Topic: Best Long Range Rifle Scopes of 2022 (Read 34 times)
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Why It Made The Cut
A big, serious precision rifle scope, the Tenmile has a wide magnification range, sweet turrets, and a versatile first-plane co*petition reticle.
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Had the Zeiss LRP S5 not been in the test, the Trijicon would have won top billing. As it is, this is one of the best long range rifle scopes for shooters who want many of the same features as the Zeiss at about $1,000 less. The Tenmile is available in both MOA and MRAD versions with the same excellent turrets and other controls.
Testers noted that the Trijicon’s glass is every bit as good as that of the Zeiss, and praised the responsive turrets and overall handling. Some testers loved the green and red illumination, but a consensus opinion is that the highest intensities of either color isn’t quite enough to use in full daylight. The Tenmile has a monster magnification range, but testers felt like the reticle references weren’t useful until about 7X. The internal adjustment range inside the 34mm tube is among the best in the class, but far below that of the Zeiss.
On the plus side, the Trijicon has better mounting dimensions and the turrets can be swapped out for custom dials if you want load-specific controls. With those attributes in mind, the Trijicon earned higher versatility scores than the single-purpose Zeiss.
Why It Made The Cut
The EP5 contains a ton of value inside a hard-wearing precision scope with co*petition reticle, beefy turrets, illumination, and tight focus.
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How Arken can deliver this amount of performance at such a low price is astonishing. The co*pany dropped its price by $100 over the course of our 3-month evaluation to make it even more affordable.
The EP5 has just about every feature a co*petition steel-ringer is looking for: excellent first-plane reticle that’s available in either MOA or MRAD configurations, good turrets, industry-standard magnification range, decent illumination, and side focus that squeezed down to 25 yards, making this a decent option for rimfire co*petition shoots.
The Japanese glass is better than many of its budget-class peers, and the tree-style dot/hash reticle has all the right attributes for precision work, though it’s not especially visible until about 9X and the center aiming point gets lost in a cluttered background. We like the re-zeroable and zero-stoppable turrets, though they don’t feel as positive as others in the test.
But the EP5 delivers so much utility for such a little price that it’s our hands-down reco*mendation for an entry-level precision scope and the consensus winner of our Great Buy award.
Why It Made The Cut
With great controls, this very useful co*petition reticle sells for an appealing price.
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Vortex has owned the high-end precision scope market since its Razor HD line came along. The co*pany has since lost market share to other brands, but the Venom is a chance to appeal to new shooters looking for an affordable precision scope. It does that with an excellent controls and a very useful reticle in either MOA or MRAD geometry. We loved the 15-yard close focus, a feature that makes this an appealing option for rimfire precision matches. And we liked the crisp turrets (with somewhat limited internal adjustment range, co*pared to peers), though they turned with a sort of tinny feel.
The Venom would have scored higher if it had a better quality of glass and more reliable controls. Our sample shipped with a hinky focus knob that went in and out of focus at far distances. But the zero stop is one of the best in the business—at any price—and the magnification ring turned with smooth authority. co*petition shooters will love the .1 MIL subtensions on the reticle, another rarity at this price point. co*bined with Vortex’s excellent warranty, the Venom offers a tremendous amount of value at this price.
Why It Made The Cut
A battle-hardened scope with an excellent eyebox and massive magnification, this precision reticle has a remarkable amount of references.
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Bushnell has updated its venerable Elite Tactical scope with a brand new proprietary reticle that looks a little like reticles from Horus. The EQL reticle is built for co*petition shooters, arranged in what’s called a 2/10 MRAD grid. It features a floating-dot aiming point, a bisected hash system for elevation holds, multiple ranging and mover references, and floating half-value dots. Beginning shooters, or those who like an uncluttered image, will co*plain that this EQL reticle is too busy; but the co*petition shooters on our test panel loved the amount and arrangement of references.
The Elite Tactical’s glass and coatings are excellent, and the Bushnell produced one of the best low-light marks in the test, partly because it lacks illumination and the extra lens element illumination requires. The team was split on the whopper magnification, but ultimately concluded that the image is so degraded above 30X that they would limit utility to 25 or 28X. The reticle’s sweet spot is about 15X. Other favorite features: the very visible turret indexing, the solid RevLimiter zero stop, and the throw lever on the magnification ring. Without that lever, the magnification ring is maddeningly hard to turn.
Why It Made The Cut
While a great scope for shooters who engage targets at middle distances, it’s also a wonderful rimfire scope.
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The Ares ETR is a decent co*petition scope that does most of what precision shooters want: versatile reticle in first plane, good zero-stoppable turrets, and daylight-bright illumination. The test team was split on that reticle. Those who regularly shoot in PRS co*petitions wanted finer references; those who use first-plane reticles for hunting and mid-range target shooting thought the reticle’s open appearance was more versatile. The versatile shooters also love the modest magnification range of the Athlon; the more serious co*petition shooters wanted a little more mag.
The glass is okay, but we noticed some flaring and peripheral distortion at higher magnifications. But probably the greatest feature is the close-in parallax control which will appeal to rimfire shooters, but long-range shooters also noted that once you set the focus for 300 yards, images are sharp all the way out to 800 yards, a feature that minimizes focus fuss in the heat of co*petition.
Why It Made The Cut
The lightest scope in the precision field, this feature-rich optic is suited to a long range hunting rifle or a precision rimfire rifle.
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This is one of the few precision scopes that could have easily been entered in our versatile scope category, or optics that do double duty as hunting and target scopes. The Frontier’s light weight, modest magnification range, and wide focus range make it a good choice for a precision .22 or Western big-game rifle.
There’s even more versatility here. It’s available in either MOA or MRAD models, and the Pro Ext reticle has a ton of references—maybe too much for a beginning shooter, who might describe this as cluttered. But for shooters who understand the inverse horseshoe, the huge amount of elevation and decent amount of windage will place bullets using holdover and holdoff rather than dialing aiming solutions. For those who want to dial, the Frontier has a jaw-dropping amount of turret travel, 158 MOA (46 MIL) of elevation range.
Why It Made The Cut
A worthy cross-over target and hunting scope, this is a good choice for hunters who want first-plane reticle references to place long shots.
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Like the Hawke Frontier, the Spectra could have easily co*peted in our versatile scope category. It’s a decent crossover hunting and target scope, with attributes that do decent service in both categories, even if they’re a little lacking for hunting or precision target shooting alone. Consider the nicely illuminated reticle. It lacks references for the target shooters on our team, but the hunters among us like the simplicity and versatility. Shooters like the heft and durability; hunters thought the scope was too heavy and co*plicated for hard-core Western hunts.
The glass is very good. The infinitely adjustable illumination is very nicely done, and the 25-yard close focus brings targets into crisp focus no matter the distance. But with .5 MIL subtensions, the reticle doesn’t have nearly enough references for shooters who want to engage targets with more precision.
Why It Made The Cut
This new direct-to-consumer brand brings a versatile, tight, and co*pete package at a fair price.
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A new brand in the precision rifle scope space, Blackhound is a direct-to-consumer line has a wide range of products for recreational shooters. The Evolve family of precision scopes is positioned between the high-end Emerge and the entry-level Genesis lines. Our sample has nice styling, with silver accents under the black exterior, and we liked the simple indexing on the low-profile turrets. Available in either MOA or MIL, this is a versatile scope with a magnification range that can do double-duty as a hunting optic. But the reticle is really intended for engaging steel targets. Built around a tree architecture, the reticle has plenty of references that are nicely spaced, and testers especially liked the hash/circles on the windage axis for clear reticle navigation. The reticle doesn’t really beco*e visible until about 6X. We found the illumination control maddeningly hard to turn, and noticed some distracting flares in the image, but overall this is a tight and solid scope with tons of versatility.
Why It Made The Cut
A big, serious precision scope with all the right features, the Conquer has very good glass and an excellent warranty.
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