Deciding on the next scope you should buy for your rifle can be a difficult choice to make. There are so many different varieties and just about as many price brackets. Buying anything online can be tricky, and maybe a little nerve-wracking verse going to a store and seeing products with your own eyes and touching the product with your hands.
Research, in general, is the best route before buying online if this is how you plan to select your next rifle scope.
The Top 6 Rifle Scopes You Should Consider
- Model #181307 - VX-Freedom 3-9x40 Riflescope with a Hunt-Plex Reticle, Capped Finger Click Adjustments and a Matte finish
- A 3:1 zoom ratio is very common in many scope models. It gives you 3 times more magnification at high power than at low power so you can dial your power down for close encounters or all of the way up...
- Leupold’s Advanced Optical System offers tried and true light transmission for extended glassing sessions, best in class glare reduction in harsh light, and the resolution and clarity that...
- Designed, Machined and Assembled in the USA. 100% Waterproof, fogproof, shockproof, and backed by Leupold's legendary customer care
- Upgraded Scope Body Design
- 19mm Germanium lens
- 256x192 resolution thermal sensor
- 2.5x base magnification
- 2.5x-20x digital zoom
- Model #185365 - VX-Freedom 4-12x50 (1 inch) Hunt-Plex and Matte Finish
- Designed, Machined and Assembled in the USA. 100% Waterproof, fogproof, shockproof, and backed by Leupold's legendary customer care
- High performance tactical rifle scope with 8-32x magnification for mid to long distance shooting out to 1000+ yards
- Functionally designed first focal plane MOA reticle, with easy-to-read ranging information that remains constant regardless of magnification, for faster range estimation and holdover correction
- Equipped with a parallax adjustment dial that allows for sharper focus of the target image, elimination of parallax, and range estimation
- Inline dial controlled reticle illumination with multiple brightness intensities, for better reticle visibility in low light environments
- Package also includes set of high profile picatinny scope rings, a detachable honeycomb filter sunshade, a set of spring loaded flip-up lens covers
- [Vivid Daytime Imaging] - The T20 features an enhanced sensor that captures cleaner red, green, and blue light, delivering a brighter and more colorful viewing experience compared to dull visuals of...
- [Super Low-Light Performance] - With a large 2.9μm pixel size and 1920x1080 resolution, the T20 captures more light, providing clean, noise-free images in low-light conditions—even without a...
- [Clear Zoom Capability] - Equipped with an advanced A9 processor, the T20 enables 4x digital zoom while maintaining excellent image quality, perfect for long-distance hunting scenarios.
- [Superb quality and durability] - With an IP68 rating, the T20 is water-resistant up to 1.5m (5ft) for 30 minutes and completely dustproof, ensuring reliability in harsh environments. Designed to...
- [Recoil Activated Video (RAV)] - Capture every thrilling moment with the RAV feature, which records the entire sequence before and after your shot, even if you forget to press the record button.
- 35mm Tube Size. Scope providing crystal clear targeting at 12-60x magnification, with a 60mm objective diameter.
- Side parallax adjustment allows fine tuning focus.
- Reticle illumination in both red and green with multiple brightness intensities. Glass Etched Reticle.
- Capped reset turrets are finger adjustable with 1/8 MOA clicks that can be reset to zero after sighting in.
- Nitrogen purged scope body, completely sealed with o-ring, rendering scope waterproof and fogproof.
- Advanced Optical Technology: Experience unparalleled clarity with Sony STARVIS 2 chipset and a high-definition 1920x1080 Micro-OLED HD display, Delivers exceptional Optical performance, ideal for both...
- Smart Features: Includes over-the-air software updates and Wi-Fi capability for easy data sharing.
- Compact and Lightweight: At just under 8 inches in length and weighing 21.3 oz, this scope is easy to handle without adding excessive weight to your rifle.
- Enhanced Connectivity and Long Operating Time: Features a Type-C USB port for external power and a Micro SD card slot supporting 32-128 GB for ample storage. Offers up to 8 hours of continuous use.
- Durable and Reliable: With an IP67 rating and 0.5BMG, the ZULUS HD is fully dustproof and waterproof, ready to perform in any weather conditions.
- Model #177910 - VX-Freedom 3-9x40 350 Legend with a Duplex reticle and a Matte finish
- DUPLEX Reticle - Defined by heavy posts, stands out against cover in low light, and quick target acquisition with thin lines at the center
- Scratch Resistant Lenses - Extreme military-standard scratch resistance for added protection
- Advanced Optical System - Offers tried and true light transmission for extended glassing sessions, and glare reduction in harsh light
- Design, Machined and Assembled in the USA - 100 percent Waterproof, fogproof, shockproof, and backed by Leupold's legendary customer care
- TANGO-MSR LPVO 1-10X28MM - Designed for avid hunters & shooting enthusiasts, this riflescope offers swift target acquisition, industry-leading light transmission & quick engagement; With a High...
- OPTICAL EXCELLENCE - Elevate your shooting game with SIG SAUER's precision optics that redefine every shot; With the 28mm objective diameter, providing a wide field of view & edge-to-edge clarity,...
- HIGH PERFORMANCE - These second focal plane (SFP) shooting scopes ensure your success in the field with the 0.5 MOA adjustment increments & 44 MOA travel-per-rotation characteristics; At 100 yards the...
- SPECIFICATIONS - Second Focal Plane (SFP); Weight: 20.4 oz; Maintube Diameter: 34 mm; Objective Lens Diameter: 28 mm; Waterproofing: IPX 7; Total Elevation Travel, Total Windage Travel: > 100 MOA; Eye...
- WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THE BOX - Apart from the SIG SAUER TANGO-MSR 1-10x28mm Rifle Scope you get a throw lever, flip-back lens covers & a CR2032 battery; ALPHA-MSR 1-piece 7075-T6 aluminum cantilever...
- Ultra Sensitive Thermal Sensor: cutting-edge thermal scope the ThOR LTV delivers an ultra clear visual with its 12 micron sensor and 60Hz refresh rate, providing a distortion free image
- Enhanced Clarity with SharpIR Technology: Utilizing state-of-the-art AI algorithms, SharpIR technology dramatically boosts image sharpness, offering razor-sharp, detailed views of your target.
- HD Video Recording: Capture every hunting adventure in stunning HD with the built-in video recorder. Relive your best moments with crystal-clear footage and share your experiences with the world.
- One Shot Zero - Maximize your shooting efficiency with the One Shot Zero feature. Align the zero reticle to your first point of impact to instantly calibrate your thermal riflescope
- Lightweight - at a 1.4 lbs total weight that allows this compact thermal rifle scope to be mounted virtually to any platform. Plus a comfortable 90mm eye relief.
To ease the pressures of potentially making a bad decision, take a few minutes and learn a little about some of the rifle scopes on the market today by checking our best rifle scopes review.
The Rile Scope Buyers Guide: What You Need to Know
So what are the key advantages of using a rifle scope?
Magnification capabilities
One of the best advantage of using a rifle scope over traditional hunting tools is the ability to easily identify a target from a long distance and perfectly make a superb shot. Most olden hunting tools do not have a zooming capability and this makes them difficult to use when aiming at targets at a far distance.
Some animals are difficult to hunt while in a cross range and most of them can be able to smell your scent before you make an aim; the best way to hunt these kinds of animals is to use a professional scope with magnification capabilities that help you to shoot from a long-range distance.
Accuracy
Unlike common hunting tools, every rifle scope is designed with aiming features and customizable settings that helps a shooter to perfectly shoot on a target without a miss. Most rifles come with magnification and zooming features that enable a shooter to get the best aiming experience ever. It’s very easy to make shots on target with a professional rifle than with a common traditional hunting tool.
Fun and Enjoyable
The best rifle scopes are very fun to use once the shooter learns how to perfectly handle them. Today’s rifle scopes are very easy to mount and most of them are designed with click adjustments that enables you to free your body and not strain too much while aiming at a target.
A professional rifle scope comes with safety features that allow you to easily carry it without the worry or fearing it might go off sometimes.
Ability to Make Long-Range Shots
Unlike common hunting tools and old manufactured rifle scope that can only make shots within a particular short range distance, modern Rifle scopes can be used to perfectly make good shots on long-range targets.
Some rifles are designed with customizable features and settings that helps a user to easily make shots on air, water or land.
What is a Rifle Scope and It’s History?
In 1608, German-Dutch inventor and the earliest recorded patent holder of the telescope Hans Lippershey, and Dutch spectacle maker Zacharias Janssen, creator of the microscope, are to thank for the first refracting telescopes, which lead the way in the first studies conducted on optical shooting aids.
The idea of optical aiming aids was nothing new to the marksman. Since the advent of rifling, shooters have adopted different sights and aiming aids, but they were often primitive in design and were ineffective. Patient records of the era are scarce, but it’s known the first patient for a telescopic rifle scope was filed around 1835-1840 when New York inventor Morgan James and engineer John R.
Chapman collaborated to release the Chapman James Sight. In 1855, designer William Malcolm expanded on the Chapman James Sight by incorporating achromatic lenses and elevation and windage adjustment knobs. Two decades will pass before the telescopic sight gained its notoriety in the American Civil War.
Rifle sights were used by both the Confederacy and the Union armies, proving the design in some of the harshest battlefield conditions of its time. Over the years, warfare, sportsman, and hunters have all contributed to the growth of long-range marksmanship, which in turn led to a small industrial revolution of sorts.
To put it into perspective, some of the longest shots in history were only 600-800 yards until advancements in optics and rifling have enabled marksman to take almost impossible shots up to a mile and a half. The longest shot in history was set in 2017 by a Canadian Joint Task Force Two Special Forces operator in Iraq.
As you can see, from the 17th century to now, the concept of long-distance marksmanship has evolved, Can you still see how modern rifle scope based off these original 19th-century designs? It’s clear that modern optics are much more advanced than their predecessors.
Advancements such as higher resolution lenses, variable and fixed zoom apertures, more advanced building materials and production methods, and over a dozen different aiming reticles you can choose.
Rifle Scope Nomenclature
Before we discuss the best scopes on the market, let’s review rifle scope basics and terminology, that way you are fully armed with all the information you need to make your choice.
First up, magnification. Magnification is dictated by the first number in a series of numbers that look a lot like this “4×32”. The second number is the Objective lens size.
Magnification represents how many times the target will be magnified while looking through the scope. The objective lens is the size of the lens that is on the far end of the scope where all the light enters the optic. This is what’s called a fixed variable scope.
You may also see a number that looks like this “3-9×40.” This is the same concept; you’ll notice a second number added to the magnification variable.
The 3-9 represents the range of magnification power of an adjustable variable scope. With an adjustable variable scope, you can adjust the magnification based on the targets relative distance to the shooter by twisting the power ring knob on the rear end of the scope.
One of the biggest misrepresentations I’ve seen in my experience is a person mistaking the 3-9x by putting 3x9x40, which is fine, marksman will know what you mean, but the misrepresentation could send potential buyers the wrong way, forewarned is forearmed.
The next part of the scope we will discuss is the exit pupil. The exit pupil and the ocular lens is the lens and opening closest to the marksman’s eye where the light that enters the forward objective lens exits and the image of the target is projected into the shooters eye.
The exit pupil is important because when shooting at long distances, there is a split second delay when you see the image of the target. It’s measured in milliseconds, but that could be all the time it takes to throw or land a round on target. In modern scopes, the lenses are generally shock, water, and fog proof.
As mentioned above, the objective lens is the lens at the end of the scope furthest from the shooter. The casing where the objective lens is seated is called the objective bell.
Now that we know a rifle scope is essentially a refracting telescope, we are aware that light passing through the scope is magnified into an image at the focal point of the scope, these focal points are marked by a crosshair, also known as the reticle.
Crosshairs are the sights so to speak, the intersecting points of the crosshair are where the point of impact will be on target if judicial accuracy is practiced.
There are also two more adjustment knobs that the marksman can adjust to influence accuracy, windage, and elevation. The windage adjustment alters the X-axis or the horizontal setting; the elevation adjusts the Y-axis or the vertical setting.
If your windage, elevation, or magnification setting is off compared to the relative distance you are from the target, you will experience what’s called parallax. Parallax is when the point of aim changes when the position of the shooters eye changes. Parallax is extremely common in variable zoom scopes, but with a few simple adjustments, it’s a quick and easy fix.
Reticles, or more commonly known as the crosshairs, come in a variety of styles and designs but understand, they range in complexity. The most popular and probably the easiest reticle to use in my opinion is the standard crosshair, just a cross or T with intersecting points in the center of the optics X and Y axis.
The crosshair is the best used when engaging targets at 100 yards, anything more would require adjustments or the use of a more advanced reticle. The Mil-Dot is the most common reticle used in tactical rifle scopes, each dot in the Mil-Dot reticle acts as a unit of measurement to gauge what distance a target is at without a rangefinder.
The Mil-Dot also can be used for accounting for windage. I think this reticle has gained so much trust in professional circles because the marksman can make fast trajectory adjustments and calculations without the target exiting your point of view.
There are countless other reticle patterns, and each serves a unique purpose, many manufacturers have started introducing their own, unique reticles into the market, but the Mil-Dot is by far the preferred aperture for professional marksman due to its simplicity and precision across the board.
One final factor to consider is the size of the scopes main body, the tube. The scopes tube size comes in two sizes, 33 millimeters, and one inch, this is important because you will need to know what size mounting rings the tube will need to be affixed to the rifle.
Useful Tips on Choosing the Best Scopes For You
Nowadays in the world that we live, most of us find themselves extremely busy with long working hours and hectic activities that do not allow one to create time for a hobby or leisure activity. When you are not busy with your normal activities and want to spend some time to shop for the best rifle scope; use this tips as a guideline for selecting a good rifle.
- Range rifle- Depending on what you wan to do with your rifle, determine whether you require a short range rifle or a long-range scope.
- Shooting accuracy- If you are still learning how to use a rifle scope, choose the right scope because all rifle scopes shoot differently due to their characteristics.
- Adjustment features- Check on the adjustment capability of different scopes and compare them to determine the best rifle scope that will offer you some good customization features.
- Magnification- Check and compare different scopes magnification power.
- Objective lens diameter- larger objective lenses provides a shooter with more light to see a target.
- Eye relief- This represents the distance between your eye and the lens of the scope. a good scope should provide you with an eye relief of about 3.5 inches or more.
Conclusion
Keep in mind; there are about a million different scopes on the market today, each scope serving a specific purpose bending on the weapon, the round, where you’ll be shooting, etc.
I know it seems like a lot to digest, but trust me, once you start to get an idea of what kind of scope you need, it’s all smooth sailing from there. If I had to choose just one scope on the list, I’d have to choose the Leupold FX-3. I choose the FX-3 because the 12 times fixed magnification will always be sighted and zeroed to the distance you plan on shooting at without having to make any parallax adjustments.
The 40mm objective lens allows for greater ambient light to pass through the scope, giving you a much higher resolution without any of the fuzziness. The only downside to a large objective lens is the lack of visibility in humid and low light conditions.
You could always add a night vision scope to your optic system, but that usually costs thousands of dollars and some minor gunsmithing to attach the mount to your gun, unless it has a Picatinny rail system that is. I hope our best rifle scopes review was useful to you. As always, stay safe, shoot true, and have fun! Happy shooting!
