Nikon exiting the rifle scope business

pupchow said:
There was this

And now this
www.thetruthaboutguns.com

Nikon is Exiting the Rifle Scope Business - The Truth About Guns

&#9664Previous Post Next Post▶ One of our intrepid readers who’s in the retail end of the gun business told us of notification he received from one of his distributors. They were letting him know that Nikon will be exiting the rifle scope business and that once current inventory is gone, it’s...
www.thetruthaboutguns.com www.thetruthaboutguns.com
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So it took Nikon 6 years to respond to the first arcitle?
 
I have an M-223 3-12× and M-308 4-16× scopes with BDC reticles.

Paired with their Spot-On software /phone App it's a pretty cool "total solution." I printed out the bdc range charts and found them pretty close.

I was thinking of getting a .22lr version. Will look for the sales
 
Varmint said:
I think Canon is just better at marketing - they pay photographers to use those white telephotos and make people think they dominate the pro scene.
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I had a classic Nikon / Canon rivalry with a friend in the 80's. She could use an obscura pin hole camera and take amazing photos. One thing I did learn was with the onset of cable tv and the coverage of the Olympics Canon dumped money into TV camera and SLR lenses for the games. It was kind of like the old NASCAR 'win on Sunday, sell on Monday'. The year after an Olympics you were going to see the next greatest lenses. All marketing. This is when the Olympics, summer and winter, were the same year every four years.

I have a few "L lenses" and they shoot better than my eye does. I must need glasses. [laugh]
 
Uzi2 said:
They've always had the best glass out there. I've yet to look through any scope that compares to Nikon glass. There's some close seconds but none better.

Thing is, the vast, vast majority of gun owners will NOT spend the money on Nikon glass for a rifle.....it's just the way it is. Consequently, the less expensive scope companies are putting a dent in Nikon's market.....so why fight it?

I doubt they're in Ch. 11 territory, there's lots of other uses for good glass.
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i think "best glass" is a reach. Unless we are comparing similar scopes and prices.
The nikon P and M tactical line are good for the money but I feel when used side by side with similar scopes like Hawke and redfield I like them better.
Get into that $700-$1000 range again there are so many options out their.
I tried every scope out I could come across at the range. With out breaking that $1000 barrier I found Sightron and leupold to be my favorites.
i think nikon did have a slight edge on lower cost scopes
i have some old er prostaff and buck masters that have held up 👍
Its all fun and we can look to see who is buying Nikon lenses and mirrors in the future.
 
Uzi2 said:
Actually I have and they too are great scopes, but as you said, you had to save forever. I'll bet that for every one Nightforce sold, Nikon sold twenty or more of their various scopes with very satisfied customers.

The average guy isn't putting a 1500- 4k $ scope on a rifle they might shoot a few times a year.....its just not happening.
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I know many many shooters who are completely satisfied and happy with blister pack walmart offerings:p
 
www.outdoorlife.com

Nikon Will No Longer Make Riflescopes

The company will continue its binocular, rangefinder, and spotting scope lines, but it’s abandoning the riflescope market
www.outdoorlife.com www.outdoorlife.com

"“Be careful not to read too much into this,” says the sales director of a national optics brand, who asked not to be named. “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. Additionally, there is just no domestic—as in Japanese domestic—support for being a part of the blood sports.”"
 
I think for good budget glass they were the only name in town for a long while. Now a multitude of companies took their market share.

I just bought a couple Diamondback scopes from Vortex and they are superior to my Nikons at same 100 dollar price point (ktp has half price sale)
 
When I purchased my DSLR eons ago, I bought the Canon 40D because I had some friends with Canons and they had a “lens pool” going, but the Nikon equivalent felt sturdier and more solid. I kind of wish I had a Nikon now because most of my in-laws have Nikons.

I also recently sold my P-223 that was never used. It was a good scope for the money, but I never used it and it was just collecting dust.

Nikon is a good company and I hope this decision works out for them in the long run.
 
Nikon is losing market share in the DSLR world, and has even (according to many reports) been overtaken by Sony making them #3 (Canon being #1). The next war will be over full frame mirrorless, with Nikon and Canon having a new different mount for the lenses specifically designed for these cameras, and an adapter for old lenses (that still focuses to Infinity). I would not consider Nikon to be the horse to bet on now if you are embarking on a multi-year journey of building a $ystem. Teardowns of Canon systems by the folks at Lens Rentals often use terms like "built like tank".
 
Rob Boudrie said:
Time was Nikon was the only camera choice of professionals and Canon ran a distant second. I don't know if it was the bayonet lens lock instead of breech ring; glass; features or pros liked the distinctive view finder on the Nikon F. I almost said "original", but the really old viewfinders for the Nikon F used an exterior rather than reflex mirror..

Some of it went downhill when Nikon introduced "E" series lenses built to a cheaper standard (nylon/plastic focusing helix rather than brass/aluminum, etc.) and it left the realm of "Pro gear" and broadened into the consumer sector.

Canon seems to be whomping Nikon with that is thought to be a nicer mirrorless camera, the "L" series pro grade lenses (identified by the red ring). Even so, Sony seems to be at the lead in mirrorless, at the cost of a less extensive system. Now, rather than being seen with the Nikon F, cool is a nice long white telephoto, preferably with an absurd aperture like the 300mm f2.8.

Moderately priced scopes were just another example of Nikon leaving the realm of "highest end only stuff" into broad based consumer goods.
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I miss my 300 and 1 series bodies. [sad]
 
The blog at lensrental.com is fascinating - they have a guy whose purpose in life seems to be taking lenses apart and putting them back together. From what I've seen Canon and Nikon are excellent, but Canon seems to be overengineered; well put together; and better designed for minimal disassembly to replace damaged parts (filter rings, front lens elements, etc.). I believe Canon sells parts for lenses and Nikon cartels them to its "authorized repair network" only.

As to the great money pour - brilliant move, after decades of pros being seen only with Nikons (Dating back to the days of the Nikon F, before they added a number after the F)
 
pupchow said:
"“Be careful not to read too much into this,” says the sales director of a national optics brand, who asked not to be named. “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. Additionally, there is just no domestic—as in Japanese domestic—support for being a part of the blood sports.”"
Click to expand...

Blood Sport?
hqdefault.jpg
 

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