If you’re looking for a high-quality rifle scope at a very good price, the Nikko Stirling Platinum Nighteater is worth a look. It fits both a Springer air rifle and a centerfire rifle and, depending on the model, can accommodate a wide range of hunting or target shooting needs.
In this article, I’ll take a look specifically at the Nikko Stirling Platinum Nighteater 1-Inch 4-16×44 (mil point) model and tell you how to find a good deal on one.
Nikko Stirling Platinum Nighteater 1-Inch 4-16×44 Review
If you don’t know what those numbers mean, by the way, I’ll explain it briefly.
Bit 4-16 refers to the extension. In this case, 4-16 means that you can increase from 4x to 16x. You can do this by simply turning a dial on the body of the scope by hand to change the level of magnification.
On the Nikko, the 4-16 variable is nice and wide, and will get you shooting from about 8 yards to, well, a lot further than most of us or our rifles can shoot anyway!
In some scopes, especially inexpensive ones with large magnification ranges, higher magnifications may produce a less than perfect image. In the case of the Nikko Platinum range this is not a concern as I explain below.
the lens
The 44 stands for the diameter of the “big end” lens size in millimeters or, as it is technically known, the objective. As a general rule of thumb, bigger is better in terms of light capture, transmission, and ability to acquire and track a moving target.
At 44mm, this Nikko Platinum has a good all-purpose medium to large lens that is ideal for hunting at all common ranges from 8 meters to 800.
Nikko lenses are well known for their quality, as they are made in Japan to a very high quality level, Grade A, so you know you’ll get excellent vision.
As one user comments: “The viewfinder is VERY clear and lets in a lot of light even when zoomed in as far as it will go.” So, as noted above, there is no problem with cheaper scopes with clarity of view even at maximum zoom.
The Nikko 4-16×44 also comes with parallax adjustment via an easy to use side wheel. Parallax, or rather the parallax effect, if you don’t know where, targets will often “seem” to drift or wobble against their background, making it difficult to lock on to them.
The parallax adjustment solves this by eliminating wobble, which means you’ll shoot much better. The Nikko has a range of distance adjustments from 10 meters upwards and is very easy to adjust.
Zeroing
Easy to use windage and elevation turrets.
Windage basically where you can adjust the crosshair left and right and the elevation up and down. So when you’re setting the scope, you’ll take a number of shots at the same target point and depending on where they land, adjust the dials so the shots go where the crosshair says.
You see physically, you see the business. It is what is known as a full size scope, so it is not for young or small carbine rifles. It is very well packaged and presented and also comes with quality flip tops to protect the lenses.
How to get a good deal on the Nikko Stirling 4-16×44
The prices are very reasonable for what you get with the Platinum Nighteater 4-16×44. Expect to pay £140-170 for a new one in the UK and a similar dollar amount in the US. To find a good deal, shop around online. On Google these days, shopping results and prices appear very prominently, so you won’t have any trouble comparing results.
Just make sure you buy from a reputable seller, check to see if they are in stock, what their return and support policy is, and how long it will take to arrive. As always online, be sure to pay by credit card or Paypal so that you have maximum protection in the event of a problem.