Nikon M-223 series scope

[yoda888]

All,
Went shooting for the first time in over a couple of years this weekend with my AR and some friends.

I've resisted putting a scope on my AR for a long time now, but turns out after shooting my buddy's ARs with scopes, it's a lot more fun and easier to shoot out to 100yards! I'm no spring chicken and getting iron on paper at 100 yards is pretty darn hard.

So I did some quick researching of scopes when I got home yesterday. I've narrowed it down to the Nikon M-223 series as it seems to have good reviews and is great bang for the buck!

I've narrowed it down to 2 scopes:
2-8x32 BDC 600
1-4x20

Is the BDC 600 a worthwhile purchase vs. the regular reticle?

My pain purpose will be shooting the always dangerous paper at the range! So mainly 100yard or less (would love to try further but the ranges in the bay area are usually around 100yards. Plus I need to be better with 100 first!) There will be no close quarters fighting with this thing. if it was a zombie situation, I'd like to reach out and touch them at a further distance than being in a situation where 1x comes in handy (basically at 1x, I'm probably pretty closed to screwed already -- haha)

Also, who has the best pricing on the scope? I just realized I missed the "free mount" promo from Nikon (basically $100 value -- ugh!) so I'm looking to save where I can.

Is there another mounting setup folks would recommend over the Nikon mount?


Thanks!

[OpticsPlanet]

If most shooting is 100 yards or less the 1-4 should give you the extra magnifiecation you need. The BDC is a nice reticle when you will be changing distances a lot. So if you think you'll be bouncing fromm 100, to 175, to 250, back to 150, and so on, the BDC is a great way to go. Otherwise teh 1-4 is great for walking shots out and in from 100 yards+.

Mount wise, in that same range the Burris PEPR is a good mount for the price.

Trevor B.

[yoda888]

Trevor
Thanks for the info. I think I'm going to pick up the 2-8x32 BDC 600 scope.

In regards to the mount, there's the Nikon M-223 mount, or there's the Burris PERP. I originally was going to just get the Nikon mount since I was getting a nikon scope. But the Burris is interesting to me since it has the Picatinny top so I can mount more crap on the rifle if I ever felt that I needed to.

Is there any reason I should NOT go with the Burris?

Also I read that the nikon as "Built-in 20 MOA incline" What does this mean exactly? What purpose does it serve?

Thanks!

[OpticsPlanet]

I have used the PEPR mount quite a bit and have always thought it to be a nice mount for that price. I've used setups that have MRD's on top and offset 45 degree mounts, and it really comes down to preference.

In regards to the added moa on the base, the 20 moa means that the base will have a slight forward cant. It will literally be on an angle barely noticable to your eyes, but will be lower in the front. What this does is force your optic to then be at that angle as well, so to get the best sight picture of your target because your optic is angled down, you naturally need to lift the barrel a little higher. This allows for further shots. same concept as throwing a baseball, when you need to throw the ball much further, you give it a higher arc. The lifting of the barrel due to the canted base and optic gives your bullet more arc and therefore the ability for more range. usually 20 moa bases, depending on purpose and caliber, are needed around the 500-600+ yardage shooting marks. Its another way to allow for more elevation beyond the internal adjustments built into the scope.

20 moa bases really come in handy on scopes that don't have as much internal adjustments. The 2-8 has 80 moa of internal which can take you a long way, but for any shooting under 500 yards with that scope, it isnt necessarily needed. The PEPR would serve you well.

Trevor B.

[fauxkat]

I have a PEPR QD with a Nikon Monarch African 1-4x20 (german no. 4) for plinking and the setup works well, given the price. No regrets with either.

[d4v0s]

i have the m-223 in 1-4 with the bdc600.

if you dont get the bdc you will get turrets on the top that mark you 1,2,3,4,500 yard positions. you sight the scope in on 100 and then just spin the turret to the proper yardage you need.

i love the bdc600, my optic is obviously only 4 power but i have no problems hitting steel 18" out to 350 yards. the 1x is nice as well and shows up really well when clearing houses with a flashlight.

i do sometimes with i had went with the burris tac30, i do feel like illumination wouls help in close quarters. but at the same time i would just as soon buy an acog or tr24 so i dont mess with batteries.

the truth is my new light tlr-hp is good enough for center of mass hits in close quarters. the scope wont really be needed honestly.

i really like the nikon, good glass, positive adjuztments. and the spot on technology is alot of fun. check it out on their site. it allows you to map out your bullets trajectory with a database of nearly every bullet and then see where that will sight in on your optic. its almost worth the cost of the optic just for that.

[yoda888]

I've pretty much settled on getting the 2-8x32 BDC now (unless something changes my mind -- which I hope nothing does, since I don't want to go back to the drawing board)

Just a matter of finding the right mount now. The Nikon m-223 mount or the burris. Sounds like it's kind of a toss-up. Perhaps I'll have to see which one is cheaper! haha

Thx everyone!

[OpticsPlanet]

6 on one hand and a half dozen on the other. Having the ability to go to a picatinny top and mount a MRD is a nice feature though.

Trevor B.

[bman940]

Yoda, I think picking a mount is worth a call to Trevor B. above. if you go for the Nikon he can help you get the right one since this year they have new designations. They'll all work. I'm helping a guy set up optic's on his new DPMS .223 and he's using the Nikon AR Mount with no MOA elevation and the M-223 2-8 Rapid Action Turret. I think he got the mount for $60, the Burris was alomst $20 more where he looked. I told him didn't matter which one he chose they'll both work.