NIKON MONARCH 3 OR VORTEX VIPER HS HELP?

P., I think you'll see some of Vortex's CS practice's have changed. You canno longer just take the optic back to whereever you bought it and get a new one.

I do some freelance PR work for Nikon and whenever I come across someone who has a problem with a Nikon scope I like to try and help them out. If you still have the scope, I'd be heppy to do what I can to get you taken care of.
I know in the last 18 months Nikon has done a lot of work in their CS department. While I don't have a lot of experience with Vortex scope's other then checking them out I have put 100's of rounds under Nikon's MONARCH 3 scopes. Even though I do freelance work for Nikon I still have to buy my scopes and I chose the MONARCH 3 4-16 BDC for my .300 Win. Very clear though all magnification setting's and Spot On let's me dial in my rifle,scope and ammo to give me the greatest possible long range accuracy. In case your are wondering, good enough to hit a soda can at 600 yards.
The MONARCH 3 BDC line currently has some Promotion's when you buy from an Authorized Nikon Dealer. Surely one of PM's site Sponsor's can help you save some $. Drop me a note if you have any question's.

MONARCH34-16.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: Barton HegeP., I think you'll see some of Vortex's CS practice's have changed. You canno longer just take the optic back to whereever you bought it and get a new one.

I do some freelance PR work for Nikon and whenever I come across someone who has a problem with a Nikon scope I like to try and help them out. If you still have the scope, I'd be heppy to do what I can to get you taken care of.
I know in the last 18 months Nikon has done a lot of work in their CS department. While I don't have a lot of experience with Vortex scope's other then checking them out I have put 100's of rounds under Nikon's MONARCH 3 scopes. Even though I do freelance work for Nikon I still have to buy my scopes and I chose the MONARCH 3 4-16 BDC for my .300 Win. Very clear though all magnification setting's and Spot On let's me dial in my rifle,scope and ammo to give me the greatest possible long range accuracy. In case your are wondering, good enough to hit a soda can at 600 yards.
The MONARCH 3 BDC line currently has some Promotion's when you buy from an Authorized Nikon Dealer. Surely one of PM's site Sponsor's can help you save some $. Drop me a note if you have any question's.

MONARCH34-16.jpg


Wow! Bias much?
I've never known Vortex's policy to be to take it back where you bought it. Does Nikon now have this policy? Has Nikon quit sending a registration card with their products and a policy that let's any owner of the scope return it for any reason?
I like Nikon products. I wish they'd catch up with their reticle selection.
What you've written is a bunch of crap. Why be prostaff if you don't get any product? I'm sorry but this post is completely set in marketing and none in fact.
 
Originally Posted By: HidalgoOriginally 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.

Oh come on Hidalgo. ...
I have Nikon spot on installed on my phone that I used for a Buckmaster 4-14 with their BDC. It was far from intuitive for practical use in the field. It's a novel idea that was good when there weren't so many better options available.
Nikon needs to drop that thing and get a turret matching MOA reticle. I've owned two Nikon scopes; the glass was good and they held zero, but lately Nikon has been chasing me away from their product by not keeping up with with every other mid priced scope manufacturer.
If we're talking Nikon vs Vortex with a plex reticle, quality and optics wise it's a wash.
 
Originally Posted By: coyotekillerNE
Oh come on Hidalgo. ...
I have Nikon spot on installed on my phone that I used for a Buckmaster 4-14 with their BDC. It was far from intuitive for practical use in the field.

"Oh Come On" yourself.

I don't depend on electronic iphone programs when I'm hunting. Next thing you'll want is an electronic trigger and a scope that measures slope.
rolleyes.gif


Do your required work and find out where the gun shoots in relation to the crosshairs and quit relying on electronics to do the work for you ... that's the dependable and proper way to do it.

People are looking for a "shortcut" instead of getting out there and putting in time. Just because you can't use a piece of equipment doesn't mean it's inherently bad. My ARs are dependably accurate out to 300 yards by using the BDC reticles. And it's because I put in the time at the range to find out where they shoot. I didn't need a computer to tell me.
 
Originally Posted By: HidalgoOriginally Posted By: coyotekillerNE
Oh come on Hidalgo. ...
I have Nikon spot on installed on my phone that I used for a Buckmaster 4-14 with their BDC. It was far from intuitive for practical use in the field.

"Oh Come On" yourself.

I don't depend on electronic iphone programs when I'm hunting. Next thing you'll want is an electronic trigger and a scope that measures slope.
rolleyes.gif


Do your required work and find out where the gun shoots in relation to the crosshairs and quit relying on electronics to do the work for you ... that's the dependable and proper way to do it.

People are looking for a "shortcut" instead of getting out there and putting in time. Just because you can't use a piece of equipment doesn't mean it's inherently bad. My ARs are dependably accurate out to 300 yards by using the BDC reticles. And it's because I put in the time at the range to find out where they shoot. I didn't need a computer to tell me.

I assure you there are no shortcuts taken by me. I have my own 500 yard steel range which I host sporting rifle steel matches on. I've used the Nikon BDC very successfully on said range out to 500 yards. The Spot On program supplements me in helping guys who are shooting Nikons with BDC's.
I understand where you're coming from though; there are too many shooters who rely on theoretical ballistic charts rather than shooting and measuring drops.
Nikon still needs to get with the times and get reticles that are more user friendly.
 
I like my vortex scopes a lot and I like the nikon prostaff I have. I prefer my vortex scopes to the nikon only for the simple reason that the nikon has the BDC reticle in it which in my opinion is entirely too "busy" for me. Does it work? Sure! Could it be smaller and less "cluttered" in my opinion? Absolutely! As far as side by side outdoors, I have compared my Viper to my friend's Monarch and they are about the same. The monarch may have been a touch clearer on the highest power but not enough for me to shy away from vortex especially with their CS. With that being said, I have decided that the next scope that will go on my 223 is going to be either the M223 3-12x42 or the Prostaff 3.5-14x40 because I feel that is a nice magnification range for the 223 (I like that Nikon has a nice selection of magnification ranges in their mid range scopes too). Good luck with your selection, I don't think you can go wrong either way!

Shelton
 
"Oh Come On", boys.

Scopes, like a lot of other things, are a very subjective thing. One guy sees one scope as being perfect for his eyes, etc., and another sees something else as being perfect for his eyes, etc..

Is it any surprise to anyone that the owner of each preferred scope wants the world to know that he made the right decision in choosing the scope he chose? If you're over about 5 years old it's not a surprise.

Also, scopes, like a lot of other things, improve in quality with the dollars spent. Choose how much money you want to spend, pick your poison, and you'll always be correct with your choice at your house but maybe not at your neighbor's house. Deal with it.

None of this is life or death - nor is there a written and proven science as to which scope is perfect. Anyone who thinks that he has this issue scientifically thought out probably catches fire flies at night.
 
Winny, I agree, pick the scope that you feel will serve your needs the best. I'm just trying to make sure the Nikon information you are getting is correct. Nikon doesn't pay store employee's to push their optic's and some other optic's companies do provide a $ incentive for each piece of their product that they sell. You are doing the right thing by trying to get a s much information from PM member's. Until a person has applied Nikon's Spot On Ballistic Program to the BDC reticle it is really hard to say if it works or not. I have opened a lot of eye's on the accuracy of the BDC reticle just by giving guy's behind the gun opportunities.

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd363/bman940/Spot%20On/ScreenShot2014-07-23at14453PM.png
 
I have 3 Vortex and 2 Nikon's and one Leupold VX-2. For that price range the Vortex gets my vote My Viper HS 2.5 x 10x 44 is the best scope I own at the moment. While the Nikon's do fine the Vortex has beat them hands down in quality IMO. The Leupold is a good scope as well but the glass seems less clear then the Vortex over all but is a better quality scope them the Nikon's.
 
Just this morning I shot 3 different scopes
Burris Mtac 4-14 × 42
Nikon Prostaff 5 3.5-14×40
Vortex Diamondback 3.5-10×50
2 of these were on friends rifles. I would rank them in this order. This was under bright sunny conditions, clarity was noticeably different between the Burris and the Nikon less so with the Nikon and Vortex. I don't feel like the Nikon tracked as well as it should.
 
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Years ago, i recall when I bought my first scope.

Friend had put a 3-9x Nikon on his 270. I bought a 3-9x Bushnel for my 30-06. we went to the range together one afternoon & as it got late, we started looking through them side by side.

he got a bit bent, as he'd spent about $100 for his (this was around 1984) and I'd only paid $40 for mine, but mine was noticably better optically.

In theory, he should have had the better optics. he paid over twice as much, for a reputable brand at an actual gun store, where I'd bought mine at some chain. Service Merchandise, I think, with no knowledgeable sales guy to help me pick it out.

Which just goes to show that you never know, it can easily just come down to differences in specific models more than an entire brand.
 
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Originally Posted By: Stu Farish......he'd spent about $100 for his (this was around 1984) and I'd only paid $40 for mine, but mine was noticably better optically.


But how did they hold up? Did they adjust easily and with precision?

Although I'll be the first to admit that the clarity and light gathering is extremely important, longevity and operation are key. Good "glass" isn't worth squat if it fails on your next hunt. And any brand can be good or bad on an individual basis. Case in point is a 4X Tasco I have mounted on a rimfire that I bought 30 years ago for probably less than $50. It still operates and works as it should.

Winny, my sole point was the statement "Nikon is garbage". That's like saying BMWs or Fords are garbage. If they WERE garbage they would have been weeded out long ago and wouldn't hold a large majority of the market. There are brands out there that I absolutely refuse to spend my money on, but that doesn't mean I'll pronounce the whole product line as "garbage". That's not only unfair ... it's incorrect.

As for my purchases and preferences being the only correct thing, I have never said that and never will. Everyone has their own opinions and preferences. I don't trust Vortex yet. YET. That may change after more product has proven itself. And we were simply having a discussion. Why do you seem to have a problem with that?
 
I tend to bounce around on scopes a lot but i do currently have 3 nikons mounted up and i consider them the more dependable of the ones i have. I have the monarch3 4-16x50 and i choose it over the different ones offered by vortex because of the quality and the features. It has the bdc reticle, which i personally like a lot and i have used the app to help get me on target out to 500yards. It wasnt perfect, but it got me there in a couple shots.

I have never had any problems with nikons. My dad had bought a couple from ebay, against my advice, and they turned out to duds. Even with three x''s on the serial number, nikon replaced them, one with same model, another was a small upgrade, free of charge very quickly.

When i broke a coworkers vortex hst 4-16 with the recoil from my 458socom, vortex at first did not want to honor the warranty. They claimed rifle recoil could not/would not break their scopes. After about 3weeks of bickering they agreed to look at it, so he sent it in and they claimed he abused the scope so they would not cover it. When he told them fine, he wanted the scope back so he could document his case and dissemble it for a post on snipers hide, they quickly changed their tune and replaced the scope. It took him 18 weeks in all to get the scope replaced. The scope he got back was a refurb that he could not register on their website even though he was told thats what he had to do. He sold the scope as soon as he got it back and upgraded to a nightforce.
 
All I said was scopes are a very subjective item and whatever someone owns is obviously better than what someone else owns. Why do you seem to have a problem with what I said that requires a comment directed at me? I was talking to "guys".


Maybe stop looking over your shoulder all the time like you're thinking someone might be sneaking up on ya'. No one is.
 
don't know, he moved away & left his guns with his divorce attorney & he never did hunt or shoot as much as I did. I got 10 years of hard use out of that cheap scope & it fogged. Sent it to bushnell, they fixed it & had it back to me in about 10 days.

It went a bit longer on that 06 & later was moved to a 22, where it still sits today.
 
Originally Posted By: Winny Fan

Maybe stop looking over your shoulder all the time like you're thinking someone might be sneaking up on ya'. No one is.

Perhaps it's just your delivery that I don't appreciate. Wouldn't be the first time, either.
 
I've had nothing but good luck with my Nikons to the point that they top most of my rifles. Mostly because in the last three years it seems like everytime I'm in the market for a new scope they are having a sale, or rebate on something I'm looking for. I've used their customer service twice with nothing but rave reviews. I won't say that they are all that and a bag of chips, but I have been very satisfied with them.
 
I've swapped my rigs to the Nikon bushmaster line of scopes, not top shelf scopes, BUT they WORK!
Every scoped gun I have is used hard all year round in the rain, snow, dropped in mud, in creeks, on rocks, shrubs & more usage than most here on the site. I am out 2-3x a week constantly and the Nikons have never let me down.
Ive never had to use any scope brands CS to date in 40 years.
My choice would be Nikon.
 
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