Finally!.. After weeks of nonstop rain, the shooting range has dried out enough to allow me to get in some time with the Windham SRC & Nikon M-223 riflescope (4-16×42 with BDC 600 reticle). The high wind probably didn’t make for the best testing conditions, but I still saw some respectable results.
I kicked off the day zeroing the M-223 at 50 yards, which only took 5 rounds of American Eagle 223 Rem 55gr FMJ from Lucky Gunner. Once zeroed, I finished off the 20 round box of American Eagle at 100 yards. With this ammo, 2″ groups were pretty typical. *Of course, a slight adjustment in zero was necessary at 100 yards.
My second ammo of the day was HPR 223 Rem 60gr VMAX with Factory Processed Brass. Out of the 50 rounds fired, the following image gives you a good representation of the results. On average, my groups were a bit under 1.5″ at 100 yards.
I really hesitated to put the following Gorilla Ammunition results in this post because I only fired three rounds of the ammo. I’ve actually been carrying this mostly-used box of ammo in my range bag for months. So before I left today, I decided it was time to fire the remaining three rounds. Below are the results. That being said, it was only three rounds, and not really a good representation of what I know this ammo is capable of. Nevertheless, the results are shown below.
So, what is my first impression of the Nikon M-223 riflescope? I think I’m going to be a big fan! For months I’ve been using Nikon’s P-223, which I think is a great riflescope (especially when you factor in the the low cost). But there is no doubt that the M-223 is a big step up. This riflescope produces great image quality that is very clear and bright. In addition, the side focus allows the shooter to fine-tune the parallax setting.
I have another optic project lined up for the Windham SRC, so the Nikon M-223 will be moving to another rifle. Stay tuned to see how the M-223 performs on that AR!
Image Notes:
- Windham SRC
- Nikon M-223 Riflescope
- CTK Precision Ultimate Shooting Rest
- Meopta MeoPro HD 80 Spotting Scope
- Gargoyles Eye Protection (Classic Black/Black Ice/Silver)
- Elite Survival Systems Double Agent Rifle Case
- HPR 223 Rem 60gr VMAX
- Gorilla Ammunition 223 69gr Sierra Matchking OTM
- Birchwood Casey Shoot•N•C 8″ Sight-In Target