Need Opinion on Nikko Stirling Nighteater 10-50x60

[Pahaoa]

Hey Guys

I am thinking of buying a Standard Howa Carbon Fibre Supreme in .223, it comes with a Nikko Stirling Nighteater 10-50x60 on top of it. Apart from it being complete overkill I was wondering what they were like as a scope?

The thing is it's very cheap in the package so I'm keen on buying it because they are worth around $850 NZ which is a lot more than i'd have to pay if I bought it complete with the rifle.

Any opinions are welcomed, I know Nikko Stirling arn't the best but if they are "acceptable" then i'll take it. It was lovely to look through (even on the higher powers) but it's things like reticle shift and the turrets moving acurately that concern me the most. Any help would be most appreciatted

Thanx Guys

 

[Topshot]

Mate, in the past I would not even put a Nikko Strling scope on a .22lr but like most scope makers they seem to have come a long way in a few years.

The night eater scopes are popular here in Aus, but beware of any copies from back yard mobs from other china companies, they copy Leupolds and other name brands. Do a bit of research on what you are buying and make a few phone calls to the local distributer to see if it is a real night eater scope!

Another thing to check is the mounts. On these cheep combo outfits the scope and mounts are not worth shite.

In my opinion, if you like the rifle then buy it. However don't be sucked into buying a rubbish scope and mounts. You would be better off to buy the bare rifle then save up and buy name brand scope and mounts as separate components.

Money is too hard to come by nowdays to throw it away on junk.

 

[Pahaoa]

Mate, in the past I would not even put a Nikko Strling scope on a .22lr but like most scope makers they seem to have come a long way in a few years.

The night eater scopes are popular here in Aus, but beware of any copies from back yard mobs from other china companies, they copy Leupolds and other name brands. Do a bit of research on what you are buying and make a few phone calls to the local distributer to see if it is a real night eater scope!

Another thing to check is the mounts. On these cheep combo outfits the scope and mounts are not worth shite.

In my opinion, if you like the rifle then buy it. However don't be sucked into buying a rubbish scope and mounts. You would be better off to buy the bare rifle then save up and buy name brand scope and mounts as separate components.

Money is too hard to come by nowdays to throw it away on junk.

The mounts and rings are weaver, the scope is genuine. It is from a very reputable local dealer who I know personally, just the scope i'm wondering about itself as I know that Nikko Stirling never used to be of very good quality but I believe that it has improved a lot since. I heard that a couple of Australians went over to Japan to oversee quality control as the scopes are so popular with roo hunters, don't know if thats truth though.

 

[Topshot]

Hi pahaoa,

Sounds like you have done the background work on this deal, well done.

Yes, Night Eater scopes are popular over here in Aus, with budget minded shooters but I don't know if many pro roo shooters who would ever use them. I think that would be a Kiwi Myth!!!

Pro Roo shooters are dependant on the quality of their equipment.

Most pro Roo shooters I know have only top flight rigs and can write them off on their tax returns each year, so it would not pay them to run cheep scopes. A scope failure could cost them a weeks income by the time the rifle is back up and working again. Remember they operate in remote locations and replacement scopes can be hard to come by. A weeks income to a Pro Roo Shooter is a few thousand dollars, so you can see why it may be a myth

The Aussie Pro Roo shooters as a whole, kill millions of Roos each year. It is hard for a recreational hunter to to comprehend the amount of killing that each one may do. Most Roos are shot in the head at night, anywhere from 50 to 200 yards. Each shooter will kill thousands of Roos each year.

A mate of mind bought a Nikko, Night Eater scope not long back, He put it on a .243 for general day time shooting and it seems to work OK but it lacks a bit in poor light.

 

[Pahaoa]

Hi pahaoa,

Sounds like you have done the background work on this deal, well done.

Yes, Night Eater scopes are popular over here in Aus, with budget minded shooters but I don't know if many pro roo shooters who would ever use them. I think that would be a Kiwi Myth!!!

Pro Roo shooters are dependant on the quality of their equipment.

Most pro Roo shooters I know have only top flight rigs and can write them off on their tax returns each year, so it would not pay them to run cheep scopes. A scope failure could cost them a weeks income by the time the rifle is back up and working again. Remember they operate in remote locations and replacement scopes can be hard to come by. A weeks income to a Pro Roo Shooter is a few thousand dollars, so you can see why it may be a myth

The Aussie Pro Roo shooters as a whole, kill millions of Roos each year. It is hard for a recreational hunter to to comprehend the amount of killing that each one may do. Most Roos are shot in the head at night, anywhere from 50 to 200 yards. Each shooter will kill thousands of Roos each year.

A mate of mind bought a Nikko, Night Eater scope not long back, He put it on a .243 for general day time shooting and it seems to work OK but it lacks a bit in poor light.

I think optically they are a great scope for the money, I have 2 friends with them, one on a .260 and one on a .223. They have good flat field of view with little distortion around the edges and are brighter at low light than my VX-1 Leupold, however they both leave there vari powers on the highest setting and once sighted in the left the turrets alone as well, due to not knowing if the point of impact will shift if they move them around. With my potencial scope having a 30mm tube instead of an inch and the fact that it has a 60mm objective instead of 40, i'm thinking it will be more than acceptable for my shooting.

As for the Kangaroo shooting, sounds like I should be there doing it as well , if it were me I wouldn't waste my time with a **** scope either, it'll be Nightforce or Swarovski all the way!

Can anyone tell me what the scope performs like at the range? because thats where things like reticle movement during vari power shifting and precise turret movements matter more than optical performance.

 

[Aussie Powder Burner]

I would avoid the carbon rifle as well as the scope.
One of the magazines here tested a carbon Howa and it would not group well at all.
I think that they may even be dropping that model because of accuracy issues with the carbon wrap barrel.
Nikko are cheap scopes and I had a friend using one on a 223 target rifle lose a lens in the midst of a match recently!

 

[Pahaoa]

I would avoid the carbon rifle as well as the scope.
One of the magazines here tested a carbon Howa and it would not group well at all.
I think that they may even be dropping that model because of accuracy issues with the carbon wrap barrel.
Nikko are cheap scopes and I had a friend using one on a 223 target rifle lose a lens in the midst of a match recently!

Well that's what I thought as well actually, both about the carbon fibre barrel and the Nikko Stirling scope, however...

The man behind the counter owns it himself and hes shown me a target from 100 yards, looked like a ragged hole of about 10mm and he assured me that was with the nikko scope and it was 5 shots. Also the same Nikko Stirling scope is on top of a lot of top target shooters from all disciplines. It is the top of the range Nikko so i'd assume that it is of quite good quality. With the same combo he has a confirmed kill at 392 yards, which is good enough for me. Any more opinions out there

 

[jmason]

The way I'm reading this thread is that these guys are telling you not to buy it, but you really want it and are going to buy it anyway.

 

[Pahaoa]

The way I'm reading this thread is that these guys are telling you not to buy it, but you really want it and are going to buy it anyway.

Yeah I think your right, I've heard a lot of opinions from all sorts of people and it seems like I should get it anyway, I've been after a decent varminting rifle for a while now and it just seems like me. I wanted some simple opinions on the scope that's all (hoping for good reviews). lol I should just go buy it and have some fun...

 

[cdog]

I was also curious about these....
They have a new diamond 10x50x60 that is supposed to be a "real" scope...
Over at swfa in the optics talk forum there is a gentleman that has recently purchased one of these and has answered many questions about them.......
P.S. why is this site so slooooooooooo??

 

[Dangerous Dan]

I have been useing Nikko Stearling scopes for about three years and They just keep getting better , I am a Older shooter and Don't seldom shoot past 500 yards But I have 20 Nikko scopes on guns from 338 win mags To 22 L R , They are all clear as a Bell , The Night eater 4X16X50 30 mm LRX is one of the finest scopes I have ever Had , I have several Leipold scopes and Leipold Makes a good scope But it is very over priced Nikko stearling are very good scopes , I have one Dimond It is very clear But the Nighteater is teh best hands down I hope this helps You out You can Buy 3 Nikkos for One Leipolds Just My 2 cents

 

[bjohnsonmarine]

I have the nighteater placed on a howa 1500, and I do not have any complaints. I have shot many rifles while in the service and this rifle is satisfactory, and if you understand the balistics and have a solid foundation of marksmanship skills you will be fine. In fact I have beat friends who were shooting Rem 700 with optics that cost more than the rifle themselves and I was still outshooting them. Long story short is that alot of people are quick to blame poor performance on the rifle vs shooter.

Good luck

 

[MEldridge1948]

Remember......you get what you pay for with optics. The 10mm group at 100 yds. can be done with just about any decent rifle and a fair scope. Ask your friend what the grouping is at 200 or even 300 yds. If the groups are within 1.5" at 200 yds (probably not) your probably getting a decent rig. I've bought scopes priced from Tasco all the way up to S&B and at a glance you can tell the difference in quality with the increase in cost.


Remember: 1 shot.....1 kill

 

[bjohnsonmarine]

I agree that with optics you get what you pay for but in this particular situation you get a little more bang for your buck. Now I have my Nighteater attached to a 30-06 so I cannot make any claims on other rounds but at 100 yds my impact rounds are touching, at 200yds I am 1.5 +/-, and at 300yds I can hit a 3" post it note almost everytime (shooting error, bad wind read). The one thing I do not care for on this scope is the fact that the objective end of the scope is angled so it makes it difficult to find flip up lens covers but that is relatively minor in the scheme of things.