Nikon Prostaff 3 9x40 Riflescope Review - [Pros & Cons 2023]

Nikon Prostaff 3 9×40 Review – Pay Less And Get More From This Riflescope

Even if you own a great rifle you would know the difficulty of obtaining precision in your aim without a good riflescope. This is why where precision matters hunters do not settle for a cheap riflescope. They only look for the top models that can be a dependable option for them in the field. So if you are planning to buy a riflescope anytime soon this Nikon prostaff 3 9×40 review would give you a peek into the features and the performance of one of the most popular riflescopes that are going to be light on your pocket.

If you thought that this one might miss out some important features because it is cheap, then think again. It does come equipped with some of the best features that the top riflescopes are seen to have. It features a long streamlined design that carries a matte finish. It is easy to mount and comes with a lot of handy features for the hunters and reliable optic elements as well. There is a wide objective lens included for a better field of view even at higher magnification. It is so much more for you to explore and find out about this sleek and durable riflescope from Nikon.

Nikon Prostaff 3 9×40 Features and Specs

This is a perfect riflescope for short to long range applications featuring one of the most diverse magnification range (3-9x)

Has an objective lens of diameter 40mm
Eye relief of 3.6in
Measures 12.3in from end to end

Weighs merely 13.7oz
Clicks of graduation ¼ MOA for finer adjustments

Is Nikon prostaff 3 9×40 the best riflescope for the long-range applications?

It is a riflescope that comes with wide range coverage and so it suits a majority of short-range applications as well as long range. Brightness and clarity of the picture is an area where the Nikon prostaff 3 9×40 scores really high. Talk about light transmission this is one of the best in the sub $200 segment with a transmission rate of nearly 90%. So even without an ample lighting, you would still be able to obtain the clarity required. The controls are all placed so as to make it easy to access them quickly from your shooting position. On the whole, this one is a pretty neat addition to your rifle and can change your aiming skills a great deal, for the price paid.

Look and build

Long slender, featuring a matte finish this one comes with the conventional 1in tube design. The build quality is pretty impressive. The aluminum exteriors make sure that the surface remains strong enough to bear the shocks and vibrations that it might experience while also keeping the tube as light as possible so not much weight is added to your rifle. To add to the toughness of the build the outer surface has been made thicker and so the overall diameter of the riflescope might appear a bit larger than most others with the 40mm objective lens. The tough construction can be seen in the way the riflescope resiliently holds its zero even at the time of impact and recoil.

Out of the box, this one comes with standard Nikon lens caps for the exposed portion of the lenses and also caps for the turrets to prevent accidental clicks. There is a BDC reticle packed in the riflescope.

BDC reticle

Ask any hunter he would tell you how great a BDC reticle is on the field. The bullet drop adjustment feature is one of the most neglected features that are actually very handy for hunting. There are ballistic circles included on the reticle and these are translucent. So they would allow you to lock in on the target without losing sight of any area on the lens. And for the targets that are much closer, the crosshairs do the job well. Even difficult “dead-on” ranges can be easily held with this BDC reticle.

The BDC on this one comes calibrated for 600 yards. It is very easy to learn bullet drop compensation with this one if this is a feature that you have never used before. So you would be able to manually tune the adjustments for your targets at various distances. This can give you a better idea of the real impact of the bullet. As difficult as it might appear when you first try your hands at this, it is a feature that you would soon find to be indispensable.

Ruggedness of the construction

This is a scope that is priced low enough for any type of shooter to confidently purchase. But still, you would have this one working as good as new for a really long time. There is worry of dust entering the tubes thanks to the tightly sealed casing. And the lenses would not fog during colder weather conditions. There is nitrogen filled in the inner portion of the tube to avoid this issue. The shockproof body with the O-ring manages to seal the chamber so that moisture and dust would not penetrate the tube and damage the lenses.

Optics from the best in the industry

Nikon is a champion when it comes to quality reliable optics and this riflescope is no exception. The Nikon prostaff 3 9×40 comes with superior light transmission capacities attributed to the multi-coated lenses that come in it. This is a feature that you would only find in some higher priced riflescopes. This coating significantly improves the transmission of light and thus results in a sharper, brighter image with better details. This holds good even when you are zooming in on targets that are farther away. And the resolution of the images remains impressive. Keeping in mind various hunting scenarios like open fields to dense forests this one also packs a wide range of magnification levels.

Ease of use

With this riflescope mounted on a hunting rifle, it altogether changes the hunting game. Adjustments of the parameters you would need to frame your shots according to the surroundings are so much simpler with this riflescope. There is a spring-loaded dial provided for the zero-reset option. This is one of the best features on this riflescope. When you are hunting and would require firing continuous shots you would not be wasting a lot of time in zero-reset of the turret due to this handy addition. The adjustment of the turrets is also pretty easy and stays tight and holds the levels really well.

Pros

Finding multi-coated optics on such an affordable riflescope is pretty attractive a feature. So no matter what time of the day it is your target is going to be visible with a commendable clarity and brightness
For those cases where you would need a larger cover at higher magnification, the wide objective lens proves beneficial.

The magnification range makes it a versatile choice. And given that this one can be used in every type of weather condition without lens blurring issues with this one on your rifle you are all set for various hunting scenarios.
The eye relief is pretty comfortable and doesn’t cause too much strain on the eyes. This perfectly complements the easy targeting system on the riflescope.
The BDC reticle is one of the strongest traits of this riflescope. The customisability of this reticle makes it even better. This shows big on the precision of the target acquisition which can also take place really quick.

Cons

The matte finish is solid in terms of the quality but the surface does show scratches easily. And you might notice this especially close to the turrets and so rough handling would leave your riflescope looking worn out in no time. This, however, doesn’t impact the performance in any way. So that is something you can live with.
This not one of the most powerful scopes designed for the high power rifles. Calibers up to 308 would easily take this one but higher power than that might sometimes lead to the scope getting damaged.

Conclusion

Be it a closer target around 50 yards away or one that is farther than 200 yards you are covered when you have this riflescope. The smooth magnification ensures that momentary blurs do not hamper your view of the target. So you would not miss out any detail. It is lightweight and yet tough and durable. It is pretty cheap and still carries a lot of adjustment options to suit every type of hunting situation. So this one is definitely worth considering when you are searching for riflescopes. And if you are planning to buy your first one this is surely one of the best value for money riflescopes you would find in the market.

The Great Device

Nikon Prostaff 3 9×40 Riflescope Review – [Pros & Cons 2023]