Located in Orofino, Idaho, Nightforce optics has asserted itself as an industry leader in the design and manufacture of fine hunting and sports optics. Their partnership with Japanese optics companies has resulted in top notch rifle scopes that have come to be trusted by hunters, sportspersons, the police and military alike. 

One of its rifle scopes, the Nightforce NXS 12-42X56 is a first grade tactical scope that belongs in the arms of a dedicated target shooter.  This huge scope is designed with a 56mm objective lens and a 30mm main tube. The elevation and windage adjustment knobs assume a large form to enable convenient fingertip adjustment while the parallax correction knob is side mounted. With a sunshade that comes with every scope, your Nightforce scope weighs an incredible 34 ounces and reaches a length of 16.125 inches. 

Other scopes that have stolen the hearts of many hunters and riflemen include the NXS 8-32X56 which has stood the test of time and is a predecessor to the NXS 12-42-56. Marked changes in the Nightforce scopes have been in the field of magnification and internal adjustments for windage and elevation. While the new range of scopes has better magnification, they have assumed less adjustment capability when it comes to windage and elevation. This deficiency has however been offset by the 20 MOA mount rail. Here are some differences between the two scopes.

SCOPE                      NXS 12-42X56                       NXS 8-32X56

magnification                  12-42                                    8-32

Exit pupil diameter      4.7mm@12x1.3mm@42x        7.0mm@8x1.8mm@32x

Overall length                 16.1in                                    15.9 in

Mounting length                  6.9 in                                    6.7in

Field of view               8.2ft@12x                                    12.1ft@8x 

illumination           --                                            standard

Zero stop option                   no                                             yes

A choice between these two rifle scopes is not a matter of technology but a simple case of preference. 

The full range of Nightforce Riflescopes can be purchased from online shops that deal in hunting optics and other accessories.