Nightforce 2.5-10x32 with Velocity reticule

Though Nightforce are seen by many shooters as only offering large, medium to high mag variable scopes, they also make a small range of compacts. Quite the best in my opinion is the 2.5-10x24, with their skeleton Mil-Dot reticules I found it well suited for both range and hunting work.

Small and Efficient

The other beauty of the 2.5-10x24 was its small size, low weight and good all-round performance. Building on this highly successful platform Nightforce upped the spec a little to 2.5-10x32, with the larger objective just giving a bit more low light ability. They then added their Velocity (V) reticule. As the name suggests it’s a ballistic design, which is not uncommon these days. We are doubtless used to this principle with a ladder-type grid that gives an aiming solution in a range bracket and cartridge velocity envelope.

However, it’s near impossible to be ‘all things to all men’, so this sort of system is very much a compromise and it would be a fool hardy shooter who took the information as gospel and used it without test firing first at all distances required.

Nightforce offers the V Reticule in three versions – low, medium and high velocity, though the same principle it allows the user to tailor their ammunition to far tighter tolerances in terms of see it, range it, shoot it. Technically the V-Series should be faster than traditional designs, since there is less need for drop charts, elevation adjustments, calculations or guessing holdover.  So confident are they that they challenge anyone to visit their website, enter their favourite load into the on-line calculator, and prove there is a V Reticule that will maximize their potential.

The Reticule

In relation to the 2.5-10 scopes the V Reticule allows accurate shots out to 600-yards and is divided into 100-yard increments from 100 to 300 and 50-yrds thereafter – 350, 400, 450, 500, 550 and 600. The build is a Christmas tree-style with the horizontal bars getting wider as they go down. These are used as windage registers with hash marks half way along indicating a 5 mph deviation with the ends noting a 10 mph speed.

I decided to use my 6.5 Grendel as it’s accurate and what I think of as medium velocity, so hopefully a challenge for the V Reticule. It fires a 100-grain Nosler Partition at 2870 fps/1828 ft/lbs. Logging into the Nightforce website and selecting the ballistic resource could not be easier. The first screen asks for bullet weight, ballistic coefficient and muzzle velocity. The second offers scope choice; in this case the 2.5-10x32. My Grendel load fell into the low velocity band with a calculated zero point of 191-yards, which means using the 200-yard, central stadia. Above this is the 100-yard aim point, as at this distance it will be shooting high.

Below are the calculated drops out to 600-yards and inches. Checking these figures against my Ballistics FTE programme I have on my I-phone and using a two inch vital zone, showed all the calculations to be within the quoted impact variances. Being a second focal plane system, Nightforce are at pains to point out that all the data is only good for a x10 magnification, which is true. However it’s possible to reconfigure this with information on the website.

Range Drop Figure / Impact Point Variance +/-  (MOA) / Drop in inches (Ballistics FTE source)
100 / +1.8 / 0.22 / +1.84”
200 / 00 / 00 ZERO / 0.0”
300 / 2.71 / 0.2 / 8.28”
400 / 5.9 / 0.3 / 24.65”
500 / 9.71 / 0.44 / 51.32”
600 / 14 / 0.38 / 91.18”

Dead On

The concept is good and as they say - to get away from guestimating holdover or having to make field calculations. However, you must take into account the actual bullet drop between the reticule subtensions. For example in inches the drop between 200 and 300-yards for the Grendel is 8.28” and there are no intermediate hash marks between these two stadia. Meaning you are still going to have to apply some eyeball holdover and guestimation if your target was at 265-yards.

As you reach out say to 450-yards the drop from the 200-yard zero is 36.54”, which should be on due to the fact you have the 450 stadia as a dead on aim point. At 475-yards this increases to 43.45” so again some estimation is required at what is quite a long shot anyway, certainly by UK standards. As always with any ballistic reticule I would advise you to decide on the maximum distance you feel capable of successfully engaging a live target at. Then see how the gun shoots in relation to the reticule and the range increments you use, so you are then armed with real time knowledge!

However, these various, calculated ranges/drops do offer very useful brackets to work within. For example a 375-yard target means you have the 350 stadia as a known aim point and the calculated bullet drop from 350 to 375 is 4.36”, which is easy enough to apply for the correct aim point. With any ballistic reticule; there is no such thing as a free lunch, but Nightforce’s Velocity system with its three, distinctive cartridge performance bands certainly tightens up the parameters considerably and offers a lot more practicality for the job. Though I do feel it would have been sensible to offer a 250-yard stadia too…

Scope of Choice

Now on to the hardware, which I have been using for the past 5-months on my CZ527 Custom in 6.5 Grendel. The 200-yard zero point works for me as is it gives a flat ballistic corridor between 100 and 200-yards that at its highest point (125-yards) is 1.91”. So all I really have to do is aim an inch low from 50-175-yards to be on the money for a heart lung shot and dead on at 200. Given the terrain I mainly shoot in a long shot for this calibre is 300-yards, so from 200 and out to 300 I just ¼ the aim point for every 25-yards extra. Testing it at longer range proved the principle too and I especially liked that each range bar has its own windage marks.

What I like about the 2.5-10x32 is its compact size and low weight at 19oz and 12”,combined with good optics that do allow dawn/dusk usage, proving that extra 8mm of glass up front does make a difference. The V Reticule I found to be a tad on the slim side and not so easy to pick up at these times. In daylight it’s fine and offers precise placement on the target. However, it’s fully illuminated and sensibly the rheostat, which is located on the left of the saddle comes on at full brightness and is then dialled down. At no time does it flare out so offering a crisp and precise aiming grid to work with at all settings.

Unlike the larger Nightforce scopes the 2.5-10 has a separate, lock ring focus and magnification ring, both showing deep crenulations for a good grip in all weathers. Turrets are hunter-style under screw-off caps and offer ¼-MOA clicks with a 100 MOA in windage and elevation. You also have the option of the standard turrets or with Zero Stop that allows you to set your zero position, which all other corrections are dialled up from. The scope comes with flip-up lens caps, which are OK but not amazing and I’m surprised they did not fit Butler Creeks as standard, as Leupold do on some of their models…

I find myself looking at the NXS 2.5-10x32 in two ways. First it’s an exceptional compact design with a decent specification for most hunting needs in a bomb-proof build that is very much up there with higher mag/larger objective builds in terms of usage. For my Grendel it seems a near ideal choice, no matter what reticule you choose as it offers the following -  NP-1, NP-R2, FC-2, Mil-Dot, V Reticule - LV, MV,  and HV. You can check out the website to see what they look like.

However, to get the most out of the V Reticule you do really need to be using it at longer ranges as any scope can be set to a 175-200-yard zero to offer a flat shooting, one point of aim hunting scope. Many hunters I know do not shoot much past that distance if not less. Though appreciating the system and what it offers I would only really get the best from the V series on a higher power, longer distance rifle. Either way it’s a great scope

PRICE: £1238 (standard turret)