Nikon P 223 Review: What It Brings to the Table

Click here to save up to 10% on the Nikon P 223 in 2017!

Nikon P-223 3x32 Matte BDC Carbine

Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars from over 220 reviews! Click the image for prices and reviews!

Nowadays, shooting, and hunting has grown in popularity in the USA, such that gun culture is almost synonymous to being American. If you want to try your hand at hunting or if you’re a hunter who wants to get an edge on your hobby, you must choose only a great rifle suited for your needs, but also a great scope.

When it comes to target practice, shooting, or the logistically complex act of hunting wherein you have to hide yourself from your prey while at the same time maintaining your shooting accuracy during low-light conditions, you want a riflescope that can keep up and adjust during any circumstances. That’s exactly what Nikon P-223 3×32 Matte BDC Carbine brings to the table and then some.

The new Matte BDC Carbine riflescope is specifically developed for the .223 Rem /5.56 NATO round 55-grain polymer tip bullet, which means it offers pinpoint accuracy with this particular bullet type’s trajectory. It also provides a 200-yard crosshair with “hash marks” at around 400 to 600 yards. In other words, when it comes to hunting and sportsmanship, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more reliable riflescope. Scopes assist you when it comes to doing a long shot or getting a longer and more accurate shooting range. Open-sight shooting, after all, is a nightmare without a scope. The Nikon P-223 3×32 Matte BDC Carbine takes away the difficulty of long-range shooting using only your eyes in a way that’s superior to other scope types of its class.

It’s an easy-to-use, fully functional riflescope that is highly recommended for beginners. Nikon has always been dependable not only in the camera lens and shooting field, but also in the riflescope field because they’re masters of imaging and optics. The Nikon P-223 has been developed to withstand the roughest of environments while still maintaining superior accuracy throughout, even at the longest ranges. You can act like a sniper during covert missions or a soldier in the middle of a guerilla camouflage operation with this “all-terrain”, highly accurate type of scope that can handle moisture, pressure, and low-lighting conditions at the same time. Its sighting speed is also quite impressive, which is why hunters are going in droves to buy this piece of high-quality riflescope equipment.

However, the main claim to fame that the NikonP-223 3×32 Matte BDC Carbine has isn’t its quality, even though it’s a topnotch rifle accessory through and through; it’s actually the fact that it’s priced so affordably (at $145.07 at the time of this writing on Amazon.com, with a List Price of $149.95) that makes many a gun owner do a double-take on this Nikon beaut. Coupled with the fact that most gun enthusiasts favor the Nikon brand on all things riflescope-related, and one can easily see what a great deal and offer it is. Simply put, it’s reasonably priced and it has tons of features that make it a great riflescope primer for beginners and advanced gun users alike. You’ll be hard-pressed to find another $150 riflescope with the same high quality and value as the Matte BDC Carbine.

Features and Benefits of Nikon P-223 3×32 Matte BDC Carbine

Here are the benefits you can get out of the Nikon P-223 3×32 Matte BDC Carbine.

  • Magnification: You’re given 3x or 200-600 yards of magnification for the Nikon P-223 3×32 Matte BDC Carbine. This is the main feature of a riflescope that makes it easier for people to see targets and make the most precise shots possible since you have an optically bigger target in front of you. If your gun has a laser point targeting system, this further enhances your chances of shooting a bull’s eye.
  • Reticle: The crosshairs or reticle of the Nikon P-223 3×32 Matte BDC Carbine was built for the trajectory of the .223 Rem/5.56 NATO round with 55-grain polymer tip bullet. It has hash marks at 400 to 600 yards and offers a 200 yard range as well. Incidentally, the reticle is what enables you to hit targets as accurately as possible by scope magnification, and certain rounds work better with certain riflescopes.
  • Parallax: The Nikon P-223 offers 100 yards of parallax-free shooting, thus further ensuring your accuracy and preciseness. The parallax (or rather, anti-parallax) factor, for all the beginner gun owners out there, is a technical feature wherein there’s reduction of parallax on the lens in a given range of distance. Parallax happens whenever the reticle becomes off-center after more than 10x magnification without you moving your scope. The more parallax reduction per yard, the better.
  • MOA or Minute of Angle: The Nikon Matte BDC Carbine has a one-fourth MOA, which means the bullet tends to land only one-fourth inches from the specified target’s bull’s eye on your scope’s reticle or crosshair. This is quite impressive because the MOA of some riflescopes can go all the way up to three inches off, if not more. It also has hand-turn tactical-style turrets that allow you to zero-in on your target with automatic, positive-click adjustments.
  • Eye Relief: In terms of eye relief, this Nikon riflescope offers consistent protection of your brow against even the heaviest rifle recoils. It can also deal with sever shooting angles and lightweight rifles. Like how ergonomic design allows you to grip things better, eye relief enables you to see the target clearly without getting your eye too close to the scope’s lens, resulting in a black eye or worse once the recoil happens.
  • Light transmission: Like the Nikon Prostaff 3-9×40, the Nikon P-223 3×32 also has a fully multicoated optical system that provides you, the gun owner, a 98% light transmission on your lens for maximum brightness even during low-light instances. Your sight and gun sights are improved for any time of day or night as well as inside darkened or shady areas. It’s important to note that unlike the other features, this is a Nikon exclusive.
  • Zero-Reset Turret and Waterproofing: The zero-reset turret ensures that your field adjustments are simple to do every time. All Nikon riflescopes have this innovative feature that simplifies field adjustments to dialing-in your desired range. As for the fact that it’s O-ring sealed and nitrogen-filled, this ensures that the scope is capable of fog and water resistance, thus even if you end up in the middle of a drizzle or a swamp, you can still continue the hunt.

    Click here to save up to 10% on the Nikon P 223 in 2017!

Pros 

  • If you’re a gun owner with a tight budget, then there’s no need to worry anymore. The amazing NikonP-223 3×32 Matte BDC Carbine riflescope is here to save the day with its affordability that never borders onto cheapness (that is, it’s not cheap because it’s low-grade; it’s cheap because Nikon knows how to maximize the value of your investment). It’s purchasable through the Amazon shopping and ecommerce website and other sports-and-outdoor shops on the Internet as well as in real-life, near your location. It’s a lightweight scope that weighs only about 12.2 ounces and has dimensions of 14.2 inches by 32 inches by 3.2 inches, so it’s as compact a riflescope as you can get. It’s not like you’re strapping a brick to your gun or anything.
  • In short, as far as making your gun or rifle become heavier, the Matte BDC Carbine would do no such thing. What’s more, as you can plainly see from the features and benefits section, it has premium-grade specs all throughout. It even has a matte finish that suits it well with, say, an AR 15. It even has the same anodizing you’d see on all AR guns, thus it’s a perfect fit aesthetically and functionally on such rifles. The riflescope’s inner workings and mechanisms are user-friendly and worry-free for even the greenest of greenhorns. For example, the zero-reset turret is quite easy and convenient to use. Most any gun owner worth his salt should take to using the NikonP-223 3×32 like a fish would to water.
  • Imported from the Philippines, this 4.7+ star out of 5 stars riflescope is made with the finest materials and can be used during any time of day. Even when the sun isn’t out and your only source of light is from the moon, you can still hunt in practical darkness just short of putting on night vision goggles. Even the roughest environments can be conquered by this scope because of its Nikon-unique multicoated optical system and 98% assured light transmission that maximizes even the dimmest of light to your scope’s advantage. No game is safe, even in the cover of darkness, as long as you have the NikonP-223 3×32 Matte BDC Carbine around. It’s also one of the most durable scopes you’ll ever get.
  • It’s shock-absorbent, fog-proof, and waterproof. The last two features are all thanks to its O-ring sealed and nitrogen-filled case, thus ensuring that moisture won’t serve as a factor to the malfunctioning of your NikonP-223 3×32. You will get your money’s worth (and a couple of hundred dollars’ extra worth to boot) with this $145.07 deal. Like the United States Postal Service credo says, rain or shine, snow or sleet, your riflescope will always deliver the goods. It has superior accuracy at 1/4 MOA and 100 yards of parallax-free shooting even in the face of the roughest of environments as well as the most elusive of targets. You’ll get to enjoy great sighting speed and long-range shooting every time.

Cons 

  • No riflescope is completely perfect. Even though the NikonP-223 3×32 Matte BDC Carbine has value to spare, it does come with its share of hiccups. For example, it’s slightly on the large side. Sure, it’s not heavy (it’s quite lightweight, after all), but its largeness can shock people who are used to smaller riflescopes on their guns. It’s about two-thirds the size of a hunting scope, in fact. It also lacks a quick-release mounting system or any mounting system to speak of. Other downsides of the Matte BDC Carbine include the fact that it’s mostly designed for AR products and might not work as well for other rifle types. If you have an AR 15, then it’s a swell lens you can depend on constantly.
  • However, it’s not as versatile and adjustable a lens as others, so non-AR guns might require an adjustment on your part as a gun owner. Aside from its incompatibility with other rifle types, you should know the range of the gun you’re going to mount the NikonP-223 3×32 on because there’s a bit of a disconnect or discrepancy between the optical range of the scope and the bullet range of the non-AR gun. As for the magnification, the Nikon P-223 3×32 Matte BDC is also kind of lacking. Other scopes are capable of 4x to 12x magnification, so you can’t exactly play long-range sniper with this beyond its magnification limits. You’re limited to 200-600 yards of magnification, which means that you can’t shoot at targets beyond 600 yards accurately (nor can you see them with the NikonP-223 3×32).
  • Speaking of which, the anti-parallax capabilities of the Nikon P-223 is limited to 100 yards of parallax-free shooting. What that means is that as soon as you magnify the target at 3x, you’re going to get off-center crosshairs and less accurate shooting. There are also users who might not be able to use the back-up iron sights. However, in fairness, you can mount a red dot sight or back-up reflex-type on the rail of the rifle, if you wish. Then again, it’s still a con that there’s no remedy included in the NikonP-223 3×32 itself; you have to buy separate accessories to get that benefit that the device obviously lacks. This is to be expected from a $150 scope; there’s the “catch” that you were afraid of.
  • Many of its specs are also quite mediocre compared to more expensive counterparts. Aside from magnification, most other scopes also have the nitrogen-filled and O-ring sealed feature that ensures fog-proof and waterproof lenses. They also have precise 1/4 MOA without ending up with the parallax effect at 3x magnification and above (from 200 yards onwards). You can zero-in quicker and maintain your setting with the zero-reset turrets even with repeated recoil, sure, but other scopes have that and added magnification plus compactness. With that said, even though the NikonP-223 3×32 Matte BDC Carbine isn’t perfect and there are even better Nikon scopes out there, it presents good value for your money all things considered.

What Are Customers Saying?

“The Most Value I’ve Gotten for My Money in a Scope!” – By Miles Mochrie

This review is for the Nikon P-223 3×32 Matte BDC Carbine (Sports):

I bought this scope for a month’s time, and so far I believe it’s one of the best deals I’ve ever come across. Sure, I’ve seen and used

Nikon P-223 3x32 Matte BDC Carbine

Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars from over 220 reviews. Click the image for discounts and reviews!

better. The lack of magnification might even be a turn-off for most people. However, my son has gotten into guns and has enjoyed using this lens with his AR 15 at the firing range for weeks’-on-end, which tells me that this 3x magnification beaut is the perfect riflescope for the amateur gun owner. It has all the specs needed to assist someone towards gun usage competency, from its zero-reset turrets to its 98% light transmission that makes the dimmest of afternoons seem like as bright as high noon. Even advanced users like me love this wonderful scope.

After I’ve cycled through 400 to 500 rounds on my Bushmaster AR 15, I have to say that it’s “smarter” than the average lens and pound-for-pound the most cost-effective riflescope I’ve ever owned (and I’ve owned a lot). I have absolutely no issues with it sans the lack of magnification (which you won’t need unless you’re some sort of marine training to be a sniper anyway). The BDC feature of the scope is amazing… especially when it’s coupled with the iPhone’s Nikon Spot-On (is worth around $5.99 when I bought it). Isn’t technology great? Anyway, my son has noticed that his accuracy and understanding of ballistics has improved significantly ever since he started using this brand of scope with the app. They work in tandem in improving your accuracy.

To be more specific, they take weather conditions, range, lighting, ammo type (hand load or MFG), and caliber into consideration before you can take a single shot. That’s because not all gunmen are like John Wick, Hitman for Hire, who could automatically target and destroy things by reflex and instincts. However, you yourself can train and hone your sharpshooting skills from a distance and at 1/4 MOA or more (as much as 3 MOA, even) with the help of this scope. Invaluable info will be fed to you through the app, particularly precise data on a range with a 75 yard maximum length but you want to zero-in on a 100 to 200 yard range.

As any good hunter knows, as soon as you change your ammo, you need to adjust trajectories and estimates. Thankfully, the app also comes complete with a ballistics table that modifies your BDC marking range with up-to-date info, particularly in terms of new yardage. For beginners, it should sound complicated, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be so scarily efficient with your gun that you’ll automatically become the apex predator of your area. The app lets you play around ammo types without wasting ammunition. You’ll always get the best yardage, estimates, and ballistic match for your targeting application. Couple that with solidly built turrets that come with solid clicks every time adjustments are made, and you’re practically golden.

Conclusion

Simply put, this is an awe-inspiring scope that allows for high-level performance with the Nikon Spot-On iPhone app. However, even if you’re not too savvy with cellphones but would rather know the raw benefits of the scope alone, you won’t be disappointed. In fact, you might even be scratching your head in disbelief that this $150 riflescope is priced the way it’s priced. It’s unbelievable, in a sense. The Nikon P-223 3×32 Matte BDC Carbine is for you if you’re looking for a cost-effective, high quality, and fully functioning riflescope that’s a perfect fit on any quality AR gun (like the AR 15 and the like).

Getting a scope of this caliber at this price is almost unheard of. It’s not an overstatement to say that this scope is at least worth double its price in terms of what it brings to the table, plus some comparable scopes can reach from $200-$400 in overall cost. Regardless, it’s highly recommended because it’s designed to meet any AR gun owner’s needs while still fitting a tight budget. It has amazing features such as good MOA, durability, excellent light transmission that’s found in all Nikon lenses, and so forth. This is a guaranteed best seller at that. It is ranked 15th in the Sports and Outdoors Best Sellers list, to be more specific.

You won’t regret buying this rifle because you’ll get to maximize your investment with it. The viewfinder is generous while offering plenty of eye relief, for one thing. It also gives you loads of ways to improve on your hunting and targeting accuracy, from anti-parallax features to 98% lucidity in even the lowest of lighting conditions. You will not feel gypped by this scope at all, and it doesn’t feel “cheap” in the “low-grade” sort of way. It has excellent quality for its price, it’s made by a trusted brand, it has immense clarity and light transmission, the edges never distort, and its field of view is nice and wide. It’s not perfect though; it has no quick-release mounting system and it’s slightly on the large side for a scope of its kind.

It’s the most convenient, durable, and “cheapest” (or rather, “cost-effective”) of all riflescopes of its grade and magnification. Sure, you can get higher magnification scopes around, but if you don’t need that 4x, this is well-worth the less than $150 you’ll spend on it. Hunters particularly love this scope for its all-weather, all-terrain capabilities. It can be used at any time and through any weather conditions while still maintaining a fog-free, waterproof interior thanks to the sealed-in nitrogen inside it. To sum it all up, this riflescope is a must buy that consumers in the guns and armaments field should take a second look at. It’s ensured to deliver the goods. Overall our Nikon P 223 Review is rated 4.7 out of 5 stars.

Click here to save up to 10% on the Nikon P 223 in 2017!