Nikko 10-50x60 Target Master

[Barry]

A quick 'out of the box and onto the gun review'

I deliberated for some time over this. I was using a 6-24x56 for field target shooting, guessing ranges and..yes, mostly missing! I needed a scope capable of range finding. I also had some budget limits.

The 'Big Nikko' is just too expensive (£700.00) new and like rocking horse sh*t second hand. The Falcon T50 even rarer. I think I read they did a fairly low production run and sold out. Well done Falcon, so that's the T50 and the T35 (I used to own one), both excellent scopes that we [I]can't[I] have!

I jumped in and ordered a Nikko 10-50x60 Target Master and the 150mm side wheel from BAR who delivered it the very next day. The scope comes nicely packaged and includes a very long screw in shade. Push on flip covers are already fitted at both ends but I have to say these aren't really very good ones. They'll do for now though. Both windage and elevation turrets are 1/8 MOA per click and operate very smoothly. There are 48 clicks per turn. Both are resettable for zero via a coin slot screw at the top of the turret. The finish on the whole scope is nothing less than excellent. I fitted the side wheel, which was fiddly, but once on has no real issues. There is NO play in the turret and NO backlash!

So far then we have:-

Excellent finish.
Superb turret action with clicks audible, light to the touch, resettable turret tubes.
Complete absence of lateral movement in the range finding turret.
Complete absence of backlash when turning the side wheel.
A passable set of flip covers for both ends of the scope. Not Butler Creeks, but not bad.

I centralised the reticle by counting the total number of rotations of each one, adding the few clicks over, halving the total and winding in by that much. Nothing more and mounted the scope to the gun on 'high BKL mounts.

My garden is limited to 15 yards. So gun sitting on the 'site n clean rest', I measured 10 yards from the objective to my target. Set the scope to 50 mag and started to focus on the target. Snap! It was in. I marked the wheel and repeated this three times, coming from clockwise and anti clockwise and it snapped in at the same place every time.

I noticed there was still some considerable 'space' left on the wheel below the 10 yard mark so I measured and set a target at 8 yards! I was gobsmacked when it focussed! 8 yards! Yeah baby!

Then I toddled off to my 22 rim fire 25 yard club. All I was planning to do was get a couple more range marks on the wheel, which I did, the 20 and 25 yard ones. While I was there though I couldn't resist a few shots, just to see where the pellet strike was after my centering efforts earlier.

Bear in mind my top of trajectory is something around 27 yards, and in any case, the pellet is within a fraction of that from about 23 yards to 30 yards. I was shooting at 25 yards and windage was only 8 clicks out with elevation 24 clicks out!

So far I'm amazed and very very happy with what I've bought. Now though, we come to the bit I'd read about and it's the bit that had me doubting my decision. For this, you'll have to bear in mind, I've never looked through a Big Nikko. Come to that, I've never looked through a 50 mag scope until today. So I'm not making a comparison, more an observation.

I had read that the glass used in these scopes isn't as good as the others on the market, and that at 50 mag, the image wasn't as sharp as the Big Nikko. Well it's not 'tack' sharp, If I were reviewing a camera lens, I'd use the word 'soft' to define the image quality. Not out of focus, just soft. It really isn't an issue though, although it's a tad 'soft', there is a distinct 'snapping' into focus.

This scope was £310.00 delivered! I'd be hard pushed to decide to spend a hundred quid to get more sharpness, let alone £400.00!!

So far, bearing in mind all of the above, this is an excellent scope. I'll report more as and when.

Barry

[merc350]

be interesting to see what other people views are on this as i am on the hunt for an FT scope

[wayne65]

Hi Barry,

I shoot competative Field Target and I had the same dilemma as you, I was using a MTC Vipet 6x24x56 and struggling at the 45 to 55 yard shots. I too had a budget having forket out for a EV2 MkIV so I took the plunge and got the big targetmaster. I fittted the same wheel as you and my score percentage is now on the up .....45 to 55 yard let me at em!!!!!. I had had bad reviews about this scope from fellow FT'ers so I was worried about spending the money, but came to the conclusion its gota be better than what I have!. I have not regretted a single penny....its a great scope and suits me fine. I have to agree on the flip up covers though, if you find some better ones let me know.

Happy Shooting

Wayne
EV2 MkIV / Nikko Targetmaster 10x50x60.

[Jakes]

Just getting started on FT, had an AGS Swat Elite 8-32X56 on my RN10 and it just couldn't justify a £700+ scope. Went to my local RFD one day and he had a second hand 10-50X60 Targetmaster on the table, complete with sidewheel and mounts. It was well worth the money and I have looked through the Falcons, Sightrons, S&B etc and they are better, but IMHO not worth the excess cash.

My Targetmaster focusses down to 8 yards at full mag and is more than good enough for me.

[Barry]

Hello chaps.

I haven't been on for a while so hadn't seen your various responses. It is indeed a very good scope! I used mine for the first time today for FT and only hit half! Mind, the gun is completely different now so I couldn't expect much. I installed a hamster, so the stock isn't in my shoulder any more but nearly on top of it! That accounts for a fair few misses.

I couldn't fault the scope. It ranged exactly the same ranges as my shooting partner today, at every peg. The next decision......dial or holdover. It might be an expensive mistake dialling! As yet, the scope hasn't been around long enough for any reports on turret reliability?

Then again, there just aren't enough mil dots to holdover at a decent mag. Certainly at 30x it runs out for 8 and 55 yard shots. (I zero at TOT so everything is either holdover or 'up' dialling).

This is going to cost me a set of high mounts

[simon12345]

I've had one for about 18mths and would agree with everything everyone else has said. I put some Butler Creek covers on mine and they're fine. I shoot FT and have been dialing rather than using mildots. So far so good....

[engraver]

I had one and was impressed by the image quality and brightness although the turrets gave me the impression they would become vague over time.

Apart from that I thought it was a good scope for the money.

[pintosal]

the turrets gave me the impression they would become vague over time.

Apart from that I thought it was a good scope for the money.

I had one of these, and the turrets did indeed lose their clicks pretty soon.

Also, the quality of the optics was fine on a bright day with the sun at your back. But looking towards the sun, at high mags, it was useless. Images were milky and really hard to focus. Most of the time I had to wind the mag down to 20.

I gave up on it and went for a Hawke Sidewinder 8-32. The quality is way better than the Nikko.

[springer34]

Very good scope for the money had 1 couldnt fault it for the price good starter ft scope.

[hotversion]

Hi i was in the same boat,i had a nighteater 10 50x60 and slowly fellout with it,anf FT for a while but i wanted somthing to give my rn10 justice so after a lot of messing about i went to BAR fantastic shop by the way,my choice a new falcon t50 a s/h big nikko, so back to back i looked through and also another ft club member,back to back and we came to the same concusion,1st place just the big nikko 40 to 50 mag was just a tiny bit brighter than the falcon,but the clicks were cheap feeling comp to the t50 2nd the T50 seemed better made than the new nikko clicks were solid,optics just and we mean just off the nikko,then the targetmaster,a very poor 3rd not on the same level as the T50,i never tried both the targetmaster and a nighteater back to back so i cant say.so i bought a s/h t50 cos im from yorkshire

[mick400]

Is the target master 1st or 2nd focal plane. I had a go with nighteater and it had different aim points for each mag.

Mick.