Gun Scope Reviews – The Complete List
We reviewed an enormous number of products on this site covering everything you could imagine about maintaining your firearms and buying gun accessories. Help us to help you by telling us what you are looking for.
Click the link below to jump to that section. If you are looking for the quickest solution, and want to check out the best gun scopes money can buy, have a look at our breakdown of the best scopes available here.
“Tactical” has become something of a buzzword recently, but gun scopes are one of the areas in which this term actually means something. If you are after a scope for hunting, and want to achieve the maximum possible accuracy and reliability, what you want is a tactical scope. Originally designed for military use, these scopes offer high-precision optics and all the other latest features.
- Zerotac tactical scope – Zerotac are newcomers to making tactical scopes, but we have been impressed with their products so far. In this review, we have a look at whether their tactical scope can compete with more established brands.
- Trijicon MRO – Trijicon is fairly new to the red dot sight market, but they have a great track record with their ACOGs (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight) which are the standard optic issued to the US Marine Corps. These are known for their durability, ruggedness and reliability.
- TRS 25 – Our review of the TRS 25.
Night Vision Scopes used to be very expensive, and this meant that only serious hunters or military professionals used them. Nowadays, advances in active and passive infra-red technology mean that night-vision is affordable for most gun owners. If you are looking to improve your hunting performance, and to be able to stay out shooting late into the night, a night-vision scope could be just what you are after.
- Best Night Vision Scope – If you want a night vision scope but are on a budget, what are some of your best options?
Rangefinders are essentially scopes that allow you to measure the distance to your target. They are especially valuable for advanced shooters who work at extreme ranges, because they allow you to estimate bullet drop. Though it is possible to do this manually, and though we would always recommend you learn this skill, rangefinding scopes allow you to quickly and accurately place your shot at long distance.
- Rangefinder Scope – What qualities do you need to look for in a rangefinder? We’ll answer that question here.
- Long Range Scope – Long-range shooting practice makes you more patient and helps with focus. If you’re a hunter, improving your accuracy is an important part of ethical hunting. You need to be comfortable in your ability to fire a kill shot to avoid any unnecessary suffering on the animal’s part.
Long eye relief scopes are unique in that they can be used on handguns and pistols. Further, they can be scout mounted, and often save your neck – you won’t be craning your neck all that much with long eye relief scopes, when compared to traditional rifle scopes. They therefore offer a more comfortable hunting experience, and will allow you to be out in the field for longer.
- Long Eye Relief Scope – What are some of the best long eye relief scopes that you can buy? That’s answered in this article.
Here at GND, we know that many people are very loyal to their chosen brand. If you’ve got used to shooting with a particular brand of rifle scope, it’s often a good idea to stick with what works.
So if you’re looking for a particular brand of gun scope, or a specific model, we’ve got you covered!
Have a look around the site to to find our reviews of nearly every leading gun scope on the market today.
Gun Scopes by Gun Type/Caliber
SHOTGUN
- Shotgun Scope – If you hunt with your shotgun, and are still relying on the iron sights for aiming, you really need to check out these scopes. Nowadays, a good scope for your shotgun need not set you back a lot of money, and will greatly improve your accuracy at range. In this review, we’ll show you the best available at the moment.
- Shotgun sights – Sights for your shotgun are not something you want to overlook, so this is one article you won’t want to miss
.22 RIFLE
- 22 Rifle Scope – If you are using your .22 for pest control, hunting, or simply for having fun in the back yard, adding a scope can take your shooting to the next level. If you’ve got a good .22 rifle, in fact, a scope is almost a necessity to get the maximum range and accuracy out of your weapon.
308 RIFLE
- 308 Rifle Scope – The humble .308 sometimes gets forgotten about when people are talking about rifles, but to our mind it is still a great caliber weapon with a lot to offer. In this review, we’ll show you how to get the most out of your .308 by fitting a scope that will notably increase your accuracy.
3006 RIFLE
- 3006 Scope – As with any other type of powerful rifle, a .30-06 is best enjoyed when used at long range. In order to achieve extreme ranges, you are going to need an advanced scope. In this review, we’ll show you what to look for in a .30-06 scope, and let you into a few secrets to get the most from your optical system.
AR 10
- AR10 scope – The AR-10 remains more obscure than the AR-15, but is still a great assault-style rifle. Fitting a scope to a rifle like this is a great way to get more accuracy from it, and can make all the difference in dangerous situations. In this review, we’ll show you what to look for in an AR-10 scope.
RIMFIRE
- Rimfire Scope – This scope is one of the top sellers and that is no surprise given the company’s solid reputation of crafting scopes that have precise adjustment knobs, high quality glass and optics.
RIFLE
- Rifle Scope – With so many scopes available, and with everyone looking for something different from a scope, it’s pretty hard to come up with an overall guide for choosing one.
- Vortex Strike Eagle – Our review of the Vortex Strike Eagle rifle scope.
- Mosin Nagant Scope – If you want to upgrade your Mosin Nagant with a good scope, it’s importatn to know what your different options are.
- Lucid HD 7 – Our review of the Lucid HD 7.
GLOCK 43
- Glock 43 sights – A good pair of sights is one of the best ways to upgrade and impove any pistol, including the Glock 43.
best gun scopes for the money under 100 200 300 and 500 dollarsBUDGET GUN SCOPES
Getting a “budget gun scope” used to be impossible, because the fine tolerances used in good optical systems were notoriously hard to make on the cheap. Nowadays, though, as more and more people are using scopes for hunting and competition, it is possible to get a relatively good optical system for not very much money. Even with a tiny budget, you should be able to get a decent scope that will really improve your accuracy at range.
Gun Scopes by Gun Brand
Of course, a lot of people are not just after the best scope, but the best scope for their favorite gun. Even the greatest optical systems do not work equally well on every possible gun, and some combinations are downright unusable.
If you are looking for the best scope for a particular weapon, take a look at the reviews below. In each, we’ll show you our favorite scope for each popular model of gun:
AIMPOINT
RUGER
SIGHTMARK
SIG SAUER
VORTEX
Other Scopes by Function
If you’ve scrolled all the way down here without seeing what you need, I’ll bet you have some pretty specific requirements when it comes to scopes for your weapons. Fear not – here at GND, we’ve also had a look at some of the more unusual scopes available at the moment, and in the following reviews we’ll show you our favorite in each category:
- Mil Dot Rifle Scope – A Mil-Dot scope, for those of you new to the term, is a scope with a reticle that allows you to estimate target range and bullet drop. Military snipers use this kind of scope, and in the right hands it can be deadly. Though still quite niche among civilian shooters, if you need a mil-dot scope this review is the absolute best place to start.
- Thermal Scope reviews – Thermal scopes allow hunters to see in very poor light conditions, and can help to highlight prey by letting you see the heat given off by animals. These scopes remain pretty rare, but if you are looking for one check out our review for our favorites.
- Best Red Dot Sight for Pistol – Red dot sights aren’t just for rifles, they’re for pistols to.
- Best Magnifiers – An outline and discussion of the best magnifiers that you can buy on the market today.
- Best Pistol Laser Sight – What’s the best laser sight that you need for your pistol?
- Best Mil-dot Scope – If you’re on the market for a god mil-dot reticle scope, you’ve come to the right place.
- History of Rifle Scope – An overview and discussion of the history of rifle scopes and sighting systems.
