SmallCaliberCentral

Anyone have a Nikon monarch scope on their rifle? I just ordered a 5x20x44mm for my ar I had made. But I was considering a 4x16 for my 204. I have always been a Nikon fan but I have no experience with the Monarch scopes. I have a 4x12 prostaff on my 204 now and I would like a little more magnification.

Thanks

Monarchs are absolutely one of the best buys out there for the oney. I have 4 of em and all are great glass. However, I bought a 4-12 Vortex Viper and I have to say I will be buying Vortex from now on.

The Nikon scopes that i have looked thru including the Buckmaster and Monarch have been ok, however i believe there are just as good if not better glass available on the market for less money. The two scope manufacturer's that we carry are prime examples. Clearidge Optics and Hawke sport optics are both comparable (or better in some people's opinion) to Nikon for equal or less money depending on which particular model you choose. I have compared the Nikon Monarch to a Konus M-30 side by side in the evening time just before dark and you could tell a noticeable difference in the glass. The konus M-30 had a better, clearer, brighter image in those particular conditions. For those of you that aren't familiar with the Konus M-30 line of scopes they sell for around $350 which is much less than the Monarch. In my opinion the glass in the Hawke Sidewinder is comparable to the Konus M-30 and the glass in the Clearidge XP5 line is a couple steps better. Just my 2 cents, more and more guys are starting to see the value in the Hawke and Clearidge scopes. The Mildot reticle in the Hawke sidewinder is another big plus. They offer a very small mil dot and hash marks half way between mildot's. This particular feature is great for ground squirrel's, Prarie Dogs, and any other small game. I see this as another big plus over the Nikon. Give one a try you might just be pleasantly surprised.

For the type of hunting I do, anything bigger than 8X doesn't get used. Actually, I rarely go above 3X, but like I said, this pertains to me only. Anyway, I prefer Leupold VX3's, but I do use a Nikon Monarch also. The one in the photo is a 2-8X32. The Bobcat was shot at 225 + yds. and the scope was on 3X.

I meant to buy a monarch when I purchased my rifle but the pro staff was a good buy. I like the scope but I want mote magnification. The prostaff would find a new home on my rimfires. Also the deal sweetener is Nikon has a instant rebate on qualifying scopes

I have a Buckmaster 4.5 - 14 on a deer rifle that a really like. Because of it a bought a 4-16 Monarch for one of my varmint rifles. Honestly I was a little disappointed. The buckmaster glass seems to be about as good and the Monarch has more tunnel vision than I like, even on 4x.

I have a Nikon Monarch LNIB 4-16x42SF BDC for sale if anyone is interested. It looks as good as if it has never been used.

jrwoitalla wrote:I have a Nikon Monarch LNIB 4-16x42SF BDC for sale if anyone is interested. It looks as good as if it has never been used.

O man if it were only a nikoplex reticle

I have a Nikon Buckmasters 6-18X40 on my AR-15 .223 and I like it. The midway USA version has Mildot, which I prefer. I usually keep it around 12X for target shooting. Optics are "good" on 18X. It rides the AR nice. I have a Nikon M223 one-piece mount for it which I like. They are on sale now as you know.

Bodei wrote:I have a Nikon Buckmasters 6-18X40 on my AR-15 .223 and I like it. The midway USA version has Mildot, which I prefer. I usually keep it around 12X for target shooting. Optics are "good" on 18X. It rides the AR nice. I have a Nikon M223 one-piece mount for it which I like. They are on sale now as you know.

I ordered the 5x20x44 for my ar-15. I was looking at the M-223 but have heard mixed thoughts on the turret system. I also have the M223 mount......Now all I need is my ar-15 from my friend with his FFL.

I did also purchase the 4x16 for my 204 today. I was thinking you can't really go wrong with the $100 instant savings

Nikon kinda baffles me. I used to have a Buckmaster on a Savage in 204, really liked it and had NO issues of any kind. When I bought it, I really wanted to stretch the budget out to a Monarch. As I searched the internet to help justify it, the Monarch really seemed to get beat-up by customer reviews as far as clarity and the frequency of warranty claims. Almost everyone seemed happy with their Buckmaster. What does this mean???? I really don't know what to make of it (hence, I'm baffled). My current 204 wears a Vortex Viper, love it as well for the most part. I will move it to a different rifle when the budget allows me to replace it with a RIO special (yah, the Leupold) because it seems to be more forgiving of eye relief than the Vortex on the higher powers. By the way, my old Savage still has the Nikon on it and the current owner is very happy with it.

On Edit: K22, I really wish I had your vision. I would have been on 12-14X shooting at that cat!

My last Nikon scope was a Monarch scope 5-20x44, while the settings were very good, glass was poor IMO,had a tunnel affect,my eyes were tired after 10 rounds or so, sold it at a loss,and yes I returned it to Nikon they checked it returned still same issue. I've had Nikons in years past that were excellent.

Nikon seems to be taking the same route as many other companies lately. The prices keep going up while the quality seems to go down. To many companies are ridding on the name that they built years ago. I believe it will come back to bite them in the not so distant future. Just my 2 cents.

oldguy wrote:My last Nikon scope was a Monarch scope 5-20x44, while the settings were very good, glass was poor IMO,had a tunnel affect,my eyes were tired after 10 rounds or so, sold it at a loss,and yes I returned it to Nikon they checked it returned still same issue. I've had Nikons in years past that were excellent.

Funny you should ask. I just finished packing up my 5-20X Monarch to ship to Nikon repair. It will no longer track correctly. Thought I could live with the less-than-stellar glass because the controls seemed to work well. I switched it from a .204 to a .22-250 and p.o.i. wouldn't follow the clicks (guess it couldn't handle the massive recoil! ) And, yes, I tried another scope and it did fine. I just don't think the newer side-focus Monarchs are the equal of the older AO models. Personally, I'm done with Nikon. I wish you luck.
I'll stick with Sightron Big Sky, Vortex Viper, and Weaver Grand Slam in that general price range; although am currently considering trying the Clearidge sold by Optics Planet, I believe.

RAMOS wrote:
On Edit: K22, I really wish I had your vision. I would have been on 12-14X shooting at that cat!

If the truth were known, the higher the power, the fuzzier it looks to me. I will admit that the higher powered scopes create to much movement for me and me target groups are always better with lower powered scopes. Here's an example of what I mean. Both rimfires shot at the same distance on the same day using the same rests. Both started out with clean bores.


I know, it doesn't make sense, but that's me. At 100yds., I'll shoot as tight of group with an 8X scope as I will with a 20X. For years I hunted Fox/Coyotes with a 1.5-5 Leupold. I shot truckloads of Groundhogs with the same setup.