Customer Reviews

Nikon Prostaff 4x32mm RimFire Classic Scope

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've been running the 4x Nikon Prostaff on my Ruger 10/22 for a couple of months now and I am very happy with it. I have mine in matte black, and I think the finish looks good (I'd suggest the matte over the silver, I have read other reviews that indicate the silver finish wears off, though I do not have first hand experience w/ the silver finish ... regardless, the matte black looks better anyway).

Quite simply, the 4x prostaff is everything a rimfire scope should be - compact, light, reliable. Optics are very good to my eye, but to be fair I don't run any $1000+ Leupold's or anything on any of my rifles. To my unprofessional eye, the optical quality is excellent. I also find the eye relief to be satisfactory, and I typically have problems with eye relief on certain scopes.

I think 4x is a good magnification for a rimfire scope. One of my shooting buddies insists 4x isn't enough magnification (and he looks like a real winner lugging around his little 10/22 rifle with a MASSIVE centerfire scope mounted to it ... what can I say some people get it and others don't), but I think given the range limitations of the .22lr cartridge plus the philosophy of use of a 10/22 carbine (small, compact carbine used for varmint hunting and/or to improve your shooting skills w/ low cost ammo) 4x is the optimal magnification. An amateur could easily pick off a squirrel sized target at 50 yards, and a decent shooter would have no problems at 100 yards. I frequently shoot golf balls or ping pong balls at 100yds with this scope, and I've brought first time shooters to the range and had them hitting the same within a matter of minutes. Ergo, I think 4x magnification is plenty, as once you get much past 100yds the .22lr will start dropping fairly quickly.

Zeroing this scope proved to be a simple operation, and over the several months with 1,000+ rds through it, plus lugging it around (sometimes not in a case and not too carefully), it has held its zero perfectly. (note in my edit below, the loss of zero was due to how the scope was mounted, nothing to do with the Nikon scope).

In short, if you can afford to spend a little over $100 for a rimfire scope, the Nikon Prostaff 4x is an excellent choice.


Edit: I did have problems with how this scope was mounted on the included rings on my stock 10/22 accessory rail (scope kept creeping forward). I think this had more to do with the cheap plastic rail that came with my 10/22 than with the Nikon rings, they just couldn't get a good enough grip on the plastic to stay planted. I upgraded to a Leopold fixed scope mount ("Leupold 1-Piece Standard Scope Base Ruger 10/22") and Leopold 1" rings, which have given me better luck.

The price is right, the optics are bright. This scope matches a Ruger 10/22 perfectly. I also recommend this scope for high powered air rifles, like a Beeman Mach 12.5 or RWS. It includes 1" rings for mounting it to a scope base. Parallax is preset for 50 yards, so it requires minimal tweaking.

Via the web the Prostaff seemed well respected within the shooting community. Was tempted to go with the standard rifle Prostaff rather than the rimfire version. A little more research informed me that the qualities of the two scopes were the same, but the focus point of the rimfire scope was more appropriate for rimfire shooting distances. A ten shot group at 60 yards were all within a Ball jar lid after the initial sighting in. Great sight picture, good light gathering qualities, with rings included. Very pleased with the scope.

I ordered the Nikon ProStaff rimfire 4x32 (black) and a Bushnell Banner 4x32 at the same time. I had purchased Nikons primarily in the past, but have recently added a few Bushnells based on a local gun store's recommendations. Leupolds give me more of a parallax problem than these brands, but that's likely my eyesight. I have a Ruger 9mm carbine that came with a very low-end Tasco scope that I've tolerated too long. I recently bought a Sig 522 and wanted to put a close range .22 scope on it. I bought both to do a comparison, then decide which (if either) would go on each gun. Both scopes are about the same dimensions. Neither poses a mounting problem. The Nikon comes with the rings, the Bushnell doesn't. The Bushnell is every bit as bright and clear as the Nikon--for about $30 less. Both adjust well for focus (mid-age eyes here) but the Nikon has a ring that backs up against the adjusted eyepiece to lock it in place. Eye relief really isn't much of an issue with such low powered firearms. Still, the Nikon gives about three generous inches of relief.

The sighting reticle on the Nikon is not specified in the Amazon ad. This seems to be a problem with most of the lower end scope descriptions on Amazon. Mine came with the multi-X reticle (sideways X that thins near the center). This is a fine reticle for .22 work (or my 9mm carbine). The .22, much more than the 9mm in my comparison of scopes and carbines, wants a precise view to plink or hunt small game. I prefer the multi-X for this.

I like the Bushnell and I'm keeping it (and reviewed it at the same time as this). It's on the 9mm carbine. The Nikon positively locks the eyepiece and the 522 gets handed between eager family members and friends but comes back to me unaltered. The Bushnell gets twisted (adjusted) easily for everyone. (Can you see who would like either and why? One of the two may be an advantage to you.) The Nikon's included scope mounting rings dilute the $30 savings on the Bushnell some. The provided lens covers came with one cap "chipped" so that a piece of it about 1/4 the size of the cap was loose in the bag around the scope. I couldn't see any signs of damage but I wondered if it had been dropped at the factory (as the unit was sealed, yet had this slight damage). If it was dropped, there was no negative result in the scope. But it does make pause a little to think that the quality control is not a better than to include a broken piece--even if it is small. (The box had no damage and the packing was very good so it most likely happened in pre-packaging.) I like the Nikon better, all things considered. But my study of each reminded me to look at other brands of scopes in a similar price range before settling on one. If you're not new to scopes, you may already have a favorite brand and hesitate to stray. But if you're newer--or new to the value segment of the scope market--you won't be embarrassed by these (even if you have a Bender and Schmidt on your custom silhouette tack-driver).

I really didn't expect such a great scope for the price I paid but this scope is awesome!
Very clear and sharp,much heavier than a cheapo scope.
I really love it!
My only complaint is that a hard to find Allen Wrench wasn't included to mount it, A real odd-ball size.

Great scope, very bright with good eye relief.
Note that mounting hardware is not included and must be purchased separately.

I've used Nikon optics for decades so the choice of scope was a no brainer. Besides, the silver color adds to the ghost look of my grey stainless steel 10/22 with light Circassian walnut stock. Yup, I bought this partly out of vanity. But the scope was simple to attach to the gun's weaver mount and on the range it was easily sighted in at 50 yards, where this .22 scope is set to be Parallax Error-Free. Accuracy, as expected, was a bit better on the scope's part than on mine. I could tell at let-off where the bullet would strike the target, always where the crosshairs said it would. Firing a hundred or so rounds didn't cause the scope to shift on its mounts. I have no quibbles with this scope and feel lucky to have found it at a reasonable price.

Awesome scope! I have 2 Bushnell scopes. One on my Browning .22 and on my .243. I just put this Nikon on my other .22. For the longest time I thought Bushnell was a good scope. Ignorance is bliss I guess, after trying a new company Bushnell should be EMBARRASSED. This put's them to shame! They are fuzzy and blurry. This Nikon 4x is the PERFECT scope for a 22. PERIOD. Low light performance with this scope is INCREDIBLE. I can see brown squirrels in tall brown grass on brown rocks from 50 60 yards away. That would never be possible with my other two scopes. NO WAY JOSE! Having the sun in my face doesn't render the Nikon useless and blind me like the Bushnell scopes. The 4x magnification is perfect for plinking around. I will never buy a Bushnell again and neither should you. It outperforms my Bushnell in every way shape and form and is worth the extra money. Everything through this scope looks AMAZINGLY crisp and clear. No need to adjust or focus. It's just a perfect crisp view no matter what you aim at. I have never tried any of the big money scopes, but I honestly don't see how they can possibly be much better than this. If you want to spend 300 on a 22 scope more power to you, but you are wasting your money. My grandma's ground squirrel infestation is about to meet the new sheriff in town. Only problem now is that I need to get another two Nikon's for my other guns!

Excellent scope that matches up nicely with the range of a Ruger 10/22. I mated this with an all-weather stainless Ruger. I'm not saying that shooters care more about fashion than functionality, but you'll get both with this durable Nikon.

First off, I couldn't find this scope in any sporting goods store. No Gander Mountain store in Wisconsin had one. Scheels said it would need to be ordered and would take 2-4 weeks to get it. Cabelas customer service said that NONE of their retail stores had one! So I log onto Amazon and they have like 56 of them! Thank you Amazon.
Anyway, I really like the scope. The glass is much better than my old Simmons scope and far surpasses the Simmons at gathering light at dusk. Possums and coons hate it though.