Guns and Shooting Online
Recommended Riflescopes
By the Guns and Shooting Online Editorial Staff
Over the years we here at Guns and Shooting Online have had a reasonable amount of exposure to a fairly wide assortment of scope brands and models. This little piece is an attempt to list the scopes that we feel confident about recommending. As we continue to test new scopes we will endeavor to keep this list updated.
Please don't write and tell us that we failed to include a model that you particularly like. There are scope lines that we have not owned or reviewed, and therefore about which we have not formed an opinion. Scopes not listed here are not necessarily inferior. In some cases they are omitted simply because none of us have had sufficient (or any) experience with them.
For the purposes of this article we are going to divide the various rifle scope manufacturers' lines into four basic categories: "Five-Star," "Four-Star," "Three-Star," "and "Two-Star." A "Plus" (as in "Four Star Plus" or "Two Star Plus") indicates a product at the top of that category. These categories range from the very best (and most expensive) premium models to the least expensive models that we feel we can recommend for even the most undemanding applications. Within each category the brands are simply listed in alphabetical order.
Note that these "star" categories are not absolute. The best Four-star Plus scopes push the Five-Star lines hard in both optical and mechanical quality, and the best Three-Star Plus lines are hot on the tail of some of the Four-Star models. There are "sliders" out there in scopeland that could reasonable be included in either of two categories.
Both common sense and economic reality suggest that a Two-Star scope that is considered appropriate for use on a Remington 710, Stevens, or NEF deer rifle would not be recommended for use on a Weatherby Mark V or a fine custom built deer rifle. Rifles in the upper price classes naturally deserve four or five star scopes. Likewise, a scope purchased for a rifle that will be shipped halfway around the world for an African safari should reasonably be of higher quality than a scope intended for a rifle used only on local day hunts.
For a list of riflescopes by price class, see the companion article "Riflescopes by Price Class."
Five-Star Scopes
Leupold VX-7
Schmidt & Bender
Swarovski PH, PF Series
Zeiss Victory
Four-Star-Plus Scopes
Burris Euro Diamond, Black Diamond
Bushnell Elite 6500
Leupold VX-3, FX-III
Nikon Monarch Gold
Sightron Series III (SIIISS)
Swarovski AV Series
Four-Star Scopes
Bushnell Elite 4200
Burris Signature Select, LaserScope
Leupold VX-II, FX-II
Nikon Monarch, Monarch X, Laser IRT
Sightron Series II (SIIB) Big Sky
Weaver Grand Slam, T-Series
Zeiss Conquest
Three-Star Plus Scopes
Bushnell Elite 3200
Weaver Classic Extreme
Three-Star Scopes
Burris Fullfield II
Bushnell Legend
Leupold VX-I, FX-I
Mueller Eraticator, Sport Dot, Tactical
Nikon Buckmaster
Sightron SI
Simmons Master Series AETEC
Weaver Classic V-Series and K-Series, Rimfire
Two-Star-Plus Scopes
Bushnell Trophy
Leupold Rifleman
Mueller Extreme
Nikon ProStaff
Redfield Revolution
Simmons Master Series ProHunter
Two-Star Scopes
Bushnell Banner, .22 Rimfire
Mueller APV
Simmons Master Series ProSport
Now, hopefully, you will not feel compelled to write a letter to the editor to ask what we think about the "Brand-X Super Scope." We reiterate, if it's not listed here we either don't care for it or don't know enough about it to have formed an opinion. In any case, the scopes that are listed here represent a reasonable assortment and range of prices from which to choose. Good luck and good shooting!
