Images comparing Tamron 500mm f/8 Mirror Lens with Nikon 70-300 f/5.3-6.3VR.
All images except Swan were taken with a tripod. The Nikon 70-300 f/5.3-6.3VR had VR turned off while on the tripod.

Tamron 500mm f/8 Mirror Lens uses a Tamron Adaptall-2 mount
http://www.adaptall-2.com/lenses/55B.html
(Adaptall-2 mount availible from B&H as Tamron Adaptall Mount for Nikon AI Mfr# C04300 • B&H# TAAMN)

Using Tamron 500mm f/8 Mirror on a Nikon D200 requires setting focus to manual, and setting non-CPU settings to 500mm and f/8.