Thread: some mothers do have them. What a complete BullSh1tter on tardme...

Originally Posted by quentin

Optics quality is paramount at magnification ranges out past 16 really. When you are pushing 32 x then it has to have the very best glass. I suspect the optics of the Nikko are not up to the task, otherwise they would be the go-to scope brand for the BR shooters.
I have never had anyone supply a through the scope photo at 25+ magnification for a cheap scope, even though their tardeme auction states it's crystal clear, and every bit as good as a S&B PMII.

If you are on a budget and don't mind looking through all the fog, it's probably a valid option. Or if you have never had the opportunity to look through a very high quality scope, you won't know any better.

While I love my Nikkos, you are right on they would not be up to spec for a BR shooter, but it is not the focus so much. My Targetmaster 10-50x60 could focus really well on targets at 1000yds. I could see possums in bare trees, and picked up on fence posts and could even make out glinting wire lines in a 4 wire fence at over 1200 yds and without the fog. But I could not get a rabbit at 300 as it was too close to focus on and I would drop it back to about 30x for the better view. I also found at those higher magnifications there was not enough field of view for me to see which bush I had just shot the rabbit under. As my 223 had not show of hitting a possum at 1000 yards (especially with me behind it) I decided that it was overkill and went a different way.

While I would certainly expect a S&B should be a huge amount better for the task at hand, the Nikkos do a good job for the money. In saying that the ones to really check out are the Diamond range. Mainly the 1" older ones before they followed Leupold, etc to Philippines and china. Very clear Japanese optics and priced only a little below a VX1 made them easy to over look with the VX1s reputation. Even now the Diamond Target 10-50x60 that is in stock, japanese optics, very very clear and way better than the targetmaster I had but at $1700 there are now plenty of other choices in that budget that would match up and have a better known reputation. Sightron SIII is about the same price, Night force up around the $4k, S&B $5.2k. It all comes down to budget.

If you are looking at top end glass and can afford S&B, Zeiss and Swaroski then Nikko's will not be in the picture. If you have a budget of $600 for a 8-32 or 6-24 scope, then the Nikko Nighteater compares very well up against any other $600 scope on the market of similar magnification, if you have a budget of $1700 then the Diamond Target will hold its own against any other scope of similar size and price. If you are looking at $1700 for higher magnification scope the S&B, Zeiss and Swaroski wont feature as they will be way out of budget.