Please Advise: Nikon Monarch for $200, or Bushnell Elite 4200 for $250?

[ranger335v]

Bushnell bought B&L, including rights to use the name. BUT, B&L also has a wide range of high grade medical optics, meaning lucrative. A signficant number of medical PC weinies objected to seeing the B&L name on rifle scopes sold by mass markerters so they threatened to change vendors, like going to Zeiss. Bushnell folded under the pressure and changed the scope labels. Guess any good business man would have.

I sort of smile when folks condem Bushnell across the board because they market both high grade and inexpensive scopes so the once a year hunter can afford a scope for his '94. But they ignore that even exhaulted Leupold has about five price lines of scopes, the lower of which is prominant at Wally World for not much.

Fact is, I appreciate both Leupold and Bushness for producing broad price point scope lines so more shooters can have a chance to purchase what they need without over paying too much. Maybe my snob muscle just never developed like it should?

 

[Ash]

Horse,

What ever.

Ash

 

[Shawnee]

"But they ignore that even exhaulted Leupold has about five price lines of scopes, the lower of which is prominant at Wally World for not much."

Have wondered about the quality/value of the Wally-world Leupolds.
Anyone know if they are worth the $ or are they just junk being marketed in hopes lesser-attentive, less-spendy shooters will grab them just to have that name on their rig ?

 

[Horsemany]

I don't think much of the Wally World Leupold's. They do have the same great warranty as any other Leupold though. Optically they are not great from the ones I've looked through. I'm referring to the Rifleman model. The VX I model is what used to be the Vari-x II. Those are pretty good scopes but don't have a one piece tube. One piece tubes are only on VX III's and up.

 

[45crittergitter]

4200

 

[rangerruck]

chck around your wallyworlds, they are trying to get out of their scopes. That Nikon sells for about 160 in Wally's down here....

 

[Der Verge]

I would prefer the Nikon. Never had much luck with ANY series Bushnell.

 

[publiuss]

Don't want to hijack the thread, but how do the 3200's stand up against nikon,burris. Any major differences in 3200 & 4200?

 

[Horsemany]

I would prefer the Nikon. Never had much luck with ANY series Bushnell.

There's the misconception. Bushnell Elite's are not really Bushnell's. They were designed by Bausch & Lomb and are still produced in the Bausch & Lomb factory in Japan. They share nothing with other Bushnell scopes other than the name on the side.

You should see the Rimfire benchrest crowd covet, trade, and pass around the old Bausch & Lomb target scopes. Bausch & Lomb called them 4000 and 3000 though. Bushnell added the hydrophobic coating and changed the numbers.

 

[SN13]

I have a Nikon Prostaff. $120 3-9x40.

Crisp & clear & bright. Best ~$100 scope out there imo.

Go to a Bass-Pro or other dealer in scopes and look through them all. I was going to get a Bushnell 3200 (i think that's what it was) but decided to save some money and get the Prostaff which turned out to be well worth the money.

 

[montanahunter]

Scopes

just to add some insight i had a leupold vari IIc 3-9x40 for the past 7 years and after 5 years of sitting in the gun cabinet the optics died on a hunting trip and this was after I sent it back to leupold to have it checked out. They did not want to deal with the scope eventhough they claim to have a lifetime warranty, I had to go through the upper brass to get the scope corrected and get them to cover the shipping. They told me that I would have to pay for overnight shipping to get the scope back in time for my Montana hunting trip. After speaking with the VP of sales and marketing he sent the tag and had the scope recoated, but the scope still lost its light gathering ability in low light. I know 6 different gun dealers and each has had to deal with Nikon on separate issues and each time Nikon sent a brand new scope even if the scope broke due to the customer dropping it or abusing it, it is called a no questions asked warranty (lifetime). I compared the nikon monarch 4-16-42 outside at dusk to the bushnell 6500 and the nikon trumped the bushnell it was much brighter. Think of it this way Nikon has been making the top cameras in the world for 90 years why wouldn't they put this technology into their scopes. I have shot a burris signature 2.5-10x44 and thius scope was just as bright as the nikon at low light. My father has a nikon 4-16x50 platinum and you can see at dusk just as if it were bright sunlight. My suggestion is to go to a place where they will walk outside when the sun is setting with each of the scopes and see which one you feel is the brightest that way you can make the best decision. have fun!

 

[Uncle Mike]

Bushnell 4200-

 

[sprocket3]

Montanahunter,

Do you work for Nikon? What 1" monarch is brighter than a Bushnell 30mm 6500 at the same power? What company would fedex a repair order back and forth by default.

Something stinks!

 

[Maverick223]

montanahunter, really old post, so I doubt your "insight" will be heeded. Personally I will take the Bushnell due to slightly superior optics IMO. The Monarch is not bad by any stretch but I have heard some horror stories about their CS. I don't believe either compares favorably to the Zeiss Conquest (as someone mentioned above), but the cost is a bit less as well.