if you have made up your mind, so be it. the ACOG will serve you well, to be sure. they are tough units.
i'm not a salesman/stockholder for/of NF, but pls read:
below a reprint of an article by S. L. Clary, from:
http://www.chuckhawks.com/nightforce_NXS_scopes.htm
QUOTE--These scopes are constructed to be durable and reliable under all conditions. Nightforce uses the terms “rugged” and “precision optics” to describe their scopes. That is a pretty bold statement given that most instruments which are built to extremely high tolerances with absolute alignment are delicate instruments. However, the folks at Nightforce have proven that their scopes are an exception to the rule. These riflescopes are not delicate and their precision sets a high standard of excellence.
The tubes are machined from bar stock of aircraft-grade aluminum alloy. They are not extruded or formed as are most other scopes. The tube walls are two to three times thicker than most other scopes. That translates into less stress, greater thermal stability and an incredible shield for the optics inside.
Every air-to-glass surface is multi-coated to tolerances of 0.000005 inches and exceeds every Mil-Spec abrasion test. The benefit of this extreme care becomes apparent in low-light conditions.
The lenses of all Nightforce scopes are matched and aligned by hand to insure optimal performance. This is referred to as optical indexing and it provides the highest possible performance and resolution. This is a time-consuming and labor intensive process, but well worth the results.
With all that has been said above, there is a final aspect of Nightforce production that places them above other scopes on the market, their Quality Assurance testing. EVERY Nightforce scope is subjected to a seventy-five step series of QA tests. No other scope manufacturer has such a rigorous QA program. Their side impact tests would destroy most scopes. Each scope is side impacted at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock and must maintain 1/8 MOA or less track-out within 40 minutes of vertical adjustment after each series of impacts. After each scope passes all QA tests, it is given a green tag that is initialed by the NF technician.
Folks who have visited the factory tell me that the technicians are brutal. They absolutely will not initial that green tag unless the scope meets all factory specifications. The factory keeps a record of every scope shipped and the technician responsible for the build and QA process.
If you ask any competition or military shooter who has experience with Nightforce scopes, they will tell you that they are the toughest in the world. However, they often overlook what I consider to be an equally important quality, the optics. The company uses the best optical glass available. They measure resolution in seconds of degrees in all of their scopes. Resolution is the ability for an optical instrument to resolve an image’s fine detail at specified distances. Nightforce started down this path in order to produce the finest high magnification competition scopes in the world.
UNQUOTE--below this at the same link, pls find a picture of the legendary nightforce with the 7.62x39 hole in it that finished the mission with duct tape sealing out crud.
they have sent out a letter to those that ordered the FFP scope that it will not get to them until the military orders are filled. consider that uncle sam may be the ONLY entity out there with the monetary abundance to go buy a dozen or so of these expen$ive optics, just to slowly destroy them with over-the-top tests that simulate real world combat abuses.
these are tough scopes, and without the hubble telescope sized objectives on their long range use optics and protruding adjusting turrets, the 1x4 is even tougher.
<$0.02
gunnie