Best Tactical Rifle Scope
I'm a Texan - My idea of gun control is hitting what you aim at and nothing else - Blake Farenthold
Faith is a funny thing.
As Americans, we share a common belief in freedom, equality, and the ideals that our nation was founded on, but very little else.
We're a multi-cultural melting pot of widely different religious and political beliefs that inspire radical solutions to everyday problems and help to remind us that the liberty that is part and parcel of our everyday lives, gives each of us the right to follow our own destiny and chart our own course.
But faith, that's a gift that we all invest differently, in different things. Some choose to put theirs in movies and culture, for others faith is all about the amount of power a Hemi can lay down, while a lot of us find comfort in embracing each other and the hope of a better future.
For us though, faith is all about being able to shoot straight and stay on target.
We were raised with a rifle in our hands and before we knew how to conjugate a verb, we'd already spent our fair share of time at the range and in the mountains.
Hunting and target shooting were how we spent our weekends and vacations, and even though we have a lifetime devoted to both behind us, we know that we can always get better at what we do.
And we know that you can too.
That's we've made a list of the best tactical rifle scopes we could find so your aim will stay true and you'll be able to shoot the center out of a bullseye and take down a buck at a greater distance than you ever thought you possibly could.
It's time to put your faith in a tactical scope and find out what you're really capable of...
UTG 3-9X32 1" BugBuster Scope
Vortex Optics Diamondback
Nikon M-Tactical
UTG are American made scopes that are designed, engineered, and manufactured in Michigan by Leapers Inc, a company with a thirty history of innovation and excellence.
Since the first UTG tactical scope made its debut just over a decade ago, the brand has gone from strength to strength and has continued to push the boundaries of what hunter and target shooters can achieve with an affordable tactical scope.
Built using UTG's True Strength platform, this nitrogen charged, completely sealed scope has an emerald coating which ensures that it always receives, and allows you to use, the maximum amount of light available.
Using a mil-dot reticle for optimal performance, the BugBuster has an unparalleled parallax view that stretches from three yards to infinity and lockable, and resettable turrets that help you to take all the time you need and carefully adjust the scope to suit your shooting style.
Featuring flip-open lens caps and a two-inch sunshade, the BugBuster has been built to be dependable and tough regardless of where and when you use it.
It'll enable you to effectively zero in and find your target at a range that you never thought possible at a price point that'll put a smile on your face for the next couple of years.
American made, this tried and tested tactical scope has fast become a favorite with hunters and target shooters of all levels of ability.
Made using UTG's True Strength platform, it's a hardy, durable scope that won't let you down no matter where you venture to with it and it doesn't know, or understand the meaning of the word quit. As long as you're out in the wilderness with the BugBuster, it'll always be ready to help you find your mark.
With an effective and proven range of more than five hundred yards, this scope will help you to push yourself further and make the sort of shots that you always thought were impossible.
It's an incredibly affordable way to zero in on your targets and hone your skill set. Built with the everyday, average shooter in mind, it's an easy to use and simple to set up a tactical scope that won't hurt your pocketbook, won't damage your bank account, and will help you to transform the way you shoot.
While we found it to be more than effective at just over five hundred yards, some shooters have complained of image blurring when they tried to find and isolate their target using this scope. If it was just a couple of hunters making throwaway comments, we wouldn't have paid any attention, but as the complaints seem to be a little more widespread, it's an issue that has validity and more than a little weight and could lead to potential sighting problems while you're out in the wild.
UTG seems to be beset by forgery issues, so if you're planning to spend your hard-earned dollars on a BugBuster, make sure that you purchase it from an authorized dealer or a reputable source.
Vortex is an incredibly rare beast. They believe that everything they do is about you. They believe in people, products, and promises.
Fanatical about making sure that they do things the right way, they're constantly improving their product to make your life better and Vortex always says what they mean and mean what they say.
Keeping their promises to their customers isn't just good business, they believe it's the right thing to do. And that's why they, and their scopes, are so beloved by the hunting and targeting community.
The Diamondback Tactical scope is a perfect example of Vortex's core triumvirate working in synchronicity.
Its multi-coated lens is made from dispersion glass to ensure that it always delivers a bright, crisp picture to its etched reticle which is devastatingly accurate throughout the scopes factor four magnification.
Nitrogen purged, and sealed with O-rings, the scope is fully water and fog proof and its single-piece construction means that it is also shockproof and impact resistant.
And it's the turret and parallax knobs, in combination with the fast focus lens, gives you all the tools you need to make those long-distance shots time after time after time.
A tactical scope made with the everyday shooter in mind, the Diamondback has been designed and engineered to help you to always be the best that you can be.
Vortex lives by a code and their way of doing things are targeted toward their clientele. Vortex makes the best so that you can be the best.
The combination turret and parallax dials the Diamondback uses allow you to quickly adjust and find the right magnification and the fast focus eyepiece helps you to perfectly zero in on the right shot every single time, without fail.
Made to be durable, strong, and accurate in all environments, the Diamondback is fully weather and shock proof and has been built to help you make the sort of shots that always seemed impossible.
Everything that Vortex has learned about making tactical scopies has been crammed into the Diamondback. Vortex exists to make your hunting and target shooting life better, and that's exactly what the Diamondback will do. It'll make them better than you ever dreamed they could be.
Before you follow the Vortex path, check the rating on the scope, and make sure that your rifle is included. Vortex is incredibly approachable and they'll let you know if the Diamondback is rated for your rifle. If you don't and it isn't, the results could be catastrophic, for both the scope and your pocketbook.
And while we're on the subject of your pocketbook, the Diamondback will make it hurt. So if you want to minimize the pain that this scope will inflict, talk to Vortex to make sure that it's the right piece of tactical kit for you and your rifle.
While they're more famous for making the sort of cameras that paparazzi the world over love to use in the pursuit of celebrities, Nikon prefers to refer to themselves as a brand that specializes in the production, and innovation of optical technology.
Having undergone a rapid evolution, Nikon's latest generation of M-Tactical scopes has pushed the zenith of shooting mechanics and know-how to the absolute limit.
Nikon proudly, and rightly so, boast about the big, bold performance of the M-Tactical which effortlessly combines inventive lens design and rugged, tough construction in this all-weather, every environment scope.
Their proprietary multi-coating and lens construction prioritizes high, contrast targets and bright light which allows the generous zoom range and fast focus reticle to effectively hone in on anything up to six hundred yards away.
Its incremental parallax and current adjustment mean that nothing within range is out of reach and thanks to its water, fog, and shockproof engineering, the M-Tactical is the constant scope companion that you never knew you wanted, but always knew you needed.
They may not have made their name forging barrels, stocks, and hardware, but as they've always had their finger on the pulse of cutting edge optical development, Nikon has established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the world of tactical scope construction.
If you want to stay on target, Nikon and their M-Tactical scope are a sure-fire way to do just that.
Designed to be a shooter's best friend, the M-Tactical's ergonomic design allows you to easily maximize its, and your, potential.
Nikon's patented technology imbues this scope with a lethal degree of accuracy in any, and all, weather conditions.
The quick focus eyepiece and incredibly focused incremental adjustments that the parallax dials allow you to make will help you to locate, find and target whatever it is that you're aiming at, no matter where you are.
While it isn't the most affordable scope and will inflict a modicum of pain on your bank account, the financial hit that you'll have to take to arm yourself with the M-Tactical will absolutely be worth it when you try it out in the field or on the range. The only issue that it's plagued by is its lack of affordability.
Trijicon TR23 AccuPoint
For the last four decades, Trijicon has been a leading force in the any-light aiming industry and proudly supplies the USMC with their ORCO (Official Rifle Combat Optics).
A long-range specialist with a proven track record in excellence, Trijicon is also the go-to scope of choice for law enforcement officers and veteran tactical shooters.
Offering five to twenty times magnification, Trijicon's longest-range scope, the AccuPoint, gives hunters, shooters, and snipers the ability to accurately extend their range regardless of the light conditions.
Using fiber-optic and tritium design to negate the need for battery-powered illumination, the TR23 is equipped with easy to use external adjusters to allow for windage and elevation and simple to master parallax control that will help to enable you to make far more precise shots over much greater distances.
Fully weather, environment, and impact-resistant, it's a scope that's been built to go anywhere and focus on the target and the target alone.
Chosen by the USMC (United States Marine Corps) as their scope brand of choice and used by law enforcement snipers and dedicated tactical shooters, Trijicon is a company that has dedicated its life to accuracy.
They're the brand that separates the professionals from the amateurs and believes that anyone, given enough time and the right equipment, can make any shot.
This is the scope that SWAT snipers that's made by the band that the Marine Corps have selected to be their sole supplier of targeting optics. That should tell you everything that you'll never need to know about Trijicon and the AccuPoint.
Incredibly easy to fit and use, the AccuPoint has been engineered to combine simplicity and accuracy in equal measure.
Made from aircraft-grade aluminum, it's harder to kill than Steven Segal was at the height of his movie fame. Tough, durable, and accurate, it's designed to go anywhere and hit any target.
All of the innovation, invention, and technological excellence that was used to make the AccuPoint wasn't cheap, which means that this scope is well out of the range of most budgets. It costs the Earth, but like all of the best things in life, it's worth it.
Some of the chemicals used in the AccuPoint's manufacture have been known, according to the State of California, to be carcinogenic and cause birth defects and sterility. The chances that any of the chemicals, used in the amount and combination that they are in the AccuPoint will cause any short-term or long-term problems are, at the very most, incredibly remote. You're more likely to be struck by a meteorite than develop any of the aforementioned health problems, but it is a possibility, even though that possibility is infinitesimally minuscule.
Athlon Optics Midas TAC 6-24x50
Athlon was built to share their love of the outdoors. A proud US sports optics brand, they are devoted to designing and delivering superior quality scopes to their clients.
They made it their mission to create and manufacture the tool that you need to improve your accuracy and make dead center a constant reality instead of it just being an occasional happy accident.
Featuring six to twenty-four times magnification, this Argon purged tactical scope has an infinitely adjustable parallax dial which reaches an effective range of up to one thousand yards.
Designed to minimize reflected light and channel brightness, it'll allow you to zero in on an incredibly clear and accurate target.
With lenses that have been coated to protect them from dirt and dust, this durable, strong weatherproof scope will help you to seamlessly and simply focus on the things you need to and block out everything that might distract from making that all-important shot.
No matter where or how far you roam, Athlon's Midas TAC has been engineered to keep your aim straight and true and will always be ready to hone in on whatever quarry you're pursuing.
Even the best hunters are only as good as the equipment that they use, and the Midas was made to help you to be the absolute best that you can be.
The zero to infinity parallax adjustment that the Midas TAC uses means that in the right hands, it's able to hone in on just about anything that its user wants it to.
Engineered, designed, and built for serious tactical shooters who are serious about long-distance shooting, the Midas brings the world of the professional within easy reach of the amateur.
Argon purged to be completely weather and environment proof, the Midas has been made to thrive outdoors and is as comfortable tracking and hunting prey as it is on a long-distance range.
As it's been made to cater to the more earnest and dedicated tactical shooter, it'll take you a while to get to grips with, but when you do, the time you spent learning how to use the Midas properly will absolutely have been worth it. It's a tactical scope that rewards patience and commitment.
It won't be gentle on your pocketbook or bank account. Accuracy and dependability are costly virtues and as the Midas embraces both, it'll almost certainly reset your finances to zero.
Best Tactical Rifle Scope Buying Guide
Which Tactical Rifle Scope Is The Right One For Me?
The two factors that will limit your choice of Tactical Rifle Scope more than any others are your budget and the range at which you want your scope to be effective.
If you are working with a relatively small budget, we'd always recommend starting with a UTG BugBUster, which you'll be able to refine your skills with before moving on to a tactical scope with a much greater range.
However, if you aren't limited by your budget, and want to shoot further and with far more accuracy than you ever thought possible, the only tactical rifle scope that you should even consider is the Trijicon AcuPoint.
Devastatingly accurate and incredibly easy to set up and use, it's the sort of tactical scope that will change the way you think about shooting forever.
Whichever scope you end up choosing, may your aim always be true and forever on target. And maybe one day, we'll see on the range.
What Is A Tactical Rifle Scope?
A telescopic scope also called a telescopic sight, is a sighting device used for hunting and target shooting that is based on the same principles as a refracting telescope.
It uses magnification, adjustable elevation, and distance dials, and a reticle (a visible targeting display that is usually etched on its forward lens) to allow a shooter to accurately zero in on whatever he or she is aiming at.
A tactical scope is designed to allow a shooter to hit objects at much greater distances than a normal rifle scope would and is precisely engineered to increase a shooter's accuracy at much-increased yardage.
When used properly and with the right degree of technical proficiency, tactical scopes can easily be used to target objects at around one thousand yards and thus exponentially expand a shooter's accuracy and level of ability.
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