Top 5 Best Air Rifle Scope for Night Shooting – Reviews

Best Air Rifle Scope for Night Shooting

An air rifle is great for recreational shooting or self-defense, and you can use it for a bit of hunting at well. It’s absolutely perfect for small critters such as rats that may invade your property. 

Since many of these critters are generally nocturnal, you’ll then need to make sure you also have the best air rifle scope for night shooting. Without such a scope, it’s safe to say that your shooting accuracy won’t be all great. 

You need a scope in the first place because you want to be very certain about identifying your target. What you don’t want is to hit something in the dark that turns out to be human or a pet. Safety is always a paramount issue when it comes to shooting, and that’s an especially crucial factor at night.

Name

Magnification & OL

Reticle

FOV

Price

ATN ThOR HD 384

1.25-5X

Complex reticles

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X-Aegis Tactical 3-9x56

3-9x56

Mil-dot

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Monstrum Tactical 3-9x32

3-9x32

Range Finder Reticle

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Armasight ORION 5X Gen 1+

5X30-40

FOV 10°

ATN X-Sight II 5-20x 85mm

5-20x

Complex reticles

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Our Picks

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ATN ThOR HD 384

Score: 4.3  Andrew Garfield

Let’s start with something that’s not about illumination. This one is all about detecting heat, which is great for the rural areas when you’re out hunting at night.

Features:

  • You get to see a very accurate heat sensor image of the shape of the target, instead of just an amorphous blob. You’ll know if it’s a rat or a hog if you see it, so you’ll also know if it’s another hunter out there.
  • This comes in several versions with different magnification options. The most affordable one offers 1.25 to 5x zoom, and you can zoom in very smoothly.
  • This has a built-in range finder, so you know how far your target is. 
  • You can also use the system’s ballistic calculator. This calculates the trajectory of your bullet so you know precisely where you will hit your target. All you need to do is to enter environmental data and it’ll do all the calculations for you.
  • It even comes with video and photo recording. You can stream the video to your tablet or smartphone, and you even get recoil-activated video.

Pros

  • By detecting heat, you’ll find it a lot easier to locate any targets.
  • It really shows you the shape of the target, so you will actually know if it’s a rat, a coyote, or a man through the scope.
  • You don’t need to carry an extra rangefinder.
  • You also don’t need charts and complicated reticles to figure out how the bullet will travel.
  • You can record videos of your shots on an SD card, and you don’t even need USB cables.

Cons

  • There’s always this concern with complicated equipment that there are more things that can go wrong.
  • For an air rifle scope, it’s a bit expensive.
  • There may be some “freezing” issues when you’re using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

This may be overkill for just an air rifle. But if you have other rifles, then this is great—and you can use it for your air rifle too. Of course, it’s not exactly built for daytime use, but then for night time use it’s fantastic. No prey can hide from you with this, and you’ll also find other camouflaged hunters at night.

X-Aegis Tactical 3-9x56

Score: 4.2  Andrew Garfield

Now if you’re looking for a bargain-price scope for an air rifle, this one has a much more reasonable price tag. It’s not just for night time use, either. But in low light conditions, this rocks especially when you consider the extremely low price.

Features:

  • This offers magnification from 3 to 9x. The magnification and focus controls are easy enough to use. 
  • The 56mm objective lens lets in a lot of light, so it’s great even when you’re shooting in low light conditions.
  • You can pick from 5 illuminated levels for both red and green mil-dot reticles. This lets you makes sure you have a usable reticle that suits your preferences.
  • This is waterproof so you can use it in the rain, and it won’t fog up. It’s also shockproof as well.
  • It comes with two 20mm mounts for greater stability.

Pros

  • The price of this thing is so low that it’s almost unbelievable. But for an air rifle, it seems apt.
  • You get your choice of reticles with different intensities.
  • It’s made of aircraft-grade aluminum alloy. It’s tough and shockproof.
  • It’s waterproof and fogproof too.
  • It zooms nicely.

Cons

  • It’s a bit picky when it comes to the rails.
  • It doesn’t seem right to use on an expensive rifle.
  • It’s not really for super-precise shooting, but that’s alright with an air rifle.

If this suits the rails of your air rifle, it’s a great choice due to the price and the performance you get. It’s very easy to use and it’s suitable for all types of light conditions. It may be affordable, but it can last for a log while too. It’s quite surprising to find a scope with such quality in such a price range.

Monstrum Tactical 3-9x32

Score: 4.1  Andrew Garfield

This is another affordable sub-$100 scope, and it allows you to shoot at targets from 300 yards away. Now that may seem a bit too much for an ordinary air rifle, but then there are some air rifles that are actually designed for long range shooting. 

Besides, you don’t have to use this just on an air rifle. You can use it for a hunting rifle too.

Features:

  • You can adjust the magnification from 3 to 9x. It lets you see targets from 3oo yards.
  • There are also 5 brightness levels for both the red and green reticles. So you can make sure the reticle is visible even in low light or night conditions.
  • The reticle has markings that allow you to compensate for the bullet drop. This lets you engage shoot at targets at different distances.
  • It’s made from aircraft grade 6061 aluminum. It’s durable yet it’s also lightweight. So if you want to use it in the field, it’s rugged and not cumbersome.
  • It comes with a sealed, nitrogen-charged scope tube. This makes it resistant to water and fogging.
  • It can be mounted to any flat top Picatinny or Weaver rail. This makes it compatible with a lot of rifles in your collection.
  • It offers AO adjustment for range estimation. It eliminates parallax and lets you get a crisper focus.

Pros

  • It offers bright illumination that’s great for low light shooting.
  • The AO adjustment is excellent. It gives you a terrific sight picture, plus the range estimation is quite accurate.
  • The price is fantastic, especially for just infrequent shooters.
  • It’s quite durable as well.
  • It can be mounted on many types of rifles and air rifles.

Cons

  • It can take a while to zero. It may take 20 shots just to dial it in.
  • It may be a bit hard to make the adjustments at first.
  • With its range, it may be somewhat too much for really short range shots.

Lots of people really like this Monstrum Tactical 3-9x32. It’s great for all types of light conditions, and you can really try to go for much farther distances. It’s easy to sue so beginners will love, and it’s still designed for more than just very infrequent shooting.

Armasight ORION 5X Gen 1+

Score: 4.4  Andrew Garfield

Now we’re getting into proper night vision scopes, and this means you should save a bit of money. This is a Gen 1+ design, and that means it’s based on a more basic model but it’s not exactly outdated. 

This comes with a detachable IR810 infrared illuminator, and so you can shine a light on your prey without spooking them.

Features:

  • This comes with 5x magnification, and it’s best-suited for mid-range shooting.
  • It uses an illuminated red cross reticle with variable reticle brightness. It’s easy enough to operate and control even you’re a newbie.
  • It’s quite tough. It has a rubberized body and it features shock protection. It’s also water-resistant as well. It even comes with a 2 year warranty.
  • This uses a CR123A Lithium 3V battery with about 40 hours of battery life. There’s even a low battery indicator in the 10-degree FOV.
  • It can mount to standard Weaver rails, but it can fit to Picatinny rails too.

Pros

  • This is made specifically for night time shooting, and you’ll be amazed at what you can see through it at night.
  • If you have the skill for it you can shoot targets from 100 yards away. You can see targets at that distance with the IR illuminator.
  • It’s extremely durable. It has a shockproof and water-resistant design. 
  • The battery life is excellent, and you even know when the battery energy is getting low.

Cons

  • Perhaps the most notable cause of hesitation is its weight. It weighs 3.7 pounds.
  • You’ll have to get used to seeing thing in green.
  • For some the field of vie may be a tad narrow.

If you want an air rifle scope for real night time shooting, this is a good buy. It uses proper night vision technology but it doesn’t cost all that much compared to other Gen 1. With this you can really shoot in the dark.

ATN X-Sight II 5-20x 85mm

Score: 4.4  Andrew Garfield

Here’s another affordable night vision scope. The modest price is actually amazing, when you consider the many features it brings. It just seems so much more expensive.

Features:

  • This offers 5 to 20 x magnification, with fine tune adjustments available. It can be sued for both day and night shooting.
  • It has a smart range finder that lets you find the distance to the target in just 2 clicks.
  • After getting the distance, the built-in ballistic calculator automatically adjusts the point of impact.
  • It allows for video recording with Wi-Fi streaming. The videos are in 1080p HD.

Pros

  • This really offers super-clear vision with millions of colors. There’s no need to see everything in shades of green.
  • It auto automatically finds the range to the target for you.
  • Once you know the range, it also gives you the target with then ballistic calculator.
  • Now you can share your kills on social media. The video can be even automaticallyactivated through recoil. It has a microphone too.

Cons

  • It’s not exactly super cheap.
  • Turning the focus knob can be hard at the start.

If you can afford this, you need to get it. This is certainly true if you have several types of rifles and not just an air rifle. The quality is amazing. 

It many of the more popular nigh scopes aren’t really as good. It’s reliable, hardy, and useful for all types of conditions, plus it can be used for both night and day. It really is a serious bargain for a serious scope.

How We Wrote This Review

Our reviews try to find the advantages of the scopes from the POV of the user. So we’ve obtained data from various trustworthy sources, and of course we’ve also noted the reviews and comments from actual customers. 

A long list of cool features is well and good, but not if you have numerous complaints about how hard these features are to use or how easy it is for these scopes to break down.

The Real Need for the Best Night Vision Scope

When you do think you’re up for some night time shooting, then you need to think about the issue of safety first. This means that you need to make sure that you won’t inadvertently put anybody else in danger.You can use any GPS watch to ensure better security. According to quickhunting.com, there are lots of GPS watches available for ensuring your safety while hunting."

You can’t even just shoot all willy-nilly and hit the cars parked on the road. You may also hit your neighbors’ houses. Even if you’re out on the field without neighbors and cars to hit, you still need to be careful. 

You have to be very sure that you’re actually targeting the prey you want to hit. You may not be the only hunter out at night, so it’s really dangerous for you to fire at anything that moves. 

It can be another person. Of course, hitting your target is also a crucial benefit of a good scope. At night, it’s best if you limit your shooting for short range targets. This minimizes the danger of misidentifying your target, and you’re more apt to hit the target too. 

Besides, with short range shooting you don’t need as much magnification, and that can cut down on the cost of the scope. With these priorities in mind, let’s take a look at the night shooting scopes you can use for your air rifle.

Types of Air Rifle Nighttime Scopes

There are several types of nighttime shooting air rifle scopes, and they each work a bit differently.

  • One type uses a large light intake and special coatings so that the scope lets in as much light as possible. This allows the scope for use even in low light conditions. If you have streetlamps in the area or if the moon is full, such a scope can work very well.
  • The other type of scope for nighttime hunting emits its own illumination. Red lights are popular because they’re the least likely to scare of your prey, though it may be a bit difficult to see your prey too. Green is also good and it’s much easier to discern and identify your target, but some animals can quickly notice the light and flee.

Some like to use bright white lights as it can be the most illuminating, but then it’s the most likely to scare off the animals. Then there are the scopes with IR capability, which while expensive won’t alarm your target.

  • Then there are the thermal scopes. As their name suggests, they’re generally used to detect heat signatures. So you don’t need any sort of illumination at all to find your target.

How We Chose the Top 5

What we’ve done is handpicked scopes only from well-respected brands. We’ve chosen different models for a wider price range, and of course the more expensive it is the more features it tends to have.

We did make sure that all the scopes here allow you to actually shoot at low light conditions. Some of them weren’t specifically designed for that purpose, but then they work really well enough even at night. Some can even let you shoot in the dark.  it?

You just need to make sure that when you do pull the trigger, you know for a fact that you’re not shooting at another person. Our choices are all rather durable. We also wanted only the ones which weren’t too difficult to use—if a feature is too hard to figure out, then it’s not exactly useful, is

Who Should Buy These Scopes?

Well, the real answer here is simple: if you own an air rifle, then you may as well get an air rifle scope for night time shooting.

The first and most obvious type of shooter who needs this kind of scope is one who likes to hunt small critters at night. That usually means rural types who have can actually fire air rifles at rats and raccoons. 

Using a rifle and a scope is actually a much better way of dealing with rats because you know what you’re targeting. You don’t want to use poison, especially if you have dogs and cats in your home or in the neighborhood. 

But then you can also be just an air rifle enthusiast who likes to shoot at night as well as in the day time. It’s a different kind of skill, and you may just want to get better at it. There’s nothing wrong with that!

Conclusion

The first thing you need to understand is that if you’re going to go shooting at night, a good rifle scope isn’t a nice thing to have. It’s something that you absolutely need. 

Without one on your air rifle, it’s very possible that you may hit a person in the dark because you didn’t know what’s out there when you’re shooting. That’s why target ID is the most important feature. 

After that, you may want other nifty benefits such as nice reticles and ballistic calculators. These are the features that can help you shoot accurate. Just don’t forget that with the best air rifle scope for night shooting, you need to be absolutely accurate about what your targets are!

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Andrew Garfield
 

Andrew is an avid hunter and outdoorsman. He has years of experience in hunting with expert knowledge in hunting tactics, rifle scopes and all types of hunting gear.

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