Top 5 Best Tactical Rifle Scopes – Reviews
It is easy to choose a tactical rifle but selecting a scope for it requires sufficient research to make sure it is the best one for your needs. The first thing to consider when you are looking for the best tactical rifle scope is the intended use.
In terms of the intended use, optics vary from one to another. Will the optic be shared between more than one rifle for different uses, calibers and ranges or will it be permanently mated to one rifle?
The basic purposes of tactical rifle scopes are recreational shooting, serious hunting, law enforcement and military application. There are very few scopes that can serve all these purposes well.
To make sure you have the right scope for your tactical rifle, you must determine your intended shooting activity first before comparing scopes based on important factors including durability, accuracy, reticle and light transmission. What exactly do you want to achieve with the scope?
Name | Magnification & OL | Reticle | FOV | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Leupold Mark 4 MR T 2.5-8x36mm | 2.5-8x36 | Tactical milling reticle | 37.50-13.70/12.50-4.60(ft@100 yd/ft@100 yd) | |
US Optics ST-10 Mil GAP FFP Rifle Scope | 10x37 | Illuminated reticle | 12.8 @100yds | |
ELCAN SpecterDR Tactical Rifle Scope | 1x:4x 32 | Ballistic Crosshair Reticle | 146.3 Feet @100yds | |
Schmidt and Bender 5-25x56 PM II LP Riflescope | 5-25x56 | H59 Reticle | 5.3-1.5m (@100 m) | |
Vortex Optics Diamondback Tactical 4-12 x 40 Riflescope | 4-12x40 | VMR-1 (MOA) | 23.6-7.9ft/100yd | |
Millett 6-25 X 56 LRS-1 Illuminated Side Focus Tactical Riflescope | 6-25X56 | Mil-DotBar reticle | -- |
Our Picks
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Score: 5 Andrew Garfield
Leupold, a brand known for its world-class optics, has a line of scopes called the Mark 4. Among the things that make these scopes outstanding are their tactical milling reticle, hassle-free adjustments and their tactile selectors that are easy to operate.
Weighing 16 oz., the Leupold Mark 4 MR/T measures 2.5-8x36mm.With a 30mm main tube, the scope’s housing is made of 6061-T6 aircraft quality aluminum.
The scope is adjustable in 1/4-minutes of adjustment (MOA) windage and elevation adjustments with audible and tactile clicks. It has a 90-MOA of both windage and elevation adjustment.
Along with black matte finish, this scope comes with flip-open lens covers. It has 3.7-inch eye relief and its field of view at 100 yards ranges from 13.6 to 35.5 feet.
Features:
Pros
Cons
If you are looking for a rugged scope with an illuminated reticle, the Leupold Mark 4 MR/T 2.5-8x36mm is a great choice. This is a strong optical tool ideal for medium-range shooting applications.
This tactical rifle scope excels in dependability, durability, accuracy and precision. Its optical quality and performance are among the things serious shooters and hunters love about it.
Score: 5 Andrew Garfield
US Optics has a full line of high-quality rifle scopes, including the ST-10 Mil GAP FFP. This tactical rifle scope is simple in function but it excels in terms of quality and performance.
The tactical rifle scopecomes with a Mil Dot reticle with MRAD adjustments. Its MIL GAP reticle has full MIL and 1/2 MIL hash marks are numbered and laid out in a clean display representing a total of 9 MILs of adjustment below the horizontal axis.
Colored black, this scope comes with a Lithium ion battery. The scope has 3.5-inch eye relief and 37mm objective lens diameter.
Features:
Pros
Cons
The US Optics ST-10 Mil GAP FFP Rifle Scope is ideal for those who need a long-range precision optic. It may be expensive but you will realize it is worth the money because it is packed with features that make it a topnotch scope.
Score: 4.4 Andrew Garfield
What makes the ELCAN SpecterDR Tactical Rifle Scope different from other scopes is its combination of the best features of close and precision fire ranged combats. This is the first dual field of view combat optical sight in the world.
This tactical rifle scope weighs 22.56 oz. and measures 153 x 76 x 76mm. To optimize weight reduction, it is designed with two sights in one and integrated lever-lock mount.
At the throw of a lever, this tactical rifle scope switches from 4x magnified sight instantly to a 1x CQB sight and its 70mm eye relief comes with a wide viewing angle. Included in the package are a battery, an anti-reflective device (ARD) and flip-up lens covers.
Features:
Pros
Cons
Having the ELCAN SpecterDR Tactical Rifle Scope is like having two scopes in one. You get the features of both scopes without doubling the weight while maintaining reliability and effectiveness.
This scope is designed to deal with the demands of modern professional use. It is ideal forboth CQB and Long Range engagements.
Score: 4 Andrew Garfield
Designed for universal use, the 5-25x56 PM II/LP from Schmidt and Bender is highly recommended for tactical purposes. With a large magnification range, this rifle scope is known for its versatility.
The Schmidt and Bender 5-25x56 PM II/LP Riflescope weighs 38.1 oz. Its length ranges from 16.14 to 16.4 inches and its tube diameter measures 34mm.
This riflescope has 5-25x zoom magnification and 56mm objective lens. It also has 11 adjustable illumination intensity levels.
Features:
Pros
Cons
The Schmidt and Bender 5-25x56 PM II/LP Riflescope is designed with law enforcement and military tactical professionals in mind. From medium to long ranges, its versatile optic maintains reliable performance whatever the distance is.
This universal riflescope can do tactical riflescope functions better than many scopes specifically designed for tactical uses. However, you have to be willing to pay the price if you want to enjoy the features of this universal riflescope.
Score: 4.5 Andrew Garfield
Vortex Optics has several tactical rifles copes that are affordable but reliable. One of them is the Diamondback, which has a magnification range of 4-12x and weighs 16.2 oz.
The Vortex Optics Diamondback Tactical 4-12 x 40 Riflescope has a hard anodized finish and a VMR-1 reticle, which is a Plex/Duplex type. Its objective lens diameter and tube diameter measure 40mm and 1 inch, respectively.
The field of view of this black tactical rifle scope ranges from 7.9 to 23.6 feet at 100 yards. It has 3.8-inch eye relief, a 100-yard parallax setting and a focus range of 100 yards to infinity.
Features:
Pros
Cons
If you are looking for a mid-range tactical rifle scope, Vortex Optics Diamondback Tactical 4-12 x 40 Riflescope is a good choice. It is packed with impressive features such as high-quality glass and precise adjustments.
In terms of magnification, this tactical scope cannot compete with more expensive scopes. It is not recommended for long-range precision rifles, as well.
Score: 4.2 Andrew Garfield
For many shooters who often need to take shots from long range distance, an itty-bitty scope isn’t going to cut it. You need a large scope so that even at long distance you still get the bright image you need to see and positively identify your target.
It can also provide a wider field of view than normal, so you don’t have a devil of a time trying to find the target. You get all this with the Millet 6-25x56.
Of course there’s no need to belabor the point that the scope is heavy and large. That’s part of the package. It’s also why with this you can get terrific accuracy on a consistent basis.
Features:
Pros
Cons
The accuracy this gives you for long range shooting is terrific. It’s easy enough to use, and quite practical too. This will get the job done, and long range shooting can be very enjoyable indeed.
How We Wrote This Review
Military people, police officers, competitive shooters and gun enthusiasts can’t just use any tactical rifle scope without researching because optics are not created equal. Trusted brands have models that greatly vary in terms of the use case they are optimized for.
We compared the lists of best tactical rifle scopes from the past five years. The lists have different results because they used different criteria but these lists agree on several things, on which we based this list of the five best tactical rifle scopes.
To verify the reviews in the lists we compared, we checked what gun experts are saying. We also read the reviews of those who have purchased and used these tactical rifle scopes.
The five tactical rifle scopes that made it to our list stand out in terms of the benefits you can get from them. For each scope, we enumerated five features, five pros and two cons before giving our verdict.
How We Chose the Top 5
There are four basic criteria we considered when choosing the models and brands to be included in this list of five best tactical rifle scopes. These are illumination, glass quality, objective lens size and weight.
A good tactical rifle scope has an illuminated aiming point or an illuminated reticle that will make it perform excellently in low-light conditions. If the scope lacks this feature, it can still be considered outstanding if it excels in glass quality, objective lens size and weight.
The glass quality will tell you the highest possible clarity and brightness of the tactical rifle scope. The glass should be durable, tough, coated, crisp and clear.
In terms of objective lens, you want a scope that has a large one for low-light conditions because it will allow more light in making the image brighter. But if you intend to use it in bright daytime conditions, you can choose scopes with smaller objective lens, which are also lighter.
The weight affects the balance of your rifle. While larger objective lens and more magnification have advantages, they can negatively affect the weight of the rifle.
Who Should Buy These Scopes?
For medium-range shooting applications, both the Leupold Mark 4 MR/T 2.5-8x36mm and the Vortex Optics Diamondback Tactical 4-12 x 40 Riflescope are recommended. For long-range precision rifles, go for the US Optics ST-10 Mil GAP FFP Rifle Scope.
If you want a tactical rifle scope that can handle both medium and long ranges, the Schmidt and Bender 5-25x56 PM II/LP Riflescope is a great choice. This is designed to meet the demands of law enforcement and military tactical professionals.
For those who are looking for a tactical rifle scope for CQB and Long Range engagements, choose the ELCAN SpecterDR Tactical Rifle Scope. This is also recommended to those who are looking for scopes with dual function.
Conclusion
Determine the intended use before you go shopping for the best tactical rifle scope. By doing this, you don’t have to spend too much time sifting through the long list of high-quality scopes.
What you need to know is whether you want a scope for medium or long ranges. Most of those that are recommended for medium ranges are not good for long ranges and vice versa.
There are very few scopes that can tackle both medium and long ranges, such as the Schmidt and Bender 5-25x56 PM II/LP Riflescope. However, these models are expensive.
Those with the best features are pricey. But if you are on a budget, there will always be at least one model that will fit your specific requirements.
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