Avid hunters and shooters know the importance of owning a reliable rifle scope. The right scope can help improve your vision while shooting as well as your accuracy in hitting your target. Whether you are a crossbow hunter looking to get into rifle hunting, a total novice, or an experienced shooter, purchasing a new rifle scope can be overwhelming.
Even so, you won’t find many firearm enthusiasts who don’t use some kind of optical sighting device, or scope, on their guns. So, you want to find the best rifle scope for your individual needs, especially if you want to consistently hit your mark.
Finding a great scope is important for a number of reasons, but primarily because it can really simplify your shooting and even improve your accuracy. If you aim through a scope, you’ve eliminated a third of the difficulty of lining up iron sights. By using a scope, you just line up your crosshairs, or reticle, with your target and go.
Top 5 Rifle Scope
- FIELD OF VIEW: Magnification 2.5-10X with 40mm objective, field Of View: 100 yards of 32.5' @ 2.5x -...
- MULTI-COATED GREEN OBJECTIVE LENS, boast higher light transmittance for better clarity performance...
- Magnification: 6-24x
- Objective Diameter: 50mm
- Specification: 3-9x40
- Magnification: 3-9x
- Specifically designed for hunters and shooters, the Copperhead riflescope offers the highest levels...
- The Dead-Hold BDC is good for hunting and shooting at varying ranges where estimating hold-over is a...
- Features Truplex Reticle. Waterproof, fogproof and shockproof
- Parallax correction preset from 50 yards to infinity
Factors To Consider
So, we know that using a scope can make shooting much simpler. Just line up your reticle with your target, and you are on your way. Even better, if you are a new shooter, learning to shoot can be easier with a scope than with iron sights, since the majority of rifle scopes also magnify. The magnification means your target appears closer and becomes easier to shoot. If you need practice or are just beginning with shooting, this magnification can make quite the difference in hitting your targets and building confidence as a shooter.
The use of scope will only make your shooting easier, however, if you find one that provides all of the features you need and expect. If you end up with the wrong type of scope, or you get one that doesn’t meet your needs or wants, you aren’t likely to enjoy using it. That said, choose the right one, and you’ll likely be doing, even more, shooting, because it will just be that much more fun and satisfying.
Standard Features
Similar to most consumer products, there are a number of standard features you should expect from your rifle scope. These are the features that you want to ensure your scope has before purchasing. In a nutshell, rifle scopes are all about optics and magnification. Some of the standard features you should look for include:
- Magnification to suit your shooting needs, whether short, middle, or long range
- Great eye relief
- Reliable clarity
- The well-lit, large lens
While most scopes on the market will offer these standard features, keep in mind that they won’t all be at the same level of quality. Also, bear in mind that the features you need will differ vastly depending on the type of shooting you do. Long-range shooting, for example, can require very different scope features than close-range shooting.
Unique Features
In addition to the standard features you should always be looking for, you’ll find that there are also unique features that help a scope stand out from the rest. These are the features that are far less prevalent and really make the difference when shooting or hunting. Some of the more unique features you will find in some of the products below are as follows:
- Night vision
- Video recording
- Dusk and dawn brightness coating
On our list, you will find that most scopes include nearly all of the standard features you should expect. However, you will also find riflescopes that offer a wide range of unique features that set them apart from the others.
You may realize that you don’t need any of those unique features. If that’s the case for you, just stick with high-quality, tried-and-true standard features. However, if you are looking for a scope that offers more bells and whistles, we have listed some of those, too, and you’ll learn if those less traditional features are really worth the investment.
Price
Keep in mind that additional features usually comes to a heavier price tag. For the enthusiast, that often does not matter much. However, for the beginner, the price tag may be one of your top considerations.
One good rule of thumb when it comes to purchasing a rifle scope is that you should spend at least half of what you paid for your gun. You are essentially adding on to your existing investment. And you don’t want to be using an expensive gun with a mediocre, lackluster scope. They should be aligned in terms of quality.
Warranty
One other factor to keep in mind when making your purchase is whether or not a warranty is included when you buy your scope. If there is a warranty, there is a bit less pressure on purchasing. And, for reasons similar to why you want a warranty, you may want to choose a manufacturer who provides excellent customer service. This will save you headaches in the future if you find that you have questions, concerns, or feedback related to your purchase.
Once you are clear on the features you need for the kind of shooting you’ll be doing and which features you want to help improve your skill or level of fun, you’ll be better equipped to find the right scope for you. Below, we’ve reviewed 15 of the top rifle scopes on the market. Within this list, you’ll surely find the features you both want and need.