Which Scope

TNDave

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Looking at Night Force SHV 4-14x56 MOAR or Leupold VX-5HD 3-15x44 CDS ZL2 Duplex for full custom 30.06 I’m having built. Purely for hunting, help me decide.
 
Currently most of my hunting is in east and middle Tennessee, also hunt South Africa. The rifle I’m building is to hunt everything from white tail deer to eland. Once I retire could be hunting anywhere in USA and/or Africa. I know that’s wide open but I’m building the rifle in 30.06 because of its wide versatility and ammo can be obtained about anywhere. Hope that helps, I’m just trying to decide between the two scopes above. I also have a Steiner Predator 4 4-16x50 I could use.
 
I have the exact same VX5HD. I have limited experience with NF (shot a 308 with one). That's a pretty huge objective on the NF, by the way. 44mm is pretty darn big. I can't even imagine how big a 56 is. I know light gathering and clarity is a concern but that's real big. You will definitely get annoyed lugging that around.

I have zero complaints with Leupold. Customer service is top notch, scope is warrantied for life, they are known to be the #1 or #2 toughest of scopes. It gets my vote. My only regret is I went with the lum reticle. I personally don't need it and would have and should have gone with the windplex reticle.

Here it is on my 300WM. As you can tell, it definitely is getting to the big side with the 44mm output objective.
IMG_9086.jpg
 
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I have owned both of those scopes. The NF you listed is huge and heavy. It is not a good scope for your application. NF has other scopes that would be a good solution but that is not it.

The Leupold you listed is a solid solution for your application. Personally, .30-06 is not the cartridge I would choose as there are more versatile options, but it will certainly work.
 
I think both are over magnified. Your PH will only let you shoot under 300 yards - maybe 250. If you are hunting and you haven't gotten within 300 yards, you aren't hunting, your target shooting using live animals as the gong. (My opinion) 95% of Americans get too damned big of a scope. The biggest magnification I would entertain for hunting is the 2-10x44 with Leupold. I have a single 3-9x40, otherwise everything is 1-4x20, 1-6x24, 1-5x24. My 4-14x40 from Primary Arms with ACSS reticle is for slaying humans who misbehave and is on a .308.

More magnification means: more weight to carry, a towering cheekiest to get your eye aligned with the scope mounted higher over the bore, more money out of your pocket, tends to mean less field of view/mismanaged power selector when adrenaline is running high, more visible shake when at higher magnification. Maybe too much for a 75 yard shot in the woods vs. if you are out west where you might find fields of fire suited to the higher magnifications.

If you want it, get it - just playing devils advocate to check that you get the best match to what you hunt.

VX5HD 1-5x24 did me right in RSA on my .375 Ruger Alaskan, for ONE data point. Maybe that is towards what WAB was getting at in regard to more flexibility for having one round to hunt the world with - .30-06 can take most anything, but it is on the small side for numerous critters. .375H&H? .338 WINMAG? Even .35 Whelen would give you better target effect, on, say, your eland. However, Boddington's daughter whacked an eland with a 7mm-08 if I am remembering correctly, so shot placement is the first thing to get right.

My giraffe bull almost soaked up a 270gr Barnes through the heart - he died after a 40 yard run, but the bullet just made it to the far side of his heart from 100 yards away. The second round into his shoulder never made it into the chest cavity. I think more gun is better. My next one is a .495 A-Square.
 
I appreciate the feedback. Don’t get me wrong, I have a very wide variety in calibers from .223 up to 458 Lott. Most of my hunting is with .308, 30.06, 300 Win Mag and 35 Whelen. I’m taking a 300 Win Mag and 338 RCM to RSA in August for my 4th safari. A lot of thought went into my selection for my first full custom build and settled on 30.06 for a lot of reasons. With all this said I’ll probably settle with Leupold even though I have a sightron, Steiner and meopta setting on top of the safe.
 
Of the two primary (and later mentioned) scopes the Leupold would be my pick. I dislike the MOAR and other complex (to me) reticles on hunting rifles.
 
I would suggest 4x is too much of a minimum magnification for hunting. I was just put on a hunt with a 4-12x and really disliked it when I suddenly had an opportunity come up at under 50 yards. I feel like even 3X would have made a nice difference.

Both brands you mentioned are high quality. If you are abnormally tough on gear, then the NF brand would be a good one to look at.
 
I’m in the Leopold camp. I have 2 VX6, 3-18 on my 7mm rem mag and a 1-6 on my .375 Ruger Alaskan. I do like the illuminated reticule for dark game in heavy bush or shadow and early and late deer hunting, you don’t have to turn it on. I also have a VX3 on a .338 WM but haven’t hunted with it yet.
 
I would go with the leupold-that 56 mm objective is too big to be practicle. Really the 44 is as large as I will go. I never regret having “too much” magnification. I like your plan, best of luck for you!
 
I’m in the Leopold camp. I have 2 VX6, 3-18 on my 7mm rem mag and a 1-6 on my .375 Ruger Alaskan. I do like the illuminated reticule for dark game in heavy bush or shadow and early and late deer hunting, you don’t have to turn it on. I also have a VX3 on a .338 WM but haven’t hunted with it yet.
I have the same scope and love it. I only recently learned (remembered) they also have a built in electronic level. Seems like it would be useful in assisting with keeping the rifle vertical if hunting in uneven terrain. It’s another feature over the vx5.
 
I have 3 Leupold VX5 3-15 CDS with Firedot. They are great scopes . I like the illuminated reticle very much. It helped me shoot an elk at last light and that sold me . I would not consider the 56 objective . Very large on your gun and not needed imo. My scopes are all #4 reticle.
Mark Biggerstaff from R&M Firearms supplied me with all three and he is a sponsor on here . Saved me a hundred each.
 
I used to have a 7x50 and have now swapped to a 36mm, so much better, lighter and lower. I have Leupold Swarovski and Meopta scopes. I really like the Meopta Meopro Really robust. I have only bought the Swarovskis as they were good value second hand.
 
It's hard to beat a Leupold VX-5HD 3-15x44 CDS for a general purpose scope on a '06. It has an excellent feature set and is lighter weight. The Nightforce SHV is nothing special, the Leupold is a better option in my opinion.

I've had all the Nightforce ATACR, NXS, and SHV's and they haven't impressed me much for the price. I gravitate to Tangent Theta and Schmidt and Bender now for my rifles. I wouldn't hesitate to use a VX5 or MK5 if that was my budget. The NX8 has one of the tightest eye boxes I've ever tried, I wouldn't recommend it personally plus the extra weight wouldn't balance well with your rifle.
 

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