Scopes

The best Vortex scopes cover just about every job a rifle or pistol can do, from a budget deer scope to an LPVO that costs more than most of the rifles it rides on. That range is the reason Vortex is the brand so many shooters start with, and the reason it is so easy [...]

The Arken EP-5 GENII 7-35×56 delivers sharp glass, confident tracking, and competition-ready controls for $749. It is not perfect, but this precision rifle scope performs well above the price printed on the box.

The Zero Compromise Optic ZC210 is expensive, heavy enough to notice, and missing true 1x. After shooting it to 1,000 yards, into darkness, and behind a thermal clip-on, I also found it frustratingly hard not to like.

The Project 47 Force 360 takes a machine-shop solution to a decades-old scope-mount problem, using collet-style 360-degree clamping and a clever built-in leveling system. After installing it, shooting with it and digging into how it works, I came away impressed.

The best Trijicon optics are the ones you mount and stop worrying about. Trijicon built its name on the ACOG that rode on military rifles for decades, then made the RMR the benchmark for slide mounted pistol dots, and today it makes everything from a 1.2 ounce pistol dot to thermal scopes for hog hunting. [...]

The Vortex Strike Eagle 1-10×24 FFP brings motion activation, a useful BDC-style reticle, and real LPVO versatility into a budget-conscious package. It is not flawless glass, but for shooters chasing reach without premium pricing, this optic has more fight in it than the price tag suggests.

The Vortex Razor HD Gen III 4-24×44 FFP hits a brutal sweet spot. It brings elite Razor glass, precise tracking, and hard-use durability into a compact package that feels tailor-made for DMRs, gas guns, and lighter precision rifles.

The best Burris scopes have earned a spot on a lot of hunting rifles because they give you good glass, honest tracking and a Forever Warranty without a premium price. Burris builds everything from simple duplex hunting scopes to first focal plane precision optics, a digital smart scope and a family of FastFire red dots, [...]

MOA, or minute of angle, is an angle equal to 1/60 of a degree. At 100 yards it covers about 1.047 inches, which shooters round to 1 inch. At 200 yards 1 MOA is about 2 inches, at 500 yards about 5 inches, and at 1,000 yards about 10.5 inches. Shooters use it two ways. [...]