Rifle Scopes Nikon scopes?

[gnappi]

I've used Nikon cameras for a long time, and now that they're into rifle scopes I'm interested in knowing if anyone has a 8-32x50 Nikon. At ~600.00 are they as good as their camera lenses in quality and durability?

I currently have a Leupold and Trijicon 20x variables, but need another scope for a new play rifle. Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

[pdogsbeware]

Re: Nikon scopes?

I have a NF NXS 5.5-22, and a Monarch 6-24...can't tell the difference in glass. Like you said, nikon has been making lenses for a LONg time, they know what they are doing.

The downside is my monarch feels like a butterfly fart could break it. Not saying it IS fragile, it just FEELs that way. I've only had it two years but no troubles so far. For use on a non-abused rifle, I am a strong believer in them, unbelievable glass for the price.

 

[zlman]

Re: Nikon scopes?

I've owned two, a buckmark and a monarch. Always liked the glass but hated their bdc reticles. Sold them both and I'm currently looking for a mil or bdc type reticle I like. I'd be all over another nikon if they would come out with an MOA reticle.

 

[Niles Coyote]

Re: Nikon scopes?

Never played with a 8-32x50 Nikon, but I have a couple 2.5-10tacticals and a 4-16 tactical and they are great.

 

[bman940]

Re: Nikon scopes?

Gnap, The NIkon MONARCH 8-32 is one heck of a scope. I do not own one but I have looked them over very carefully. The ED glasshas excellent clarity through all magnification setting's. What make and cal. of rifle are you thinking about putting this scope on?

Zi., What is it you do not like about the BDC Reticle? Did you ever use Nikon's Spot On Ballistic Program to dial in your rifle, scope and ammo to get exact distances for each BDC circle? I've used this program and showed it to other's then watched guy's connect on 4 inch jars of Tannerite at 623 yards. Believe me, when that happens you can't help but become a believer. I do understand that they are not for everyone which is why we offer so many different scopes. I do encourage you to check out Spot On , even if you are not using a BDC scope they is a lot of helpful information.

Niles, You are right abot the Tacticals,now called the Monarch X scope's being great. The 30 mm tubes and outstanding glasswill truly let you get the absolute most out of your rifle.

Guy's, if you are looking at the new P-223,P-22 or M-Series scopes, there's a big Promotion going on right now giving away a FREE AR mount with your scope when purchased from an Authorized Nikon Dealer. Last year this Promo proved to be one of our biggest of the year with just about everyone selling out.

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd363/bman940/LesandDPMSRAT.jpg

 

[coldboremiracle]

Re: Nikon scopes?

I've always had a good experience with Nikon scopes, for what they are. They dont make any scopes that interest me anymore, except for their tactical line, which I think are way too damn expensive. For that price I can get something better.

 

[zlman]

Re: Nikon scopes?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Barton Hege</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Gnap, The NIkon MONARCH 8-32 is one heck of a scope. I do not own one but I have looked them over very carefully. The ED glasshas excellent clarity through all magnification setting's. What make and cal. of rifle are you thinking about putting this scope on?

Zi., <span style="color: #FF0000">What is it you do not like about the BDC Reticle</span>? Did you ever use Nikon's Spot On Ballistic Program to dial in your rifle, scope and ammo to get exact distances for each BDC circle? I've used this program and showed it to other's then watched guy's connect on 4 inch jars of Tannerite at 623 yards. Believe me, when that happens you can't help but become a believer. I do understand that they are not for everyone which is why we offer so many different scopes. I do encourage you to check out Spot On , even if you are not using a BDC scope they is a lot of helpful information.

Niles, You are right abot the Tacticals,now called the Monarch X scope's being great. The 30 mm tubes and outstanding glasswill truly let you get the absolute most out of your rifle.

Guy's, if you are looking at the new P-223,P-22 or M-Series scopes, there's a big Promotion going on right now giving away a FREE AR mount with your scope when purchased from an Authorized Nikon Dealer. Last year this Promo proved to be one of our biggest of the year with just about everyone selling out.

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd363/bman940/LesandDPMSRAT.jpg



</div></div>

The size that Nikon uses for each dot of the bdc, Too bold(thick). Very distracting when your sighting in on a little prairie dog 3-400 yds away.

 

[bman940]

Re: Nikon scopes?

Thanks for reply Zi., Like I've said before, not every scope is going to work for everyone. I've shot Prairie rats using my Savage .223 and a M-223 Rapid action Turret, not a BDC and it worked great for me, not so good for Prairie Rats. Defintely having a good rangefinder helps when shooting unknown distances in the field.
A buddy likes using this set up so much he's taking it to S. Dakota for the second time in a few weeks, I hope he gives it back when he returns!

 

[roggom]

Re: Nikon scopes?

I had a Buckmaster 6-18, although it was bright and tracked very well, I did not like the eye relief at full power. You had to be in an exact position and not much latitude side to side. In short the focal distance sucked at full power. You might want to do a hands on at a local big box store first.

 

[elk addict]

Re: Nikon scopes?

Had one on my 270 for the last few years (3-9 bdc) and can't really complain. The bdc dope from spot on definitely requires some trigger time & adjusting, but great for someone like me who is just getting interested in precision shooting.

Barton- any plans to go ffp?

 

[Xdguy]

Re: Nikon scopes?

I just traded a Monarch for a Vortex viper PST. I think the glass is noticeably better on the PST. The features are absolutely better. I definitely think it's worth the extra $300.

I don't think I would go the Monarch route again.

ETA...I also didn't like the 1/8 MOA turret adjustments either.

 

[Niles Coyote]

Re: Nikon scopes?

Barton Hege,
If your associated with Nikon, you may want to tell them to update the Nikon-X with mrad turrets or they are going to be losing out on a lot of potential sales.

 

[lessthanfour]

Re: Nikon scopes?

i was thinking of getting a 2.5-10 monarch to replace my bushnell on my .308 but im not sure if i should just go for the viper or not

 

[gnappi]

Re: Nikon scopes?

Barton: "Gnap, The NIkon MONARCH 8-32 is one heck of a scope. I do not own one but I have looked them over very carefully. The "glass has excellent clarity through all magnification setting's. What make and cal. of rifle are you thinking about putting this scope on?"

Right now I would put it on a Rem 700 VTR in .223, no worries about recoil there. I have an LR-308 and a Savage 10BA which if I did make it to past 500 yards, I "might" consider moving the 32x Nikon on either of my .308's and move the Trijicon or Leupold onto the VTR at some point. I like the 20x scopes but think maybe that 32x would be much better out to and beyond 500 yards? Dunno, the longest I've shot precision rifle at was 200 so everything sort of depends!

 

[pdogsbeware]

Re: Nikon scopes?

The one downside to the Monarchs is very limited total adjustment range. I won't lie, I'm too lazy to look up the 8-32, but my 6-24 only has 30 moa TOTAL elevation, so 15+/- a few of usable elevation. Look up your load and see how far that would get ya.

I used to be a magnification junkie, couldn't get enough. I very quickly found that even shooting tiny ass prairie dogs, I rarely have my scope above 15, 16x, and then only to spot. Try it with one of your other scopes - range something 6 or 7 hundred yards, however far you want, and just look at it through your Trijicon, imagine shooting at whatever it is you're looking at. Other than benchrest shooters, I have never met anyone who didn't regret getting a 32 power scope. Hell, every single year I go prairie dog shooting I have to listen to my shootin buddies bitch about their 32x's and the mirage, or not being able to find something cause the low end is too high.

Too each his own. But trying to find ANYTHING through the scope at the low end's 8x is a PITA!

 

[gnappi]

Re: Nikon scopes?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: pdogsbeware</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The one downside to the Monarchs is very limited total adjustment range. I won't lie, I'm too lazy to look up the 8-32, but my 6-24 only has 30 moa TOTAL elevation, so 15+/- a few of usable elevation. Look up your load and see how far that would get ya. </div></div>

Boy did you ever hit the nail on the head with that one. Their scopes only have 30-35 max MOA, where my Leupold has 94 MOA elevation AND windage. For the .223 even the Leupold would need a mount with a +20 moa offset beyond 400-500 meters. That helps a lot. Thanks.

 

[bman940]

Re: Nikon scopes?

gn, The M-223 3-12 has 60 MOA and the M-223 2-8 has 80.
As I've said before, I've shot 10 inch steel plates out to 600 yards without the
20 MOA Mount and with the 20 MOA Mount. I did not have any difficulty getting the scope to perform the way it was intended to without the added elevation of a 20 MOA Mount.
As always it comes down to using the right tool for the right job. Most of us are inclined to lean towards a mulit-tool then be stuck with a single use item.

 

[sniperaviator]

Re: Nikon scopes?

I bought a 3x-9 Nikon Buckmaster for $250 and hit 10" steel out to 1200 yards with it. The target was small but clear as could be. Glass as good as my NF. Has 80moa of elevation. Doesn't really have tactical turrets or zero stop. All Nikon turrets are in moa. The Nikons tend to have LESS elevation moa as the magnification goes up. Not a bad hunting scope or a starter/backup tactical scope. Good for the price. Nikon glass is excellent.

 

[ShtrRdy]

Re: Nikon scopes?

Would any of you be interested in a Nikon Monarch 3-12x42SF in pristine condition?

 

[Paul.c]

Re: Nikon scopes?

Barton Hege
I recently bought a buckmasters 6-18 scope (BDC) and had it shipped to U.K. It's now sitting on top of my new tikka t3 varmint in .308win. It will have its first day at the range next week.

The spot-on software is fantastic but it seems I'm unable to buy it over here in the U.K. There's no download option for the pc and it is only available in the U.S. Itunes store and none other so I cannot put it on my iphone either.

I can use the flash version on the nikon website but is there a way I can buy the PC or especially the iphone version over here in the U.K?

thanks
Paul

 

[bhoges]

Re: Nikon scopes?

Yesterday I took my M4 out to the range for some practice. I have the Nikon M223 1x4 on its with there mount as well. Lately I have seen a few posts about Nikons not tracking well. So I decided to see how well my scope has retained its zero. I shot a 3 shot group inside of a dime right in the x ring. Keep in mind during matches I crank the scope from low to highest power and crank the turrets as well. We shoot from 7-100yds. I can honestly say if I had any issue at all with this scope it would be off the rifle and my Eotech would be back on. Im not about to loose points in a match due to equipment problems. I also shoot a Monarch X 4-16x50 on my 10/22. Same thing I use this setup out to 200yds. She never fails to hit the mark.

 

[BoilerUP]

Re: Nikon scopes?

I've previously owned a Monarch 5-20x44 and a Buckmaster 6-18x40.

Both were very good optics that served me well, but both have been replaced with 'better' optics (meaning crisper, with mil/mil features I want).

For the 'average' gun owner who hunts deer a few days a year and makes one trip every other month to a range, a Buckmaster or Monarch is probably the "best" optic they'll ever own. And for those uses, they're great.

For somebody shooting 50-1000 yards doing practical-style shooting, where there are UKD targets that require lots of turret movement, there are better options at those price points IMO.

 

[bhoges]

Re: Nikon scopes?

Well put Boiler.

 

[bman940]

Re: Nikon scopes?

As I always tell folks when they are looking for a scope. You have to look down a bunch of tubes to see what works best for you. Then figuring out your shooting style,use(s) and budget will make a difference in what you buy. Then of course there's th Warranty and any perks you get from buying said scope.
SnipersHide is a great place to ask question's and I have found the guy's will give you answer's based on their practical knowledge/experiences.
Hard to beat that! Open and honest. We all know not every scope is for every person, the one you think is best for you is the one you should buy.

 

[tomcatfan]

Re: Nikon scopes?

I don't want to seem like a nikon poster boy but I've got 4 nikon scopes. 1 prostaffs, a buck master and 2 from their m223 line. Im about to pick up a 5th. I really want the 4-16x42 m223 bdc scope. I have their rimfire prostaff on a savage 22 and it works great. The buck master is on a savage 308 and has suited me very well. The 2 m223's are my favorite. In my opinion Nikon has GREAT value. The glass is great and the features of the scopes are really nice. Im really happy with mine. I think my nikon glass is right up there with my sightron sIII.