Nikon P-223 3-9×40 Matte BDC 600 Riflescope Review

When it comes to most AR15 rifles, it seems as if every shooter is going to optics instead of iron sights and that most of the time it is some sort of red dot or reflex type sight. Those scopes are fine for close-range shooting or Close Quarter Combat as it is known in police and military circles, but it leaves something to be desired for the long range varmint hunter who needs to reach out beyond 300 yards. Prairie dogs and coyotes do not normally show themselves at those ranges when they sense that hunters are about. Thank heaven for the Nikon P 223 3-9×40 Matte BDC 600 Rifle Scope.

P-223 3-9×40 BDC 600

The scope is boxed in a standard Styrofoam lined two-piece cardboard box with lens caps on a string and lens cloth to keep the lenses clean. I ditched the included caps for a set of Butler Creek Flip Up scope covers. The scope takes a size 19 for the eyepiece and a size 31 for the 40mm objective.

The matte finish goes well with the same black anodizing found on the typical AR-15 these days and will allow any AR-15 dedicated for hunting purposes to keep its “warrior look”. It appears that its surface will act as a primer for any Duracoat or Krylon camouflage finish, as well.

The Nikon P 223 seems to be made for long range varmint hunting with its Bullet Drop Compensator (BDC) calibrated for the 223 Remington round. A BDC allows the shooter to manually adjust his scope to hit targets at different ranges as a 223 Remington round will not have the same point of impact at 200 yards as it might at 500 or even 600 yards. High velocity rounds such as the 223 Remington does not travel in a straight or flat line, but in an arc. The BDC allows the shooter to easily determine where the bullet will impact the target at a given range.

There is a download available on the Nikon website called Spot On, so a shooter can research and calibrate the BDC for their pet loads. This is perfect for the long range varmint hunter who may want to use a heavier bullet than the standard 55 and 62 grain loads as the heavier bullet will retain more energy at extreme distances.

For a scope with a 1” tube, the Nikon P 223 is built like a tank, if a bit overbuilt for use on a 223 caliber rifle. In the past 1” scopes were superseded by long range shooters for tubes of a larger diameter that gathered more light for a clearer sight picture, but Nikon’s high quality lenses allow for a transmission of 98% of the available sunlight.

The reticle is marked with hash tags for the different ranges and once you know what you are doing, you can easily transition to these known distances without referring to the software. This may not apply to most long range varmint hunters who tend to shoot at a set range with the highest magnification setting, but for a hunter using this rifle on other game (where legal) at closer distances or for certain types of target shooting it will be a godsend.

Another great feature on a scope at this price point is the tactical target style knobs for windage and elevation. There is no fussing with turret caps and using a dime to move the crosshairs. They simply twist and click. An added bonus is the “return to zero” capability. After you dial in your windage and elevation, you simply pull up on the caps and return them to the zero position, allowing for minute adjustments once you have your rifle doped.

Nikon makes a mount for this scope to directly interface with a flat top Picatinny rail found on the upper receiver of most AR-15 rifles. The beauty of this is that it gives plenty of clearance for the large diameter objective without having to guess at a mount height. Additionally it means that mounting the scope does not require lapping of the rings or any extra fitting. The mount is precisely machined with this scope in mind. It may lack the mounting versatility of two independent rings, but with the amount of rail space available on modern flat top AR-15s, how much versatility do you really need? If mounting on a Ruger Mini-14 or other rifle with very limited rail space, the two-piece mount set-up might work a little better, but the one piece should be fine on these rifles too, with proper scope placement.

The only downside to a scope such as this for some shooters may be the inability to use “back up iron sights”, but this is not meant for use on a tactical or sniper rifle. This scope is meant for hunting.

Removing the one piece mount to go to another sighting platform such as irons or a red dot, will allow the scope to retain the zero if the shooter marks the T slots on the top rail where the mount was placed. Some slight adjustment may be necessary, but it will be minimal if at all.

My only real complaint is that it is not available in a 4X12 or dedicated 10X system. My personal favorite is the 10X setting as it is easier for me to perform mental calculations, but the 9X setup is close enough with the limitations of the effective range of the 223 round. Sometimes you just have to stop thinking so hard and let the available built in features do the heavy lifting.

This scope let me move a more expensive and robust scope 20X fixed power scope that I had been using on my coyote rifle for use on a 338 Lapua Magnum rifle for shooting at extended ranges, while giving me more versatility with the AR-15.

Nikon continues to amaze with the high quality that they maintain on their optics at such a low price point. Ten years ago this would have been a $600 scope.

Internet Price: $169.95
Normal Price: $199.95

Scope comes with an owner’s manual, turret adjustment keys, and a nice sun shade already attached. Throw on a good pair of flip up caps and you’re ready to go. This fine scope retails for a reasonable $449.95, and doesn’t really cut any corners. Does everything our Leupold Mark IV does for approximately half the price.

By the way, if you’re in the market for a P-223 scope check out the Nikon P-223 3×32 Matte BDC Carbine review.

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  P-223 Rifle Scope Instruction Manual
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Manufacturer Link

  P-223 3-9×40 BDC 600 Product Site