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Demise of Scope Brands

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CycloneMan View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CycloneMan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Demise of Scope Brands
    Posted: January/05/2020 at 14:48
Recently, we learned Nikon will no longer produce and sell rifle scopes.  Previously, the same thing happened to the Weaver scope brand. These were two recognizable scope brands. There may be other brands recently discontinued that I am not aware of (?).  What is the cause behind this trend and is this likely to occur with other brands?  It seems like the gun manufacturers continue to roll out new firearm models which should help drive sales of sporting optics and other accessories.  Is the sporting optics market becoming too crowded and competitive, causing margins and profitability to decline?  Are companies shying away from the sales of gun-related products due to pressures from anti-gun groups?  Or, is this an early indicator that the gun market is shrinking, and this will occur more frequently going forward?  What are your thoughts?

I am bummed out about the Nikon news especially since the Weaver brand has gone away.  Nearly all of my scopes are Nikon and Weaver scopes. And I have not had any issues.  I hope I am not a jinx.  If so, Sightron is in trouble because I have one of their scopes mounted to one of my rifles.  Really love that scope too!
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RifleDude View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/05/2020 at 20:51
It's just normal market forces at work. It's the result of competition; "survival of the fittest." It's not a "trend." Nikon and Weaver simply didn't continue to innovate and keep up with trends like high zoom ratios, new reticles, etc. and they also did a very poor job of marketing their products. There is also much more competition today than when Nikon and Weaver were players.

Weaver had been sold and resold several times, always to companies that had low-end optics in their portfolio, and they never put much resources into keeping the brand healthy.

Riflescopes were never a major part of Nikon's business. Their core business was always cameras and lenses. Riflescopes weren't profitable for them.

Like so many optics brands, neither company actually manufactured their riflescopes; they contracted different optics manufacturers in Asia to make them to their specs. Other optics brands use the same contractors they did, but were more committed to the riflescope market, did a better job at marketing, provided superior customer service and warranties, and remained competitive.

In their final years, neither Nikon nor Weaver offered much of anything that someone else didn't offer at the same or better price:performance ratio, while offering a better warranty and customer service. The nail in the coffins for both companies was the arrival and success of Vortex.

Quite frankly, brands that don't survive don't deserve to survive. 
Ted


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koshkin View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote koshkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/05/2020 at 23:28
Originally posted by RifleDude RifleDude wrote:

It's just normal market forces at work. It's the result of competition; "survival of the fittest." It's not a "trend." Nikon and Weaver simply didn't continue to innovate and keep up with trends like high zoom ratios, new reticles, etc. and they also did a very poor job of marketing their products. There is also much more competition today than when Nikon and Weaver were players.

Weaver had been sold and resold several times, always to companies that had low-end optics in their portfolio, and they never put much resources into keeping the brand healthy.

Riflescopes were never a major part of Nikon's business. Their core business was always cameras and lenses. Riflescopes weren't profitable for them.

Like so many optics brands, neither company actually manufactured their riflescopes; they contracted different optics manufacturers in Asia to make them to their specs. Other optics brands use the same contractors they did, but were more committed to the riflescope market, did a better job at marketing, provided superior customer service and warranties, and remained competitive.

In their final years, neither Nikon nor Weaver offered much of anything that someone else didn't offer at the same or better price:performance ratio, while offering a better warranty and customer service. The nail in the coffins for both companies was the arrival and success of Vortex.

Quite frankly, brands that don't survive don't deserve to survive. 

Spot on, except for one minor detail:  Nikon is losing money on cameras and lenses too.  Their semiconductor instrumentation division is keeping Nikon afloat.  Everything else at Nikon is not doing well.

ILya
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hankster1958 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/13/2020 at 19:42
Yep, Nikon has been having sales pains for a while now in it's Camera line. Now the scopes too?
This is actually a wider spread issue than most people see.
It's in scopes, Photography equipment, Electronics, Guitars, (Gibson anyone?) etc...
The issue? Should I pay (or WHY should I pay) TOP DOLLAR, when for "medium dollar" I can buy products that are "close enough" to the big dollar ones, to get the job done. 
While TOP DOLLAR products, can't really go much higher.... many of the lower lines ones, due to superior automated production equipment/machinery, and tighter manufacturing tolerances by such.. have CLOSED THE GAP between EXPENSIVE products, and mid priced ones... And the "big boys" are suffering for it.
I have a few "Les Paul" clones here.. all legit .. and the look, and play, and sound 
Gibson enough" for my needs.... So I'm not buying a Gibson. My Panasonic Lumix FZ300... takes good enough pictures for my needs... I don't need to buy a Nikon, to get what i want. 
CZ makes rifles that shoot "good enough" for my wants.. I do not NEED to buy an Anschutz to get accuracy, at the level I'm happy with. 
Just like online shopping has killed the "great Shopping Malls" we all used to frequent... Better quality mid priced lines, are cutting into the top dogs bottom lines...
Times they are a changing...
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Travis299 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Travis299 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/05/2020 at 21:00
FYI, I sent in a Nikon rifle scope for repair yesterday and will post the Nikon response when received.

I have several Nikon scopes and was sad to see them exit the scope business.
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Elkins45 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Elkins45 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/08/2020 at 10:10
Originally posted by koshkin koshkin wrote:

Originally posted by RifleDude RifleDude wrote:

It's just normal market forces at work. It's the result of competition; "survival of the fittest." It's not a "trend." Nikon and Weaver simply didn't continue to innovate and keep up with trends like high zoom ratios, new reticles, etc. and they also did a very poor job of marketing their products. There is also much more competition today than when Nikon and Weaver were players.

Weaver had been sold and resold several times, always to companies that had low-end optics in their portfolio, and they never put much resources into keeping the brand healthy.

Riflescopes were never a major part of Nikon's business. Their core business was always cameras and lenses. Riflescopes weren't profitable for them.

Like so many optics brands, neither company actually manufactured their riflescopes; they contracted different optics manufacturers in Asia to make them to their specs. Other optics brands use the same contractors they did, but were more committed to the riflescope market, did a better job at marketing, provided superior customer service and warranties, and remained competitive.

In their final years, neither Nikon nor Weaver offered much of anything that someone else didn't offer at the same or better price:performance ratio, while offering a better warranty and customer service. The nail in the coffins for both companies was the arrival and success of Vortex.

Quite frankly, brands that don't survive don't deserve to survive. 

Spot on, except for one minor detail:  Nikon is losing money on cameras and lenses too.  Their semiconductor instrumentation division is keeping Nikon afloat.  Everything else at Nikon is not doing well.

ILya

The professional photo market was almost exclusively Nikon since the 1950s but they rested on their laurels and allowed Canon to take that market away from them because of more responsive autofocus. Mt college roommate is a pro photographer who owned Nikon until the early 2000s and now his entire agency only shoots with Canon.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote saltydog235 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/08/2020 at 18:00
Nikon failed because they made junk. I have never had issues with any products like I did their optics. 

Weaver made some good scopes once upon a time. I’ve got a 50+yo K4 that still works like it did when it was new. My super Slams were pretty dang good too. They just couldn’t compete in today’s market. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Travis299 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/10/2020 at 12:06
Outstanding CS from Nikon.  Scope repaired, cleaned and recharged and returned with no charge and very fast service.  Nikon kept me informed of progress.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Kickboxer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/11/2020 at 10:26
Originally posted by Travis299 Travis299 wrote:

Outstanding CS from Nikon.  Scope repaired, cleaned and recharged and returned with no charge and very fast service.  Nikon kept me informed of progress.

That is great to hear.  I have several Nikon scopes and have never had need of Nikon CS, but it is good to know they are honoring their service.  Every Nikon I have has good to very good glass, good mechanicals, I like their reticles,  and the scopes have performed on a number of different rifles with zero issues.  
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