I thought I'd make a few comments about this fairly new offering from Nikon. I happen to own one, mounted on a Remington 750 Carbine in .35 Whelen and my good friend, Al, has one mounted on a Marlin 1895/45-70. We both have the 1" version, 1-4x20 in this series. There are also two other 30mm models in this series, one of which has a lighted reticle.
I actually tried Al's new Nikon first when I took his new 1895 to the range with this new scope on top mounted in Weaver Quad Lok rings for initial sight-in work. I was impressed with it clarity and very wide FOV. It has the newer type Euro fast-focus eyepiece and adjustments are .5" each @ 100 yards. The adjustment system is very positive feeling, quite precise and is finger adjustable. The rifle was fully sighted in in short order and ready for an upcoming hog hunt.
I later mounted my new scope and sighted in my new 750 and found that my initial experiences and impressions were simply confirmed with the second new scope being sighted in with no drama and in very fast fashion. As most of you likely know, one of the better points found in quality optics is the likeliness of having a much more precise adjustment system, not merely the additional coatings or better clarity. This type of "upgrade" is one that actually may save a shooter/hunter $$ in the long run.
This is one of those scopes that after sighting in and seeing just how precise each click is and that each & every click actually does correspond to that .5" at 100 yards, that you can feel confident in changing settings without feeling the need to re-zero. As an example, sighting my 750 in at 50 yards for a bear-over-bait hunt and later simply clicking up the proper number of clicks (using a ballistics program) to re-zero the rifle at 150 yards is not a concern for me, whatsoever.
I especially like the reticle this scope comes with, a version of a German #4 type. This is a heavy three post system (sides and bottom posts) along with a lighter upper post that tapers to thin crosshairs at the center. The three heavy posts are extra heavy, but the center, narrower portion is plenty fine for target work. This type reticle is, of course, designed for hunting, giving you a bold reticle for quick acquisition and great low-light performance
I'd not hesitate to purchase another of these scope when I need another low powered scope. The only low powered scope I own, of the 10 or 12 I have that I'd say was a bit better would be the 1.25-4x20 Leupold Euro 30mm I own, but it's also about $130 more expensive too. The Nikon @ about $279. is a good value for a quality low powered scope, seeing the Leupold 1.5-5 VX3 selling for $399 and the VXII selling for $299. I own a couple VXIIs and actually feel the Nikon is a better scope. Best I can see, the warranties are pretty much the same; being lifetime for both.
One last note: I also owned three of the predecessor model of this scope, the Nikon Monarch UCC 1.5-4x20, so I pretty much knew, before purchase, it was likely going to be a high quality optic. I way prefer the addition of Nikon's #4 type reticle in this newer version, which is offered at exactly the same price the old one originally sold for.
This is a quality piece of glass.
| Preview | Attachment | Size |
|---|---|---|
 | MVC-018F.JPG | 126.71 KB |
 | MVC-017F.JPG | 129.42 KB |
