I just got my Nikon Monarch 4-16x scope from Optics Planet and while mounting it with the Wheelers Level-Level-Level it became clear that the recticle is canting clockwise about 3 or 4 degrees.
This is not bad on Optics Planet. They got me a good price, while the shipping time was less than optimal, i was generally pleased with my shopping experience with them.
However, this does speak poorly on Nikon. I was expecting nothing less than perfection. My bad. I didn't think to look into issues with Canting on these scopes because i assumed i wouldn't have to worry. Of course once i had the issue myself and did a few searched online i found several forum threads on multiple sites with people complaining about canting issues from several of the top name scope manufactures like bushnell, nikon, and leupold.
Unfortunately my big shooting trip is coming and i don't have time to wait to send it back for repair and will have to deal with it for the meantime. This thread is primarily to give fair warning to anyone who might be interested in these scopes going forward.
So that this post is not 100% negative on Nikon, i will share some of the positive thoughts on the scope.
The BDC recticle is awesome. Its very clear and the cross hair and BDC dot line thickness seem good for shooting. I don't feel they get in the way at all and look forward to trying them out at 300+ yards.
The scope comes with Nikon flip up lens covers so there is no need to buy any aftermarket ones, however, unlike their Buckmaster series, the monarch did not come with a sunshade.
The build quality on everything else seems solid. Much more so than any other scope ive owned or handled. The knob for the variable zoom is tight and takes a bit of force to turn, but i think thats a good thing as you can feel comfortable that it won't break easily.
The caps/covers for the elevation and windage knobs are well built and seem to screw on/off easily enough. I really like the feel of the clicks.
The rear focus for the recticle is nice and makes for shooting with glasses on easier than i've experienced with my other scopes. Because the recticle is further inside the scope, without glasses it would normally be blurry for my eyes but with the focus knobs you can bring it back into focus without wearing glasses while the background image stays the same. It's nice to know that i can choose to shoot with or without the glasses.
But in the end, despite the good things. The recticle is canting. And that sucks.
This is not bad on Optics Planet. They got me a good price, while the shipping time was less than optimal, i was generally pleased with my shopping experience with them.
However, this does speak poorly on Nikon. I was expecting nothing less than perfection. My bad. I didn't think to look into issues with Canting on these scopes because i assumed i wouldn't have to worry. Of course once i had the issue myself and did a few searched online i found several forum threads on multiple sites with people complaining about canting issues from several of the top name scope manufactures like bushnell, nikon, and leupold.
Unfortunately my big shooting trip is coming and i don't have time to wait to send it back for repair and will have to deal with it for the meantime. This thread is primarily to give fair warning to anyone who might be interested in these scopes going forward.
So that this post is not 100% negative on Nikon, i will share some of the positive thoughts on the scope.
The BDC recticle is awesome. Its very clear and the cross hair and BDC dot line thickness seem good for shooting. I don't feel they get in the way at all and look forward to trying them out at 300+ yards.
The scope comes with Nikon flip up lens covers so there is no need to buy any aftermarket ones, however, unlike their Buckmaster series, the monarch did not come with a sunshade.
The build quality on everything else seems solid. Much more so than any other scope ive owned or handled. The knob for the variable zoom is tight and takes a bit of force to turn, but i think thats a good thing as you can feel comfortable that it won't break easily.
The caps/covers for the elevation and windage knobs are well built and seem to screw on/off easily enough. I really like the feel of the clicks.
The rear focus for the recticle is nice and makes for shooting with glasses on easier than i've experienced with my other scopes. Because the recticle is further inside the scope, without glasses it would normally be blurry for my eyes but with the focus knobs you can bring it back into focus without wearing glasses while the background image stays the same. It's nice to know that i can choose to shoot with or without the glasses.
But in the end, despite the good things. The recticle is canting. And that sucks.
