NIKON MONARCH 3 OR VORTEX VIPER HS HELP?

KyScott

KyScott

New member
Gonna buy a new scope for my M70 Coyote light 270wsm. I have it narrowed down to the 2 listed below for my budget. Which one has the best glass? Which would you pick and why if you have experience with either. I have to say I did have a Monarch 2.5x10x42 and wasnt real impressed with it. It was a nice scope but not what I thought it would be. I have no experience with the new Monarch 3 or any Vortex scopes. Thanks ahead for the help!

Nikon Monarch 3 4x16x50(44mm actual size)
FOV 100YDS 6.3-25.2
Tube 1 inch
Eye relief 4 inches
length 14.7 inches
Weight 19.4 oz
Custom XR turret(doesnt really matter to me)
$449.00 New

Vortex Viper HS 4X16X50(50mm actual size)
FOV 100yds 7.4-27.4
Tube 30mm
Eye relief 4 inches
length 13.7 inches
Weight 22 oz(seems a little heavy)
$399.00 New(Seems like an awsome deal)
 
Originally Posted By: crow sniperI would go with the Nikon between those two scope.
The vortex might seem like a deal but they seldom are.

What he said. I WAS a huge Vortex fan and then I got burned so there may be hard feelings. Once I started looking around I found better optics for the same price. Go Nikon.
 
Originally Posted By: FairChase93Originally Posted By: crow sniperI would go with the Nikon between those two scope.
The vortex might seem like a deal but they seldom are.

What he said. I WAS a huge Vortex fan and then I got burned so there may be hard feelings. Once I started looking around I found better optics for the same price. Go Nikon.

I'm a HUGE Nikon fan. I have a bunch and they have never given a speck of trouble. They are good glass for the price.

As for the Vortex, they have begun to have a pretty good following. But they are a young company. There isn't enough of a track record there for me to depend on them. Remember that your hunting days are limited. Don't take a chance on a scope without a long track record of reliability.
 
Neither...

Look at the Cabela's instinct line. Or a Leupold mk-ar. Either would do you fine with better glass and a great warranty.
 
I have that scope on my 25.06 and really like it. No problems and for my eyes the glass was much more than OK for the money. Remember that old TV commercial, "set it and forget it"? That's what it's been for me with this scope. Good Luck.
 
I went to Bass Pro today and compared the New Monarch 3 and the Viper HS side by side. They were both 44mm models and I set them on the same setting at 5x. The glass in both were very clear and really couldn't tell any difference. Then I turned them both up to 10x and looked up towards the skylight. The Viper seemed to have a white glare in the scope from the light but the Nikon stayed clear with no glare. I'm really wanting to try the Viper and love the fact it is made in the USA but kinda worried about the white glare. Crapppp! Back at sqaure one.
 
Originally Posted By: KyScottI went to Bass Pro today and compared the New Monarch 3 and the Viper HS side by side. They were both 44mm models and I set them on the same setting at 5x. The glass in both were very clear and really couldn't tell any difference. Then I turned them both up to 10x and looked up towards the skylight. The Viper seemed to have a white glare in the scope from the light but the Nikon stayed clear with no glare. I'm really wanting to try the Viper and love the fact it is made in the USA but kinda worried about the white glare. Crapppp! Back at sqaure one.

Both scopes are m a manufactured in the Philippines with Japanese glass. Both scopes are probably more similar than anyone cares to admit, but Vortex always seems to offer more features than Nikon.
Vortex seems to listen to their customers where Nikon is still pimping that worthless BDC reticle.
 
Originally Posted By: KyScottI went to Bass Pro today and compared the New Monarch 3 and the Viper HS side by side. They were both 44mm models and I set them on the same setting at 5x. The glass in both were very clear and really couldn't tell any difference. Then I turned them both up to 10x and looked up towards the skylight. The Viper seemed to have a white glare in the scope from the light but the Nikon stayed clear with no glare. I'm really wanting to try the Viper and love the fact it is made in the USA but kinda worried about the white glare. Crapppp! Back at sqaure one.

You did everything except compare them over time and with vibration, banging around, and recoil.

Every time something new comes out a bunch of folks jump all over it before it has been given time to establish a track record. I won't take anything into the field that hasn't proven itself. That's why my guns wear Nikon scopes.

And some of them are pimping that "worthless BDC reticle" ... which seems to work just fine if you know how to use it.
 
My vote is Vortex. Nikon's are garbage and I had 2 scoped with bubbled glass that were sent back multiple times only to be returned with the same bubbles. And the customer service for Nikon is TERRIBLE. Votrex has a NO BS warranty and will switch out your item at anytime if something is wrong. Plus they are better built all around IMO (yes I have used both for years and Nikon feels cheaply made compared to the Vortex). If you do go with Vortex, Cabela's is having a nice sale on them. I just ordered another one a few days ago because they prices were so good.

Cabela's Vortex HS Scope Sale
 
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Nikons are garbage?

WOW ... Maybe I had better get the 8 that I own (3 for over 10 years) out and have another look at them.
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My vote is for whatever you think looks good to you. I can tell you all day long that I don't like Vortex and that I would take the Nikon between them but at the end of the day, your opinion is the only one that matters. Don't let others tell you what they see. Seems like you already did a little test of your own and didn't like the Vortex. It is also very important not to settle because you will just end up selling it later to buy another one. Perhaps you need to save a few more pennies and step in to a Leupold VX3 which can be had for $50-100 more than the Nikon. Good glass, good warranty. You be the judge.
 
Yes I think that they are total crap. 2 Monarchs with bubbles in the glass and a Coyote Special with dust inside of it hazing the glass formed my opinion of Nikon's quality. I would take a $40 Simmons over a Nikon any day and I'm not a fan of Simmons either. The older models were not half bad but these newer scope have went down hill on quality and durability.

In the end buy what you like but I'm just sharing my experience with Nikon scopes as the OP asked. If they work for you then use them. No loss to me.
 
I wasn't concerned about a "loss to you".

Nikon has a proven track record, and I highly doubt that you'll find an appreciable amount of people who share your "Nikon is garbage" opinion.

While I don't doubt your personal experiences with them, I also don't think that they deserve the extinction of being garbage simply by that alone.

If you want to share your experiences I think that's a great thing. That's what we all are here for ... to gather information from other members. But a bad experience is simply a bad experience. I have no love loss for Vortex but I didn't (and won't) label them as "garbage" based on that premise.

Sorry you had a problem with those scopes.
 
I beg the differ. I'm in multiple hunting forums filled with people who share my same views on Nikon with pictures of problems through out multiple post.

Here is my issue.

1 faulty scope = possible fluke
2 faulty scopes = cause for concern
3 faulty scopes = crap product in my eyes


No sugar coating it no matter how hard you try. As for the terrible customer service, I'll try and dig through my emails later and post screen shots regarding the quality of that. It might make you think twice about the "lifetime" warranty that they claim.
 
Like I said ... sorry for your troubles.

Save your time looking for whatever it is you're looking to reference. My scopes are purchased based upon a lifetime of use. I'll never own anything except Nikon until something else comes along that proves to be better glass for the money invested.

No matter what either of us says about this, we'll obviously have differing opinions. I'll just agree to disagree based on many, many years of experience with actually using the product.
 
My only gripe with Nikon is their CS. It is not in the same league as Vortex or leupold. Or the new Instinct lime at Cabela's.

I have one Nikon ProStaff left and a Buckmaster...They will be replaced with Leupold or Cabela's instinct when funds permit. I would like a strong backing on the optics.
 
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