Discontinued. Nikon left the sport optics business in 2020, and the P-Tactical Spur is no longer made. This review stays up for anyone shopping the used market. If you want an open reflex sight of the same style you can buy new today, start with our Sightmark Ultra Shot review, or step up to the Holosun HS510C if the budget allows.
Are you searching for a reasonably priced red dot sight with great optics for hunting or shooting? We take an informative look at the Nikon Spur red dot to answer all of your questions.
In this review we are taking a look at the Nikon P-Tactical Spur Reflex Sight (16532).
This is Nikon’s first reflex red dot sight to market that seems to have grown a following among many target shooters, hunters, and sport shooters.
Nikon P-Tactical Spur Review
Nikon’s first entry into the Micro Red Dot Sight (MRDS) market seems to have made an impression on some folks.
For an entry level optic the P-Tactical Spur is a safe choice that provides the average user clear target views and a sharp reticle perfect for going to the range or sitting in your favorite stand.
Top Features of the P-Tactical Spur Red Dot Sight
Design
The P-Tactical Spur is a compact and lightweight reflex sight constructed from aluminum alloy.
This tactical optic is shockproof guarding against recoil and harsh conditions common to most hunting, target shooting, or other firing environments.
Weighing just 1.1 oz shooters will find firearm handling and balance unaffected.
This red dot sight has a wide field of view (FOV) with unlimited eye relief through a 27mm viewing window allowing for fast and easy target acquisition.
The P-Tactical Spur reflex sight is also industry-standard parallax-free keeping the reticle on target regardless of head position.
Based on Nikon’s testing conditions the sight is An optic's Ingress Protection (IP) code from IEC 60529: the first digit rates dust (0 to 6), the second rates water (0 to 8). A digit shown as X was simply not tested.Full comparison → equivalent to Japan Industrial Standards (JIS) / International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) protection class 7 or (An IEC 60529 rating certifying the optic survived temporary immersion in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes. The X means dust ingress was not separately rated.Full comparison →) and is suitable for shooting environments with high humidity, dust, or rain without risking damage to the operation of the reflex sight.
According to this standard, this red dot sight is capable of withstanding submersion in up to 1 meter in depth underwater for 30 minutes.
This rating is more than adequate for most shooting conditions giving you the freedom and confidence to deploy the reflex sight for just about any firing application or environment.
It’s Nikon, so you can expect quality lenses. The Nikon P-Tactical Spur reflex sight is constructed with 1x magnified multicoated Nikon Truecolor optics that reduce blue tint, common in most reflex sights.
This RDS provides you with a crisp, both eyes open viewing experience for target awareness and rapid sight picture acquisition.
Mounting
The P-Tactical Spur red dot sight can be mounted on a Picatinny standard rail interface system directly out of the box.
The mount operates with a split bracket and hex bolt that you adjust with the supplied torque wrench.
The hex bolt is countersunk, and the mounting bracket has no protruding edges reducing snagging of holsters, tactical equipment, or shooting gear.
Operation
A single 3V A 3-volt lithium coin cell, 16mm across, holding about 120 to 140 mAh. It powers many micro and subcompact pistol optics that trade runtime for a smaller footprint.Full comparison → lithium battery powers the P-Tactical Spur red dot sight. In perfect conditions, you can expect close to 15,000 operating hours from this battery type.
There is an auto-off function that automatically turns the device off if not operated for 12 hours to save battery power.
Additionally, the sight has a low battery warning feature. The red dot reticle flashes to indicate that it is time to replace the battery.
Replacing the battery is easy to accomplish since the battery is accessible from the top of the sight allowing for easy access and rapid battery replacement with the provided battery chamber cover tool if the need arises.
Windage and elevation adjustments are achieved utilizing the provided flat driver. One click of the adjustment screw is equal to 1 MOA (approximately 1 inch at 100 yards). One complete revolution of the adjustment screw is equal to 30 clicks. There is a total of 130 MOA adjustments for windage and 130 MOA adjustments for the elevation.
Reliability standing
Nikon P-Tactical Spur
Low confidence based on 6 sources, 2 first-hand.
- Rounds tested
- 5000+
- Battery
- CR1632: 15,000 hr at lowest setting (about 625 days), per Nikon
- Warranty
- Marketed at launch with a Nikon 5-year warranty (s3, s4). That coverage is now effectively orphaned: in September 2019 Nikon restructured its optics warranties and dropped electrical components to a 1-year limited warranty (s6), and in late 2019 Nikon announced it was exiting the US riflescope business (s5); the P-Tactical reflex line was caught in the same wind-down and is now discontinued (retailers list it discontinued by Nikon). With no current production, no restock, and depleted parts/accessories, post-exit warranty and support are limited and uncertain. Treat the 5-year figure as a nominal launch claim, not dependable present-day coverage.
What those tests were
- recoil endurance: pass . 5,000+ rounds across multiple platforms including a .45 ACP direct-blowback AR (high recoil impulse) and a 12-gauge firing slugs and buckshot; the dot tracked well and there were no failures during the reviewer's testing.
- recoil: pass . Held up through numerous 12-gauge 3.5-inch magnum turkey loads during a hunting field test, retaining zero across two successful turkey harvests.
- drop: pass . Incidental field abuse: accidentally dropped onto a rock while walking to the stand in the dark, plus crawling and dragging the gun through Colorado river bottoms. Mount stayed 'rock solid' and the sight held zero. Not a structured drop protocol, an incidental real-world drop.
Aggregated from others' first-hand testing, not our own: this standing deliberately reaches past any one shooter's round count. We surface a sourced reputation tier rather than inventing a score the evidence cannot support.
Full reliability data →Warranty standing
Nikon warranty
5-yr housing, 5-yr electronics, non-transferable
Nikon announced in December 2019 its withdrawal from the US riflescope/sport-optics business and discontinued US riflescopes and red dot/reflex sights (e.g., P-Tactical Spur) effective January 1, 2020. Nikon stated it would continue to honor active warranties, and a US service facility remained reachable (www.nikonusa.com/service; 1-800-645-6687). Because dot/reflex sight coverage is a fixed 5-year term from purchase and the products were last sold in early 2020, essentially all such warranties have lapsed by 2026. Treat US sport-optics support as effectively wound down; verify the service line is still active before relying on it.
- Housing
- 5 yrs
- Electronics
- 5 yrs
- Transferable
- No
- Receipt required
- Yes
- Registration
- No
- Support
- discontinued
Reticle
The Nikon P-Tactical Spur has a 3 Minute of Angle (MOA) red dot reticle.
Two digital switches control the sight for on/off and reticle brightness adjustment. This red dot sight has ten brightness levels.
Levels 1-2 are suitable for night time operations and are night-vision compatible with the remaining levels 3-10 for use in daytime or high light level conditions.
The ten levels of reticle intensity are standard nowadays, and you will find that the level 10 brightness works great even in intense sunlight.
Details
Here is what you get with your purchase:
- Nikon P-Tactical Spur Reflex Sight (16532)
- Attached mount base
- Cover
- CR1632 lithium battery
- Dual-use wrench
- Hex key
- Cleaning cloth
Pros vs Cons for the P-Tactical Spur
The Pros
Nikon P-Tactical Spur Reflex Sight is lightweight and durable with everything you will need for hunting, shooting, or other firearm applications.
You will appreciate the low battery indicator and automatic shut-off, ensuring a ready to go reflex sight.
Clear crisp sight pictures are a great feature compliments of Nikon’s experience in the production of quality optics.
The Cons
This Nikon Spur red dot sight does not have motion-activation which is a feature most shooters have come to expect.
The sight has some limitations with mounting options.
Customer Feedback
The Nikon P-Tactical Spur has earned solid reviews from shooters and hunters.
What shooters liked about this sight:
Optics Quality: Being a Nikon product, the lens quality and Truecolor coating deliver a clear, crisp viewing experience.
Weight: At 1.1 oz, the sight does not affect the balance or handling of your firearm.
Value: A quality optic from a trusted name at a competitive price point.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Nikon Truecolor multi-coated optics deliver crisp, clear sight pictures
- Lightweight at only 1.1 oz -- does not affect firearm handling or balance
- Wide 27mm viewing window for fast target acquisition
- Top-loading battery for easy access and replacement
- Low battery warning feature with automatic 12-hour shutoff
- One of the lowest price points for sights in this class
- Night vision compatible brightness settings
Cons
- No motion-activation feature (Shake Awake equivalent)
- Limited mounting options compared to competitors
