Rifle Scopes Nikon Buckmaster vs. Monarch

[Otto]

Bought a Remington 700 SPS 308 Win. varmint for my son this Xmas.
Need a scope to go with it. Been looking at the Buckmaster 4.5-14x40 and the 6-18x40 but I'm also considering a Monarch 6-24x50SF...decisions, decisions. I'm trying to avoid spending more on the scope than I did on the rifle so I've set a limit of $500.
He'll be mostly shooting from a bench at paper with minimal deer hunting in the future. Is the Monarch worth the extra $200? Customer service is one of the main reasons I'm considering Nikon. Or should I look at a different brand altogether? Comments welcome.

 

[ewoaf]

Re: Nikon Buckmaster vs. Monarch

Nikon is pretty good for the money but i'd still skip it in favor of falcon or something with more features useful to long range

 

[jttrim]

Re: Nikon Buckmaster vs. Monarch

I had a buckmaster on my trainer for a short period. The glass is not bad for the money but it has little elevation adjustment. So I to would go for the falcon menace or a 10x super sniper.

 

[JHall0518]

Re: Nikon Buckmaster vs. Monarch

+1 on the falcon. I dont like the idea of a young'un hunting deer with a 10x scope. If you had the money the 3x9 Super Sniper is another route to consider at the quality is the best at that price range and the SWFA customer service is second to none.

 

[gopherslayer]

Re: Nikon Buckmaster vs. Monarch

I have the buckmaster and hunt with 3 monarchs. The glass in the monarchs is head and shoulders better. Depends on how late you want to shoot.

 

[Sig685]

Re: Nikon Buckmaster vs. Monarch

Nikon glass is better than anything else in the same price range. The Nikon does not have a great range of adjustments because its internal lenses are proper size for better performance.

As gopherslayer says, the Monarch has better light transmission than the Buckmaster and that's very useful in hunting situations.

On the other hand, the 6-24X50 is an awesome scope and if you get one with the fine crosshair with target dot, that is superb for target shooting. I believe the Monarch comes with two sets of knobs and for target shooting, I would use the target knobs and simply dial in the proper drop from a known zero. Your son could become a great shooter with this setup. For deep, simply replace the knobs with the covered ones and dial down to 6X and go for it.

That said, if the Monarch is too expensive, the Buckmaster is fine also, just not as good as the Monrach.

 

[acttacus]

Re: Nikon Buckmaster vs. Monarch

Definitely go with the Monarch. you won't regret it. With the extra $200 you'll get more features and better glass, which is always helpful when shooting LR.