BEST HUNTING RIFLE SCOPES

Improve Your Shooting Accuracy

When you are in the market for buying a new rifle scope, quality is important. Low end rifle scopes will fog up, inside and out, and make it harder to find your game animal within the scope, which could cause you to miss the chance at a trophy animal. There is a lot of qualities that make a rifle scope a good quality scope, and we will cover them in some detail below. Whether you use your rifle for hunting game, target shooting, for home protection, or shooting at the range, buying a rifle scope can often be a difficult venture if you don’t already know what you are looking for. The selection of rifle scopes available is quite large, ranging from cheap to extremely expensive. You will be shocked at just how much a decent scope could cost, with many scopes costing considerably more than many rifles on the market today. To help you sort your way through the good and the bad, there are a few things that are important to look for when you purchase your next rifle scope. A rifle scope is an investment that will last you for generations, and probably even your lifetime, if you make a good investment choice. One thing you don’t want to do is skimp out on the price. Buying a cheap rifle scope will probably end in regret. The higher end rifle scopes are more accurate, more durable, and more dependable.

What Does a Rifle Scope Do?

A rifle scope simply provides magnification, which enables you to see further. It also gives you the ability to aim using the built in reticle, giving you more accuracy shot after shot.

What Will You Use Your Rifle Scope For?

The first step in choosing the best scope for your rifle is to identify exactly what you plan to shoot. Whether you will be hunting big game, small game, hunting in tight quarters, hunting in areas with long range shots, shooting in competation, target shooting, or home defense. The answer to this question will help in deciding what qualities that you need in a good quality rifle scope.

Is a Fixed or Variable Rifle Scope Better?

A variable scope is the best choice because it gives you the best visibility and accuracy in both short range and long range shots. When you start looking at new rifle scopes, you will see numbers that look like 3-9x50 or 6x50. The numbers that look like 3-9x50 means that the scope magnification is variable from 3x all the way up to 9x, which allows you to basically zoom into your target. The 3x50 means that the scope is fixed at a magnification of 3x. The benefit of using a variable powered scope is that you can adjust the magnification for those longer range shots, and zoom out for closer range shots. The benefit of using a fixed powered scope is that you don’t need to adjust the zoom, and they often offer a clearer, brighter view, at a lower cost. If you intend to shoot at different distances, a variable scope is the best choice.

What is the Best Rifle Scope Reticle Type?

The duplex reticle is the best choice for a rifle scope for good clarity, accuracy, and precision, in combination with being simple to use. A reticle in a rifle scope can be illuminated, or not illuminated. The most common types are the standard crosshairs, a duplex reticle, a mildot reticle, or a bullet drop compensating reticle. With the duplex reticle, which is the simplest crosshair pattern, is great for target shooting, as well as hunting. A mildot reticle is just like a duplex reticle, except that it has dots that help you to estimate the distance of your target based on size. A mildot reticle is great for military, security, and law enforcement. A bullet drop compensating reticle has hash marks near the bottom that will help you gauge where your shot will hit at a certain distance, which is great for long range shots. These are a little more complicated to use, but are a must have if you plan to shoot long range.

What is the best size Objective Lens for a rifle scope?

50mm is the perfect size objective lense for hunting. The objective lens is the lens at the end of the scope responsible for transmitting light into your scope. The larger the objective lens is, the more light that can enter your scope, which provides for better performance in low light conditions. You can easily identify the size of the objective lens by looking at the second set of numbers. Using the same example scope of 3-9x50, the 50 is the objective lens size in mm, so this scope would have a 50mm objective lens, which is an ideal size to have.

High Tech Rifle Scope

There are also rifle scopes that will connect to your smartphone, and help to calibrate the shot for even more accuracy. As well as scopes with night vision or thermal vision. If money is no object, these are truly amazing scopes, but out of financial reach for most of us.

Leupold Mark 5HD Rifle Scope

The Leupold Mark 5HD rifle scope delivers superior edge to edge clarity and extreme low light performance, while the versatility of its multiple reticle options will give you an advantage at the range or in the field. With three revolutions of elevation adjustment, the Mark 5HD was built to max out the performance of the latest long range rifles and ammo. • 5 to 1 Zoom Ratio • Professional Grade Optical System • 1/10 Mil or 1/4 MOA Click Adjustment • M5C3 Zerlock® Adjustment • M1C3 Adjustment Motion Sensor Technology • MST™ 35MM Main Tube • Waterproof, Fogproof, Shockproof

Vortex Razor HD Gen III Rifle Scope

The next evolution of the wildly popular Razor scope line is the Vortex Razor HD Gen III 1-10x24 rifle scope brings the highest level of first focal plane performance to those who demand the versatility of 1 to 10x power. Military, law enforcement, sportsmen, and competition shooters alike will love the clarity of an HD optical system and a crisp, illuminated reticle in a package. A true 1x on the low end and daylight bright illumination for reliable performance in all conditions makes this a single solution for both close quarters shooting, as well as long range. • Highest end first focal plane performance • Accurate holdovers through entire • 1-10X range Engage targets out to 1,000 yards or more • Class-leading HD optical system Crisp, colorful, and bright images • Wide field of view Illuminated reticle with 11 intensity settings • Vortex's XR Plus lens coatings • Armorteck coating • Anodized Stealth Shadow finish • Waterproof (IPX7), fogproof, shockproof performance

Bushnell Elite Tactical XRS3 Rifle Scope

Insane accuracy, that’s the best way to describe the Bushnell Elite Tactical XRS3 6–36X56mm rifle scope. This new scope lineup showcases Bushnell’s new and revolutionary G4P MIL-based reticle in a feature loaded optic that is extremely accurate and built to still be scoring center hits generations from now. If you are looking for a scope to elevate your long range game, this is the right scope for you. This battle forged, competition hardened rifle scope was built for maximum clarity and light transmission. With their proprietary G4P floating dot reticle, target acquisition and holdovers are fast and efficient. Also, Check Out the Best Rifles

Vortex Crossfire II Rifle Scope

Super clear, tough, and bright, the Vortex® Crossfire II® Rifle Scope, has a 1'' aircraft aluminum tube, forgiving eye relief, and a fast focus eyepiece. The fully multi-coated lenses provide you with amazing light transmission and super crystal clear clarity, and resettable MOA turrets for instant adjustment in the field or at the range. • Built on 1'' aircraft-aluminum tubes • Longer, more forgiving eye relief • Fast-focus eyepiece • Fully multi-coated lenses deliver amazing light transmission and edge-to-edge clarity • Resettable MOA turrets for instant adjustment Check out our Gun Safes as well! About The Author Mike Mendenhall is the the founder of Mendenhall Outdoors. This website is an extension of the Mendenhall family’s lifestyle and passion for the great outdoors. Everything that they learn, and experience, along the way that they find may be valuable to our website visitors is on the site for you to enjoy. We highlight products and services that you might find interesting. We frequently receive free products from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. If you click a link on this page, then go on to make a purchase, we might receive a commission – at no extra cost to you, and does not impact the purchase price of any products that you may purchase. The Best Rifle Scope Shopping Awaits!