Our Favorite Riflescopes for Hunting

Riflescopes are one of my favorite topics to write about because it allows me to see the newest and best technology out in the market today. From what I understand, the rule of thumb for scopes is they should be twice the amount of your rifle. For example, if you’re buying a $1,000 hunting rifle, your scope should be around $2,000 to get the most out of your weapon system.

Personally, I have no shame in admitting I’m kind of a snob about certain things, such as beer, guns, and bourbon. I make no apologies for liking the finer things in life, even if they’re incredibly expensive and get me in trouble with my wife.

We didn’t want to do a top 5 type of article on scopes because I love all the scopes I listed below and have at least shot through them if I don’t own them. All of these scopes will be great for hunting and give you your money’s worth. You’ll notice the most familiar brands, such as Leupold, Vortex, Crimson Trace, and Burris. I also included one of a great scope from Sig Sauer to give our readers another option from places they wouldn’t normally look. I hope you enjoy learning about my favorite riflescopes as much as I enjoy writing about them.

Leupold VX-5HD 3-15x56mm Riflescope

The Leupold VX-5HD 3-15×56 is an affordable Leupold scope that won’t break the bank. Leupold makes the upgraded model of the VX-6HD, but I love this scope because it’s about $700 cheaper and works great in any environment without giving up any feature that the newest model would have. My favorite feature on the VX-5HD is the Twilight Max HD Light Management System. If you’ve ever lost a chance at a shot in twilight time due to the way the sun hits your lens, you’ll love this feature.

The Twilight Max HD feature gives you an additional 30 minutes of shooting time by adjusting the amount of light needed to give you a clear sight picture. It also eliminates 90% more glare than other brands, while still providing the HD sight picture.

The Custom Dial System (CDS) elevation dials will allow you to adjust on the fly without wasting time trying to get dialed in. You can customize your elevation and windage adjustments to the specific ballistics of your rifle. This feature will ensure that your bullet caliber is taken into account when shooting at longer ranges.

One thing to keep in mind is all Leupold scopes are 100% waterproof, fog-proof, and shockproof.

Specs

Leupold Mark 5HD 3.6-18x44mm Riflescope

The Leupold Mark 5HD™ riflescope is built for the alternating light conditions of the mountains and valleys of the Western United States. The mark 5 features 3 revolutions of elevation adjustment to allow the shooter to adjust quickly and accurately. Its 18x magnification allows this scope to be used at distances up to 800-1,000 yards and presents a clear sight picture in the larger 44mm tube diameter and 35mm main tube.

The Mark 5HD features the same Twilight Magnification system as the VX models and features a throw lever to adjust the magnification in the smallest degrees possible for perfect clarity and quickness. The Mark 5 also has clear numerical intensity indicators to set the illumination intensity while never losing your previous settings. This feature allows you to quickly adjust the changing light conditions and change back to your normal illumination without worrying about losing your preferred setting.

Specs

Burris Eliminator 4-16x50mm Laser Rangefinding Rifle Scope

The Burris Eliminator is the best riflescope for beginner hunters who don’t have a lot of experience in making adjustments on the fly. the 16x magnification will easily get you to at least 750 yards in any environmental condition (except fog or white-out conditions). The technology built into this scope is incredible and vastly improves your chances of a successful hunt.  The X96 Reticle is made exclusively for the Burris Eliminator and displays your range to target automatically, in less than a second.

As soon as you place the crosshair on the target and press either button on the bell, your range will be calculated into where you should shoot on your target! The automatic trajectory feature is incredibly easy to use with a push of a button. As you press the button, a bright red dot will appear and will be adjusted to your new aiming point when elevation and distance are calculated.

The Windage isn’t fully automated but the reticle will display a 10 mph wind value at the indicated range to the target. This feature allows you to account for the wind without having to dial in exact specifications. You estimate actual wind speed and use the 10 m.p.h. wind value as a guideline for selecting how many dots to hold into the wind. The wind value displays how many dots to hold into the wind for a 10 mph wind. This feature allows you to get a rough estimate on the wind to make those adjustments in a split-second.

Specs

Vortex Optics Razor HD Gen II First Focal Plane Horus H59 MRAD

The Vortex Horus H59 MRAD is one of my favorite scopes to use based on its incredible technology. The Gen II Horus H59 is incredibly expensive and is the one I currently have on my Bergara Premier 7mm Remington Mag.

There are so many features that stand out n the Vortex Horus H59, but the ones you’ll notice immediately are the HD Lens, the L-Tec Zero Stop, and the APO System Index-matched lens that shows every color in its true colors. The L-Tec Zero Stop prevents the elevation turret from being accidentally moved during your hike up the mountains or from any accidental bump on a tree. 

The durability of this scope is as good as it can get from any company with the aircraft-grade aluminum with anti-galling properties for a lighter weight, strong, durable tube. The 4. 5-27x magnification allows me to shoot up to 1,000 yards with my 7mm Remington with a crystal clear HD sight picture. I’ve mentioned before that I don’t take shots at animals at that distance, but I have shot targets at 1,00 yards with this scope multiple times.

The windage tree in the lower quadrants is for fast wind/elevation corrections with great precision. The numbers on the lower stadia have moved outside the windage dots for less obstruction around the vertical stadia. This gives you more clarity while looking through your scope and prevents you from having to pull your eye off your target while making adjustments. 

Specs

Crimson Trace Optics Tactical 3-18x50mm MIL Rifle Scope

Crimson Trace is normally thought of when talking about lasers, lights, and red dot sights. However, they make an incredible riflescope that I have used on my Remington 700 with great success. With an 18x magnification and 50mm tube diameter, you can zoom in to 800 yards with no problem and have a perfect field of view.

The MR1-MIL reticle is the first thing you’ll notice that will blow you away with how easy and clear the illumination is. It offers rapid hold-over points for your windage and elevation without any obstruction into your target for easy adjustments without ever moving away from your target.

The Japanese ED Glass gives tremendous clarity that is not seen in a scope of less than $2,000 that I’ve ever seen. The scope is incredibly easy to set up with the EZ Mount Leveling Indicator and red alignment ring for the best possible eye placement.

This scope is given a lifetime warranty and comes 100% waterproof, shockproof, and fog-proof. You’ll notice this scope is much heavier than most other scopes on this list and has exposed turrets to cut down on the time to make windage and elevation adjustments. Overall, this scope is an incredible piece of equipment that is about 800-1,000 cheaper than the Vortex Horus and Leupold Mark 5.

Specs

Sig Sauer Tango 6T Riflescope

When you initially think of Sig Sauer, you think maybe the P365 or the P226 but you rarely ever think of a riflescope. At least that’s how I was when a friend let me join him at the range to test his new Tango 6T scope out. This scope was chosen by the U.S. Special Forces as their mid-range and CQB riflescope for its precision and ability to make quick adjustments.

This scope works great on bolt-actions rifles but is not really meant for hunting applications. I chose to review this scope because it’s the best scope to place on your AR-style rifle or short-barreled hunting rifle for East Coast hunts.

The HDX optic features an extra-low dispersion glass that is combined with a high transmittance glass to ensure clarity in all conditions, especially bright sunny days. If you’re trying to shoot in low-light, it features a Night Vision (NV) illuminated reticle with a locking dial to prevent accidental adjustments.

It’s completely waterproof and fog-proof with continuous water-emersion of 20 meters deep without malfunction. As I’ve said, this is more of a tactical scope than a hunting scope, but one that I think deserves attention as a versatile scope for many different purposes.

Specs

Conclusion

Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed our favorite riflescopes for hunting as much as we’ve enjoyed them. Before you make your decision on which scope you’d like to own, think about where you’re going to be hunting and what the terrain and environmental conditions are. This will ensure you don’t buy something you don’t need and get the most out of your new scope.

If you’re like me and have trouble picking just one, go with the scope that will fit your needs and cost you less money. All of these scopes above will get you those trophy bucks from almost any distance you’re comfortable shooting from. Good luck and happy hunting!