh, and for those questioning, the illumination is NUCLEAR bright! As stated, ive had most of the other options available, or at least an opportunity to use them on someone elses rifle/testing purposes, the NF stuff will be tough to beat! Ive had gripes about each of the others so far (again, as seen by how often I change, and what im willing to "accept" as something that bothers me) and will finally have NF stuff on all my rifles, where as previously I didn't use any of their short range stuff other than the 2.5-10x42.

View Quote

Thanks for sharing your insight/ input, much appreciated.

Posted: 12/15/2017 10:14:40 PM EDT

[#34]

Quote History

Quoted:
For my 16" carbine, with a max effective range of 500 yards or so, I'm not ranging with the scope. Give me a RFP 1-8x with a good recticle, and that's all I need to make effective hits our to 500-600 yards. The new 1-8x Strike Eagle would be a near perfect scope for a fighting carbine if the glass quality was better.

I don't want a scope that I have to use the illumination to see the aiming point at something less than 3-4x.

View Quote

The effective range on a carbine is going to depend on caliber, barrel type, and ammo type. There is nothing about a 16" barrel that inherently limits you to 500 yards. The FFP here should help make it faster to stretch out past that.

Posted: 12/15/2017 11:21:38 PM EDT

[#35]

Has anyone notice spec on the exit pupils? It seems the eye box is pretty on the NX8....I’m no scope expert..so please tell me that I’m wrong

Posted: 12/16/2017 10:37:45 AM EDT

[#36]

Quote History

Quoted:

Im sure there are others with opinions as well, but the 34mm is supposed to let in more light, and also allow for a greater amount of overall elevation in the turrets/reticle. Oddly enough, until these, I really liked the 30mm Razor and thought it was better in almost every way than the 34mm MK6 and MK8, but 34mm tends to be the standard among "higher end" glass.

As far as the differences between these two (again my opinions, others may vary, and I will get to test them more once my personal pair come in for my rifles) -
the ATACR has the better ED glass, better low light performance (34mm tube) HUGE eye box, and better eye relief (much more forgiving)
The NX8 has the NXS quality glass, a lightly larger FOV than the ATACR, a much tighter eye box, and is similar to the NF 1-4, obviously other than having 8x and being FFP as well as daylight visible illumination where as previous models came up short.

While the ATACR has less FOV, the HUGE eye box gives the feel of a larger FOV than what the specs state. Both are a true 1x, but diopter adjustment can skew actual appearance as adjustment will effectively add or remove a small amount of magnification. At Zero diopter, which is how they come preset from NF, they are a true 1x. Honestly though, ive run almost all of the 1.x-8x scopes, Acogs and other optics with both eyes open, and it really doesn't bother me if it isn't a true 1x. Prior to this, the favorite for 1x has been the Razor with the bright red dot, I just hated how it was 25 ounces on a light Scar and pretty much offset any weight savings I had done to it with the shorter barrel and PMM parts. Its also nice not having to buy an aftermarket switchview lever, as required with the Leupold and Vortex, since the NF has the PTL.

View Quote

Fenix- can you equate the 'much tighter eyebox' of the NX8 to an optic some of us might be more familiar with? Eyebox forgiveness is always tough to truly measure.

Do you think the slightly less quality NXS glass and the tighter eyebox equates to ~$1k?

Posted: 12/16/2017 11:07:38 AM EDT

[#37]

Quote History

Quoted:

Fenix- can you equate the 'much tighter eyebox' of the NX8 to an optic some of what might be more familiar with? Eyebox forgiveness is always tough to truly measure.

Do you think the slightly less quality NXS glass and the tighter eyebox equates to ~$1k?

View Quote

Being familiar with both - imagine the 1-4x, but with 8x on the top end instead of 4x. On a 5.56 carbine, it's sufficient to stay on target easy enough on rapid fire but that may be more problematic on rifles with more recoil, like a 7.62 gas gun.

As far as "less quality" - remember it's still NXS glass and build quality - there's nothing "less quality" about it. The glass still has excellent clarity and the scope is as bombproof as the NXS's are.

Posted: 12/16/2017 11:46:36 AM EDT

[#38]

Quote History

Quoted:
Ive owned a USO SR-8 M for years. Why is this such a big deal now? What does the NF do better?

View Quote

That's the 24oz 1-8x optic with the 30mm tube right? And you're asking what the 17oz 1-8x optic with the 30mm tube does better?

Posted: 12/16/2017 11:55:28 AM EDT

[#39]

Quote History

Quoted:
FFP on a 1-8x designed for a 16" carbine is stupid.

View Quote

I strongly agree with this for my purposes, but I realize that everyone's purposes are different. SFP is one of my favorite things about my NXS 2-5-10x24 and x42 as I don't have much of a need for a FFP reticle at or below 10x. I really wish they offered these new optics in both SFP and FFP.

Posted: 12/16/2017 2:20:56 PM EDT

[#40]

Some better NF porn pics on one of my favorite rifles, and a comparison of the two with a 1-4...

Posted: 12/16/2017 2:47:55 PM EDT

[#41]

Awesome! Thanks for the pictures.

Posted: 12/16/2017 3:12:10 PM EDT

[#42]

What’s exciting about the NX8 is the size and weight. I’ve come to avoid most 1-6x and 1-8x optics because I’m tired of the industry acting like size and weight don’t matter because “it’s operator as f***!!” My primary weapon (18” AR in 223) has a Leupold VX-6 on it. Light, durable enough, small, great glass, forgiving eye relief, decent CMR2 reticle, cost ~$750 used. Mk8 1-8 was great but a brick. Trijicon 1-4x Accopwer and Accupoint were cheap junk. Everything is too damn big and heavy.

Posted: 12/16/2017 3:17:45 PM EDT

[#43]

Quote History

Quoted:
Some better NF porn pics on one of my favorite rifles, and a comparison of the two with a 1-4...

https://i.imgur.com/PixNmht.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/JbEregO.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/qp7kos0.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/RPCBC6J.jpg

View Quote

Which 1-8 is that? The ATACR or the NX8? Very short tube for a 1-8. If my length estimation serves well.

Posted: 12/16/2017 3:28:20 PM EDT

[#44]

Zoom in. Looks like NX8 on top and bottom and ATACR in the middle. Its written right on the illum control.

Posted: 12/16/2017 4:01:59 PM EDT

[#45]

Both :) The give away is the turret... ATACR is capped, NX8 is exposed.

Posted: 12/16/2017 6:39:46 PM EDT

[#46]

While its cool .. for most of us, we will not be spending $1800-$2700 on these. But they do look like they would fit the .Mil requirement nicely...

Posted: 12/16/2017 6:44:22 PM EDT

[#47]

Quote History

Quoted:
While its cool .. for most of us, we will not be spending $1800-$2700 on these. But they do look like they would fit the .Mil requirement nicely...

View Quote

I'm in for $1800, if they work.

Fits a nice little niche for me.

Posted: 12/16/2017 7:06:55 PM EDT

[#48]

Seems like the ATACR would have exposed turrets and the NX8 capped or be the same or options on each.

Posted: 12/16/2017 7:34:29 PM EDT

[#49]

Hey fellas -

I hung out with Frank Proctor a bit since he had the pair of scopes and these are my first impressions.

1. Daylight illumination is very bright in all conditions. I didn't even need to crank it up to maximum to see the dot. Great to see NF finally put out a daylight bright scope.

2. The zoom lever on the 30mm is much smoother than 34mm, largely because the 30mm just turns the ring and the 34mm turns the whole back end.

3. Great glass, very clear.

4. The FOV is very good at 1X although the Vortex Razor Gen II and Swarovski Z6i still have a better 'flatter' image at 1X.

Here are some pics and a little video from my phone.

30mm in foreground, 34mm in back: