help.. nightforce shv 4x14 56mm

Just bought this scope. The center part of the crosshair is all thats suppose to light up. But there is a red glow around the outer edge of the glass making a terrible glare. Suggestions? The guy I bought it from says its suppose to be like that..

Any adjustment with brightness?

10 settings. 5 through 10 look similar to the pic above. All settings have a glow around the outer edge of the glass

I've played around with and owned quite a few scopes with illuminated reticles including vortex, S&B, and a few NF scopes owned by friends and the illuminated reticle never looked like that, even on the highest setting.

I have heard the nxs and atacr lines have better illum, but I didn't know the shv was like that

Have you adjusted the eyepiece? I got a new scope yesterday and the illum was fuzzy until I adjusted the eyepiece

Everything is adjusted as it should be. I have 2 PST scopes, Schmidt Bender, and 2 cheaper junk illuminated scopes and never seen such an issue. This thing was going on a Tikka 22-250 varmint rig but is usless for night hunting like it is.

Dang I wonder if is a consistent problem or an issue in that scope. I like that Moar reticle and could see how useful it could be at night

Only the very center part of the reticle is suppose to illuminate with the shv moar. I specifically asked the seller before I bought it if the center was all tha illuminated. I was told yes.

That's not right. Get it replaced.

AGREE call NF they will make it right


buying used has its drawbacks but NF will take care

I have the 5-20X56, non Illum, MOAR ret. I'm not sure I see the need for Illuminated ret on a hunting rifle. Yes on a CQB rifle.


Good Luck, keep us posted

The illuminated H2CMR reticle in my S&B 5-25 is extremely handy when shooting piggies in dusky low light situations. Definitely not necessary on a hunting rifle in most situations but I like the feature.

I love the illuminated Moar reticle. I do think it comes in handy if the illum reticle , they got it right

Well apparently I got a crappy one. Dissapointed someone would sell something like that claiming its like it's suppose to be.

I need to pull mine out of the safe. I dont remeber if mine is that bad but the SHV illuminated reticle definitely sucks. I have first hand experience with NXS, Vortex PST, Trijicon Accupoint, and Millet DMS illuminated reticles and the SHV is the worst Ive had

Very disappointed to read that.

I don't know if it matters, but the scope he bought is the sfp.

I wonder if the f1 illum sucks? I will now search around because I think I want one

I have not used the SHV, but use the NXS in the dark for pigs. The lowest possible setting is the one to use for dark.

The F1 I looked at did not suck. The illumination was tight with no flare.

I almost never use the illumination so doesnt really matter to me. In fact, ive probably only turned it on 2-3 times. The glass and FFP was what was important to me. I dont recall it being as terrible as the OPs pics, but I do remember thinking to myself that it was nowhere close to the NXS illuminated reticle.

I hunt 10-12 varmint contests a year, an illuminated reticle is a must for shooting fox, cats, coyotes on dark nights. Most shots are under 100yds but its not uncommon to kill a coyote at 200-250yds. Thats impossible with this scope, it drowns everything out with a red glow and flare around the edge of the glass. If your not on the scope just right you can see a second illuminated crosshair. I believe one of the pics show that. I'll call NF in the morning. Surely they dont put out junk like this.

Have you tried it in a dark room on the lowest setting?

All settings have a red ring around the glass. The higher the setting the worse it gets. Ive tried a dark room,.ive tried outside at night.

Emailed the pics to NF today and talked with them on the phone, they said this is normal for the SHV line. Disappointing, never would've thought NF would market such a product.

Anyone want a NF SHV cheap?

If it were a Mil/ Mil scope I would.

Can't believe NF would market this? You bought an entry level scope with great features for the price point. what did you expect? Drop kick the scope out of your deer stand and re check zero. If it's still on and your turrets track then you got what you paid for.

Sounds like the only SHV worth having is a non illuminated model. You'd think after making high end scopes for so many years, they'd have illuminated reticles figured out by now. Apparently not.

Lol.. What features? I thought I was buying a good quality scope. That red flare isnt quality. Ive seen 150$ junk scopes with better illuminated reties than this SHV. The PST is a much cheaper scope than the SHV and has better illumination. This SHV compared to a PST at night is terrible. Yeah yourr right I got what I paid for..

What features?

Is this a joke?

Nope. Tell me about these features you speak of.

Terrible illumination? average glass at most? Capped turrets? SFP? Those features? I do like the capped turrets, It keeps them from being bumped and moved accidentally. Dont mind the SFP for what I do, no need for FFP no farther than I need to shoot. Just disappointed the SHV didnt live up to the hype and advertisement. On a day hunting rig it would work fine, but that's not what I bought it for.

I must ask, if there is such a lack of features in this optic then why did you buy it in the first place?

It sounds like you jumped out there and bought a scope with very little or no research and had unrealistic expectations out of it. First off, you had the choice in sfp or ffp. You purchased a scope with a great mag range, decent reticle offerings, good eye relief, Zero stop and most importantly build quality Night Force is known for. From my experience illuminated reticles are way down the list of what long range shooters that dial look for in optics. The glass in the SHV is exactly what I'd expect from a scope at this price point. Is it the best? Certainly not but it will get the job done without question. If you were so concerned with night hunting and illumination one would think a little due diligence would have been in order prior to purchase. The fact remains, the SHV delivers a great value for guys looking for a reliable scope they can depend on that doesn't break the bank

I bought it on the NF reputation of good quality glass and illumination. If you would pay attention to what I said, you would know I didnt need ffp.. The shv 4x14 56 has 1 other reticle option, and does not have zero stop Yes if I didnt need the illumination it would be a decent day rig, but I believe I mentioned that also. What else would like you like to inform me of that I havent already mentioned?

Unrealistic expectations?? Yes I should expect a 1100$ NF optic to look like this?




Keep in mind they advertise center crosshair illumination only..

Yeah you mentioned it after acting like this thing wasn't worthy of wearing the NF logo. And after asking me to tell you of the features in the scope.Where did you read so much about the quality of illumination in the SHV series? Both my ATACRs with digital illumination are sharp and bright with no glare. I happened to know that before buying them.


I'm really not trying to be confrontational. In my opinion The SHV line delivers an excellent value. It delivered on all the features many of the shooters were looking for in a entry level NF product. I wish they could've done better with the illumination, no doubt. But if they were gonna cut corners somewhere, im glad they cut them there. Good luck on finding a scope that's better suited to your night hunting needs!

Agreed. I purchased the SHV F1 because it has great glass, Mil/Mil, FFP and it fits my needs. For the $, its pretty hard to beat. Illumination sucks but it was the last thing on the list of qualities I was looking for.

One other option to consider is buying a NXS used.

I have used a NXS 2.5-10x42 for pig hunting at night and it worked fine, and the 5.5-22x56, which really works fine for pigs at night.

I have purchased most of my NF's used and never had an issue with any of them.

One had to have the ocular adjusted, which took all of 60 seconds to adjust and it was good to go.

So many guys have to have the latest thing that all of the cool guys say is the "in" thing and they dump their lightly used gear at deep discounts.

With patience, good deals come along on NXS's. Just wait and watch. See a good deal, pick it up and tuck it away.

Just picked up this NXS F1 3-15x50 for $1400, which is not much more than the SHV costs new.

^^True story^^

Smokin deal on a 3-15 F-1 by the way.

Where did you find this!!!! i want one of these but they are discontinued and unavailable everywhere!

classifieds on snipershide.

So many great deals there

To the OP, I would like to know what that reticle looks like when you are NOT in a pitch black room! lol. Scope illumination isn't meant to Qbeam the target in zero light, its meant to slightly illuminate the RETICLE in low light settings. It would seam apparent that in pitch black it would start bright the whole inside of the scope body! just my thoughts...and maybe send NF an email asking their opinions before trashing a company with an outstanding reputations for making some of the best scopes on the market! I have an SHV, not an illuminated (although the next one will be) and it does three things perfectly, which is exactly what it was created to do; a) tough as nails durability in true NF style b) scope tracks perfectly, exactly like NF is known to do, c) at a price point that is half their high end ATAC R scopes and still considerably cheaper than the NSX. Obviously you sacrifice some other things in order to have the other three, but that is what you sign up for when buying an SHV instead of the NSX or ATAC-R.

it looks brand new in the box!

anyone know the history of that scope? How long ago did it come off the market?

Smh

Ill give you 600 for it.

watch the classifieds there is the best place to find one, but also watch ebay and amazon.

I bought a NXS 2.5-10x42 off of Amazon for $900 including a Larue mount, which I sold and made some money back on.

Very nice!

If youre interested in it send me a pm and we'll talk numbers..

I think the "Illuminated" reticle needs to be defined for what it really is.

When its getting dark outside you don't want it bright, as stated above, you want just enough to "highlight" they ret. Not a FLARE........

even the guy behind the counter at Academy knows this ^^^^^^^^^^^^

I'd be really upset to buy a supposedly high quality scope like a NF (of any model) and have the illumination be that poorly done. There's no excuse. Do it right or don't do it.

Agreed.

Much less expensive scopes have properly working illumination. It should be expected on any Night Force. They put their logo on the side, which should automatically mean quality.

x2.

Went to cabelas to see one for myself today. I would describe the reticle as "bleeding" into the crosshairs some. More noticeable on high illum

hey you can buy this scope here on the classifieds!!!


really guys, no one uses these Illum C-hairs on "high" anyway.

go offer $400 for this scope and get a great deal

It doesnt just look like that on high. For craps sake I've owned 20 or more different illuminated scopes and none were illuminated as crappy as this one. Anyone with any knowledge of illuminated reticles knows this isnt right. But what do I know? Its not like ive night hunted for the last 25years.

dog,
looking at the box photo in your ad, there is a red and black X in the upper right corner. What does that signify? Have never seen it on a NF box, but on binos it usually indicates a product that is a refurbished or remainder product. Where did you buy this scope?

He bought it from a member on this forum I believe.

I believe it was bought from RockRiver223, I believe I was eyeing the same scope but didn't want a 56mm

I bought it from a forum member who said he bought it new. I also specifically emailed him asking if it was center only illumination before I bought it. Too which he said yes.

Ask him if he'll refund your money.

I dont think its reasonable to expect the seller to refund. I doubt he intentionally tried to deceive the buyer and NF themselves said theres nothing wrong with the scope. Next time, a little more research prior to purchase and inspection at time of purchase would be a good idea or buy from a retailer that accepts returns.

If what he claims is true, in which the seller lied about the reticle illumination, I think it'd be fair to ask.

In all fairness if that's the first lighted reticle he's had it may have been normal. Can't assume he knew different.

The seller doesnt work for NF and we're only hearing one side of the story. If I had been the buyer I would have just asked NF - especially when we're talking a $1k optic. Im not relying on a guy off THF for info when Im just an email or phone call away from the manufacturer.

True. Ive owned a few illuminated scopes and Im not sure what "center only illuminated reticle" means. Technically yes, only the center of reticle is illuminated. Thats probably how I would have interpreted the question.

Look

I'm not taking sides but I see both. I'm kinda disappointed if that's how they are since I was highly considering one but not now.

Zoom in on the above reticle. Only the + in the.very center is suppose to illuminate not the complete reticle. I also shouldn't have a red flare coming from the edge of the glass on most of your serrings.

Center Only Illuminated reticle means that only the + in the very center of the reticle is supposed to be illuminated.

If dog asked specifically if it was center only illumination and the seller said yes, seems to me a refund would be appropriate. The seller may not have known the difference, but the buyer relied on the representation.

fwiw in the future - all of NF's reticles are shown on their website with the part that illuminates in red.


The IHR or MOAR-T reticle is the one you want. It is center only illumination.

Ranging reticles such as the MOAR or Mil-R have the whole reticle illuminated so the scales may be used in the dark for ranging and hold offs.

IHR reticle showing center only illumination: http://nightforceoptics.com/pdf/NFO_IHRsheet_2013.pdf

MOAR reticle showing full illumination: http://nightforceoptics.com/pdf/MOAR.pdf

The MOAR-T (target) reticle is center only illumination.

MOAR-T - center only illumination: http://nightforceoptics.com/sites/defaul...g?itok=NPOIf2H-


I've used the MOAR reticle in NXS' both 2.5-10x42 and 5.5-22x56 (full reticle illumination) set to the lowest possible illumination to hunt pigs in the dark several times and always thought it worked well. Also used the IHR illumination and thought it work well also, although I prefer having the information available on the MOAR reticle if needed.

Have not used a SHV, so not saying one way or the other on it.

Go to nightforce website and look at the 4x14 56mm SHV line. Only 4 reticles are offered. IHR illuminated, IHR non illuminated, moar non illuminated, and moar center only illumination.

Interesting, it shows center only for the MOAR in the SHV. Sounds like they put a NXS illumination in that one, which should work well and I say that having used NXS MOAR's in the dark. I still would ask the seller for a refund since that was a specific function important to you and he gave you a specific representation.

Just did. Yours is .250 MOA but their website only shows .30 MOA. Maybe you got an older model that was more than just center only illumination?

Learning lesson for sure, dont buy optics without making sure they are as they're being advertised. It'll make someone a good day rig scope.

No, it shows 30 MOA of hash marks on the elevation axis.

So why not ask the seller for a refund?

Im not saying the seller adverised wrong. Im saying nightforce advertised wrong. I emailed nightforce the same pics I posted here, they said that is normal for the shv. Their exact words were the illumination is reflecting off and onto the many internal components.

Pretty ridiculous. If they can't make an illuminated reticle work properly in a $1000 scope, they should just omit the feature.

???




Never hurts to ask. When I sell something on a forum, I always want the buyer to walk away satisfied. Same when I buy.

I dont know what experience he has or knows about illuminated reticles. How can I fault him if nightforce says this scope is as they say it's suppose to be?

Im disappointed in nightforce not the seller. If NF would have said yeah that scope has a problem then id take it up with the seller.

For the most part NF puts out some nice optics. The illuminated shv isnt on that list in my opinion.

He is a seller and gave you a specific representation in response to a specific question on this exact issue that was important to you. What if he told you it was a NXS and it wasn't even if he did not know the difference? If you don't want to ask that certainly is your choice.

Are you now going to sell it to someone else after saying it does not work right, or is the issue really that it is not center only illumination?

It's listed in the forum classifieds, Im not trying to hide anything, theres a 6 page thread on this scope. I listed in the ad im not fond of the reticle. No I dont think the illumination is as it should be. But according to NF that's just they way the shv is. I bought it for night hunting, it wont work for me like it is. But many many times in this thread Ive said it'd be a good day scope. Someone will get a good deal on a NF SHV that doesnt need illumination.

The red flare coming from the edge of the glass is the main issue I have besides the center illumination issue. Think of it like this, you call in a Coyote at night, he's 100 yards out. The light man has him in the red spotlight. You try to get on him in the scope and theres a bright red flare coming from the edge of the scope and drowns out the coyote. At night it doesnt take alot of red to wash out a coyote or whatever. If the reticle is too bright itll wash the target, much less this flare.