When choosing a scope for your tactical rifle, you have to cut through a lot of the hype, because with this type of rifle, the tendency of most people is to lay on the overkill. Partially that’s because having or building a sniper rifle is cool (and it is) and partly it is because there is some terrific scope technology that is available for them, and we all want to try them out. But choosing a tactical scope that is actually going to be useful for the actual purpose of the rifle requires some thought. Here is what you need to consider.
What is The Purpose of Your Tactical Rifle?
The first thing that you have to decide is what the purpose of your rifle is. Are you building it for law enforcement use? Are you planning to use it in shooting competitions? Do you just love the idea of building a bad-to-the-bone sniper rifle? Each of these could require different types of scopes, and different glass requirements.
Scope Power Requirements Based on Use
If you’re building a tactical rifle for law enforcement use, then anything more than 6X is probably too much. Law enforcement officers never have to take shots past 100 yards and most are quite a bit shorter. If you put a 10X scope on a rifle meant for law enforcement, you’re going to end up with a very narrow field of vision at closer ranges.
For military use, a higher powered scope is probably required. The standard military scope is 10X and this is ideal for body shots at medium to long ranges.
If you are planning to enter competitions with your rifle, you could use several different scopes, depending upon your shooting style and the competition itself. In fact, having 10x, 6x and 4x scopes on hand might be a great idea – as having options at your disposal will certainly be an advantage in competition. As long as the magnification isn’t extreme, a competition shooter can go with just about any magnification they desire.
Finally, if you’re just trying to build a great rifle that you can show off to your friends, or if you are restoring historical rifles and building a collection, you can go with whatever you can fit onto your rifle, or whatever scope was on the historical rifle originally. If your goal isn’t shooting at a very specific type of target, you have a lot more options when it comes to the type and power of scope you choose.