What are you guys thoughts on these? I'm looking at the 3x and the 3-9x40 to put on top of my Daniel Defense.

SWFA has the 3-9 for $199 with a free mount.

I plan to pretty much use the gun for plinking and hogs.

Is there something else in the $150-200 range i should be looking at?

Cow., I have put about 500 rounds under the Nikon P-223 3X Carbine scope now and like it more everytime I pull the trigger. It is great for quick target acquisition and has very clear glass as well as Nikon's outstanding warranty behind it. While my older eyes like more then 3X magnification for anything past 200 yards, inside of that distance it is easy to make a solid hit.

As you can see from this pic, this scope has been used hard.

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd363/bman940/P-223%203X/spotonp2233x.jpg

A few of my other scopes are Nikon and I love them, so I had originally bought a P223 for my AR. It was clear and had the quality you would expect from Nikon. The downside was that fact that it is a fixed power scope, and its lowlight capability was not all that great. Upon the advice given by a shooting instructor, I bought the Bushnell Dusk to Dawn. It is awesome in low light and the glass is just as clear as the Nikon...for about 1/3 the price.

That's interesting D., The Nikon PROSTAFF scope is rated at >98% light transmission. Pretty awesome for a sub $200 scope. If you choose the BDC reticle you also have Nikon's Spot On Ballistic Program at your finger tips.
What I tell most guys to do, go look down a few tubes and pick the scope that you think will fit your needs the best. The last thing I would want is for someone to buy a scope strictly on say so. Do a little research so that you won't have any surprises when you do mount your scope. As always, drop me a note if I can answer any question's for you.

that reticle will not stand out on a hog after dark. get something illuminated for a hog gun

Barton H, can you tell me about the differences between a P-223 and an M-223?

I saw Cabela's had the M-223s on sale and since my HK 93 is 1:12, the BDC should be right for it as it's for 55 gr. Thanks in advance.

I have the P-223 3-9 on my AR and am super pleased with it.

-Mickey

I am not the "Bart", but the major difference is that the P's are Prostaff glass and coatings and the M's are MONARCH glass and coatings. Both are very good scopes.

Bob is correct, both are very tough well built scopes with Nikon's outstanding warranty/reputation behind them. Illuminated reticles can be nice but more often then not for night hunting I have found that they wash out everything if they are to bright. Not saying there's anything wrong with them, just something I have found from my nighttime Tx hog hunting experiences. A little moon light and my MONARCH 2.5-10x50 does a great job letting in enough light allowing me to make accurate shots inside of 100 yards.

Core, you are partially correct, yes, the BDC is designed for a 55 gr. bullet but at 3240 fps MV. Definitely something to not forget. If you do decide to use a different weight bullet or MV just go to Nikon's Spot On Ballistic Program and enter your shooting data to get corresponding distances for your BDC scope. Believe me, it works and works well.

Mickey, I"m also a big fan of the P-223 3-9 BDC 600 scope. Put one on my LMT, love it!

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd363/bman940/P-223%203-9/p-2233-9.jpg

That's sharp looking!

-Mickey

Watching this one.

How well does this scope perform in low light/night hunting conditions? I have lights under a couple feeders but they are generally not that bright. I have a Leupold VX-1 on my deer rifle that is decent but I want to use my AR to hunt hogs at night so I need a scope that has decent light transmission.

I was between this and the barska point black scopes. I went with barska. Very happy I took a chance with them. Solid construction, clear glass, and illuminated BDC sold me. I'm very happy with it for a sub-$200 scope. I bought the 6-24x

I just put a p223 on my AR and I like it well so far.