I've seen this rumor posted in a couple of places but have to ask; Is Nikon really getting out of Riflescopes?

I've noticed that online retailers are only selling a few models, and those are on clearance. Except for Cabelas. And I won't be buying anything from Cabelas. Which is too bad. I really like the glass in their scopes.

Nikon announced they are out of the riflescope business in September of 2019

You are correct, sir. They are indeed out, along with Weaver. Who's next?

Loco was loco

Phucqk Nikon!

Yes! This is a fact.

What a shame! Damn good glass for the money. And all I owned were Prostaff and Buckmaster before they cheapened the Buckmasters into a Wally World Special back when they were comparable to a Leupold VX-2. I never owned a Monarch, but had looked through them. They were every bit as sharp and clear as a VX-3. I've been looking around on ebay and when I find a good cheap one I'll buy it. I want a 4-12x40.

I don't like bigger objective scopes because they mount too high above the bore center line unless you can find an old Leupold VX-3L. I've got one of them with a 56 MM objective that mounts as low as a 40 mm. Anyway, Leupold's the only one I know that ever made a scope like that. So I just stick with objectives less than 44mm. So I'm looking for a Monarch with a Nikoplex Reticle. I don't want a BDC. I've got two of them and they're ok but the cross hair in the center is just a tad too thick for my liking. Anyway, I'm looking for a Monarch deal.

Also, the old Prostaff's and Buckmasters to me were the best scopes ever made for the money. They had glass comparable to scopes twice their price, of course the Buckmasters weren't real cheap. I have one old 3-9x40 Prostaff I bought in 2007 that I paid $160 brand new. It's one of my favorite scopes. I also have have 3 Buckmasters that are as good as most of my Leupolds. And also about Nikon, they have better eye relief than either Vortex or Burris in my opinion and they're lighter in weight than most scopes.

You can still order scopes directly from Nikon's website. I am thinking at some point Natchez will but the remaining stock and close it out like they did with Weaver. I may top my new rifle with a Monarch 5.

In my opinion you could do a lot worse. What's the difference in a Monarch 3 and a Monarch 5?

I think Phillipines and Japan, but I have to dig in a little more.

Why did Weaver go out? I really like the Weaver scopes I have. Especially the rimfire 3x9 and 2x7.

2





Sorry, I couldn't resist....

My understanding about Nikon was they want to distance themselves from filthy gun owners.

Weaver, OTOH, was discontinued by the owners that owned both them & Bushnell, to put all efforts &/or sales in Bushnell.

Yep. I bought a half dozen of the 2x7's as Natchez was clearing them.

I have two Monarch 3s, very good scope for the money. Durable, bright, crystal clear. I think they had the best BDC and supporting software of anybody. I spoke with an online optics retailer, he said Nikon was being pinched between the lower priced Vortex and the Leupolds on the higher price point, and they couldn't compete well. I still found this hard to believe, I thought Nikon was doing well. Maybe not though I guess. I was told they will still be in the optics business, like cameras and maybe binoculars and spotting scope, but no riflescopes.

The M5 is also made in the Philippine, so I don't know what the difference is. I just ordered a Monarch M5 from Natchez though. Couldn't quite get myself to do a Leupold.

The Nikon Monarch 5 has ED glass. It is the lowest priced riflescope featuring ED glass that I know of. For the price, it is an outstanding riflescope. It also has a 5X zoom ratio. Which model did you purchase?

This is showing a 4X zoom.

https://www.natchezss.com/nikon-monarch-m5-rifle-scope-3-12x42-sf-30mm-mk1-moa-reticle-matte.html

Never owned one, had some binoculars. They were good!

Nice scope, I love my M3 4-16x42. I see the M5 has a 30mm tube while my M3 is 1". The description doesn't mention ED glass.

Yeah, my apologies. There must be two versions of the Monarch 5. This is the one I saw and had recommended to many people who could not justify a kilobuck or more, yet wanted ED glass.

https://www.natchezss.com/refurbish...pe-6-30x50mm-sfp-ed-sf-advanced-bdc.html
https://www.natchezss.com/nikon-monarch-5-rifle-scope-3-15x42mm-sfp-ed-sf-advanced-bdc-reticle.html

There was also a 4-20X44 ED model.

I guess I don't understand the appeal of buying an optic from a company that is exiting the business. I wouldn't touch a Nikon scope with a 10 ft pole. Their customer service was already clueless enough without them trying to figure out how to warranty and service products they no longer have.

I bought 2 of the M Tactical 3-12’s in Mrad for $199 and absolutely love them. They dial very accurately. I also bought one of the FX1000’s for $400 it’s an awesome scope that also dials very accurately. They all have very bright and quality glass too. I could care less about warranty at those prices.

That's about what they're worth.

Great news! Congratulations on the deals.

I have owned numerous Nikon products over the years; cameras, binoculars, range finder, a high end slide scanner, and several rifle scopes.
In all that time one scope went back to Midway for faulty reticle adjustment and was promptly replaced by Midway. I didn’t have to deal with Nikon.
I don’t see the point in worrying about the warranty on a $600-$700 scope that is on clearance and selling for less than half that amount.
YMMV

JG have you actually tried the specific scopes I commented on? I have tried almost every single brand of scope, they are way better than many. I don’t know why so many have a distaste for Nikon, their chit has always been more reliable than scopes like Leupolds who’s fan boy list is long.

No, not specifically. I guess I have a disdain/distrust for Nikon because the one Nikon scope I did have, Nikon screwed me out of the turret I ordered.....never received it. Customer service was abysmal, and was equally abysmal when I tried getting information on a Nikon EDG binocular I wanted to buy. Clueless once again. Then there was my attempt to get proper warranty/registration information out of them when I was buying the Laserforce binos. The information they gave me, in writing I might add, was a complete 180^ from being accurate. Then there was Nikon who changed thier warranties on their binoculars in mid stride after people had already bough them. Then, the parent company Nikon is a huge anti hunting/anti shooting entity. I'd put a touch more money with the $400 and get an Optika from meopta.

Those are the reasons I think Nikon is an absolute joke, and would buy Leupold any day of the week over any Nikon made. I killed a couple hundred big game animals with a Leupold "set and forget" variety of scopes so dont' give me that crap about them never working correctly. If dialing I'll go a different direction though nowadays, because i think Leupold has also lost their way.

Shouldnt suprise anyone. They're garbage.

I had a Monarch and felt the glass was very good and comparable to a VX3....the eye relief however was not at higher magnification.

Nikons CS and warranty have both sucked for years. Good by and good riddance.

Fair enough, I’ve only used Nikon Warranty once on a high powered Monarch that I used on a predator rifle and it took a major fall,landed on the scope objective and bent the tube. They replaced it and I had no issues with their CS. I’ve used Nikon Binos, spotting scopes and some of their rifle scopes and have never needed CS for a faulty product. I’m not broken hearted they are getting out of the scope business, but I am glad I snaggged some really good scopes at a very reduced price as a result. I won’t own another Leupold scope ever, I’ll leave my comments at that.

For crying out loud! Weaver? They've been making scopes forever. When did they close shop?

The real Weaver quit making scopes decades ago.

I guess that shows how much I've been in that loop.
Mines probably made in china then.

Nikon management is anti gun , why bother doing business with them?

What is your source?

Rifle scopes have become like electronics, predictable obsolescence, shifting brand ownership, with essentially meaningless "lifetime warranties". A buyer needs to consider all of this in making a purchase decision.'

At what price point do you consider a throw away product acceptable? It's like the discussion of Harbor Freight tools. How much do you have to pay for predictable quality and enduring customer support, and even then how far can you count on it? Who ever thought that the original Redfield and Weaver would ever go away? What about Marlin and Winchester?

It seems like other industries have adopted the model of the computer world, "We don't support that any more".

Paul

Agreed.

And I wonder how a 99 dollar scope today compares to Dads 1965 weaver K-4, which was state of the art at one time.

I expect todays cheapy is a lot better, esp for set and forget aiming.

Optically better, probably much better. We have become spoiled by better and cheaper glass. Mechanics is a whole other story, but probably better today. Set and forget used to be the norm, but dial twirling is more prevalent than it used to be. Historically, bench rest and silhouette led the way in awareness of the need for improved mechanical reliability.

Weaver never was known for great glass, but was always solid and reliable. Weaver Micro-Trac was a game changer too.

I suspect there is a much greater range in price and quality, and choice, today than there was in the past.

Paul

Good gosh, like talkin to my wife. Read this post.

If I'm wrong, flame the hell outta me. Otherwise, read the post. Half drunk here, but still think I comprehend, do I ?????

This ^^ isn't necessary here, sorry. If I have to be obnoxious I'll try to save it for the hunters campfire.

It's not distancing from gun owners, if there's money there they will chase it. As mentioned previously, hunting optics aren't their bread and butter and the margins weren't worth it to them, and this is coming from a former Nikon NA rep at 2020 Shot Show.

The money just wasn't there, and with their precipitous decline in the imaging market, specifically with their camera line, they started a 2Q restructuring in 2019 and that left rifle scopes out in the cold. They have been hemorrhaging for a while now and some of their lines had to go. Their identity is in the camera business, not sport optics.

If this^^ is true, not doubting you, but the info, it's a breath of fresh air for possibly a legit reason. "If" their marketing reps are being sincere then they have to do what they have to do, & that's totally understandable.

Sometimes, it isn't really all about "us" is it?

I got a nikon monarch 5 on sale for $330, but it was not good enough to put on a rifle.

Back in 1990 I was using $20 used Weaver el paso 4X scopes..... I could not understand how anyone paid more than that for a scope.

I could easily be wrong but think I remember Doug saying Nikon overall is anti-gun and any retail store that carried their cameras couldn’t carry their scopes. Please accept my apology in advance Doug if it was not you.

[/quote]
I could easily be wrong but think I remember Doug saying Nikon overall is anti-gun and any retail store that carried their cameras couldn’t carry their scopes. Please accept my apology in advance Doug if it was not you.[/quote]

That is correct. As a Nikon photo dealer we were not permitted to offer Nikon riflescopes as Nikon Photo Japan did not support "blood sport" and their policy restricted photo dealers from offering their riflescopes

Now I feel better about drawing blood with their product. When I do, I'll send them pics and thank them for making it possible.

I could easily be wrong but think I remember Doug saying Nikon overall is anti-gun and any retail store that carried their cameras couldn’t carry their scopes. Please accept my apology in advance Doug if it was not you.[/quote]

That is correct. As a Nikon photo dealer we were not permitted to offer Nikon riflescopes as Nikon Photo Japan did not support "blood sport" and their policy restricted photo dealers from offering their riflescopes
[/quote]

It's too bad. Great movie. My favorite of Van Damme's. Maybe the Japanese are just hating on Bolo Yeung because he is Chinese.

In all seriousness, most shooters are not hunters, and getting meat, by far what most hunters do, is about as "blood sport" as fishing is. People are weird.

Thanks for posting that. Nikon is anti-gun and they bend over for any anti hunters and do not support shooting sports where they make their money. There is not much of a hunting culture in Japan.

That doesn't make much sense. BH Photovideo sells a whole lot of Nikon equipment and they used to sell their riflescopes until Nikon stepped out of the riflescope environment. Adorama is another huge site that does the same and now, they only sell one refurbished scope.

The Nikonsportsoptics.com site still lists all manners of Nikon riflescopes. That's their own website.

In it, it says:
Riflescopes
Bright. Clear. Precise. Rugged. These are just a few of the attributes knowledgeable hunters commonly use to describe Nikon riflescopes. Nikon is determined to bring hunters, shooters and sportsmen a wide selection of the best hunting optics money can buy- while at the same time pushing the envelope to create revolutionary capabilities for the serious hunter.

Their website still does not mention they are out of the riflescope business. They used to have a huge booth at SHOT show. I visited it last year, it was not there in 2020.

Nikon does a hell of a lot more than just cameras and sports optics.

There may not be much hunting "culture" in Japan, but their culture sure enjoys unique cuisine. I started hunting in early 90's and one of my colleagues was japanese. When I told him where I was heading for weekend, he quickly perked up "You going hunting? For deer? Male deer? If you get male deer, can you bring back deer pee pee for me?" I thought Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Turns out apparently the male deer sexual organ (like many other odd wildlife items) was considered an aphrodisiac. He was not interested in the rocky mountain oysters, just the deer pee pee.

So, while it maybe not much of a hunting culture, they do appreciate the fruits of the harvest from hunting.

I sold firearms and optics part-time from 2014-2016. Since I’m into optics it evolved that at our store I dealt with our optics suppliers when the need arose. I never had any contact with some of our suppliers but did have dealings with Leupold, Vortex, Burris, Bushnell and Nikon.

Leupold was fantastic, I could call corporate or our local rep and they would send anything I asked for-screws, turret caps, shims, etc. Any tool Leupold sold they would send too. Even though I don’t care much for their scopes Vortex was fantastic too, they went above and beyond. Burris was excellent and Bushnell wasn’t bad at all. Nikon? If I talked to anyone at corporate the attitude was they were doing me a favor by even deigning to speak with me. I only met the local rep once and he was a jerk. The sample is small but Nikon left a bad taste in my mouth.

Addendum: Forgot to mention Meopta, they were awesome too.

Nikon is without a doubt anti hunting. I saw this first hand at a Nikon Spot On Shoot. One of the reps had a trailer with Nikon on the side as well as deer. They were asked to move it so the Japanese Employee from Nikon wouldn't see it. Years back they stayed away from Tactical scopes for the same reason.

More to it than that. They discontinued their Nexiv measurement systems about the same time.

^ ^ ^ ^

This is just the way it is in the 21st century.
You get the upper management slots full
of the business types that don't really know
their products or customer base, but they're
the life and death decision makers for the company.
If the scope company goes tits up and the
employees go to the curb, oh well.
They'll be in an upper management slot at a
pizza chain in a few months

"Blood sports". Like killing giant Tuna to stuff their Japanese bellies. For letting of an animals blood, result is the same. I suppose they think it more "Honorable" to let the fish die from suffocation than give a deer a quick death by bullet. RJ

I have three X1000 6-24x X 50mm MOA scopes with illuminated reticle, love them. I had bought the first before they announced, the other two afterwards. All from Cabelas. Can't find a scope this good for this price range, quality piece. I'd but a 4th one and set it on the shelf if I could find one, but have not been able to locate one, just the MRAD which I don't want. Nikon will still support warranty and service, just getting out of market as I understand it, investment vs return.

I believe that scopes were an extremely small part of the Nikon business.

My first ever 30mm tube is a Nikon M-tactical MRAD 3x12x42 I picked up last spring on closeout.

Gonna use it early and often to see how it performs in the field next month.

Not a money move... it is virtue signaling.

It may well be virtue signaling, but it is calculated to increase sales and profits by appealing to a certain segment of consumers.

I hope they are wrong.

Paul

sorry, I cannot agree. Conflating blood sports and cameras is a net-loss issue. Anyone likely to hinge a camera buying decision on an unrelated issue is more likely to have already investigated the companies. And camera sales are weak with all the cell phones out there...

That may well be true. If it is, it's a bizarre business philosophy.

I agree completely...

Their binocular business is large.

It is not really virtue signaling, per se. They were losing money with riflescopes because the competition got better and they didn't. They are also losing money with cameras, but that's a core business that they are loathe to give up. They may have to eventually, but not yet.

They always hated everything to do with guns, but riflescope was where they could get some profit with minimal investment: they did not manufacture or design any of their own scopes for quite a long time, so they just slapped their name on stock OEM products and marketed them. Many other people do the same thing, but Nikon had too much overhead to survive.

ILya

I have one Nikon Bushmaster on top of a 22-250. Certainly not the worst glass I own and I've taken game with it. Some might say don't fix what isn't broken but the reticle has no subtensions and of late I really like Mils or Moa subs for quick shots.

The whole country is anti gun. I don't know how they get away with making and selling fire arms.