If you are scoping a deer hunting rifle which of these is the better scope. Both are similar in price.

Sorry, I have no experience with the Minox, but I have used the heck out of the Nikon buckmasters. They are extremely durable scopes and they track very well. Light transmission is pretty good, somewhat similar to the Leupold Vari-x III scopes. I've never had a Nikon scope fail me. I've used and abused the 3-9x40, multiple 4.5-14x40's with side foucus and 6-18x40 buckmasters and they are very good scopes for the money..

Dixie, What kind of distances do you think most of your shot's will be? Nikon has the new for 2014 PROSTAFF 5 which is very similar to the Buckmaster scope. Very good glass and all glass surfaces are multicoated as well. I have the 3.5-14x40 BDC version because of the adjustable parallax which I find handy here in Tx. The BDC let's me use Nikon's Spot On Ballistic Program to really dial in my rifle,scope and ammo to increase my longrange accuracy.
Drop me a note if you have any question's.

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd363/bman940/PROSTAFF%205/prostaff5416.jpg

I hunt deer in Alabama and Georgia. Most shot are 100 yards or less; however, on of assail. I can shoot out to 300 yards but that is rare.

I prefer the regular duplex sighted in about 2" to 2 1/2" high at 100. With most of my rifles this puts me dead-on at 200.

The thing I don't like about BDC reticles is most have to be on the highest magnification to work.

If you are talking about the ZV3 maybe. I have used the buckmaster scopes for years and agree with all the previous posters. The ZA5 HD is light years better.

I have a couple of the Minox. Can't say that I've given them a torture test, but they are very nice glass. I have broken a couple of Nikons, they were Monarchs, not Buckmasters.

Dixie, That's not true about NIkon's BDC reticle. You can go into Spot On, click on Generate Ballistic's Report's then click on Field reference Guide. That will give you the BDC distances for each magnification setting. This past Dec. I used my M-308 4-16 BDC scope on 10 X for a 411 yard shot. I just dropped down to the first hash mark as my aiming point and done deal. If I had been using 16X I would have dropped to the second circle. I printed my shooting data out,laminated it and taped it to my stock. Very simple and accurate.

I have both ZA5s and Buckmasters (coyote), and ZA5s are way better glass, but the Buckmasters are plenty good in low light...no handicap there. The Coyote reticle is (IMO) way more useful than nikon's regular bdc. I wish they made them in a low power variable.

I don't even know if they have buck masters any more. for as much as prostaff 5 scope is, I'd spend the little extra and get the monarch 2.5-10. best of both worlds. Natchez has a refurbished one for $289 and I have it on my 06.
I have the 3-9 prostaff on my 270 and its a tack driver. the BDC works great.
this pic is at 385 yards. so at 400 it would be even closer to center as I had at on the 400 +/- yards circle according to spot on.

I had a 3-9X40 Buckmaster, no complaints. Cant comment on the Minox

Minox over Buckmaster every time. I own both and without hesitation choose the Minox.

GreggH

I have had a few buckmasters and was not unhappy with them. They are a great budget scope. As far as minox I have never owned one one so I can't speak for those.

I like my one Buckmaster. It's not a Monarch, but it's a good scope. The only Minox I've ever had was a 3-15x42. I was not impressed. It didn't have any parallax adjustment so that may have had something to do with it.

I have 3 Minox za3 3x9s and have had a Buckmaster 3x9. The Minox are much better optically. I've had them 3 years and have had no problems at all.

I bought a VX3 3.5x10 that I was going to replace on of them with but after looking through them side by side I couldn't tell any difference. Surprisingly objects in the Minox at 9x appeared slightly larger than in the Leupold at 10x.

I sat in a deer stand yesterday till one hour after sundown and could put the crosshairs on deer at 100 yards. That's 30 min after legal hours. I couldn't do that with the Buckmaster I had.

From my experience with them, Minox ZA3 > Buckmasters, Minox ZV3 < Buckmasters. I still have ZA3s on guns but the ZV3 scopes I had were junk. They were cheap for a reason...

Have had both. The Nikons got sold/traded. I have 3 Minox ZA5's right now. All are on rifles - 7mm-08, 300 WM, 358 Win. Seriously considering one of the ZA5 HD's for the next rifle. Quality optics, good prices for what you get. Compare quite well to the older Conquest scopes I have.

As others had stated the ZA3 and ZA5 glass is a lot better than a Buckmaster which is discontinued and is now the Prostaff 5. A closer comparison would be to a Monarch and I'd still give the edge in glass to Minox.

My Minox zv3 glass is giving my zeiss terra a run for its money. With Camera Land deals...hands down Minox IMHO.

Ive got 2 za5's and several Nikons and although the glass is excellent on the za5's... I really dont like anything else about them. Theyve got halo or paralax or something issues... not up on all the scope jargon.... My preference is def the Nikon.

I have about 5 Buckmasters and love every one of them. For the money I find them to be a good value.

Ive had both sold them both.just not for me.