Long known for their line of professional cameras and lenses, Nikon is putting their optical knowledge to good use in the sport optics division. The Nikon 2.5x8 Monarch Extended Eye Relief handgun scope is available in silver or black finish. Photo by Gary Smith

In 2003 Nikon started shipping their 2.5x8 handgun scope and I've been using one off and on for the past several months. The scopes were announced well before they were available from dealers but as you should expect from the manufacturer of perhaps the best glass in the industry, they wanted to get any bugs worked out before they were sent to customers.

Like scopes from every other manufacturer, the Nikon has its pro's and con's. As soon as you look through the scope image resolution is definitely one of the things Nikon did well. I also like very much the positive click adjustments on the windage and elevation knobs and you don't have to dig in your pocket for a coin to make a sight adjustment. They feel like what you would expect from a high dollar target scope;

The Nikon has the best click adjustments in the industry. Silhouette shooters will find these adjustments very much to their liking, no guesswork - just solid. Photo by Gary Smith

adjustments like these are what other handgun scopes should be judged against. Another pro is the fine crosshairs in a plex design. While fine crosshairs can be problematic in very low light situations I prefer the thin ones, especially if used on squirrels or other small varmints. The reticle subtensions at 100 yards are 0.72 inches at 2.5x and 0.23 inches at 8x.

As handgun hunters we are a group that has specialized tools. Oh there are a few all-rounders out there but by and large, we tend to use different guns for different tasks. There are probably four or five general categories in which hunting handguns could be placed and a few more given the different action types. So where does the Nikon fit in and how does it stack up against other handgun scopes?

Variable Power Scopes

Manuf.   Power   FOV   Eye Relief Length   Obj.   Dia. Bell   Dia. Weight   Burris (L)1.5x (H) 4x 21ft. 11ft. 11-24" 11-18" 11.1" 20mm 27mm 11oz. Burris (L) 2x (H) 7x 21ft. 7ft. 11-24" 10-15" 9.7" 32mm 39mm 13oz. Burris (L) 3x (H) 9x 13ft. 6ft. 10-19" 10-13" 10.8" 32mm 44mm 16oz. Burris (L) 3x (H) 12x 14ft. 4ft. 10-19" 10-12.5" 10.8" 32mm 44mm 16oz. Bushnell Elite 32001 (L) 2x (H) 6x 10ft. 4ft. 20"2 9.0" 32mm 39.9mm 10oz Bushnell (L) 2x (H) 6x 11ft. 4ft. 18"2 9.1" 32mm 39.9mm 10.9oz Leupold (L)2.5x (H) 8x 13ft. 4.3ft. 22"-10" 9.67" 32mm 42mm 8.3oz Nikon (L)2.5x (H) 8x 13.1ft. 4.1ft. 12-30" 9-13" 9.6" 28mm 35.5mm 10.9oz. Thompson/ Center (L)1.25x (H) 4x 24ft. 8ft. 23" 15" 9.38" 28mm 33.3mm 8.9oz Thompson/ Center (L)2.5x (H) 7x 15ft. 5ft. 8-21" 8-11" 9.25" 28mm 36.5mm 9.2oz Thompson/ Center Lighted (L)2.5x (H) 7x 15ft. 5ft. 8-21" 8-11" 9.25" 28mm 36.5mm 10.5oz Thompson/ Center (L) 3x (H) 9x 10ft. 4ft. 14-20" 13.5-19" 10.38" 28mm 38.1mm 9.4oz Weaver (L)1.5x (H) 4x 13.6ft. 5.8ft. 12-24" 11-17" 8.6" 20mm 25.4mm 8.1oz Weaver (L)2.5x (H) 8x 8.5ft. 3.7ft. 16-24" 12-16" 9.3" 28mm 35.6mm 8.3oz

¹The Bushnell Elite 3200 is made by Bushnell, however it is a very different scope than the 2x6 Bushnell Trophy.
²Eye relief is constant through the power range.

I found out straight away that it wouldn't fit well on any of my Super Blackhawk Hunters with out removing the rear sight or changing the ring height. The problem is the relatively large size of the ocular end of the scope measuring 1.61 inches. The Nikon is only 2 tenths of an inch larger than the Bushnell Elite 3200 but it's enough to cause a problem with the mounting on the Hunter. The Leupold 2.5x8 has size issues on the Hunter as well. If you have a revolver with the scope mount located on the topstrap you should be fine with the Nikon.

The Nikon is well suited to mounting on a single shot. Its size and weight balanced nicely on the author's ten inch Contender. Photo by Gary Smith

I mounted the scope on a ten inch 300 Whisper barrel attached to my Contender. As you can see from the photo above the scope looks good on the gun and there are no clearance issues for the single shot using a Weaver base and SSK rings. The power adjustment ring is smooth and has a bump to allow easy manipulation even while wearing heavy hunting gloves. I also found the field of view comparable to the Leupold. The Nikon like most other scopes changes in eye relief when the power is changed. Adjusting the eye-relief using the black ring at the rear of the scope where I have a full field of view of 19 inches at 2.5 power, I have to move the scope to 14 inches when on eight power. The 14 inch eye relief is similar to a high magnification Burris when turned up. Some hunters complain about this but honestly once you get used to getting closer to the gun I don't find it to be an issue. When shooting at game if you have time to turn up the power then you probably have time to get a little closer to the gun. If I'm hunting and see game at a distance that I know is going to need more power I usually just give the power ring a twist, not worrying too much about what number is aligned with the power indicator dot.

Although I'm told by Jon LaCORTE at Nikon they have fixed this problem on newer scopes, there is a rubber ring on the rear of my test scope that liked to come off. Actually I think because it was rubber it was grabbing on my hunting clothes. Several times I brought the gun up from a sling carry and found the rubber piece to be half off. I finally started taking the ring off when out hunting because I knew I sooner or later it wouldn't come home with me.

The scope is also priced competitively. A quick check at one of the larger internet supply companies has the Nikon priced at $289 which is about $100 less than the Leupold 2.5x8 and about $50 more than the Bushnell 3200 2x6. Overall I would rate the scope as very good. It has a few drawbacks but then so does every other scope out there. To Nikon's credit, when I spoke with them about the scope they were very interested in feedback on what needed to be changed to make the scope better. Short and simple - two things would improve this scope, a larger field of view and less change in the eye relief as the power changes. Give me a huge FOV and I can live with the eye relief.

Good Hunting,
Gary

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