I have noticed recently what appears to be a decline in quality of Nikon Pro Staff scopes. I have two that I bought about 7 yea

[.30-06Hunter]

I have noticed recently what appears to be a decline in quality of Nikon Pro Staff scopes. I have two that I bought about 7 years ago that are wonderful and I recently purchased one that the image is not quite as sharp and the tube was scratched right out of the box. It still works but a huge difference in quality. Has anyone else had similar issues? I have since switched to the new Redfield scopes and have been satisfied so far.

[Sarge01]

There will soon be no plain Pro Staff scopes as you know them now. When all of the existing supplies are gone that will be it. Nikon has redesigned their scopes and there are no more Buckmasters scopes either other than the supplies on hand, and the replacement is the new Prostaff 5 which according to the company is supposed to be an improvement above the Buckmaster line. They have even added another grade to the regular Monarch line called a Monarch 3 . This is the information I have been able to obtain from Nikon at the present time.

[DakotaMan]

They gained in plastic over the years and the optics gradually got worse. If you like the Redfields you should try the Vortex Diamondback for the best optics available in the $175-$200 price range. The Redfields aren't what they used to be either. I still have a Redfield from the 1960's and it has about double the clarity of the current model, its reticle is much more visible, it has a wider field of view and no parallax to boot. They don't make them like they used to. I'm hoping that Nikon will elevate their product quality so that the Monarch is their low end. That is a fine scope and a great place for them to start.

[Edward J. Palumbo]

My last two scope purchases were the new Redfields, a 3-9X-40 for my .250 Savage and a 3-9X-50 for my .223 Featherweight. Both scopes are serving me well, and I'm delighted with them.

[WA Mtnhunter]

All the Nikons and Redfields previously mentioned are yeoman scopes that may serve you well, but are still cheap scopes with too many plastic and aluminum internal parts and better can be had for just a few dollars more.

[Safado]

I have a couple of Nikons that I am very happy with. I have noticed more plastic but have no problems with the glass.