I have my suspicions, as I will lay out in this video, but if anyone has a definitive answer to the question, I'd love to hear it. Happy New Year, Everyone!
I heard from a dealer close to me that it was a market decision there was just to many lower price scopes on the market and they just couldn’t keep up with everyone . People were buying other brands. The final nail in the coffin so to speak was when Vortex and sig optics hit the market.
I was lucky to have acquired my rifle several years ago and was researching scopes and determined that for the money the Nikon m308 bdc was the way to go. I am very pleased with my decision and it's been a great purchase im sorry to see there no longer in the business.
Wow! I have an M223 I wanted to repurchase and noticed the same thing. I also noticed Sig Sauer now makes a Buckmaster scope. Any chance Sig purchased the Nikon scope division and uses that technology in their current offerings?
It might be possible but it’s very hard to know because Nikon continues to act like they never even made riflescopes. The Buckmasters connection is an interesting one.
Really bummed as I just found out about this now---was seriously thinking of picking up another M-223 and started seeing my plans go straight down the tubes.
I was looking forward to replacing my old 9X40 (Night Hawke) Scope on my Rem 700 with a quality Nikon M-308 and I waited too long and now, no dice. I will most likely go with Vortex X50 instead. I have a 1-4X20 on one of my ARs for short ranges, 400 or less, even thou it has a 600 BDC, I just found another one of those on ebay for my second AR, just having trouble find the same Nikon 223 mount. I have been very happy with the p-223 scope for the last 10 years, great for steel at 400. Very sad to see them go.
If CLE built it for Hi-Power Comp it most likely has a combined stage weight of 4.5LB of trigger pull. Frank and Theresa are awesome at what they do.....and good people to boot.
As far as I’m concerned Nikon abandoned their Sportsman customer Base. I personally have not been able to find another BDC system that I liked as much.still running a Monarch 3 and a M5
The Nikon 3x9 p223 scope will be sought after . I seen one for $400 12/2021. I paid $100 7 years ago and it’s been a great scope . Leopold is excellent if u want to spend more . Vortex lately is really good with lifetime warranty .
I don't know what caused them to stop but I do know if you send one in for repair they will send you a email telling you they can't fix it and will give you full retail credit to use on their website .. that has been my experience when I sent a prostaff rifle scope in for repair
I just sent my scope in for repair and they sent me a voucher ( not even close to the price of the scope) to purchase something on their website, but no riflescopes. I was very surprised and I think you might have the right idea about the company.
Bummer. I’m no marksman. But about 4 years ago I bought a Mossberg MVP in .308 & the M-308 …2 of the best investments I’ve ever made! I painstakingly installed this s
I never had a Nikon scope range finder or binos that are still holding up today....and I still have dirt cheap 30 dollar tacos bouncing around the gun room and rifles range from the 80s and 90s
Wal-Mart and K-Mart sold a freight train load worth of Tasco, Bushnell and Redfield scopes back in the day. If you paid more than $50-$60ish dollars for one you got took. MOST of them unless grossly abused and beat to death still work fine today in 2023.
I own a couple of Nikon Scopes M308 BDC and P223 they are well built and have had them for over 15 years, Nikon did make good scopes. I was not even aware that they had stopped selling rifle scopes.
What is sad first and foremost is their political reasoning and yet they were okay with loss of income from lack of selling scopes, which they had a good market in their line. Nikon has/had some of the best quality glass that was ever on the market for half cost of buying say a Leupold. I bought a Nikon BDC 2.5x10x50 scope brand new from Natchess a year or so ago for a song and a dance price. I contacted Nikon and they stated they would still warranty it and offer a free set of custom turrets for the caliber I am shooting. I was totally surprised actually. Oh well like you say their are many choices out there and Nikon’s loss in the long run.
haha funny the way i found myself exact in same situation just now, thats how i found this video, going to their website then back to google looking for information. The fact that they dont have any information on scopes on their website given that probably its a product which is still covered by warranty for a lot of their customers tells me to stay away from any Nikon products from now on. I got a 15 years old riflehunter 550 rangefinder. Was looking at Nikon line for an upgrade. Not anymore.
They must have gone woke on rifle scopes. I have the buck master 2 and I was curious as to how it would work on my AR? I see Sig picked up the Buckmaster...so I am going to have to see which ones are better, Nikon or Sigs.
I’ve had a Buckmaster 3-9x40 mounted on my .270 American Rifle since 2012. It’s put up with a fair amount of abuse and holds zero well. Interesting that SIG picked up the Buckmaster. At least we can be pretty sure that SIG won’t turn its back on shooters.
I have 3 Tactical P 3-9X40 MK1-MRAD scopes and was looking to buy another. It's funny because I thought I was losing my mind, the term "nuked" from history is an under statement. I ended up on your video trying to figure out what happened to Nikon rifle scopes. I was a bit suspicious before coming here, I was thinking "did Nikon go full woke?" .... I believe you are on target with your assumption. By now I am sure you have shot your H-Bar and figured out just how nice this scope is. I have 3 of these on 3 different 22's manufactured by Kidd Innovations. You really need to check these 22's out, They are tack drivers and these scopes are PERFECT for this application. I am so disappointed Nikon stopped making scopes, however I am glad I found your channel! ..... PEACE! :)
It still makes me really sad. I am quite sure, after hearing from people with some first-hand knowledge of what happened, that it was a political decision. I was a huge Nikon fan. Not anymore. There are too many other good products out there nowadays. I will check out those .22s. I’ve been thinking about adding a really precise rimfire to my collection and putting my old Mossberg M44 target rifle into retirement. Thanks for your comment!
I just sent Nikon my broken 3-9 monarch scope not knowing if it was still under warranty and they told me as long as it was 3 years or older it would be . The sent me a email a few days latter and told me it was not worth fixing . I thought that was odd but they did me good as they gave me a $460 credit to use in there online store , So i was ok with that but i wonder if they would say that about all rifle scopes to get them off rifles ? Thanks
I work at a nikon licensed repair shop and we get quite a bit of rifle scopes and since they have discontinued making rifle scopes we can't get any new parts, so all we can do now is clean and check or toss em out and offer a voucher. So yes, if you send an old one in, 95% of the time it is 'beyond repair'.
“The Nikon contraction is completely about internal politics rather than consumer preference. They are trying to expand binocular sales in Europe and association with guns causes problems in some types of shops over there.
With a little research it says Nikon is owned by Mitsubishi Group Co. in Japan. Japan overall has a very negative view on rifles and handguns which may have something to do with them getting out of the riflescope market. Don't know this for sure. I see target shooters and hunters are only allowed shotguns. There are other Japanese Companies still making riflescopes.
I may be wrong, but if the handguards clip into the gas block that would mean they're not free floating. Free floating handguards would be those fancy ones that screw down onto the upper receiver and use a low profile gas block. Do you by chance have an example of what you're talking about?
@@snidely_whiplash since you’re interested, I’ll try to produce a short video soon, illustrating how these old-fashioned free-float handguards work. Might take me a few days.
@@snidely_whiplash it’s not too surprising. They are not very common anymore. As you already pointed out, there are much more convenient and efficient methods of free-floating your AR barrel nowadays. I’ll put something together soon. It’ll be much easier to show than to try to explain.
Another possibility is that Nikon is manufacturing glass/coated optics for one of their "competitors". And by doing so has been forced into a non-compete agreement .... thus the scrubbing. Businesses typically don't stop doing something if it's making money ... unless it's to make more money with less overhead by doing something else. Imagine if you found out your new trendy binocs were made using Nikon glass manufactured for said company under contract???? Makes a guy wonder.
@@SuburbanRifleman I see they still have the Nikon spot on ballistics calculator up. Love that tool for referencing ballistics on new rounds. Be a sad day if they ever get rid of it.
1/27/24 and I went to buy turrets for my Buckmasters 4.5 x 14 scope… Damn I’m mad! I’d also bought 2 of the 223 scopes at the same time! I’m a long time buyer of Nikon, but no more. Why, I read the internal Nikon release and sure smelled like a purely political “Japanese” corporate decision as they didn’t want to be associated with anything “dead”. These “woke” bastards are working on my last straw!
I’ve got a pair of Steiner binos. Never tried one of their scopes. I have some experience with Trijicon though they are generally outside of my budget. Great optics for serious use though.
Yeah and all reality they went completely woke like a majority of other companies and they will not support or make any kind of tools for any kind of firearm. In my opinion good riddance.
Same as Dick's Sporting Goods......they don't even sell fishing or camping gear anymore, let alone guns, ammo, knives and hunting gear. They used to be pretty big and had decent prices. Now it's just a crappy woke store for dimbulb "jocks". Next....I won't even go inside one anymore after they dumped all their guns, knives, ammo, fishing, hunting and camping inventory.
same, i will stay away from their rangefinders as well, that was the only other product i was thinking of buying from them in the mid-term. Not anymore.
