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

Traveled today to a distant gun shop to buy some grooved receiver rings for a new to me Rifle.
While there I came across a "used" but MINT condition Nikon Monarch 6x24x50m/m Rifle scope - this is the model with the side parallax focus and fast feature eyepiece focus.
Anyway I looked it over as best I could and took it outside and it was clear as a bell and focusing as should be.
I own a BUNCH of Nikon scopes but I bought them all (new and some used) back when Nikon was in the "scope business" - now that they have foresaken the Rifle scope market I haven't bought any. Mostly because of the notion/worry in the back of my mind "what if something goes wrong" with the scopes functions.
This scope was on "consignment" at the gun shop and the counterman called the consignee with my "low-ball" cash offer and the owner took me up on it.
Anyway on the way home I stopped and looked at several herds of Antelope (the bucks are re-growing their horns already) with the scope and was VERY pleased with its clarity.
Once to home I mounted the scope and boresighted it and the adjustments moved as expected across the borescopes grid. If the wind is down tomorrow I'll take the rig to the range.
A Varminting buddy of mine had the crosshair break on his Weaver V-16 last spring and "someone" (I forget who) made some kind of a make-up gesture on that Weaver scope for him. It is my understanding that Weaver is no longer in the Rifle scope business either. My friends Weaver V-16 was on a 17 HMR Rifle as will my new to me Nikon - so recoil should NOT be/have been much of a factor.
What are you guys thoughts on buying used scopes from companies "no longer in the Rifle scope business"?
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Great scopes but obviously a roll of the dice if there's issues....nothing you don't realize. I've never had a Nikon fail, though. The three I currently have were all used when I got them. After checking them on the tester first, I've never given another thought to them failing.

Good shooti ' -Al

If they fail now the replacement now is a binocular isn't it? That isn't a bad deal IMHO.

Not inclined to ignore a nice cheap Pecar or Ajack when I see it. And most companies do not service old defunct product lines.


I would just about kill for an old 4x Zeiss steel tube with both windage and elevation.

Roll the dice and buy them if you want them. If they break, send them to Iron Sight Inc. in Tulsa IF, BIG IF, they are brands and style that Iron Sight Inc. works on and you want to spend more money on those particular scopes. The last time that I inquired, they were no longer working on Weaver variables.

1. Used scope breaks
2. Company who made it is out of business
3. They send you a new product worth more than the used value of the broken scope
4. Sell the new product for a decent price and come out ahead

That work can get expensive. May cost more than the scope is worth.

DF

I've always figured if you get it cheap enough it doesn't really matter. If something does happen- you trip and fall on it, or it falls out of your truck, or ????? you are only out what you paid and you have a small possibility you can return it to Nikon for a credit on something they still make.
I wouldn't try this with Bushnell, though. I had a 4000 Elite B&L scope that was in partnership with Bushnell. I damaged the scope and sent it back to see if it could be repaired. They told me they couldn't repair it, but they offered me 20% off on one of their new line of scopes. What pissed me off was I had to buy it directly from the factory with the 20% based on MSRP. I could easily buy the scope at any number of retailers cheaper without their stupid coupon so I told them to pound sand...

I just bought a safe queen Nikon Tactical for a .223 Varmint gun I put together. I'll never shy away from a clean Nikon.

Al Nyhus: Where do I get one of these "testers"?
Thanks in advance.
Come to think of it I have never had a "failure" with any of my Nikons.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Son Of The Gael: I did not know that - I feel a bit better already.
I have a pair of Nikon 10xsomethings and they are wonderful in the Antelope fields!
Thanks again.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

True, but if you want it, money is often low on the decision tree hierarchy.

I buy Monarchs whenever I find them. I’ve never had one fail, and unlike comparable Leupolds, they track well.

I’ve used monarchs prostaffs and buckmasters nothing wrong with em

I wouldn't hesitate buying any of the older Monarchs, especially the Japanese models, as long as the price was right...they are very good scopes.

Tell me about it!

Gets me every time.

Every monarch from the Philippines I've purchased was a dam gud optic.......never had any problem selling one if i wanted to make room for something German or Czech.

Got a used Nikon Monarch 4-16x from the original owner about 5 years ago and it's been on a 257 Weatherby since then. I think that was around the time, or shortly before, that Nikon got out of the riflescope business? I like it but now I wonder if it would be worth it to pay someone to repair it if it craps out? Only optics I ever sent out for repairs was an early 1960's Bausch & Lomb Balscope spotting scope, and that was done by Parson's Scope Service in Ohio. They did a great job at a good price, the only downside was that I had to wait almost two years. I have seen the web site for Iron Sight Inc. and that looked interesting if I were in the market for rifle scope work. Anyone dealt with them?

Iron Sight Inc. does great work for a fair price, but the wait times can be a year or more. I've had them repair/rebuild several Denver Redfield and and El Paso Weavers and have been satisfied with the results. The only thing that I had them do that I wish I hadn't have done was to install their German Post reticle. I wanted a heavy/thick reticle, but this reticle is so heavy/thick that it obscures a significant amount of target. The reticle that they installed in my scopes is much heavier/thicker than it appears in the current pictures on their site.

I haven't dealt with them, but did read their website & Nikons are not listed for repairs.