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German Nickel Supra scope?

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ncdrummer View Drop Down
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    Posted: November/27/2007 at 18:41
Is anyone familiar with a German-made scope called Nickel Supra?  I have one in excellent condition and wonder what it may be worth.  I believe it's a 2.5-6x34 maybe?  Thanks.  BTW, the optics are really nice and it has 1st plane reticle #4. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mannlicher7 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/27/2007 at 20:49
Some call it Gerhardt... You have one of the very best riflescope on earth. The Nickel is at the same quality/performance level than Schmidt and Bender... Some would argue that they are better.... The price is on par the quality......big!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Narrow Gap Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/28/2007 at 17:29

Anyone know why this scope is not marketed in U.S.A.? I have heard before they are very good quality scopes. I too have heard Kaps Optics of Germany are vey good scopes but also not marketed much in U.S.A.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HuntMaster Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/28/2007 at 18:36
I once contacted Gerhardt Nickel to see if I could import some onto the U.S. .  They said they were a small company and were only interested in the European market. No interest in the U.S. at all. Since that time, they have changed their marketing strategy and you can now buy one directly from the factory. ( www. gerhardt-nickel.de )  There is an english page available.
Be advised however, the prices are in Euro's , so you can multiply the price  x 1.48 which is the going rate. And, customs adds another 14.9% to the cost as well as a pain in the butt,and it's expensive to ship.
Also, Technica.nu posted a review to me that was relatively negative about Nickel. I would take his word for it.  ( poor mechanics and unimpressive glass )
 
Derek


Edited by HuntMaster - November/28/2007 at 18:39
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Mannlicher7 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mannlicher7 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/28/2007 at 20:28
It is really strange that report from Technica about Gerhardt Nickel riflescope and I'm telling why:1º) A gun magazine from Sweden (it seem that is the same magazine that explodes rifles for strength testing) assembled a team of optotechnic people that armed with a battery of scientific instrument runned a whole set of rigourous test on 30 plus scopes from the main brand.  Some of them were present with two or three riflescope as was the case with Zeiss, Swarovski etc....
At the end Zeiss occupied the first three top place. Swarovski (even with five point behind the german brand) occupied the fourth and fifth. The sixth place was Gerhardt's Nickel Supra....ex aequo Schmidt und Bender... We are talking world's top notch riflescope here... So there is no room for "poor mechanics and unimpressive glass"...and keep in mind that Zeiss didn't grab the maximum score point because they were penalized (unlike other) for the only non scientifically measurable subject........!ERGONOMICS!.
2º) I know the scope and compared them to my own Zeiss being the only optomechanical differences: a) slightly less field of view  b) less eye relief (80mm. to Zeiss's 90mm.)
       Optically at daylight I could not tell the difference between both, (although I could nottice one between Zeiss and Swarovski) so good are the lenses. At night Zeiss has a slight advantage.
Mechanically I heard no complains. On the contrary... People that are using them say that they are just like the Zeiss... What you dial is what you get....repeatable on demand. 
So whom I'm going to believe!!?...Me... Just me...
Best regards.
Mannlicher7.
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote www.technika.nu Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/28/2007 at 23:37
I have some nickels and I am not Impressed at all.
THe quality is not on par with Smith u Bender or any other of the better european brands.
I would say that Nickel is the lowest of all the Europeans.
But, I don't have any experience of the latest manufactured items, just of older.
They was known of having the poorest sealings, and uses no o-rings at all, just fat sealings.
So Nickel might be ok, if it's cheap, othervise it's better to avoid it.
 
Regards Technika
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mannlicher7 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/29/2007 at 21:05
I don´t understand.... You say that you own several Nickel and that they are the lowest of all european brand. Intriguing to me is why a person would buy a scope that cost USD$1.500 to USD$2.000 (minimum) realize that they are worthless and then buy a whole bunch of them.... Are we talking about the same model and brand? Gerhardt Nickel Supra!!? Do you really believe that we (european hunter and shooter) are completely stupid to pay a fortune for a scope that cost nearly the same as a  Schmidt and Bender
to find that's pure s***t and then say nothing about it!!? Were those optotechnician working for the magazine running the test completely mentally retarded!!? By the way...what are you talking about poorest sealings!? No O ring!!? !!Have you ever looked at a Nickel Supra!!? That seems Swarovski talking...!!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote www.technika.nu Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/30/2007 at 00:17
Older Nickels are often close to no money at all here.
I have a 2,5-6x36 that was bought in a gunstore for 20-30 dollars due to lensseparation in the front lens, that is now fixed.
I have a 4-10x42 that came of a rifle that was sold for more money than I paid for it.
And I have had some 4X that came for free.
Also I have one Nickel 15-60X60 spotting scope, that mostly resamble the feeling of watching through an old aquarium, even though the optics in it is in perfect condition.
So totally, I have spent less than hundred dollars on Nickel.
 
Before I had one Nickel 4-10x42 that not could be mounted in Apel rings as soon the rings was tightend the variable ring was looked up.
 
And it's not Gerhardt Nickel supra, it's Nickel Supra, the name it had before Gerhardt.
Those scopes are probably around 20-30 years old, maybe older.
 
Regards Technika
 
Here is my kimber Super America with Nickel 2,5-6X.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mannlicher7 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/30/2007 at 13:22
Beautiful rifle! Is it good? Precise? Wich caliber? It seems a small one...
The scope model you talked are non existent in the actual Nickel line so they must be really old. The ones I'm talking are from about ten years ago up to present date ...If they were such a crap then they must have improved a lot because it is not in reach of any scope manufacturer to be considered among the top five....This is a very very competitive sector where the smallest flaw can bury your name for quite a few year or maybe for ever...
      As I said the ones I saw were flawless but of course they are not at the exact same level of Zeiss. But at Schmidt and Bender's definitely...
Regards.
Mannlicher7.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/30/2007 at 14:35
that stock is a beauty tech, course with a kimber im not surprised but man she's pretty

Edited by pyro6999 - November/30/2007 at 14:35
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote www.technika.nu Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/30/2007 at 16:33
It's an 82 super america .22 LR in the first batch before they went bacruptecy in the 80th.
So there is all the bells and whistels that after the recontruction of the company was removed, such as steel butt plate, sceleton grip cap, 1/4 rib etc.
It's exceptionally well made, when looking at the craftmanship.
But the accuracy it's difficult and before the bedding it was really sh*t.
 
However it's probably the nicest handeling .22 rifle I have used so far.
 
Regards Technika
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Reiska Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/14/2009 at 08:40
I am happy to agree with both Mannlicher and Technica.
 
I have three Nickels.
 
The first one is 4*36, with steel frame, some 40 years old. Not of any high quality, clearly inferior to the best Europeans of the time. The rectile is not centered, and twilight view is bad.
 
Then I have two scopes, purchased as new 2007 and 2009. They are the best scopes I have. Obviously close to global top quality. Probably somewhat better than German-made Zeiss, of which I have only one scope for comparison.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Oldtrader3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/15/2009 at 19:44
It seems as though we have a quantum time warp quality difference in the Nickel Supra.  It sounds as though we need updated technical specs.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Code4 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/10/2010 at 15:58
Your Nickal is worthless. I'll give you the postage to send it to me as I collect old junk. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sambarman338 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/01/2012 at 01:08
The Nickel used to have a good reputation in the 1960s and one reviewer said their attributes made them suitable for dangerous and wary game.

I have seen a number of Holland & Holland rifles for sale wearing Nickels, so they must have had something to recommend them. As I recall, Hertel & Reuss claimed to be owners of the brand.

The reticle movement used to be seen as optical integrity - image movement was a fool's paradise, limiting field blending and field of view, leading to parallax when badly mounted. As with VHS's victory over Beta in VCRs, populist ignorance seems to have won the day in scopes, too, though I guess the Europeans have found some way to make up for the deficiencies of constantly centred reticles.

I almost bought a new Nickel for $50 in the '70s, thinking by the small objective it was a 4x32, without looking at the engraving. I discovered at the last moment it was a 6x - too much magnification and not enough light gathering for for my purpose. It did have excellent blending of the fields, though, and I wish it had been the 4x.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bro.steve Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/11/2012 at 18:31
Do you want to sell it? bro.steve
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bro.steve Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/15/2012 at 16:30
Does the designation E/D indicate extra low dispersion glass?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote witte Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/17/2016 at 07:11
Hello , there is a German company who produces riflescopes under the name Nickel . They are made today and they are only to get direcly from the company . They don't sell through shops and therefore have no dealers . They are a high end scope what is to see in the price . Now there are the old B Nickel rifle scopes were from the old company . The story goes that mister Nickel was working for Carl Zeiss in Jena Germany and from there started his own company around the time of the second world war and started after the war to produce hunting scopes who were very good but the company did't survive and the name was later bought by the new company . The new company only bought the name and has little or no knowlege of the old one , so information about the old ones is very hard to find . Hope that this explains something !
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote witte Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/17/2016 at 07:23
Hello , Hertel and Reuss was a differend company . They started off a little later as Carl Zeiss ,actualy the two guys worked for Zeiss and like G Nickel started there own company , who did not survided after the war. They stopped because there was nobody to continue the business after they retired . The present Nickel company bought there name as well but again only the name so no information about Hertel and Reuss there .
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sambarman338 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/17/2016 at 08:09
Since my last post I have collected dozens of old reticle-movement and Bausch&Lomb scopes, including several Zeiss/Hensoldt models and about a dozen Nickels. Though those from the old Hensoldt factory seem the best, optically, I love the Nickels because of the extensive range there is to gather. Unlike the Zeiss and Swaro scopes, the Nickels did have click adjustments, at least. The Nickels do have excellent field blending and very-flexible eye reliefs and work so well that I have installed a couple on my rifles, with no problems though they must be at least 40 years old.

Witte is right in saying that the new Nickel AG seems remarkably ignorant about their antecedents; they could not even tell me what the initial B stood for in B. Nickel, Marburg. (After much searching I discovered that a Bernhard Nickel from Marburg patented a series of improvements to riflescopes during the 1950s and '60s.) It would appear the firm was absorbed into Hertel & Reuss in the early '70s and some say the quality fell off after that.

I have not been so impressed with the old Swarovski and S&B scopes. Perhaps because they were so reliable they were left untweaked for decades, the Swaro adjustments had a tendency to freeze. The lenses of one S&B show much distortion; another is better but the knurled eyepiece is meant for a much-shorter eye relief and reflects sunlight off the bezel.

The Hertel & Reuss scopes made for Weatherby  don't stir me, either. The rubber eye pieces were ahead of their time in ruining field blending and I find a tendency for the zero adjustments in one knob to stick together.

 
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