Finding the best rifle scope for yourself can be nearly as challenging as stalking the prey itself. With so many choices and so many options, it's sometimes difficult to line up a target. This article will help first of all define the options and choices you have, and give you a plan for finding the best rifle scope to buy.

Ultimately the function of any scope is to help aim, give you an idea of distance to the target, and make acquisition easier. The best rifle scopes are high-quality, precision instruments, very light, rugged and with outstanding optics. To do that there are several features a good rifle scope must possess. In no particular order, here they are. Not directly related to the scope, but crucial nonetheless is your mount. If your scope isn't securely mounted, with no opportunity to move, then you're asking for problems. It's worth it to make sure you have a solid, superbly-aligned mount on which to place your great new scope.

But just as you’re more effective with a rifle and cartridge carefully chosen for the hunting you do, so too will you benefit from a scope specific to the task. The most popular hunting scope in the U.S. these days is a 3-9x variable. If you have one and like it, fine. Of my few dozen scopes, only two are 3-9s. That’s because I’m not a generalist. I prefer a scope that excels for one kind of hunting over a scope that works acceptably for many kinds of hunting.

The Light Stuff

The best sight for a lightweight deer rifle is, for me, a trim 4x or 6x. No need for the extra weight and bulk of a variable. I’ve killed animals at over 450 yards with a 4x—farther than I’m now comfortable shooting game with any scope. The field of view of most 4x scopes approaches 30 feet at 100 yards, enough room to find your target quickly when you have little time, and to follow animals with their throttles open. The 6x is an indulgence, best on rifles with long barrels and fast-stepping cartridges. It seems ideal on a .25-06 or a sub-.30 magnum, especially if you bang away at coyotes or draw a pronghorn tag or hunt sheep.

Carbine-style bolt guns like the Remington Model Seven don’t look right to me when fitted with a 6x scope. I prefer the (typically) shorter tube of the 4x, better yet the straight front end of a 2.5x. It looks proper on barrels 22 inches and shorter, those appropriate for cartridges like the 7x57 and .308, which are seldom chosen for shots at extreme range. The 2.5x Lyman All American on my pet .270 helped me kill a buck at about 300 yards, and save for targets that are partly hidden, it delivers plenty of precision that far. Iron-sight quick in the brush, a 2.5x or 3x has more reach than most hunters think.

Traditional lever-action carbines demand low-power scopes. In my rack there’s a Marlin 1895 modified by Charlie Sisk that’s nicely fitted with a Leupold 2.5x Compact snug to its receiver. Scope a Savage 99 or Mannlicher-Schoenauer bolt gun the same way to keep the center of gravity low between your hands. Longer but lightweight rifles are also best equipped with small scopes that don’t impair balance. Besides adding weight above the rifle, big scopes stress the mounts. During recoil, weight becomes inertia. More weight means more inertia pulling the scope forward while the rings jerk it to the rear. Oil-can-lid objective bells not only add ounces but also bulk that lifts the rifle’s center of gravity and defies saddle scabbards. A 50mm objective lens does admit more light than, say, the 40mm glass still common on 3-9x scopes. But there’s little difference in definition and no edge in brightness unless you’re shooting at top magnification in poor light.

Just as I can’t recommend 50mm front ends, I’m less than keen about 30mm tubes (standard 1-inch scope tubes measure 25.4mm). With few exceptions, the 30mm tube gives you no optical advantage; it simply allows for more adjustment latitude because the erector assembly has more room to move. That’s a useful feature on tactical rifles, not on most big game rifles.

Powering Up

High-power scopes make sense on rifles configured for long shooting at targets and varmints, not only because magnification increases precision, but because the necessary length, bulk and weight of such scopes have negligible effect on the handling of heavy rifles shot mainly from rests or a low, sling-assisted position. Variable power is an asset. Low power helps you aim through active mirage. And you’ll want less magnification if your rifle must double for game bigger than prairie dogs, coyotes or woodchucks. A 4.5-14x or 4-16x range gives you great versatility, the 6.5-20x more precision. Choose a 40mm or 42mm objective to keep the scope in low rings.

Shooting sod poodles at high noon, or flailing away at iron rams during a silhouette match, you’ll seldom lack light. Hunting big game at the edge of day, light may be dim, but you’ll want to crank the scope down below 8x for big targets anyway. At that magnification a 40mm lens gives you a 5mm exit pupil, almost as big as your eye can use in poor light. Bigger front lenses do add resolution and brightness when magnification exceeds 8x or so. One other thing to keep in mind: eye relief (the distance between your eye and the ocular lens that gives you a full field of view) may diminish as you boost power in variable scopes. On hard-kicking rifles, you’ll want enough eye relief to spare your brow.

High-power scopes (over 9x) merit an adjustable objective for two reasons: First, you can dial in zero parallax for any given range, so that even when your eye is slightly off the scope’s axis, the target will be where it appears. More importantly, an AO scope allows you to fine-focus for a sharper target image or to check the mirage at mid-range. Traditional AO sleeves on the objective bell are being supplanted by a more convenient dial on the left side of the turret.

Many high-power scopes feature target-style knobs that protrude far from the scope body and are made to turn while you’re in shooting position. These knobs are useful for target shooting and handy on a windy day in dog town. But they’re ill suited to a big game rifle. Long enough to get in the way, they also look awkward and are easily damaged in a fall.

Specialty Scopes

Specialty scopes for shotguns and muzzleloaders typically have extra-long eye relief (more than 4 inches) so you can mount them well forward. Cantilever mounts on shotgun barrels work well with scopes of this type. So do black powder rifles that require easy access to firing mechanisms that lie under ocular bells of ordinary scopes. A bold, thick reticle is standard on shotgun/muzzleloader scopes because it’s easy to see, and there’s no need for great precision when hunting big game at modest ranges. Scopes for turkey hunting commonly feature a circle in combination with a plex reticle. The circle, typically subtending 30 inches at 40 yards, can be used as a rangefinder.

Scopes for sporting-weight .22s share the relatively low magnification of shotgun/muzzleloader scopes, but reticles aren’t so coarse. Rimfire riflemen shoot mostly at less than 100 yards, just like hunters with shotguns and muzzleloaders. For this reason all three types of scopes are commonly set to be parallax free at short range; 75 yards is the norm, or about half the zero-parallax distance for an ordinary scope.

Finding A Good Fit

Other factors to consider would be the image and it's quality. There are several things to think about in this regard. It's just vital that the optics deliver as much light as possible to the eyepiece. The more light you have to work with, the sharper the resolution and eventually the shot. This is one reason why larger objective lens scopes (50mm) have become more popular recently, as the larger the light gathering capability, the more you have to work with. Lens quality is a huge issue, too, and can be detected by any distortion visible around the edges. Lens coatings are applied to quality optics to reduce reflection causing glare and help gather light for a crisper, brighter image. Don't buy a lens that's not at least multi-coated.
Scope finishes vary from traditional high-gloss black to matte black and matte silver (to match stainless receivers). Matte finishes bring less attention to you in the woods and, to my eye, look best on all but very shiny rifles.

Adjustment capability is also important. A good scope will have little or no movement of the reticle, nor should it. You don't want your aim reference point changing from one shot to the next. Check for Parallax error as well. This is when slight changes in eye position change the aim of the scope. You can expect most quality rifle scopes to be parallax error-free to 100 yards. Magnification of the target image is another item to consider. If you're hunting with a very powerful gun over a great distance this may be something you would want. Most the time however you don't want any magnification, as it fiddles with your natural ability to reckon distance drop.

Scope quality matters. So does the compatibility of scope and rifle, and their fit to the shooting you do most.

Finally make sure the scope you buy is watertight; sealed tight as a drum, and totally fogproof. Keeping these things in mind while you're search for a new rifle scope will help you save money, heartache, and missed shots!