Zeiss V4/Leupold VX5/Nightforce SHV

[Zak1215]

Im in the market for a new scope and have finally got it down to these three, Zeiss V4, Leupold VX5, Nightforce SHV. Any one on here own or have experience with a couple (or all three) of these? If so which do you prefer? Is there any reason I should stay away from one of these three?

 

[gr8fuldoug]

Which power ratio are you looking at?

 

[Zak1215]

Which power ratio are you looking at?

I was hoping to have a min of 5 or less and don’t really need a max above 20, but looking for at least 16. I really like the idea of 3 - 18.

Must haves include a zero stop, exposed elevation turret, and MOA reticle. I would prefer sfp.

 

[jr87mustang]

I have the Zeiss V4 and Nightforce SHV and love them both with the SHV edging the V4 out a bit. My buddy has the VX5 and I have gotten to shoot it a decent amount on a Creedmoor. VX-5 has the best glass no doubt and is pretty light but thats it. I just can't get to where I trust the repeatability of a low end Leupold with others having problems here and there. My buddy also had to send it back because the eyepiece kept sticking/grinding which was weird. The Nightforce has good enough glass to see in the twilight and the turrets are rock solid.....no contest to me. V4 has very very close glass to the VX-5 and I haven't heard or read of anyone having dialing problems with them, just wish it had a better windage dial.

 

[Mike 338]

Just picked up a V-4 Zeiss 4x16x44 Conquest. Just got it mounted yesterday. Very pleased with the glass. Eyebox is a tiny bit tight at high power but not distractingly so. Knobs are all smooth. Parallax has no indicators which is odd but I'll figure it out. Clicks are tactile however I haven't confirmed their accuracy yet. Haven't read the zero stop instructions but it does have zero stop which is great. 20 moa per rotation is also great. Capped windage, I like that. At 21 or 22 ounces, it's double the weight of the previous optic but for what I'm getting, the weight is a very fair trade off. This Zeiss just may be one of those underrated sleepers. Guess I'll have to thrash it for a couple years to know that though.

 

[JP100]

Im in the market for a new scope and have finally got it down to these three, Zeiss V4, Leupold VX5, Nightforce SHV. Any one on here own or have experience with a couple (or all three) of these? If so which do you prefer? Is there any reason I should stay away from one of these three?

Any reason you dont have the Swaro Z5 on that list??

Last year I went through a similar search. Had a Zeiss HD5 on my rifle but was not happy with it.

Looked at the VX5s and they are nice, but settled on the Z5, similar price point here(actually cheaper I think, was for me anyway) and dont regret it.

The Swaro is lighter, on a 25mm tube ans the clarity is awesome. 3.5-18x is perfect for all hunting situations I think. The reticle on the Swaro is very crisp and better than the Leupold or Zeiss options I think.

I think the VX5 has a better zero stop/push button dial, but thats about it

The Zeiss we did not like mainly due to eye box issues. It was on my main 'client' gun and shot beside my mates rifle with a Leupold VX3 on it everyone chose the Leupold. (same rifles/tikkas)
We also had issues with the Zeiss being consistent for dialing

Depends how much you actually intend on dialing up?

if your doing alot of range work id go Nightforce, as their turrets are solid as, but you pay for it wight weight.
If its mainly a 'hunting' scope with a bit of dialing is go Swaro Z5 then Leupold VX5 as my next choice

 

[wildcat33]

vx5 3-15 is a good hunting scope. Its trendy these days to bash leupold tracking, blah blah blah. Ive had no trouble with rtz and range shooting out to 600. In short, its an excellent scope for what its intended to do: lightweight and acceptable functionality to dial moderate amounts.

If I had to put my foot down regarding toughness, i would pay the weight and cost price and pony up for an atacr 4-16.


Edit: at msrp the vx5 is not a compelling buy. but grey market prices are darn good for what it is.

 

[Zak1215]

Thanks all.

 

[Zak1215]

Any reason you dont have the Swaro Z5 on that list??

Last year I went through a similar search. Had a Zeiss HD5 on my rifle but was not happy with it.

Looked at the VX5s and they are nice, but settled on the Z5, similar price point here(actually cheaper I think, was for me anyway) and dont regret it.

The Swaro is lighter, on a 25mm tube ans the clarity is awesome. 3.5-18x is perfect for all hunting situations I think. The reticle on the Swaro is very crisp and better than the Leupold or Zeiss options I think.

I think the VX5 has a better zero stop/push button dial, but thats about it

The Zeiss we did not like mainly due to eye box issues. It was on my main 'client' gun and shot beside my mates rifle with a Leupold VX3 on it everyone chose the Leupold. (same rifles/tikkas)
We also had issues with the Zeiss being consistent for dialing

Depends how much you actually intend on dialing up?

if your doing alot of range work id go Nightforce, as their turrets are solid as, but you pay for it wight weight.
If its mainly a 'hunting' scope with a bit of dialing is go Swaro Z5 then Leupold VX5 as my next choice

The only reason I didn’t have the Z5 on the list was I was leaning towards a 30mm tube. I should take another look at it. Thanks.

 

[JP100]

The only reason I didn’t have the Z5 on the list was I was leaning towards a 30mm tube. I should take another look at it. Thanks.

I dont think there is any advantage to a 30mm tube, apart from weight.

The Swaro is quite a bit lighter than the loopy.

The clarity of the Swaro is unreal, and the reticle I have(4W) is very nice and crisp


Only disadvantage with the 25mm is amount of dial up, the Swaro only allows one rotation, which is 13MOA I am pretty sure.
Depending on what cartridge your using it will get you to 500-700 yards(with a 200 zero), which is a longs ways.

 

[Travis2282]

I dont think there is any advantage to a 30mm tube, apart from weight.

The Swaro is quite a bit lighter than the loopy.

The clarity of the Swaro is unreal, and the reticle I have(4W) is very nice and crisp


Only disadvantage with the 25mm is amount of dial up, the Swaro only allows one rotation, which is 13MOA I am pretty sure.
Depending on what cartridge your using it will get you to 500-700 yards(with a 200 zero), which is a longs ways.

I love my z5 except I wish the 4w reticle was a tad thicker. I can shoot later with my VX6 with the standard duplex.

 

[1shotgear]

I have both a Zeiss Conquest V4 4-16x44 and a NightForce SHV 4-14x56 riflescope and I love them both. I have to say I like the nightforce a little more but if you get a zeiss rangefinder bino then go with the zeiss because the combo of the scope and binoculars is pretty cool. You can plug in what scope you have and your ballistics on the zeiss app and program your binoculars when you range something it will give you your adjustment on a read out in the binoculars.

 

[mattparliament]

My z4 6-24 has been flawless for dial in and amazing clarity. I’ve had it next to my vx5’s and the z4 wins in my opinion. I don’t think you can choose wrong with what you’ve listed

 

[JaredJ]

I have been using a SHV for a few year and have men very happy with it.

 

[quailybirds]

I have both the vx5 and the zeiss v4. Both are great, however I prefer the zeiss due to clearer glass and I like the zeiss turret design slightly more.

 

[taggart_lumpy]

i had my list down to a vx5 and a shv. i actually settled for a maven rs.1. may be worth looking in to. i’m glad i did.

 

[nortac]

Why hasn't Leupold come out with a 50mm VX5HD? The 56 is just a bit too big.

 

[Muley Buck]

i had my list down to a vx5 and a shv. i actually settled for a maven rs.1. may be worth looking in to. i’m glad i did.

Yes, the the Maven RS1 is a nice scope. They're worth looking at. Although they are a FFP scope.