Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Your Thoughts On Buying Used Nikon Scopes?

most of the nikons are made in the Philippines, think of this as between chinese and japanese in quaility. For some reason I don't like the optical formula that most phillipene scopes have. this includes, burris, the nikons and vortex models. If the nikon is made in japan, I would be alot more interested. really japan or europe is the only place I want my optics made. Yes I am an optics snob.

Nikon scopes made in the Philippines & Thailand are still very good scopes. MUCH better quality than Chinese. But the Japanese models would be my first pick also.

My 20 year old Monarch 2-7x32 works fine. Click adjustments are good, and overall usage is good. My only wish Nikon is that Nilon had used a slimmer receiver bell housing for bolt handle clearance.

Used is not mint. Used is used. No used scope is worth purchasing, none, not one.

You're joking, right?

I like used scopes in good condition priced appropriately. A few weeks ago I picked up this old, never mounted K-6 for 150$. The box was a bit tattered but oh well
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Mint condition is used to describe used or pre-owned goods that have an excellent, like-new appearance and are in good working order.

The definition is the definition.

I went threw the Burris garbage then the Leupold garbage been using Nikons for close to 20 years have never had one fail....figure Nikons should out last me......

I got a 3-9 Buckmasters on a used rifle a while back. Seems to work well enough. I'll replace it with something newer if it dies.


Okie John

I just bought 3 yesterday in the classifieds. One shot deal!

I even had a 4.5x14 Buckmasters on my 416 WBY for a long time and used it a few times for antelope. Never failed me.

This one was at 452 yards. 330 GS Custom bullet at 3100 fps.

Kind of a weird statement by the missouri guy there. Hopefully he is joking, or he just isn't that intelligent.

I believe I now own that scope. A mint used one at that.

i better get them cheap to sell again otherwise i would not buy a Nikon scope, myself i won`t use a Nikon scope on my rifles anymore.

Not sure. I have owned many of that flavor, but they are tough scopes for sure.

This is my opinion as well EXCEPT that item #2 doesn't apply since Nikon is still very much in business.
However, you still need to not overpay for the used scope.
Keep in mind that the earlier 'made in Japan' Nikon scopes were very well made. Some of the best lens in the biz.

Have a 2x8x32 Monarch on my Kimber Select AAA French 308.Nice little scope.

You do you.

*knock on wood* neither have I, and I have several of them. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a used one if it was at a good price.

Depends on the hunt. Were I to be tossed out of a SuperCub onto a mountainside in AK by myself, I'd probably want a scope that was still in production, that I'd worked with quite a bit beforehand.

OTOH, if it's from a blind 50 yards from where I parked the truck, I'd give it a whirl.

FWIW, at such point as I set up the bighorn hunt, I'll be using Great Grandad's mauser with a 2.5 Lyman Alaskan scope. I'm determined to be the 4h generation to get it done with that setup. Yeah, it'll be in grizzly country, but the guide will have his own rifle, no doubt.

As for Nikons, I never had any problem with 'em. For my eyes, I thought the ProStaff were the best bang for the buck: the Buckmaster & Monarch scopes didn't offer enough extra goodness for the prices they charged. If I were to find a great price on one, though, I could be tempted.

FC

I still own 4 of the them. The Monarch V I bought last probably has the best glass of any scopes I have ever owned .