Nightforce Optics Does Not Buy Scopes From Japan For $400

I recently caught wind of a video on YouTube where a person with a relatively large YouTube subscriber base of over 300K people stated an Arken Optics EP5 is just as good as a Nightforce Optics ATACR. In the video, he made claims that the EP5 glass was just as good, if not better, than the ATACR glass and expounded that people should get the EP5 instead of a Nightforce.

Up front I will say that I understand why someone would buy a lower priced optic in the sub-$1000 or sub-$500 price segment vs a scope in the $3000+ price segment. Not everyone can afford to spend that much money on a scope, and for good amount of people, an adequately built lower-priced scope can still perform up to specific tasks (e.g., recreational range shooting).

However, the main reason why this video struck a chord with me is because of how this person significantly downplays who Nightforce is, what Nightforce makes, and how Nightforce produces while he praises the Arken Optics EP5.

This person answers any counter opinions in the video comments with the statement that Nightforce “buys scopes from a Japanese company for $400.”

Not only does he make this statement about Nightforce, he also claims he knows more than anyone who disagrees with his opinion.

First off, I want to address the claim that Nightforce buys the scopes from a Japanese company for $400.

This is flat out false.

Nightforce assembles the scopes in Idaho, and while the optical (glass) elements are actually produced by a Japanese optics manufacturer (most likely Light Optical Works aka LOW), Nightforce produces many of the other scope components in the United States, including the body and turrets.

You can go online and find videos and articles by firearms industry people who toured and reported on the Nightforce Optics factory in Idaho to support this.

In the machine shop, the team was busy using the finest materials and machines to create the housings, turrets, and other pieces of the ATACR and NX8 line of optics. The QC department was inspecting the finest ED glass for anything less than perfection, and the assembly team was putting everything together with great care and attention to detail.

https://www.thearmorylife.com/nightforce-optics-factory-tour/

I understand that someone may feel a specific budget optic can provide them what they need without having to spend on a higher-priced optic like a Nightforce, but it does not justify making a false statement about their manufacturing processes and product origins.

For those wondering why Nightforce Optics scopes are marked as being “Made in Japan” and not the United States, the key issue is that the primary component (optics) are made in Japan which means that it cannot be marked as Made in the USA. So even though a Nightforce scope may have been built with components manufactured in Idaho, assembled and tested in Idaho, it still gets marked as Made in Japan.

Aside from needing to publicly debunk the claim that Nightforce buys scopes from a Japanese OEM for $400, I feel it necessary to discuss the blind faith in Japanese glass. The YouTuber in question uses the fact that the Arken Optics EP5 has Japanese glass to justify why it is on par, if not better, than a Nightforce.

The flaw in this mentality is that just because a scope has Japanese glass, it does not mean much because not all Japanese glass is the same. This applies even for German or Austrian glass.

While Light Optical Works (LOW) is considered a quality source for glass which is likely found in scopes like Nightforce Optics and Vortex Optics (e.g., Razor HD Gen III), LOW is not the only optics manufacturer in Japan as there are other companies such as Japan Optics LTD (JOL). Some of the other Japanese manufacturers may not be making glass to the quality of LOW or JOL. Furthermore, optics manufacturers will have different grades of lens elements with different coatings and varying tolerances which obviously drive the cost.

So even if Arken Optics or another scope has Japanese glass, it is possible to have a lesser quality glass where the manufacturer didn’t use specific coatings or has a lower quality control resulting in lesser image quality.

Not to mention, it is not as simple as buying a bunch of lens elements, putting into a metal tube, and calling it a day. Physics plays a significant role in optical engineering as it is all about controlling the transmission of light to create a magnified image, which needs to be tunable (for focus planes) and adjustable (magnification and reticle position).

The issue of Japanese components aside, I have to respectfully disagree with the message that the YouTuber is sending in the respective video, in that Nightforce Optics is overpriced and an Arken Optics EP5 is better than an ATACR.

While I disagree with the message, I do agree with the fundamental concept that a budget optic can still be a viable option for someone who does not want to buy a higher-cost optic that happens to be of high-quality and reliability. It is simply a matter of working with in the limitations of that budget optic. If that optic works within the confines of the use cases, then the user will be fine. Although, there are many who need the optic to perform in harsher lighting and/or environmental conditions, and that is where Nightforce or other top-tier optics come into play.

Back in the early-2000s when I bought my first precision bolt rifle (Savage 10FP in .308), I put a Bushnell 3200 Elite 10×40 on it. It was only $200 and was Made in Japan. I felt it was a good enough scope for my beginner short and mid-range recreational shooting and I was able to print several 1/2-MOA 5-shot groups at 100 yards with it and shoot steel out to 550 yards (my old range setup only reached out to 550 max). At the time, I was not willing to spend thousands more for a Unertl or US Optics, or even just a Leupold Mark series (options pretty limited at the time; and I never heard of Schmidt and Bender back then).

But I did understand that the Bushnell Elite was not going to compare favorably against the higher-tier scopes, particularly in high mirage conditions and harsh lighting conditions.

So yes, I understand that a cheaper scope can be viable for many people in many use cases. But to say that an Arken Optics EP5 is as good or better than a Nightforce Optics is a very misguided opinion. Nightforce Optics and other top tier scope manufacturers have a lot of substance behind the price: tight manufacturing tolerances, quality control, and premium parts and components. All of these lead to a high-functioning, reliable, and reputable scope that people will invest in.