I know it's more than needed for a 17, but I would likely use it on a Desert Tech down the road and I'd rather spend once... Thanks for the suggestion on the Leupold, I'll check it out.
It's not more than needed for the 17. These rifles are capable of sub moa accuracy out past 700 yards so if you want to do some real target shooting at long ranges I think your scope choice is great, you need the higher magnification for precision shooting. Hitting a man sized target at 600 with a 1-6x scope isn't precision shooting, it's hitting a giant target without having the optics to pick out a spot on the target you want to group shots into. Best of luck with your choice.
Not really. You might get lucky on a string of shots, but a 17s isn't going to reliably hit 6" targets past 700 yards. My vote is with the "3.5-15x is overkill on a 17s battle rifle" camp.
If you're going to move it later, the 3.5-15 might work. I used that optic with hits at 1100 yards in my long range class, and it worked well.
I know you state NF but with the magnification you seek, think of the 3-18x44 Mark 6. And if you want to see that one on a SCAR 17 .... http://fnforum.net/forums/album.php?albumid=225
Although I have a NF NXS 3.5-15X50 on my SCAR 17 I would not hesitate to put the above Bushnell on a 17S. I have 3 of them. 1 on a MR762, 1 on a MR556 and 1 on a POF P-308. Excellent scope for the money and $500 less than the NXS 3.5-15X50 Nightforce.
The NF Unimount of course. It's lightweight at only 5.5oz!
