Top 10 Best Rifle Scopes for Accurate and Precise Shooting in 2024

The best rifle scopes are dependable, accurate, durable and have quality components. Making quality rifle scopes takes a lot of time and dedication. If you want the best scope possible, then you have to make sure all the requirements are met.

Rifle scope technology has come a long way since I first mounted a Bushnell on my Marlin .22 lever action as a 10-year-old more than 40 years ago.

Here are the best rifle scopes in 2023.

Our Top Choices

1. Best Overall – Vortex Viper PA 6.5-20x50mm

Vortex is increasingly the scope of choice for so many shooters. The Vortex Viper PA is a mid-range scope price-wise, but it delivers the performance you expect from high-end rifle scopes. 

The glass is what matters where scopes are concerned. Vortex glass is on par with European lenses. The lenses are critical because they focus and channel the light down the tube.

Quality lenses are coated to make the red, blue and green light waves focus together. Cheap scopes do not have this and the image you see will be fuzzy. The fuzziness worsens as the distance increases.

Specifications: 

• It is in a 30mm tube. The 50mm front bell also means you need high rings so you can clear the barrel.
• It is a second focal plane. Parallax adjustment starts at 50 yards and goes to infinity. It has 1/4 MOA clicks.
• The only thing that keeps this scope out of the super precision shooting category is the 1/4 MOA click value. You can buy scopes that go ⅛ of an MOA, which can spell the difference between taking home the money or going home as an also-shot.
• For hunters, this is an ideal scope for any centerfire cartridge capable of reaching out past 500 yards and still making ethical kills.

Pros

• Superior glass
• 6-20 magnification range
• Big 50mm objective lens
• Transferrable lifetime warranty
• Multiple reticle choices

Cons

• Not a close-range scope; at 50 yards and less, the magnification is too much
• Big bell and tube means co-witnessing is not realistic

Summary

I am gradually moving most of my rifle scopes to the Vortex brand. These scopes deliver everything I want in good glass at a price that does not panic my wallet.

2. Most Affordable – Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9x40mm

The Leupold VX-Freedom delivers the legendary performance of Leupold at a price that will not cause a revolt in your bank account. This is a scope you can hand down to grandkids and it will still deliver out-of-the-box performance.

The glass here is equal to European optics makers. To get better, you are looking at NASA-standard glass for telescopes, and a 6-figure price tag.

Here is what sets this scope apart from everything else.

Specifications: 

• You can get a custom-made dial with a CDS (Custom Dial System) scope from Leupold by filling in paperwork using ballistic data from your reloading manual. You’ll get a custom-etched dial for your gun, ammo and the shooting conditions.
• You get several reticle choices, including one for shotgun slugs and one for a rimfire. This scope is actually more than you need for a shotgun or a .22. It is well-suited to the .17 rimfires.
• If you get the hash mark reticles, you can pick MOA or Mil Dot. There is no practical difference between the two; picking one is a personal preference.
• It is a second focal plane. The objective lens, front bell, is 40mm. It has a 1-inch tube.
• Thanks to the Leupold lens coating, the front bell actually does a better job of gathering light than cheap scopes with a bigger bell.
• The parallax is fixed at 60 yards.

Pros

• Transferable lifetime warranty
• Leupold quality
• Superior glass
• Reasonable magnification range
• 5 reticle choices
• Entry level price
• Custom-made dial

Cons

• Not ideal for long-range shooting
• No parallax adjustment

Summary

I have some Leupolds and will not be replacing them. If this had adjustable parallax, I would be buying a few of them for my longer-range rifles like my .300 Win Mag. It is well-suited for my .270.

3. Best Low Variable Power Optic – Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8x24mm

Some shooters want a low variable power optic (LPVO) with a low profile for guns like the .300 Blackout. The Vortex Strike Eagle delivers. Vortex glass is just amazing considering the cost of these scopes.

Let’s look more closely at the specifics. 

Specifications

• You get the excellent Vortex glass in a compact package meant for CQB and reaching out more than 200 yards. The tradeoff is that you get less resolution in dark situations and the reticle will not give you the same precision targeting past 200 yards as a true tactical scope.
• If you buy the 4x magnifier combo pack, it cranks the zoom to an amazing 32x. At 100 yards in good light, you can pick out fine details, like those little tines on a buck that may be big enough to count or not.
• It is a second focal plane scope. The reticle gets bigger as you zoom in.
• The zoom has a throw handle, but the handle will get in the way. 
• If you need a fast-handling rifle that maneuvers well in very tight quarters, that handle will get in the way. If you are not fighting through thick brush, it should not matter.
• The reticle is illuminated red with a CR2032 battery and works very well with moving targets.
• The click values are ½ MOA. At 300 yards, that is an inch and a half. The 4x magnifier means a tighter adjustment would make this more precise at long distances.

Pros 

• Battery not needed
• Throw handle for fast zoom
• 4x zoom available
• Compact
• Rapid target acquisition
• Vortex lifetime warranty

Cons 

• Limited light gathering ability
• ½ MOA clicks
• Not for precision shooting

Summary

This is a carbine scope for daytime use. When the sun is setting or just rising, it does not gather enough light for me. This is certainly a great scope for a .300 Blackout with a 10-inch barrel to stack hogs in the deep woods where they live.

4. Best for Fast Target Acquisition – Primary Arms SLx 1-6 x 24mm

The Primary Arms SLx is another LVPO for shooters interested in fast target acquisition in a compact scope. The glass is good, but not to the same level as the others. It is good enough for the reasons this scope was made, close quarters work and out to a 200-300 yards max.

Specifications

• The tube is 30mm and straight from the eyepiece to the front end. This means the scope will not gather as much light as a bigger bell does.
• The tradeoff for the small diameter front is you can use low rings or high co-witness rings. Co-witness rings let you use the iron sights for very close shooting.
• The quick-view reticle can be illuminated red. You can use this scope without the battery as well. It uses a CR2032.
• Using the hash-marked reticle, you can reach past 200 yards. It is a second focal plane scope.
• Click values are ½ MOA, so it is not as adjustable as some other scopes. At 300 yards, the MOA is about 1.5 inches. 
• The reticle is designed for use on moving targets. Handy if you want to pop coyotes.
• It comes with the Primary Arms lifetime warranty for the original purchaser.

Pros

• Illuminated reticle
• Works without a battery
• Compact
• Fast target acquisition

Cons

• Gathers less light than scopes with a larger bell
• ½ MOA clicks
• Not for precision shooting
• Parallax fixed at 100 yards

Summary

This is another great daytime carbine scope for a hog hunter or a 3-gun shooter. The difference between this and the Vortex is the glass. Still, if all your shots are 75 yards and less, get this scope.

Tactical/Sniper

Tactical scopes and sniper scopes are much the same thing. They have big zooms, parallax correction and a Christmas Tree reticle so you can adjust shot to shot without taking your eye off the target.

They are also expensive, at least the ones that live up to the tactical-sniper reputation are on the pricey side. These scopes may cost more than your rifle.

5. Toughest Rifle Scope – NightForce 8-32x56mm

In the world of long-range, precision shooting, Nightforce leads the pack. The NightForce 8-32x56mm will put in the 10-ring at 1,000 yards and longer if you, your gun and your ammo are capable of it.

This the toughest scope on the market. NightForce has a scope at the HQ that took a 7.62 bullet and still kept working.

Specifications:

• This second focal plane scope has a red illuminated hash mark reticle. It is not a Christmas tree. It uses the CR2032 battery.
• The elevation and windage turrets are adjustable, with a guaranteed return to zero after you are finished shooting.
• Adjustments are in MRAD (Milliradians). MRAD is just a metric system measurement with no inherent advantage over MOA. Click value is .1 MRAD or about ¼ MOA.
• The parallax is 11 yards to infinity. You will need that when zooming in all the way to see that target at 1,000 yards.
• It has a 30mm tube. Depending on the height of your rail, you can use low to high rings.

Pros

• Transferable lifetime warranty.
• Rated for the .50 BMG
• Battery not needed
• Super precise

Cons

• Expensive
• Heavy, 1.75 pounds

Summary

If you need 1,000-yard accuracy in the big bore guns, this is a must-have scope. World records and sub-3-inch groups at 1,000 yards do not lie. I shoot a .50 BMG and I know how these guns shred scopes, much more than the SCAR rifle. That forward recoil from the muzzle brake redirecting gasses is the culprit.

6. Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR II 8-40x50mm

If the Nightforce makes your debit card revolt and you do not plan to go very high power with a .50 BMG, consider the Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR II. You will not get Nightforce performance, but if you shoot to 500-700 yards with something less than an elephant gun, this scope gets it done.

If you want super tough scopes, this is not for you. If you want a long-range scope that will get the job done even with belted magnums without a heart-attack price, this will do.

Specifications: 

• It has a double-windage reticle with hash marks on both lines and the elevation line. This is not as precise as a Christmas tree, but it is more precise than a single windage line with hash marks.
• The lighted reticle has 11 brightness settings. 
• It uses a CR2032 battery.
• The scope is designed for shooting at 1,000-1,200 yards. It has a ⅛ MOA click for super tight and precise adjustments.
• The turrets are also adjustable for shot-to-shot work. They have a guaranteed return to zero as well.
• The 50mm front bell gathers a lot of light. Burris coats the lenses for improved performance.
• Parallax is 50 yards to infinity.
• The 40x magnification is about the highest you can get in a scope these days. Going beyond that, at least with today’s tech, distorts the image past acceptable limits.
• It has a 34mm tube and 34mm rings are harder to find than 1-inch or 30mm.
• The company says it stands up to recoil and shock. I do not know anyone who shoots a .50 BMG regularly who uses this scope. I doubt it will hold up to that much punishment.

Pros

• 40x zoom
• Lighted reticle
• No battery needed
• Value-priced

Cons

• 34mm tube
• Heavy, 1.96 pounds
• Not suited for very heavy recoil

Summary

If you are shooting something 3 football fields away with a moderate recoil rifle without a brake, this is a great choice. You do not need a 650-grain bullet from a .50 BMG to reach 1,000 yards. The .308 diameter bullet in magnum cartridges does it all the time. Lighter guns like the Creedmores can also punch paper at that distance. 

Red Dot

Red dots are not the same as a reflex scope. A red dot has a short tube. A reflex has a single pane in a window. Both have benefits and drawbacks. I prefer a reflex on pistols and short range carbines. I use the red dot on my turkey shotgun, slug shotgun and carbines that shoot 70-100 yards.

7. Aimpoint Pro Patrol

CQB shooters want a scope that gets them on target in a hurry and still allows them to engage targets to 100 yards and sometimes a bit farther out. The Aimpoint Pro Patrol is that scope.

This is a scope that lets you engage up close and still reach 200+ yards if you need to. The close-up work is not as good as a reflex, which we will explore below.

Specifications: 

• It uses a DL1/3N battery. While the battery lasts for thousands of hours, you must have the battery to make the scope work. Dead battery means no scope.
• The 2 MOA dot covers 2 inches at 100 yards. That’s a pretty big area when you are trying to hit a small target. At CQB ranges, that dot is perfect. The dot is red.
• You can add a magnifier. Bear in mind this 3x magnifier also triples the size of the red dot, hiding even more of your target.
• If you chase wild hogs at close range, this is an ideal scope for a repeating rifle like the AR platform. It is also good on carbines and pistol-caliber carbines.
• It has a 30mm tube. You can use a standard ring to mount it to your gun, but the Aimpoint mount (included) is recommended. The wide bands on the Aimpoint grip the scope better than a single standard ring.
• The MOA adjustment is about .6 inches at 100 yards, so this is certainly not a scope for precision work.

Pros

• Rapid target acquisition
• Quick release mount
• Short, compact tube
• Lightweight, 11.6 ounces

Cons

• No magnification
• Requires a battery for the reticle to work
• Not for precision shooting

Summary

This scope is ideal for people who shoot CQB tournaments swear by this scope. Even though I do not shoot those events, I stalk wild hogs in thick brush. Compact scopes that swing easily are important, and this scope does exactly that.

8. Vortex OPMOD StrikeFire II

The Vortex OPMOD StrikeFire II is a red dot scope that looks like a video camera. If you want the ability to engage fast at 50 yards and reach to 150 yards, this is a good choice.

Specifications

• The 4 MOA dot is red or green depending on what you select when you turn it on. That and the 1/2 MOA click value means this is not a precision scope. 
• It is meant for CQB and other close shooting situations. It is very good for 3-gun tournaments.
• You can add a magnifier, but a 12 MOA dot, about a foot across, covers a LOT of the target area no matter what it is.
• Despite appearances, it is lightweight at only 7.2 ounces.
• The scope has a 30mm tube and is best attached with the included cantilever mount. The wide ring holds the scope more securely than standard 30mm rings.
• It uses a CR2 battery. Battery life will exceed 50,000 hours. I still recommend replacing it every year just to be sure.

Pros

• Lightweight
• Switch from red to green dot
• Long, long battery life
• Integrated lens caps
• Manual brightness adjustment
• Vortex glass

Cons

• Pretty big 4 MOA dot
• Magnifier makes the dot too big
• ½ MOA adjustments

Summary

If you are hunting at 75 yards and less, this is a good scope to have. This is a good carbine, .30-30, 30 Carbine, .45-70 and so forth scope. Lever actions in particular are not known for pinpoint accuracy.

Night Scopes

Night vision means you must have some light, either the moon or an IR illuminator. Night vision has a more limited range than thermal and does not see through fog, light rain and bushes.

9. ATN X-Sight 4K Pro Edition 5-20x70mm

If you thought getting into night hunting was too expensive, meet the ATN X-Sight 4K Pro. This is not a thermal vision scope. It is a night vision scope.

This scope also works during the day, something other night vision scopes cannot do. If you can hunt at night and day from the same stand, then you only need one gun and one scope. Hog hunters appreciate this.

Specifications

• High-end night vision scopes, like this one, also provide more detail than a thermal. You can count the points on a buck with the ATN. A thermal might not provide enough detail for that.
• The 5-20 magnification range is actually more than you need for a night vision scope. You will run out of resolution for the image at longer ranges before you max out the zoom.
• For day use, the zoom is wonderful. You can zoom in enough to see very fine details at a distance.
• The scope records video when you pull the trigger. Record your hunt automatically so you can watch it again and again. You focus on the shot and the video takes care of itself.
• ATN’s scopes come with a one-shot zero. Take your shot and use the scope’s internal adjustments to center the crosshairs. There is no need to spend money taking shot-after-shot to sight in your gun.
• This also makes moving the scope from gun to gun a breeze.
• You need very high 30mm rings. The ATN Quick Detach Mount gives you the clearance you need and allows you to co-witness for close shots.
• It comes with a built-in range finder and a ballistic calculator. The scope does so much of the work for you when you are shooting past 100 yards.

Pros

• Compared to a thermal, this is cheap
• Works day or night
• High 60 Hz refresh rate
• Giant 70mm front bell gathers a LOT of light
• Recoil activated video
• One-shot zeroing

Cons

• Range limited at night
• Does not see through like a thermal
• All night vision and thermal scopes have a limited life
• May not be legal for hunts in some places

Summary

If you cannot line up the price of a thermal in your budgetary crosshairs, this is the scope to get. Your range may be limited, but night hunting often means you can get much closer than during the day. Be sure to get the infrared illuminator because a cloudy night will eliminate the effectiveness of this scope.

10. ATN Thor LT Thermal Rifle Scope

You can get into thermal rifle scopes for less than you might imagine. The ANT Thor LT will get you into thermal without a heartfelt conversation with your banker. This scope will not handle heavy recoil. It will stand up to a .30-06 with deer loads. I’d think twice before loading that ‘06 with 220-grain bullets.

Specifications 

• The Thor LT is good on .223/5.56 AR 15. It will also hold up under the .300 Blackout round.
• Thermal lets you see through fog, light smoke and thin cover like leaves. Thermal works equally well in the day. It works in complete darkness.
• It is in a 30mm tube. The front bell is much bigger than the objective lens. You can get by with low to medium runs.
• Unlike its more expensive brothers, this one will not record video.
• It has an internal battery that must be charged. You can get an external battery pack to extend your hunting time.
• It has a fast 60 Hz refresh rate. The scope is less likely to screen freeze when tracking a moving target.

Pros

• Thermal at a reasonable price
• No light source needed

Cons

• At 1.5 pounds with rings, it is not light
• 10 hours battery life
• May not be legal for hunting in all places
• Internal battery; cannot be replaced

Summary

Thermal is where it is at for night hunting. This scope will pick up heat signals past 500 yards. With subsonic ammo and a can, you can snipe yotes, hogs and other nighttime varmints without them ever knowing you are there.

Buying Guide

What makes the best rifle scope? Is there a real difference between a high end rifle scope and a cheap one? How do I decide what I need?

In this review, we give you the top 6 traditional scopes available as of this writing, the two best red dots and the two best night hunting scopes. Each one has different uses and applications.

Traditional

A traditional scope is in a tube and has a set of crosshairs in it. These scope win tournaments, put trophies on the wall and meat in the freezer every day.

A simple, plain scope will not empty your bank account. If you know your gun and your ammo, you will know if you can hit the target or not. In the hands of a real shooter, a 4x scope can drop a speed goat (pronghorn) at 700 yards.

Traditional scopes are easy to use. They are not as precise long-range scopes and do not get on target as fast as red dots. The key is knowing how to use the gun.

Red Dot

Red dots are known for delivering super-fast target acquisition. They are great for fast-moving environments and moving targets.

Reflex scopes, mistakenly called a red dot, give you the greatest situational awareness of any sight. You can focus on the target and still have peripheral vision watching for movement.

At the same time, red dots lack the precision of target and long-range scopes. The dot, which can be 2 to 8 MOA is just too big for headshots on small varmints at 100 yards or more. Red dots also need a battery. If your battery dies when you need it, you no longer have a scope. You have a paperweight. Batteries last thousands of hours.

Red dots are the easiest of all scopes to use. Put the dot on the target and pull the trigger. Red dots are ideal for 3-gun tournaments and speed shooting.

Night

Want to rule the night? Get a thermal or a night vision rifle scope. They need batteries and batteries run down fast.

Night vision often needs an infrared illuminator to cast enough light for the scope to work. Night vision also will not work during the day.

Some scopes, like the one we recommend, will work in the day as a traditional scope. If you turn on the night vision electronics during the day, it will fry the sensors. Night vision is much cheaper than thermal. It works well out to 100 yards or so. Some high-end models can reach 200 yards. Those also cost as much as an entry level thermal scope.

Thermals see through fog (literally), light smoke and light brush, and work just as well at night or during the day. Good scopes can identify a heat source at more than 700 yards. The best scopes also let you identify species at 300 yards.

Thermals are more than night vision. High-end thermal costs several times as much as a good rifle.

Tournament

Before you buy a tournament scope, think about what kind of tournament you’re shooting.

If you do 3-gun, get a red dot. 3-gun shoots mean you have to move from target to target in a hurry. Fractions of a second count.

If you are punching paper at 1,000 yards and beyond, you must get the best high end rifle scope. You need adjustable turrets. You need infinite parallax adjustment. Get a high-end tactical scope.

If you are doing precision shoots at 100 yards, a mid-range zoom is enough. You need the reticle adjustments as fine as you can get them, with ¼ MOA being the minimum needed.

Hunting

Hunting depends on the critter, the environment and the gun. If you chase bears in Alaska, you must have a scope that can handle heavy recoil. A .300 Win Mag is a good place to start.

If you are hunting whitetail in the South, a .308 Win will drop wall hangers and put meat in the freezer. Recoil is much less than a .300 Win Mag. You can use a lighter scope.

Hunting in South Florida swamps for wild hogs means you need a low-magnification scope. You are chasing them through thick brush. Red dots work well here, as do low-power tube scopes.

On the Wyoming plains, you need a scope capable of seeing and identifying a pronghorn at 700 yards. Low-power optics will not get it.

For hunting, use enough gun to do the job right. Use enough scope to clearly identify your target.

Long Range

Long-range shooting, reaching 1,000 yards and more, requires a good scope that handles moderate to heavy recoil.

That bullet has to be moving fast enough to cover the distance. It also has to be heavy enough to maintain enough velocity to reach that far. All that equals recoil. 

It also means you need a scope with the best possible glass and reticles specifically made for long-range shooting. These scopes are not meant for fast shooting. They will do for hunting, especially long distances, but be mindful of the cost and what can happen to a scope on a hunting trip.

General

If you are a general shooter and want a scope that lets you punch paper at the range and hunt critters at various distances, then get a mid-range zoom traditional scope. You will have enough magnification to reach 500 yards. You have enough zoom to see that far.

Value

You get what you pay for. Some of the scopes in this list have a lifetime transferable warranty and they cost more.

We have specifically not listed inexpensive scopes cranked out with little quality control. They simply do not last. If you compare the cheap ones to a quality scope, you literally see the difference.

Some cheap scopes have glowing reviews online. If they did shoot with the scope, maybe they went through a box of ammo. Run 100 boxes of .30-06 through a rifle with one of those scopes and the review will be quite different.

You can save money now and pay later, or you can buy quality now and never pay again.

FAQs 

Conclusion 

If you made me stick with one scope from all these listed, it would be the Vortex Viper PA. It packs value into a reasonable price.

It is dependable. The glass is superb. The lifetime warranty, well you just cannot beat that. While it will not hold up on a .50 BMG, it will stand up to everything else in my gun safe.

The magnification level is a bit high for close range work, but I can work around that. The 20x zoom will get me as close as I need to be.

I know how far I can shoot something with my guns and I know my own limits. This scope exceeds all that, except for my .50.