Help with broken tripod mount on an old Nikon field scope. (1 Viewer)

[sirpecangum]

The attached photos explain the issue better than I can with words. I have bought a "3/8" to 1/4" adapter" as recommended by an eBay seller but it doesn't fit - the adapter is about 1mm bigger than the old part. The threads in the field scope mount appear to be serviceable. As far as I'm aware, the Japanese use the metric system. Is there a metric alternative someone can point me to? Or another way to fix this? I contacted Nikon in the first instance however, they have informed me that the field scope is no longer supported by them.

 

[sirpecangum]

For reference, the Nikon tripod mount is a standard M8 thread. I replaced the standard Manfrotto thumb bolt with a low profile M8 bolt.

 

[WalterRayle]

The attached photos explain the issue better than I can with words. I have bought a "3/8" to 1/4" adapter" as recommended by an eBay seller but it doesn't fit - the adapter is about 1mm bigger than the old part. The threads in the field scope mount appear to be serviceable. As far as I'm aware, the Japanese use the metric system. Is there a metric alternative someone can point me to? Or another way to fix this? I contacted Nikon in the first instance however, they have informed me that the field scope is no longer supported by them.

View attachment 1625756View attachment 1625757View attachment 1625758View attachment 1625759View attachment 1625760

You could try contacting Gary at East Coast Binoculars, I expect he'll be able to help.
Good Luck

 

[sirpecangum]

Thank you for the suggestion, he isn't far from me but I'll see how my workaround holds for now - it seems sturdy enough.

 

[Tringa45]

I have never heard of a scope foot with anything other than a 1/4"x20 or 3/8"x16 thread.
It rather looks as if a damaged thread on your scope has been repaired with a helicoil.

John

 

[Alexis Powell]

The attached photos explain the issue better than I can with words. I have bought a "3/8" to 1/4" adapter" as recommended by an eBay seller but it doesn't fit - the adapter is about 1mm bigger than the old part. The threads in the field scope mount appear to be serviceable. As far as I'm aware, the Japanese use the metric system. Is there a metric alternative someone can point me to? Or another way to fix this? I contacted Nikon in the first instance however, they have informed me that the field scope is no longer supported by them.

View attachment 1625756View attachment 1625757View attachment 1625758View attachment 1625759View attachment 1625760

This is a Nikon ProStaff scope, not a Fieldscope, but I don't know if that matters to Nikon service support.

The foot looks like it is plastic, like the foot on the Nikon ED50 Fieldscope. Early production of that scope used a steel helicoil threaded into a threaded plastic socket to make the plastic socket into a 1/4" socket. Those scopes were known to fail in the manner that you show here. When I sent my scope to Nikon, they didn't fix it, but rather, replaced it with a newer production unit with a different foot design. If you can find someone who does machine work, they might be able to fit a new helicoil, or else drill out the socket a bit to allow installation of a new 1/4" socket into the foot (with some epoxy to hold it in place).

--AP