Best Scopes For 600 Yards [Reviewed 2024]

600 yards is considered a landmark distance; if you can make 600-yard shots you get to walk with a little more swagger around other hunters and shooters. 600 yards is not a short distance, and it’s far enough that it takes specific training, practice, and equipment to make it happen and we're here to help you choose the best scope for 600 yards.

Not surprisingly, a key part of that equipment is going to be the best hunting scope that you choose to make those 600-yard shots. Getting out that far requires a high standard of image quality, magnification, and durability.

Light transmission needs to be uncompromising, chromatic aberration needs to be completely gone, and the color fidelity and brightness need to hold well throughout the magnification range. 

It’s important to note that these scopes are not cheap. The most affordable options will still be hundreds of dollars, and the majority of decent scopes for 600 yards will be over a thousand dollars.

There is a surprising amount of variety between scopes  for 600 yards, so let’s talk a bit about what to look for.

Factors To Consider Before Purchasing The Best Scope for 600 Yards

If you’re shooting out to 600 yards, you’re not going to be using a small-bore rifle. Smaller calibers just won’t make it out that far with any degree of precision, so you’ll be using medium or large bore rifles to get out there. Most of the scopes designed with longer magnifications are made with this fact in mind, but this is the primary danger of trying to penny-pinch when buying a 600 yards scope.

A 600 yards scope that would last forever on a 5.56 may be quickly crippled by a .308 or 6.5 Creedmoor. Durability and strength are probably the first things you should consider, even before image quality. 600 yards Scopes like the Zeiss are held to incredibly high construction standards and are worth considering if you’re able to stomach the price.

Image quality is the next major consideration that should be prioritized even above the reticle and the magnification, in my opinion. Small distortions around the edges aren’t as big of a deal at low magnification and close ranges, but when you get out to 600 yards and high magnification, little distortions and chromatic aberration can make or break the 600 yards scope.

Brightness and light transmission are just the beginning for long-range shooting. Color fidelity, parallax, and chromatic aberration all need to be handled perfectly, or you could miss shots through no fault of your own.

After durability, image quality, reticle, and magnification, here are other features that should be looked at closely.

Features That Matter The Most

Second Focal Plane vs. First Focal Plane

We talked about this above, but here I’ll explain exactly what the difference is. A second focal plane reticle stays the same size no matter where in the magnification range that you are. The reticle is overlaid on the image and they act independently of one another.

The main impact this has on your shooting is that the mil-dots, hash marks, or other markings can only be accurate at a single magnification, and all the manufacturers that I’m aware of set them to be accurate at the longest magnification range.

A first focal plane reticle grows and shrinks as the zoom gets higher and lower. It stays the same size in relation to the target area, not to your eye. What this means is that the markings are accurate at all levels of magnification, so can be used throughout the whole range.

All things being equal, FFPs will more expensive than SFPs, but they are also generally considered more useful, especially at long ranges.

Resettable Turrets

Turrets are an often overlooked feature for new shooters, but it’s important to get turrets that fit what you’re doing. You can find turrets that are finger adjustable or require a coin or special tool to adjust, and you’ll want to find a 600 yards scope that has turrets that fit with what type of shooting you are doing.

Another important feature that turrets can have is to be quickly resettable to zero. This is particularly handy for best long range scope because after you adjust for and take a shot that’s uphill, downhill, or in a strong wind, you can quickly set your 600 yards scope back to zero without remembering exactly how many clicks you went in each direction or wasting time.

What Makes A Great Scope for 600 Yards?

The right magnification and the right reticle are part of what makes a great quality scope for 600 yards. In addition, having an FFP scope instead of an SFP and having a high-quality optical system are required to be a great scope for 600 yards.

At high magnification the scope naturally can’t let in as much light, so having a scope that maximizes light transmission and keeps the image as bright as possible makes a big difference, not only in low-light situations but even in daylight.

Along with this, having a large objective lens of at least 50mm is important for a long-distance scope.

The basic rule to start out with is only use as much magnification as you need to see the target clearly. If that’s 12x at 600 yards, great. If that’s 25x at 600 yards, great. With that, let’s hop into our recommendations for the best scope at 600 yards.

10 Best Scopes For 600 Yards

1. Vortex Optics Viper 6.5-20x50 SFP

The Vortex Viper 6.5-20x50 is a second focal plane tactical rifle 600 yards scope, or SFP. This has a few implications for you as a shooter. First, the mil-dot and Dead-Hold BDC reticles will only be accurate at the full 20x magnification, so if you are wanting to calculate holdovers using the reticle, you will need to be at 20x to do so properly.

With experience you can always get a sense for how the markings function at different magnification levels, but it will not be as precise as it is at 20x.

The Viper is one of the more affordable scopes on this list, and is a great option for newcomers to the 600-yard range. It’s not illuminated, but the parallax is adjustable from 50 yards to infinity. The 20x should be plenty to see clearly at 600 yards, and the XR multi-coated optics give good light transmission.

2. Athlon Optics Argos BTR 6-24x50 

This is the first truly budget option on this list, and is a great way for a casual shooter or beginner to jump into the long distance game. The Athlon goes from 6x all the way to 24x, and it’s a first focal plane reticle (FFP) scope, which means that the MOA hash marks on the duplex will be true-to-size all the way through the magnification range.

The center portion of the reticle is illuminated, which can be handy as the markings are very thin and can be difficult to see even in daylight. You get parallax adjustment and the 24x will make targets look roughly the same size at 600 yards as they do with the naked eye at 25 yards. You get clear images and an eyepiece that’s easy to focus.

Low light conditions are a bit hard on this 600 yards scope, though, which is a common problem with high power scopes and one of the reasons the good ones are so expensive.

Overall, the Athlon is a very impressive scope especially considering its price tag. Image brightness and clarity won’t be at the same level as the more expensive scopes, but at roughly a quarter of the price, it’s still an amazing bargain. 

3. Bushnell Elite Tactical DMR II Pro 

This is one of the expensive scopes, but it’s a great option if you want your 600 yards scope to be able to open up wide all the way to 3.5x and still go in as far as 21x. 3.5x is right in the range of a prism scope or other CQB optic, so the versatility of this scope is impressive. Being a first focal plane, the reticle is just as useful at 3.5x as it is at 21x.

The quality of the optical system is great and this scope is a powerhouse, though you certainly pay for the privilege. The turrets have Bushnell’s RevLimiter Zero Stop, which keeps your turrets locked into your zero unless you want them to move. The throw lever on the zoom ring, on the other hand, makes it very easy to quickly change magnification.

The finish is matte black and it’s a good-looking scope. Bushnell’s IronClad warranty is good and they stand by it.

4. NightForce SHV 5-20x56mm Riflescope

This is another option if you are interested more in SFP riflescopes. An SFP reticle is usually cheaper than an FFP, which is one of the reasons why the SHV is as affordable as it is, and if you’re planning on only needing to use the markings on the reticle when you’re at maximum magnification anyway, then there’s no reason not to get an SFP.

Also, if the shooting that you are doing allows you to make all of your windage and elevation adjustments using the turrets, then an SFP reticle can even be preferable to an FFP for some shooters.

You can get either the non-illuminated or illuminated versions of the SHV, though the the illuminated version will run you a bit more. Your reticle choices are an MOAR reticle or a fairly bare-bones duplex called the Forceplex.

Want to know more about best nightforce scopes? Check out our guide.

5. Leupold VX-3i LRP 6.5-20x50mm 

If you like the image quality of the NightForce but are definitely looking for a first focal plane, then the Leupold VX-3i is worth considering. Your minimum magnification doesn’t go as low as most of the options on this list, so it won’t be as versatile at different distances, but for shooting at long range, the image brightness on the Leupold is phenomenal.

Leupold has their proprietary Twilight Max that does a great job of maximizing the light transmission and image clarity. There’s no illumination and the adjustment clicks are .1 MIl instead of .25 or .125 MOA. .1 Mil is a little bit larger than .25, which means your adjustments won’t be quite as precise, although the difference will be so small as to probably not matter.

Leupold is similar to Nikon in their reticle philosophy; Nikon will often stick with a simple duplex with minimal addition and Leupold is the same way. This is often great for a hunting rifle but at long ranges this can be a drawback.

The Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9x50mm can be used with a 50mm rifle. A 50mm rifle scope can help improve accuracy, increase effective range, and enhance target acquisition.

6. Vortex Viper PST Gen II 5-25x50 FFP

You can think of the Vortex Viper PST as like the Viper’s big brother. It has a wider magnification range, an FFP reticle, and it’s much more expensive. It’s tied for second place on this list for maximum magnification, and the 25x should be enough for the vast majority of shooters.

Turrets are exposed and tactical-style, which makes it easy to see where you’re at and switch between different levels. It is o-ring sealed to be waterproof, argon-purged to be fogproof, and constructed from aircraft-grade aluminum to be shockproof.

Adjustment clicks are .25 MOA and you can adjust for parallax from 25 yards to infinity. It’s not the lightest 600 yards scope or the shortest, but it’s manageable and comfortable to use.

Want to know how that scope works? Check out our detailed vortex viper pst gen II reivew

7. Monstrum G2 6-24x50 FFP Riflescope

Let’s take a break from the high-end, expensive options and go back down to what I would consider the ultimate budget choice. It’s FFP, has parallax adjustment and an illuminated reticle along with a wide magnification range that goes all the way up to 24x.

The eye relief is fairly long, and it’s a comfortable 600 yards scope to use. Parallax is done via the adjustable objective. Why is it so affordable? Well the image isn’t as clear as with more expensive scopes and it won’t hold up to nearly as much punishment. Depending on what you’re shooting, you may be able to knock it off zero relatively fast.

A scope this cheap isn’t going to still be working great 100 years from now, or even 10 years from now unless you don’t shoot very often, but it should work great while it lasts.

8. Primary Arms PLx 6-30x56mm  

I’ll be honest, prior to this review I was not familiar with the PLx line from Primary Arms, and I’m used to them being a “budget” option, albeit a good one. Imagine my surprise to discover an incredible long-range riflescope with a price to match.

With 30x magnification, seeing your targets clearly at 600 yards is no problem. It’s a good thing that the scope is FFP, because 30x is more than I like in most cases. The reticle is the Advanced Combined Sighting System Athena BPR MIL reticle, and it’s just as complicated as it sounds. The Athena reticle gives an entire array of dots for holdovers.

Personally, the Athena is too much for me, but I don’t compete in long-range shooting. For competitive shooters, the PLx may be the best option on the list largely due to the Athena reticle and 30x power. If you’re not shooting competitively, it might make more sense to look at a different scope option.

9. Burris XTR II 5-25x50mm

The Burris XTR II comes in two different flavors: either MOA or Mil, so you can choose whichever you prefer. The reticles are the same basic design just with either MOA or Mil hash marks, and the turrets can either be Mil or MOA adjustments based on which model you select.

It’s an FFP scope and has parallax adjustment via the side knob. Burris’ “Forever Warranty” is exactly what it sounds like: they warranty the scope not just while you own it or even until you die; they warranty it from now into infinity and beyond.

This is a chunky scope but still manageable, and the Hi-Lume multi coating gives it great image clarity, especially at long ranges.

Looking for more details about that scope? Check out our detailed Burris XTR II 5-25x50mm review

10. Zeiss Victory V8 2.8-20x56mm

There are a number of things that separate the Zeiss from the other scopes on this list. First is how low the magnification can go and how wide the magnification range is. Going from 2.8 to 20x is eye-popping and incredibly impressive.

What’s even more impressive is how bright, clear, and colorful the image is throughout the entire range. Multi-coated doesn’t even begin to cover it, and it’s hard to understand until you’ve actually used the scope.

The next thing that sets it apart is that it’s an SFP scope, which makes a certain amount of sense just due to how wide it opens up, but for shooting at 600 yards specifically it may not be quite as perfect, unless you want to use the full 20x magnification, in which case it will work great.

The price tag of this scope is just as eye-popping as the magnification range, though, so be prepared to pay a premium for the optical quality that Zeiss is known for.

Benefits of Having The Best Rifle Scopes For 600 Yards

It is certainly possible to make accurate shots at 600 yards with a scope that wasn’t designed for it, just like it’s possible to run with dress shoes on, or hike with tennis shoes. Just because it’s possible doesn’t mean it’s pleasant, effective, or sustainable. Different scopes are designed for different things, and it’s important to get a scope that was designed with long-range shots in mind.

First, your magnification will be in the correct range. Instead of trying your best with a 3-9x scope, you can zoom in all the way to 20x or even 30x to see the target as clearly as if it were right in front of you.

Having the right amount of magnification for your preference is important so that you can strike the right balance between seeing the target clearly and keeping yourself oriented and your image bright.

Second, it helps immensely to have a reticle that was designed with long-range precision shooting in mind. Granted, if you’re using an SFP scope and don’t want to use the maximum magnification, then a relatively simple duplex may be all you want, but in most cases some kind of BDC reticle and other tools to assist in calculating holdovers is better.

Last but certainly not least, a scope designed for shooting at 600 yards is going to be tougher and more shockproof than one designed for 200 yards and below. This means that a scope designed for 600 yards will last much longer at that distance and help your hard-earned dollars go further when you buy one.

Hunting Mark also has a detail article on 'best 1-8x scopes for your rifle'.

Buying Guide

Why Are You Shooting at 600 Yards?

This is the first question to ask. Are you trying to take big game at longer distances? Hunting varmints? Are you gunning (no pun intended) for a job as a SWAT sniper or outfitting your off-duty rifle? Or are you just honing your long-range skills at the range either for competition or recreation?

I can lend my opinion on how different features will probably apply in different situations, but I’m not an expert in every possible scenario that may apply to you, so the first thing you want to do when looking for a scope to shoot at this kind of distance is ask yourself why you’re doing it and what features or specifications on the scope would be most important to your specific task.

Here are my thoughts on what is usually going to make the biggest difference at 600 yards.

Reticle, Reticle, Reticle

With the right reticle, a shooter can use a red dot to hit a 4’x4’ target at 600 yards with no magnification at all. Magnification is important, and I’ll talk about that below, but the importance of the reticle is difficult to overstate. The design of the reticle itself can make the difference between making shots and missing them. Here are some common reticle styles and features you might see.

A BDC Reticle (Bullet Drop Compensation)

This is a blanket term for hashmarks (usually mil or MOA) that extend below the center of the reticle to allow you to quickly compensate for how much a bullet will drop at a certain distance. Using these effectively takes practice, and potentially a lot of practice, because unless you have a rangefinder, spotter, or are shooting at a target you set yourself, you won’t know exactly how far away it is.

You need to be able to tell by looking roughly how far away it is, and that sense only comes with practice. Most scopes designed for 600 yards will have some kind of BDC ladder for estimating holdovers.

Rangefinder

I love the idea of rangefinders, but in my experience there are very few situations in which they are useful. A rangefinder is a portion of the reticle that shows how big an object will appear at different distances, which then helps you figure out how far away the target you’re aiming at is. A rangefinder will be calibrated to an object of a certain size, like an 18”x30” target.

A rangefinder is most useful on a scope for 600 yards with lower magnification in a situation where you are trying to make a long-range shot on the fly and haven’t had a chance to prepare for the shot. A great example would be an LPVO on a scout rifle, and you are trying to take down a varmint that’s much further out than you normally shoot.

If you shoot at longer ranges much, your own sense of distance will quickly make the rangefinder obsolete even if you don’t have a spotter or know how far out the target is.

Illuminated Reticle

Anything that helps make your reticle clear and easy to see is good to have for a 600-yard shot. Your field of view is most likely going to be narrow, and the slightest wobble or twitch will completely shift your target area, so being able to quickly align your reticle is valuable.

That said, there are two schools of thought here: on the one hand, at the higher magnification your image is going to be darker than it would at lower, so you may want to kick illumination on more often. On the other hand, rarely will you be trying to make 600-yard shots in the dark, so illumination may not be very useful for you. Depends completely on what you’re doing.

If you go for a scope with illumination, I’d recommend making sure that it gets bright enough for daylight use, since you’ll probably use it for added visibility in daylight more often than in low light.

How Much Magnification Do You Need?

I’ve shared my thoughts on this before, but it all depends on what you’re doing. If you’re an experienced shooter you already know what works for you. If you’re a beginner shooter, I want to share a couple of thoughts for your consideration.

Higher Magnification Does Not Equal Lower Skill

There’s a perception that using lower magnification requires more skill than using higher magnification. In my experience, this is not true. Magnification and skill are completely independent of each other. Adding magnification does not help you hold the rifle steadier, control your breath, or help your trigger squeeze.

All of those things will mess up your shot exactly the same way whether you have 1x or 50x magnification. Do not make a decision on how much magnification you need based on how experienced you are as a shooter or how you want others to perceive you.

Instead, decide how much magnification you need based on the actual trade-offs.

Trade-Offs Between Lower and Higher Magnification

The higher your magnification, the darker your image will be. With high-end 600 yards scopes the differences won’t be as big, but there’s no way you’ll have an image that is as bright at 25x as it is at 5x. If the target area is too dark, it won’t matter if it’s nice and big in your scope.

The next trade-off as you increase magnification is that your field of view decreases, which makes it harder to orient yourself as you look through the 600 yards scope. If you move a tiny amount, the image in your scope will jump around a lot. If you’re able to reduce the magnification and still see your target clearly, your scope won’t be as difficult to keep oriented.

As you get lower in magnification, the obvious trade-off is that your target appears smaller and you can’t see fine details. It becomes impossible to tell if your crosshairs are perfectly centered where you want them or just close by.

Visit Cameron Porter article on 'best lightweight & compact rifle scopes'.

Final Thoughts

There are a lot of options for scopes designed to help you shoot out to 600 yards. Most of the good ones are pretty expensive, but that kind of distance is only for serious shooters who are willing to (and probably already have) invest into the equipment they need to shoot what they want to shoot.

There are a lot of scenarios for shooting at 600 yards: military snipers, SWAT, big game hunting, varmint hunting, competition shooting, and just recreational target shooting. It’s impossible to say which is the best 600 yards scope for you without knowing your specific circumstances. Quality 600 yards scopes are worth the investment.

Have you used any of the 600 yards scopes on this list? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.