Nikon M223 or Leupold Mark AR

[ronnielee54]

Recently traded for a Ruger M77 MKII VT in 223 caliber. This rifles primary use will be target shooting at 300 yards max. Right now I have a Nikon Prostaff 3X9 on it that I had been using on a 10/22 that I am fixing to do a build on. With Fiocchi 223 55gr FMJ I can get 3 shot groups about the size of a dime at 100 yards using a Bulls bag front rest. I am trying to decide between a Nikon M223 4X16 or a Leupold Mark AR 6X18 to put on this rifle. I currently have a Nikon M223 2X8 on My Loki AR and like it quite a bit but it just doesn't give my 58 year old eyes enough magnification at 300 yards. The Nikon has side focus as opposed to objective focus on the Leupold but that is not a big deal to me. I am more concerned with which scope has the clearer glass. I have zero experience with Leupolds and have no access to the Mark AR to check it out. All I have ever owned is Nikons. Any opinions would be appreciated.

 

[NateHaler]

IMO, clarity of glass, image quality, etc. is very subjective. I've not looked through either of the scopes you're contemplating. However, I own half a dozen Nikons and 4 or 5 Leupolds. I'm convinced that for the same price point, the Nikon glass is better.

OTOH, I wouldn't restrict my search to a scope supposedly designed for the .223. A good scope is a good scope, regardless of the round being fired, right? So, based on your budget, I recommend you pick the best scope bang for your buck. As to magnification, I think 18x would be plenty at 300y. Have you considered the Nikon Buckmaster 6-18?

Cabela's has them $50 reduced at the moment: http://www.cabelas.com/product/Nikon-Buckmasters-Series-Riflescopes/729050.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dnikon%2Bbuckmaster%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=nikon+buckmaster&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products