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Pros - Includes parallax adjustment from 50 yards to infinity - Mildot reticle allows for precise shooting no matter what your range - Positive clicks and zero resettable windage and elevation adjustments Cons - Slightly heavy - Wire reticle instead of etched glass - Not able to focus below 50 yards - Slightly fuzzy picture at maximum magnification

Welcome to my review of the Nikon Prostaff 5 Mildot 3.5–14x40mm Riflescope. While Nikon’s products are generally excellent, sometimes a bad apple sneaks through the cracks. For that reason, I’m always sure to carefully evaluate every scope I review, to make sure they match up to the manufacturer’s reputation. Let’s see if this one’s a hit or a flop.

What Are the Scope’s Dimensions?

This glass comes with a 40mm objective lens for good light transmission. It’s a bit large, measuring 13.6 inches in length with a 1.73-inch overall diameter. Weight is also a bit more than I’d like, at 17.2 ounces. With that said, I’ve definitely come across heavier and larger scopes.

Eye relief is a bit short at four inches, but that’s still plenty of distance to give you a full view without pounding the scope into your head from the recoil.

The Prostaff 5’s exit pupil ranges from 2.9mm to 11.4mm, depending on your zoom level.

How Much Magnification Do I Get From The Scope?

This model gives you adjustable magnification from 3.5X to 14X, letting you get up close and personal. The image quality is pretty good at most magnification levels, with plenty of crispness, clarity, and contrast. However, things do get a bit fuzzy at the top end of the zoom.

How is the Optics Quality on the Riflescope?

This glass gives you fully multicoated optics for terrific light transmission and image quality. There’s a good eyebox, and the side focus mechanism rotates smoothly but with enough resistance to keep you from bumping it. I just wish it was possible to lock the focus mechanism.

The reticle used here is Nikon’s mildot variant, allowing you extremely precise shot placement at all ranges.

What’s the Light Gathering Capability Like on the Scope?

Transmittance is great with this glass, thanks to the 40mm objective and the fully multicoated optics. I wish the reticle was illuminated, though.

How Wide is the Field of View?

This scope’s field of view is about average, ranging from 7.2 feet to 28.6 feet at 100 yards, depending on your zoom.

How Easy is the Scope to Mount?

Mounting your scope is quick and easy with the Prostaff 5, as long as you have the rings. Nikon doesn’t include them in the box, so be sure to buy a set before you get your scope.

Any Tricks or Tips About Mounting the Scope?

With an above-average objective bell, you might need medium-profile rings to mount your scope. Other than that, there aren’t any real obstacles to getting everything ready to go.

How Easy is the Nikon Prostaff 5 Mildot 3.5–14x40mm Riflescope to Sight In?

Once mounted, you can begin sighting in your scope. Nikon makes this easy, with hand-turn windage and elevation controls that click and are zero-resettable for easy field adjustments. One-quarter MOA adjustments make getting precise groupings a simple thing.

You should use a laser bore-sighting tool when you start, to save time and ammunition. Once sighted in, you shouldn’t have to repeat the process until you remove the scope – it holds zero nearly indefinitely.

A side parallax control makes it easy to get an accurate shot from virtually any range.

How Durable is the Scope?

The optics chamber on the Nikon Prostaff 5 is nitrogen-purged and the lenses are O-ring sealed, so the whole setup is both waterproof and fogproof. It’s also remarkably shock-resistance, giving you a product that’s very rugged and capable of taking a licking but still ticking.