MachIVshooter
Member
A lot of people underestimate Nikon, but don't realize that they have been building lenses longer then most other companies building scopes have been around.
Nikon certainly makes good glass, but the Prostaff are their cheap line. Still decent, and I have one on my AR-10. But i use that rifle for pig hunting, not precision shooting. My .220 Swift is also topped with a Nikon, but it's no Prostaff model; It's a 6.5-20x 44mm UFCH Monarch, a $600 scope.
If you really want to shoot well at distance, you need to get over your $600 budget and distaste for handloading. With a $1,000 rifle budget and a $500 scope budget, you can start to be competetive at long range-but you really are going to have to handload.