Are Nightforce scopes made in Japan?

I was told they where made in Kent, Washinton.

couldnt get much info from my owners manual, except thats where you are to send scopes for warranty, and lists same location for company hq. Could be the place for final assembly of parts from over the pond also.
 
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So are Lexus automobiles, FWIW... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

But from the "buy American" perspective, lots of the Leupold scopes are at least partially assembled overseas--the Wind River stuff is assembled up to 49 percent in China--according to an optics distributor I spoke to the other day.

Dan
 
I wish a lot more scopes were made in japan, they are second only to better end leupolds , and european scopes, maybe then the market wouldnt be flooded with the chinese and phillipino crap, that it is.20 years ago, you could buy a scope from most manufacturers, and virtually guarantee it had very good quality jap lenses in it, not any more.If i can,t have european, or leupold, give me a jap scope any day of the week.
 
I shoot both Nikon and Pentax Lightseeker scopes, and have never a complaint with either one.

From the "buy American" thing, I read several years ago that the only 100% American manufactured and assembled pick-up truck was one of the Japanese brands (Toyota Tundra?).

I try to get the best price/quality and have given up caring where it was made.
 
For the price of a LightForce, would look to buy the Schmidt & Benders. Much better optics. Their new 5-25x56 with 1/4 min clicks should be a good one but why they went to 56mm is a bad move.
 
Heck Steve, you can almost buy a USO SN3 for the price of Nightfarce these days.

Sorry about the NF dig but I really wasn't immpressed with mine. I swear it was cloudy next to my Elite 4200.Cheers!
 
Nightfarce, that's really good. I looked through one and I thought the Zeiss Conquest was far superior. Evidently, so did a few thousand other hunters as their line keeps getting bigger.
 
The problem being, the NightForce is a much heavier build scope than the european models. Yes, it ONLY comes with a two year warranty (thats right two years, thats it), but it comes with a much thicker tube, more "clicks" than most other comparable scopes, and very clear glass. Leupold's are ALL made with asian glass, regardless where the rest of the parts are made.

US Optics are the only 100% Made in USA scope today, and no, I haven't had the oportunity to try one....dang. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

The NightForce scopes ARE the hottest thing going on 1000 yard benchrest, if that says anything.... (I think it does).
 
Well fella's, I can say, I too thought the Nightforce I looked through was foggy. I have tried the Nikon Monarch, and found it to be OK, but the clicks on mine have to "settle in" and then all is well. I'm selling the Nikon to a friend, and taking the money, and buying either # an old Unertl, or #2 a 6.5-20 Leupold with AO. I hate the new side focus. Just too used to the AO. I love the Unertl glass, and kind of collect them. I have really found no glass better. I did have a pair of Fujinon Binoculars, and found them to rate very high, and have really wanted to look through a Fujinon Scope. I'll bet it is as good as any Zeiss,Swarovski,or any other European glass. My vote goes for the old Unertl's, that used to be made right here in Pittsburgh Pa. By the way, for all you Unertl fans, Unertl in Mars Pa, is done. I talked with Freda, and the new owners, said they no longer needed her services. What a shame to such a long legacy. A Company From Texas first bought them, and then moved to Las Vegas. I ordered some of the ultra fine screws used in the crosshair reticles (learned how to do it from Chuck who used to repair all the old stuff) and Las Vegas is where the screws came from. As I understand they are still fixing the old stuff, but it may be discontinued from their current product line. Many an enemy fell from being in the crosswires of a Unertl. I have really found no scope to be so repeatable when using "click" adjustments. Nor can I say I've ever seen a clearer picture from any other glass. Besides, nothing looks better on a vintage 50's or 60's rifle. I love the old 2" target models, and they will be the last to go from my safe.
 
I don't know about the better tubes, more clicks, being clear thing. I have/tested/used them all and no one is better than a Schmidt & Bender. They have 34mm tubes made of steel, lifetime warranty, no glass is better as they grind their own, and they track 100%. NightForce is the only one I don't have for a reason.

The only draw back for the Schmidts is they have never offered 1/4 min clicks on their scopes. They tired it many years ago but did not market them well. They have some new models for the US with 1/4 min clicks now. The new one you will see a 5-25x56 should be out this year.

The reason for popularity of the NightForce on the 1000yd matchs (and I assume you are speaking of the 50 cal BMG ones the only place I have seen them used) is they have catered to them by offering features that others would not. I believe once the new Schmidt hits the market, we may see a change. However, the only draw back to this is like every other shooting sport. The champions can win with any scope they put on their rifles if it works at all. Also, if it is free, they are gonna use that one. If you want to sell a product, furnish it to the top shooters who can win with it. It is like the 6PPC vs the 6BR. If Tony Boyer shot a 6BR everyone else would too. Thus making it the top choice for everyone. Tony could probably win it with a 22-250! LOL!!

Products are opinion oriented. Everyone has their own take of what is best for them or what they buy. If not, there would only be one scope, one rifle, one bino...etc.....!

I love the old Unertl's, have a 20x on my Win. Model 52B. Also have a 12x Litcher Spot Shot on my old Win Model 52. It is amazing how clear these old scopes are but man are they expensive now!! LOL!!!
 
Guys, I have the luxury of being able to put any glass I want to on my rifles. My new favorite scope is the Bushnell 3200 Elites in 3-9 x 50mm. I have many rifles and many scopes. It really is opinion. For benchrest, long range or prarie dog, it is a different story, but a scope is basically a scope now (for predator hunting) once you get over the advertisements.
 
Have found the 3200/4200 series of Elites from Bushnell to be excellent for the price. However, would not use anything else in that line.
 
Butcher,

I am with you on the Unertls. The old coatings do not give as much light transmission, but the optics and repeatabilty of adjustments has not been matched to this day.

They are still winning a lot of any sight prone matches in PA, which is the small bore capitol of the world.

Jack
 
According to this link...

http://nightforceoptics.com/doc_center/NXS-Precision-UserManual.pdf

Nightforce scopes have a LIFETIME warranty, not two years.

As far as the glass, my cousin's BR 12-42 x 56 is probably the best glass I've ever looked through in a scope. When the glass is good enough to see .22 caliber bullet holes easily at 600 yards, and this scope under most conditions even picks up bullet holes at 1000 yards--that's not good glass, it's great glass. Making a 42 power scope which is able to remain clear at 42X is no small feat.

I do agree with above that the Bushnell 4200's are among the best glass available. In many tests, the 4200's come in ahead of Schott glassed scopes (European stuff). And the 4200 glass is Japanese lest we forget.

Eyes resolve color differently, however, and one guy's favorite contrast may not be the fave of another. Contrast, not resolution, is the major difference we'll see in riflescope optics in the better scopes. A Swedish hunting magazine recently tested the resolution of different scopes in different price ranges, and believe it or not the Burris Fullfield II scored 10 out of 10 in resolution. It lost points on light gathering and contrast, but as far as being clear, the glass was as clear as any they tested.

If you've looked through a Nightforce that seemed blurry, you likely did not have the focus settings adjusted properly. If you can say with certainty that you did have the adjustments set properly, I can say with certainty that the scope you were looking through was defective--not typical.

The S&B's are great glass, and I like the contrast the coating provides--it really helps in a hunting scope as a deer 400 yards away, against a tree line at dusk, will be easier to see and therefore shoot.

However, I don't believe that any of the Euro scopes can compare with the absolute rock solid sturdiness of the Nightforce NXS. The NXS has incredibly repeatable turrets, and is as robust a scope as anyone anywhere makes.

I do think the U.S. Optics scopes are tough customers as well, but I have some concerns about the long term staying power of U.S. Optics. I hope they make it. They've got a very small, niche market, and S&B and Nightforce are cutting into it. I'd hate to be the "proud owner" of a fifteen hundred dollar scope without a viable manufacturer to back it.

One reason the S&B's aren't favored by long range shooters is (in addition to the afformentioned lack of MOA value turrets) is their limited erector travel. Even the tactical PMII's need to be mounted on a slanted base to reach 1000 yards. But I do think that S&B is offering an MOA click version of that scope...

Keep in mind, regarding European made scopes: The Euro's value against the Dollar these days is keeping the prices of the S&B's, Swaro's and Euro made Zeiss scopes higher than they might otherwise be. So cost of manufacturing is likely similar to other fine scopes made in other areas of the world. It wouldn't make good sense to assume a 2000 dollar S&B, by mere virtue of its cost, is better than a 1200 dollar scope made in Japan. In fact, Japanese manufacturing has pretty much left European quality in the dust when it comes to cars. German made cars now have one of the lowest reliabilty ratings in the entire automotive industry. So an 80,000 dollar Mercedes is in many cases "less" car than a 45,000 dollar Lexus. Just ask Consumer Reports, or any number of other agencies that rate customer satisfaction.

With the possible exception of the S&B PM II's, there really isn't a Euro scope being made to compare mechanically with the Nightforce models. The NF's are heavy for a reason. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

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Dan
 
I have owned most of the scope brands and back in the 70's my favorite's was Unertl and Redfields 3200. The only drawback, was mounting these scopes to the barrel. I have never owned a Nightforce scope so can't comment on them. I do have a number B&L 32 and 4200's , Leupold , Pentax, and Zeiss and i will have to say, there may be better scopes on the market than Leupold, but not for the money and the service . The Unertl has the most precise adjustments of any scope period and i have never used anything better. When you turn the adjustment one click you move one click. I do believe German scopes are way overrated and Jap scopes way underrated. Anything from China is junk /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif. The only reason i haven't purchased a US Optic because they are overpriced and i don't trust the company to stay in business.
 
I am with Dan, the NXS is one of the finest optics I have ever used. If someone had one that when properly focused was not crystal clear, it was defective. The rear lense is very acute in it's ability as is the side focus. I have never seen a scope with a side focus that was as forgiving. It is extremely easy to remove parallax in an NXS and they track with absolute perfection. (At least all 4 of mine do). The only SLIGHTLY better glass for resolving mirage is in my IOR Valdada tactical, but the differences at high noon were minute.

They are one of the most seen optics in the IBS matches I attend, second only to the leupolds that have not been relaced yet due to weight differences. I have gone down the line on a day that was 103* under the roof, and the NXS was able to resolve more mirage at higher powers than all others present.

The warranty is forever, I had one sent back and fixed in a matter of DAYS, it was returned overnight/next day air.

Euro glass has some advantages as far as coatings and maybe glass integrity, but I don't see enough to spend the extra. Color rendition is great, but I don't need it to shoot targets and my eyes are plenty good for hunting (for now).

USO are overpriced. I have evaluated them and found them to be superb, but they don't come with the same standard features as the NXS and offer very little advantages if any to my eyes for the extra money they command. Same deal with new unertls.

Sold 3 MK IV leupys to replace them with NXS's, never looked back, never questioned the choice.

I beleive their GLASS is made in japan, but the coatings (some of the hardest in the world, hence their military use) is a proprietary coating.
 
I figured rather than for us to continue speculating, I would call Lightforce (parent company of Nightforce) in Orofino, ID. I spoke to Brian, and learned the following:

The warranty is, as has already been pointed out, forever. It also transfers to all subsequent owners, just like Leupold's warranty does.

The U.S. Navy Seals use Nightforce NXS scopes, and demand extensive tests on each unit that leaves the factory. Among other tests, the scopes must be sunken in water to a pressure of 66 feet. Nightforce goes that requirement one better and pressurizes the scopes to 100 feet. When they come out of the pressurization tank, they go immediately to the freezer, where they spend 24 hours in -10 F temperature. They are then removed from the freezer and placed immediately into an oven set at 360 degrees F and observed for any fogging or other such issues. Extreme recoil testing is also performed on each scope.

Now here's the thing. ALL Nightforce scopes are made the same way. The civilian scopes are built exactly like the Navy scopes, only the civvy models are not tested in the manner mentioned above.

"Would the civilian model pass these same tests?" I asked. Brian assured me that since all of the scopes are built the same way, they almost certainly would. He said the incidence of any of the Navy scopes failing any of the extensive testing steps was almost non-existent.

On the Japan thing...

The aluminum tubes and the lenses are made in Japan. All other components are machined at the Orofino, Idaho factory and the scopes are completely assembled there. Brian also said that they were almost ready to begin production of the tubes in-house, and then the only imported item will be the lenses. Since the commerce rules go by total weight of a manufactured item, the scopes are currently shown to be "Made in Japan." That will change once Lightforce gets their tube production on line.

I hope this clears up some doubts about the integrity of these excellent scopes. I liked what I heard so much that I think I'm going to order one. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Dan
 


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