Hunting Washington Forum

Equipment & Gear => Scopes and Optics => Topic started by: poulsbo on July 30, 2008, 07:53:02 PM

Title: bought my first nikon scope
Post by: poulsbo on July 30, 2008, 07:53:02 PM: i own leupolds and burris they've held up great but i found a nikon with very good clarity hopefuly it holds up on my 375 ruger. any comments on nikons good or bad?
Title: Re: bought my first nikon scope
Post by: rainshadow1 on July 30, 2008, 08:04:08 PM: I think I have 4.

I have Loopys, and love them. I have a Burris, and have had others, love them too. I'll probably buy others in the future without second thought.

I'd love a Swaro, or Nightforce, or Zeiss...

But for $150 to $200, Nikons are bight, clear, hold zero, don't fog up, and flat get the job done for 1/4 or less of the price!! Where I come from you just can't beat that!
Title: Re: bought my first nikon scope
Post by: huntnphool on July 30, 2008, 08:08:44 PM: I have 3 and cant complain about any of them. Clear, durable and work very well in early morning and late evening low light.
Title: Re: bought my first nikon scope
Post by: KillBilly on July 30, 2008, 08:17:22 PM: I sure like the one I have on my Encore Pro Hunter
Title: Re: bought my first nikon scope
Post by: MountainWalk on July 30, 2008, 08:21:31 PM: I think they are great scopes, but I dont think they will live long on a hard kicker. From my exp.. luepolds are the very best for scope killing rifles. My 338 has chewed up and spit out a few scopes of good quality. I can only imagine what anything bigger than that will do.
Title: Re: bought my first nikon scope
Post by: wastickslinger on July 30, 2008, 08:59:50 PM: I have had a few lower end models and liked teh clarity. Last year I put a Monarch Gold on my 22-250. It is super clear in the low light.
Title: Re: bought my first nikon scope
Post by: Bookworm on July 30, 2008, 09:01:15 PM: I have four of them. Time will tell if they stand up to the punishment or not. But with a lifetime warrenty how can you go wrong.
Title: Re: bought my first nikon scope
Post by: mkcj on July 30, 2008, 09:10:18 PM: Well if it's on a big gun your lucky because nikon backs there products as good as anybody! I love the 5 I own
Title: Re: bought my first nikon scope
Post by: andrew_12gauge on July 30, 2008, 09:11:58 PM: Quote from: MountainWalk338 on July 30, 2008, 08:21:31 PM
I think they are great scopes, but I dont think they will live long on a hard kicker. From my exp.. luepolds are the very best for scope killing rifles. My 338 has chewed up and spit out a few scopes of good quality. I can only imagine what anything bigger than that will do.

How can you even say that while working at sportsmans warehouse i saw more leupolds come back with problems due to recoil than any other brand, never have owned one myself though. have owned plenty of nikons and they are probably the best bang for the buck in scopes except for maybe the zeiss conquest line. dropped one hard on a boulder while on the high buck hunt in 04, convinced myself that it would never hold a zero again but it was still dead on afterward, you cannot go wrong with nikon they are very durable
Title: Re: bought my first nikon scope
Post by: MountainWalk on July 30, 2008, 09:16:40 PM: How can you even say that
[/quote]

Almost every custom dangerous game rifle builder insist the customer uses luepy.. not even swaro or zeiss. these are names like d'arcy echols, lon paul. men who build build them. leupolds just have the best track record when it comes to the bigger bores.
Title: Re: bought my first nikon scope
Post by: 257 Wby Mag on July 30, 2008, 09:20:21 PM: Quote from: MountainWalk338 on July 30, 2008, 08:21:31 PM
I think they are great scopes, but I dont think they will live long on a hard kicker. From my exp.. luepolds are the very best for scope killing rifles. My 338 has chewed up and spit out a few scopes of good quality. I can only imagine what anything bigger than that will do.
I've got 3 nikons in the safe right now, 1 was mounted on my 338 RUM for years, never lost zero once. Have another mounted on my 358, same story. Comparing VXI & II to a Monarch, is, well not much of a comparison. There is life outside of Leupold....
Title: Re: bought my first nikon scope
Post by: andrew_12gauge on July 31, 2008, 09:19:17 AM: i would say that leupold is the one case in optics where you should not spend more than you can afford buy nikon or burris and let somebody else buy leupold
Title: Re: bought my first nikon scope
Post by: arrowflinger on July 31, 2008, 09:58:34 AM: I have 6 Nikons. they are mounted on a .257 bob, .270 Win, .338 Win, .223 and an AR-15.

Threes shots and I'm done sighting in. I have to say that for the money they have be great scopes. Just my :twocents:
Title: Re: bought my first nikon scope
Post by: GoldTip on July 31, 2008, 10:28:32 AM: I think the Nikons seem to be very good scopes for the money. But having had Leupolds on virtually every gun I've owned since my first 30-06 at age 10, and never had a problem with them I'll stick with them. But I would certainly buy a gun already equipped with Nikon glass and not change it to a Leupold, unless I was having scope problems.
Title: Re: bought my first nikon scope
Post by: Intruder on July 31, 2008, 10:35:08 AM: Quote from: MountainWalk338 on July 30, 2008, 09:16:40 PM
How can you even say that

Almost every custom dangerous game rifle builder insist the customer uses luepy.. not even swaro or zeiss. these are names like d'arcy echols, lon paul. men who build build them. leupolds just have the best track record when it comes to the bigger bores.
[/quote]

I'm not sure I buy into this. I fully believe what you're saying in respect to that there are some custom big bore gun makers who are Leui advocates. But, of all the folks that I know that have hunted dangerous game, none have used Leui.... most used European stuff. The 2 PHs that I know both use European stuff too. I'm not saying Leui isn't up to the task but I'm not sure I believe they really have any better track record or have any quality advantage over the other premium scopes. I wouldn't hesitate to use one but I wouldn't at all feel disadvantaged using another high end scope.
Title: Re: bought my first nikon scope
Post by: rainshadow1 on July 31, 2008, 10:41:47 AM: Leupold makes a great scope. I think I have 3 right now. I have one on my Weatherby 300WM that I saved for a whole year and bought when I was 13. Got that VX2 new with it the same day. Last year, 25 years later, probably 1500-2000 hard pounding rounds later, untold western Washington, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Alaska, mountain miles later, it fogged. I e-mailed Leupy. They said, "Sure! Send it back!" A couple weeks later I got it back in brand new condition, polished out, new objective lense, re-charged and re-sealed. You can't beat that.

But the topic at hand is whether or not Nikon is a good price alternative. Nikon is an excellent price alternative. I like Leupold better, but I completely trust my Nikons, and will continue to buy them.
Title: Re: bought my first nikon scope
Post by: thinkingman on July 31, 2008, 11:58:20 AM: Quote from: rainshadow1 on July 31, 2008, 10:41:47 AM
Leupold makes a great scope. I think I have 3 right now. I have one on my Weatherby 300WM that I saved for a whole year and bought when I was 13. Got that VX2 new with it the same day. Last year, 25 years later, probably 1500-2000 hard pounding rounds later, untold western Washington, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Alaska, mountain miles later, it fogged. I e-mailed Leupy. They said, "Sure! Send it back!" A couple weeks later I got it back in brand new condition, polished out, new objective lense, re-charged and re-sealed. You can't beat that.

But the topic at hand is whether or not Nikon is a good price alternative. Nikon is an excellent price alternative. I like Leupold better, but I completely trust my Nikons, and will continue to buy them.
There is definitely life outside of Leupold.
Good choice, Nikon Monarch for half the price of Leupold and better glass.
Too many stories about Leupolds that failed and have to be sent back for me to trust a major hunt to them.
Title: Re: bought my first nikon scope
Post by: Wacenturion on July 31, 2008, 02:13:55 PM: All good....just what one perfers. Me...I like my Burris Signatures. Even my son does who has a Nikon. He loves his Nikon but admits mine is clearer.