pjj342 632 Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 I have been seeing these for a little while, mainly on the Natchez site. But anyways, are these a good less expensive option? Their selling a refurbished nikon pro staff 4x32 for like 65 dollars, and other refurbished nikon models for around 100. I know nikon has a good rep in cameras and other optics, and I would assume that would translate to rifle scopes. But what is 'refurbished' anyways, and will it have an affect on the quailty? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DrThunder88 912 Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 I like ProStaff scopes a great deal. I have one refurbed Nikon and it is of equal quality with new ones. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ben4345 123 Posted October 15, 2011 Report Share Posted October 15, 2011 Nikon as far as I know, are great bang for the buck. IMO, better than leupold and Zeiss, that is until you get into $500 zeiss's. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scott Kenny 144 Posted October 16, 2011 Report Share Posted October 16, 2011 Usually, refurbished means an item that was returned for some reason. They can't sell it as new anymore, so they put it in a new box and slap a 'refurbished' sticker on it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pjj342 632 Posted October 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 (edited) Honestly, theres no way Im paying much over 100 for a scope. There seem to be some really good deals out there if you look hard enough, and nikon is great at pretty much anything. Im glad to hear the refurb scopes are good as new. Edited October 17, 2011 by Boomsick42 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pjj342 632 Posted October 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 Nikon as far as I know, are great bang for the buck. IMO, better than leupold and Zeiss, that is until you get into $500 zeiss's. I would love to have a swarovski or ziess or leopold, I just wont pay more for an optic than I did on the rifle itself. Maybe if it was a precision rifle, or if I was in competition. But neither is the case. I just want something that will get me out to 200yds, and take a couple knocks here and there while holding zero. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Foxtail207 23 Posted October 17, 2011 Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 Refurbs are a great way to save money. I've bought several items as refurbs (cameras, iPods, computers, etc). True factory refurbs usually come with the same warranty as a new item. I've had no bad experiences with any I have bought. Check the OEM sites for deals on refurbs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ben4345 123 Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 (edited) Nikon as far as I know, are great bang for the buck. IMO, better than leupold and Zeiss, that is until you get into $500 zeiss's. I would love to have a swarovski or ziess or leopold, I just wont pay more for an optic than I did on the rifle itself. Maybe if it was a precision rifle, or if I was in competition. But neither is the case. I just want something that will get me out to 200yds, and take a couple knocks here and there while holding zero. I remember going to a birding shop. They sold plenty of binoculars , everything to cheap'o Chinese to high end Zeiss and Leupold. When comparing, the sales lady told me, "you should try these and compare them to Leupold (somewhere around $400) and similar specs. The cheap'o had an ED element, and was $125, as I looked through both of them and adjusted them to my eyes. I couldn't believe myself, the chinese cheap'o simply beat the heck out of the leupolds for image quality,. They were sharper, contraster, less purple fringing, and less edge distortion. The Leupold'a did have better build quality, but the chinese cheapos wasn't too far off. But I digress.. The only thing to look at when getting a refurb is look at the warranty and how or if it's different than buying new. Edited October 19, 2011 by ben4345 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MT Predator 2,294 Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 If a refurb is one that has been simply put back in a box after a return, there shouldn't be anything wrong with it. I have one Nikon scope and a set of Nikon binos that have never let me down. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rexican 4 Posted October 24, 2011 Report Share Posted October 24, 2011 I bought a nikon prostaff refurb, but don't like it that much. I cant remember if the warranty was 30 or 90 days, but if you buy one new it carries a full lifetime warranty(they do make you pay for shipping). The eye relief is also very unforgiving on mine, but the glass is ok. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pjj342 632 Posted October 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 I bought a nikon prostaff refurb, but don't like it that much. I cant remember if the warranty was 30 or 90 days, but if you buy one new it carries a full lifetime warranty(they do make you pay for shipping). The eye relief is also very unforgiving on mine, but the glass is ok. Good to know, the prostaff is the one Im looking into, being as its the least expensive. I just dont know how to get my hands on one, to see if I like it before I buy one. I guess thats another question to ask. Dr thunder, what do you think of the eye relief? Rexican, what do you mean by 'unforgiving'? Do you only get the proper sight picture at a very exact place, when looking thru. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rexican 4 Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 I'll pull it out and see if I can take some pics when the sun finally comes up. I love my Nikon DSLR, and now I have an excuse to attempt some shots through the scope. The eye relief was very precise on mine, and I tried it out on 3 different rifles before I found a combination that it felt the best on. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rexican 4 Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 If you're only wanting to spring for the $65 fixed power scope, yes a nikon would be a pretty decent choice. You could do much worse. If you're gonna spend more than $100, you might want to hold out for a used scope that is not refurbished that you can send back in case of catastrophic failure. My nitpicks about the eye relief are personal opinion: it's about 3.5" at 3x, and I thought it best to put it on a low-recoiling rifle. In my sleep deprived state I never even asked you what you planned to put it on, and if I need to elaborate on anything just let me know. I gave it a shot, but for my first try it was kinda ugly. this is the 3-9x prostaff. The pic is pretty close to daybreak, and the glass is pretty good for the price. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pjj342 632 Posted October 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 rexican, Ill be putting it on my saiga x39. It will be on a side mount and will be for target shooting and the very very unlikely SHTF situation, for long shots I cant get with my irons. I actually bumped my price range up to about 200, I think thats whats needed to get a rugged enough scope to serve my needs. Now Im looking at all kinds of brands, I may get a burris or vortex or redfield or leupold in the 160dollar range. Im hearing Nikons warranty isnt the best. If you drop it or run it over with your car they wont replace it. I know leupold and vortex have unlimited lifetime warranties. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ben4345 123 Posted October 27, 2011 Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 rexican, Ill be putting it on my saiga x39. It will be on a side mount and will be for target shooting and the very very unlikely SHTF situation, for long shots I cant get with my irons. I actually bumped my price range up to about 200, I think thats whats needed to get a rugged enough scope to serve my needs. Now Im looking at all kinds of brands, I may get a burris or vortex or redfield or leupold in the 160dollar range. Im hearing Nikons warranty isnt the best. If you drop it or run it over with your car they wont replace it. I know leupold and vortex have unlimited lifetime warranties. boomsick, try to find a sporting goods store near you that sells various scopes. Try them out, and make a decision for your self, that will answer your questions better than any of us. Optically, you are not going to beat Nikons until you spend a lot more. Leupold's, suck in my opinion (price for performance), at least all the ones I have tried out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DrThunder88 912 Posted October 27, 2011 Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 I've not noticed any problems with eye relief, but I could just be so used to low-end glass that Nikon's seems great to me. I suppose I should have made that clear in my initial post. I've not ventured far from Nikon in my choice of telescopic sights so I can't compare my scopes to Weavers, Leupolds, or the even more highly reputed manufacturers out there. I do have a Weaver Nitrex that compares favorably to my Nikons though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pjj342 632 Posted October 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 To be honest guys, The only scopes I have experience with are low end. I havent used one in a really long time, actually since I hunted with my dads .270 and .300winmag, about 8yrs ago. The one was a tasco and the other was a bushnell. And I killed alot of deer with them. And they seemed fine. Only since Ive done my saiga conversion I have been trying to get the absolute best for my money. I just checked out the leupold and nikon, the leupold seemed easier to get a good sight pic, and the nikon was a bit clearer. I need to look thru and handle the vortex to make my decision. The good thing is, I have some time. I appreciate you guys' help. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scott Kenny 144 Posted October 29, 2011 Report Share Posted October 29, 2011 NIkons should be good (their camera lenses are very nice), but I think the best scope-for-dollar value is Vortex or a PSO. My friends ooh'd and aah'd with the IOR TIP2, but then they looked through my big Vortex. Vortex has the advantage of an awesome warranty, and a reputation for solid construction. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GregM1 241 Posted October 29, 2011 Report Share Posted October 29, 2011 i have a pair of refurbished Nikon binoculars. They were just like new when i got them. Nikon has a great rep for their gear. I think their refurb scopes will be great too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pjj342 632 Posted November 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Thanks for all the help guys, I appreciate it. From all the looking Ive done, Im going with a vortex diamondback 2-7. If nikon had the unlimited warranty I would get one, but Id rather pay 50bucks more and know Ill have it for life, what ever may happen. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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