Nikon abruptly exits the riflescope market.

[ProfessorWes]

"Internal politics."

https://www.outdoorlife.com/story/gear/nikon-will-no-longer-make-riflescopes/

According to this claim, the company isn't even honoring its "lifetime" warranty anymore:

https://oldnfo.org/2021/02/17/interesting-25/

Well then, no reason to consider Nikon for binoculars, spotting scopes or camera gear, either.

 

[Busterswoodshop]

They did make a couple nice scopes and had a good warranty.

Now when you send them a scope for warranty , they will give you a gift certificate to use on another Nikon product.

 

[57springer]

Looks like they got "woke " total insanity ........................

 

[Ale-8(1)]

News is a year old.

 

[gramps]

Well that isn’t good! I was going to buy another Nikon scope for my 77/44.
gramps

 

[jimd441]

Bad news to me, I have been a huge fan of Nikon products going back to my 1975 Nikkormat, which I still have. I have a Nikon scope on my 1022 DSP which has been great.

Jim

 

[Don Lovel]

I have a Nikon 3-9x40 with adjustable objective that has been a really good scope on an AR for prairie dog hunting. Maybe there will be some good cheap deals on Nikon scopes soon

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Just today I received a sales brochure from NATCHEZ Shooters Supplies featuring a full-page ad of seven of Nikon’s higher-end scopes, half of which are “refurbished”. None of these appear on their web page for sale.

 

[powder smoke]

Got a couple Nikons of some rifles Dang Guess my warantees are in the toilet!
That just my kinda luck! Lifetime Warantee! Got a pair of Binoculars to boot. ps

 

[john guedry]

I really like the one I have. If it breaks it will become an expensive paper weight.

 

[wolfsong]

I have some Nikon scopes. Good stuff. I switched to Vortex a couple of years ago. Better stuff.

 

[don44]

I have some Nikon scopes. Good stuff. I switched to Vortex a couple of years ago. Better stuff.

+1

 

[caryc]

It seems to me that if a lifetime warranty was issued or insinuated when you bought the scope, that warranty is still valid. Why would it be void if the company is still in business but no longer making rifle scopes?

If I had a Nikon scope that went bad and they would not replace or fix it, I would immediately file a small claims suit against them.

 

[Mobuck]

Someone may have had prior knowledge of this bailout. Beginning in late 2019, I was seeing lots of great condition NIKON riflescopes being sold relatively cheap on ebay. Expecting that they were good quality and seeing their warranty, I bought several to stick on 'flat top' AR's I was assembling. Warranty was good on any that didn't function properly right up to this happening. Getting a coupon for some other NIKON product isn't gong to help me since I'm NOT going to add any other NIKON stuff--EVER.

 

[trebor44]

Anyone want to buy a Realist scope with a lifetime warranty? Oh wait, that company was bought out by Leatherwood who was bought out by ...... Chaos theory, its everywhere! Buy it, use it! The bottom line is important, not the consumer!

 

[caryc]

Someone may have had prior knowledge of this bailout. Beginning in late 2019, I was seeing lots of great condition NIKON riflescopes being sold relatively cheap on ebay. Expecting that they were good quality and seeing their warranty, I bought several to stick on 'flat top' AR's I was assembling. Warranty was good on any that didn't function properly right up to this happening. Getting a coupon for some other NIKON product isn't gong to help me since I'm NOT going to add any other NIKON stuff--EVER.

To me, a warranty on a product means they will repair it or replace it or give you your money back. If a rifle scope goes bad are you supposed to settle for them giving you a pair of binoculars? You can't mount binoculars on a rifle. The company is still in business. They should either repair it or replace it or give one their money back.

 

[WAYNO]

Many years ago, my Father in Law bought a Weatherby rifle package, including a Weatherby-branded scope, advertised as guaranteed for life.

Years later, the scope failed, and Weatherby refused to honor the warranty. Period.

Whatcha goin to do?

 

[caryc]

Do you have anything in print about their lifetime guarantee? Do you have a way to prove that it was guaranteed for life? If so, file a small claims suit against them.

 

[GRAMPS 51]

Hi I went thru this with Redfield twice with a lifetime warranty scopes first time they offered me a list of refurbished scopes at a big discounted price that i took advantage of and just a few weeks ago and now they will not honor any warranty unless it was sold by Leupold i know that a long time ago there were laws in place that they had to honor lifetime warranties for 5 years after a company was bought out or went under but then that is when men were Honorable

Gramps

 

[gunzo]

Yeah, Nikon announced their exit in Sept. 2019.

The Redfield name? The original company for scopes was gone for years, maybe a decade or 2 at least before Leupold started the new line.
I could understand the confusion between the 2.

Same with Kimber, or so many others. A bud of mine had a Kimber of Oregon rifle & had a problem. He called Kimber, which was the new Kimber of NY, long removed from the Oregon company & they couldn't/wouldn't help. He wasn't happy. An explanation of the situation helped, but he still remembers that.

Tough to sort out.. A new company plays off an old name, but suddenly responsible, or not from the old products??

 

[wolfsong]

All things must pass. Nuthin lasts furever. Whatcha gonna do? Buy a new scope and move on. Life is short, my friends. Choose your battles wisely...

 

[caryc]

All things must pass. Nuthin lasts furever. Whatcha gonna do? Buy a new scope and move on. Life is short, my friends. Choose your battles wisely...

Wise words.

 

[blume357]

Probably the decision has nothing to do with firearms but with good old corporate bean counting..... as for warranties... I have never purchased an item because of the warranty given.... warranties are basically written to protect the manufacturer..... I install stainless steel rain/animal guards that come with a 'lifetime' warranty. I usually don't give the customer the warranty card.... it has just under 50 words explaining the 'lifetime' warranty... then it has over 120 explaining the exclusions to that 'lifetime' warranty. Since I've replaced one in 38 years....

 

[Kevin]

Not sure why this topic is being discussed now, as they have been out of the rifle scope business for a while, as other people have pointed out. It just means any new Nikon scope is probably new old stock.

Well then, no reason to consider Nikon for binoculars, spotting scopes or camera gear, either.

And, I have to disagree with this as well. Their camera’s are some of the absolute best available. So, if they quit making rifle scopes to focus on making their cameras even better, then I say, Great!

 

[john guedry]

Their reputation as a camera maker prompted my decision to buy a scope from them. So far the scope works great. course its about 25 years old.