Rifle Scopes Nikon IPHY?

[ewoaf]

I've got a Nikon Buckmaster 6-18x40 plex. When I got the thing, the manual explains how it adjusts in MOA (1/8 MOA clicks). I took this for granted for some time now. I later noticed that my turrets are marked 1click=1/8"
I figured that they put that there for the "shooters' minute" deer hunters or something, but then started wondering about the discrepancy. If you go to just about any website selling these scopes they all advertise MOA adjustment. For a while now I convinced myself that was so and left it at that w/o doing any tracking test.
My curiosity got the best of me this week and I thought I'd settle this for myself. I emailed the Nikon customer service and asked for the click value of my particular scope. The answer I got was still just as vague.
"well your scope will adjust one inch at 100yards, so one click moves the reticle 1/8"
"one eighth of what?" I went on to explain that I was needing an angular measurment value and that yardage shouldnt be involved, yaddah yaddah yaddah, we all know the deal.
"well is it MOA or IPHY?"
Finally today I got an answer today that said "you are right, your scope adjusts in IPHY. The user manual shouldn't say MOA"

Now I dont really care either way, with my plex reticle I dont have to match turrets to anything (I can just as easily print out dope data in IPHY as I can MOA), but I think it's still nice to know what my scope adjusts in. My concern is that people might be buying a product advertising one thing and dealing in another, and why would a user manual say one thing and the product behave differently. I know I'm talking about a .047 discrepancy (i'm sure Lindy can come up with a error percentage), so am I out of line or something? I'm not trying to bash a product either, because it has performed well enough so far.

your thoughts?

 

[Lindy]

Re: Nikon IPHY?

The error is close to 5 percent. Doesn't matter at 100 yards. At 1000 yards with a typical .308 load, the error is 20 inches worth.

Happens all the time. Most of the Leupold scopes with M1 knobs I've tested are actually 1/4 IPHY clicks, rather than 1/4 MOA. Some people claim to have tested ones with 1/4 MOA clicks, though.

The only way to know is to check it for yourself.

That's why I wrote this:

Optically Checking Rifle Scopes

 

[doc76251]

Re: Nikon IPHY?

"Trust, but verify"

You would be surprised at how many scopes out there don't do what the knob says they do. A 1/4 of an RCH makes a huge difference when you start stacking clicks.

Always calibrate your turrets and your reticle.

Cheers,

Doc

 

[ChadTRG42]

Re: Nikon IPHY?

Yes! Just yesterday I explained the IPHY to a customer with their Zeiss scope with the target turrets. It does make a difference when you get further out. Inside of 400 yards, it doesn't make a large difference, but the further you go, the greater the difference becomes.

 

[ewoaf]

Re: Nikon IPHY?


What I was trying to get at with my question was why are there scope manufacturers out there that make a product and market it one way even going so far as to put one thing in a users manual when the product is actually something else. Do most shooters not really know or care enough to notice?
To me it seems like by proclaiming that your scope is MOA when it is really IPHY, you put out a product with a 5% error right out of the chute. Would it not make better business sense to call it what it is? Inches is such a common unit of measure that most people shouldnt have a problem relating to it, and maybe that's why they are making them that way, I dont know. Seems to me, with as many times someone posts the "what is MOA?" question here, that the IPHY would be something to capitalize on rather than let it create a problem.

 

[Arch]

Re: Nikon IPHY?

It makes better business sense to attract more customers.

Like Pres. R.R., and Doc said, "Trust but verify."
Like Lindy said, "Check for yourself."

Even people 'handed' the best, and sometimes most expensive, gear that can be found do the same.

That aside, I have seen some really good glass in Nikon optics. What are your thoughts about clarity and such?

 

[ewoaf]

Re: Nikon IPHY?

It's great clarity, i like the scope, and like i said before, i could care less what it adjusts in because i know i can easily modify my dope data to make things easy. I've had the knobs turned all over the place and it returns well.