Tactical rifle scopes are designed for use by police, military, and serious civilian users. Therefore, when shopping for a tactical scope, you need gear that has professional-grade optics, a rugged design, advanced reticle options, precision engineering, and rock-solid reliability. It’s necessary to include all of these features in a tactical rifle scope because you want to have faith in your gear. For that to be possible, it must be durable and accurate at all times.
To help you choose the right scope for your rifle, we’ve gathered a list of what to note when buying a tactical rifle scope.
Important Questions to Ask Before Buying a Tactical Rifle Scope
When you begin shopping for a tactical rifle scope, you’ll have dozens of items to choose from. What makes choosing the right rifle scope even harder is the wide price range for different models. So, to make finding a scope that truly meets your needs easier, you should first answer the following question:
- What distance will you be shooting from most commonly?
- What is your maximum range?
- When will you shoot most often? Dusk? Dawn? Low light?
- What caliber is the rifle you intend to mount the scope on?
- How much is the rifle you’re planning to use worth?
- What’s your optic budget?
Once you’ve answered these questions, you’ll be able to narrow down your scope choices. After narrowing down your choices, you can then get into the nitty gritty details that will help you determine which scope will best meet your needs. And only at this point do you start considering features like magnification, parallax adjustment, objective lens size, and reticles.
Tactical Rifle Scope Magnification
When you’re choosing the magnification for your rifle scope, you need to consider when you’ll be shooting most often. Ambient light conditions can affect the magnification you choose unless you only plan to shoot on bright, sunny days. Ideally, if you ever plan to shoot in low light conditions, you need a scope that will deliver enhanced resolution.
Parallax Adjustment
The next feature to consider is parallax adjustment. Choosing a tactical scope with this feature is very important if you have any eye muscle control issues. Today, many scopes feature parallax adjustment via a side focus know. An adjustable objective is ideal because it’s robust and precise. If you can’t find a rifle scope with an AO, a European-style fast focus eyepiece would also be a great choice.
Objective Lens Choices
The objective lens you choose will have a great deal to do with comfort. When shopping for scopes you need to understand that the larger objective lens you choose, the heavier the scope will be. A large objective lens is also more prone to getting knocked around than a smaller one. Another drawback with larger objective lenses is mounting. These larger scopes often have to be mounted above the bore, which may be uncomfortable for some shooters.
Reticle Options for Tactical Rifle Scopes
Lastly, you need to determine what type of reticle you want from your tactical scope. To make choosing a reticle easy, you need to determine which would be the easiest for you to see. Again, you need to consider the time of day that you’ll be shooting. Some reticles are ideal for use in low light or shadowy conditions, and others are not. No matter what reticle choice you make, it should include an option for accurate, fast range-finding.
Most professional tactical shooters will opt for illuminated reticles since those are easy to use any time of day and are by far the most popular option on the market today.
While the tactical scope of your dreams may not be available in your price range, you can get one that meets your needs when you follow the advice above. It’s important to be realistic about your needs and choose a manufacturer with a respectable reputation. Once you get your scope on your rifle, you won’t regret it as long as you’ve chosen one that truly meets your needs.