Gear Review- Nikon P223 3-9x BDC 600 Riflescope & Burris PEPR mount

My quest for AR optics has been a long one. I've tried many of the hundreds of options out there for AR15's. I've gone Eotech route, Aimpoint style route, red dot with a magnifier, 1-4x scope, etc,etc. I use my AR15 mostly for target shooting, but recently have take up varmint hunting. By varmint I mean Coyotes and the occasional prairie dog. A red dot is not going to cut it on a shot at 200 yds on a yote. So I tried the 1-4x option. Best of both worlds right? 1x like a red dot and up to 4x magnification like a scope. While I feel these are some of the best options out there for AR optics, for me I needed something with a bit more magnification for hunting.

I had the opportunity to pick up a Burris PEPR mount in a package deal with a BSA Sweet 223 scope. The Burris mount is probably the most popular mount out right now for the AR15. It's rock solid, and reasonably priced at around $80. The BSA scope was nice, but too much optic for the AR. I mean that by the 6-18x magnification and heavy weight where more than I needed. I sold the scope and picked up the Nikon P223 scope.

The P223 is part of Nikon's new AR line of scopes. They have the P223 series as well as the M223. The P I believe stands for Pro Staff and the m Monarch, relative to two of the product lines Nikon offers. The p223 is available in a fixed 3x compact scope,and the 3-9x with the BDC 600 recticle.

The BDC 600 recticle is calibarated for a 55 grn FMJ 223 bullet. Here is a picture from Nikon's website of what the recticle looks like. Each circle and mark represents where you would hold the recticle.Using Nikon's excellent Spot On softwarehttp://www.nikonhunting.com/page/spot_on, you can calibrate those circles with what range you are shooting at, the zero of your scope, different bullet weights etc. It's very cool and it's free to use. I also downloaded the Android app. The app is $4.99 but worth every penny. It's great to have at the range and in the field.


Zeroing the P223 was a breeze. I boresighted the scope in my backyard at 25 yds. I then removed the scope to unmount my MBUS sights to use on the JRC. I re-mounted the scope and headed to the range. One of the selling points of the Burris PEPR mount zero retention. I put up a target at 50 yds and was amazed that my shot was right on center. The mount returned zero after mounting and dismounting without any issues. I've NEVER been able to zero a scope that well just on a backyard boresight. I was very impressed.

The clarity of the scope is VERY good for this price point. This may be one of the nicest scopes I've owned. Nikon claims 98% light retention and I believe it! The recticle is very quick when switching from a target at 50 yds to one at 100 yds. I'm now a huge fan of Nikon scopes and will continue to purchase them in the future. For the money the can't be beat.

The 3-9x model with the BDC recticle should be perfect for my application. Nikon also makes a 1-4x, 2-8x, and 3-12x in the M223 series of scopes. I've also spied the same BDC recticle on a few prostaff scopes at Walmart. Coupled with the Spot On software these would make a great scope for any caliber rifle. Adjustable parallax would be a nice feature, but the P223 does have a focus ring to aid with this. The P223 also sports tactical turrets with a Zero retention which is quite nice. I give the Nikon P223 a solid 9/10 rating. For around $160-$200 it's a great budget optic.