Byron South
New member
Many of you guys were interested in the new Nikon scope and wanted to know more about it. A few days ago I mentioned I had received one and would write a review and give my opinion. Well I finally got it finished so here it is.
Review of Nikon's 3-9X 40mm "Coyote Special" scope.
In years gone by predator hunters used equipment designed for the pursuit of other game. As predator hunting grows so does the attention it gains from manufactures that supply the tools and toys that we use.
During the last few years predators hunters have seen even the major gun companies introduce new firearm designs that cater to the specific needs of predator hunters. So what about optics?
Nikon is one optics company that has taken a hard look at the growing predator hunting community and stepped up to the plate offering us a new, innovative product designed expressly for the lowly predator hunters. Nikon appropriately calls their new scope the “Coyote Special”. Nikon has earned a great reputation by building quality optics for many years. To their credit they went one step further with the design of this new scope by enlisting the help and experience of long time predator hunter Gary Roberson. Together they have obviously put lots of thought into this new venture.
I first saw this scope during the 2009 SHOT show held in Orlando Florida. I know all to well that judging a scope by looking through its glass inside a store or any building is no fair way to make any judgment. With that said I will admit that when I first looked through the new “Coyote Special” scope I was a little concerned at what I first saw. Let me explain. In the center of the scope where the crosshairs typically intersect there is nothing more than an open circle. My first impression was that this would make it difficult to accurately place shots. I voiced this concern with the gentlemen from Nikon but also told them I would hold my final judgment until I could evaluate the scope in a real world hunting situation as well as on the range. Well a couple of weeks ago I finally received the “Coyote Special” scope and promptly mounted it on my favorite rifle. Feel free to guess which rifle that would be.
My initial impression after mounting the scope was WOW! What a match! The combo looks as though they were made for each other. I know aesthetics doesn’t kill coyotes but this rig sure looked good. By the way this scope comes covered in two different camouflage patterns that are very popular among predator hunters. I immediately went outside for a look around through the new scope and I quickly realized that the open-circle reticle didn’t cover as much ground as originally thought. In fact it seemed to direct and focus my eye to the center of any object I trained it on. This concept is not a new one nor is it one I’m unfamiliar with. The military has been using this concept for decades. Ever used a peep sight? There are no center crosshairs in a peep sight. This concept relies on you looking through a peep hole then placing front blade on the target while keeping everything centered inside the peep hole to accurately place your shot. Many of these rifle sights have either adjustable holes or flip to move from a bigger hole (faster target acquisition) to a smaller hole (more precise aiming). Now, the difference with a scope however is there is no need to line up any rear sight, front sight and then line them up with your target. Everything is done internally by the scope itself. All the shooter is required to do is place the circle on the target allowing your eye and brain to quickly discern whether your target is centered. This, by the way, happens very quickly, especially with the middle step of lining up the front sight of the traditional peep sight out of the equation. This may seem foreign at first as you want to look for the intersecting crosshairs that you have trained yourself to expect. The transition from traditional crosshairs to this sighting system doesn’t take long. Trust me; I killed a triple on coyotes the very first day I used this set up, in some very thick stuff. These coyotes were all shot at a distance of 100 -130 yards within a narrow shooting lane. I didn’t have the luxury of time and this sighting system worked just as it was designed by getting me on target fast. I was able to put all three coyotes down fast with three precisely placed shots. I’ve heard the concerns of some that you wouldn’t be able to place your shots with precision and admit that I had the same concerns. I will also say that if I was shooting a bench rest match that the circle system wouldn’t be my first choice. However for shooting predators in calling situations that often demand fast target acquisition this system certainly has merit.
Target is at 50 yards and the scope is set on 3X
Target at 100 yards scope set at 3X.
Target at 50 yards, scope set at 9X.
100 yards target scope set at 9X. For a reference the target is a ram printed on a sheet of typing paper. The ram is about the size of a half grown cottontail rabbit.
Another neat feature with the reticle in this scope is the range finding aspects. There are three circles in decreasing sizes. For me this will have limited use as I like to call predators in close. It is a rare occasion that I shoot a coyote at over 200 yards. However it is nice to have this feature available in the case the need arises. When I first zeroed this scope I did so by adjusting it to hit dead center of the top circle at 100 yards. I then went back to 200 to test out the system. I placed the 200 yard target at the intersection between the top two circles and fired 5 shots. All five were right where they should be. The Nikon website says this should be the case with the 223 and they were spot on. The website also says the middle circle should be on at 300 and the bottom at 400. I didn’t test these distances but would assume this to be the case as well. Of course if you plan on taking such shots I would strongly urge you to test it out on the range first as rifles and loads can vary.
One other neat thing about this scope that was new to me was the addition of what Nikon calls the ARD (Anti Reflective Devise) technology.
This is a nice feature that effectively eliminates any reflective glare. In other words you won’t spook incoming predators by reflecting glare back towards him with this devise. The ARD devise screws onto the end of the scope and is removable. My concern was that it might cut down on light transmission. At dusk I decided to get out and see if I could tell a difference with and without the devise. While my testing was limited I could not really tell much difference if at all. In fact the scope did quite well in low light with and without the ARD. I believe I will gladly leave it on. My thoughts are that it will not only eliminate the possibility of spooking a coyote with reflective glint but it will do a great job of protecting the objective lens. As I see it the ARD devise is a “win win” deal all the way.
Stand by......More to come...........
Review of Nikon's 3-9X 40mm "Coyote Special" scope.
In years gone by predator hunters used equipment designed for the pursuit of other game. As predator hunting grows so does the attention it gains from manufactures that supply the tools and toys that we use.
During the last few years predators hunters have seen even the major gun companies introduce new firearm designs that cater to the specific needs of predator hunters. So what about optics?
Nikon is one optics company that has taken a hard look at the growing predator hunting community and stepped up to the plate offering us a new, innovative product designed expressly for the lowly predator hunters. Nikon appropriately calls their new scope the “Coyote Special”. Nikon has earned a great reputation by building quality optics for many years. To their credit they went one step further with the design of this new scope by enlisting the help and experience of long time predator hunter Gary Roberson. Together they have obviously put lots of thought into this new venture.
I first saw this scope during the 2009 SHOT show held in Orlando Florida. I know all to well that judging a scope by looking through its glass inside a store or any building is no fair way to make any judgment. With that said I will admit that when I first looked through the new “Coyote Special” scope I was a little concerned at what I first saw. Let me explain. In the center of the scope where the crosshairs typically intersect there is nothing more than an open circle. My first impression was that this would make it difficult to accurately place shots. I voiced this concern with the gentlemen from Nikon but also told them I would hold my final judgment until I could evaluate the scope in a real world hunting situation as well as on the range. Well a couple of weeks ago I finally received the “Coyote Special” scope and promptly mounted it on my favorite rifle. Feel free to guess which rifle that would be.
My initial impression after mounting the scope was WOW! What a match! The combo looks as though they were made for each other. I know aesthetics doesn’t kill coyotes but this rig sure looked good. By the way this scope comes covered in two different camouflage patterns that are very popular among predator hunters. I immediately went outside for a look around through the new scope and I quickly realized that the open-circle reticle didn’t cover as much ground as originally thought. In fact it seemed to direct and focus my eye to the center of any object I trained it on. This concept is not a new one nor is it one I’m unfamiliar with. The military has been using this concept for decades. Ever used a peep sight? There are no center crosshairs in a peep sight. This concept relies on you looking through a peep hole then placing front blade on the target while keeping everything centered inside the peep hole to accurately place your shot. Many of these rifle sights have either adjustable holes or flip to move from a bigger hole (faster target acquisition) to a smaller hole (more precise aiming). Now, the difference with a scope however is there is no need to line up any rear sight, front sight and then line them up with your target. Everything is done internally by the scope itself. All the shooter is required to do is place the circle on the target allowing your eye and brain to quickly discern whether your target is centered. This, by the way, happens very quickly, especially with the middle step of lining up the front sight of the traditional peep sight out of the equation. This may seem foreign at first as you want to look for the intersecting crosshairs that you have trained yourself to expect. The transition from traditional crosshairs to this sighting system doesn’t take long. Trust me; I killed a triple on coyotes the very first day I used this set up, in some very thick stuff. These coyotes were all shot at a distance of 100 -130 yards within a narrow shooting lane. I didn’t have the luxury of time and this sighting system worked just as it was designed by getting me on target fast. I was able to put all three coyotes down fast with three precisely placed shots. I’ve heard the concerns of some that you wouldn’t be able to place your shots with precision and admit that I had the same concerns. I will also say that if I was shooting a bench rest match that the circle system wouldn’t be my first choice. However for shooting predators in calling situations that often demand fast target acquisition this system certainly has merit.
Target is at 50 yards and the scope is set on 3X
Target at 100 yards scope set at 3X.
Target at 50 yards, scope set at 9X.
100 yards target scope set at 9X. For a reference the target is a ram printed on a sheet of typing paper. The ram is about the size of a half grown cottontail rabbit.
Another neat feature with the reticle in this scope is the range finding aspects. There are three circles in decreasing sizes. For me this will have limited use as I like to call predators in close. It is a rare occasion that I shoot a coyote at over 200 yards. However it is nice to have this feature available in the case the need arises. When I first zeroed this scope I did so by adjusting it to hit dead center of the top circle at 100 yards. I then went back to 200 to test out the system. I placed the 200 yard target at the intersection between the top two circles and fired 5 shots. All five were right where they should be. The Nikon website says this should be the case with the 223 and they were spot on. The website also says the middle circle should be on at 300 and the bottom at 400. I didn’t test these distances but would assume this to be the case as well. Of course if you plan on taking such shots I would strongly urge you to test it out on the range first as rifles and loads can vary.
One other neat thing about this scope that was new to me was the addition of what Nikon calls the ARD (Anti Reflective Devise) technology.
This is a nice feature that effectively eliminates any reflective glare. In other words you won’t spook incoming predators by reflecting glare back towards him with this devise. The ARD devise screws onto the end of the scope and is removable. My concern was that it might cut down on light transmission. At dusk I decided to get out and see if I could tell a difference with and without the devise. While my testing was limited I could not really tell much difference if at all. In fact the scope did quite well in low light with and without the ARD. I believe I will gladly leave it on. My thoughts are that it will not only eliminate the possibility of spooking a coyote with reflective glint but it will do a great job of protecting the objective lens. As I see it the ARD devise is a “win win” deal all the way.
Stand by......More to come...........
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