THE 24 BEST RIFLESCOPES OF 2018

Who We Are

The influence of long-distance shooting has pervaded the optics industry, to the extent that nearly half the scopes in this year’s test are built for way-out-there target work. These precision scopes feature chubby 34mm tubes, computer-drafted first-plane reticles, and turrets with seemingly miles of internal adjustment. They typically weigh about 3 pounds. Their average price is about $2,000.

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So for our test, we grouped riflescopes designed for long-range shooting as a single category. The second category of riflescopes, which we call the “versatile” scopes, are primarily intended for hunting but have enough reticle references for a variety of target work.

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We mounted all riflescopes on guns and rated their ability to make precise aiming adjustments and return to zero, time after time. We also assessed their ergonomics, their looks, and whether they’re suitable for the task they’re intended to tackle. The optics that scored the most points won our Editor’s Choice awards. The optics with the highest value scores won our Great Buy awards.

See the rest of our 2018 Optics Test here.

The Best Versatile Riflescopes

Editor’s Choice & Great Buy: Sig Sauer Sierra3 BDX

Sig Sauer Sierra3 BDX: 4.5-14x50 • $720 for scope; $1080 with linked rangefinder • Bluetooth-enabled smart reticle

Bill Buckley

Buy

As electronics, including illuminated reticles and digital turrets, have seeped more deeply into traditional optics, one goal has eluded manufacturers: the creation of a “smart” riflescope that actually looks like a riflescope. Burris has come close, with its Eliminator, but the rangefinding sight resembles a pregnant Atari. With its smart, svelte, and surprisingly affordable BDX system, Sig has cracked the code on incorporating rangefinding with aiming while maintaining the dimensions of a traditional riflescope. Sig’s secret: linking its very good Kilo rangefinder with the scope via Bluetooth and tying both back to a smartphone app.

The three-part system works, with a few caveats. Once you load your specific ballistics profile into the app and pair the scope and rangefinder with your phone, you can make first-shot hits (out to the 800-yard limit of the system) by ranging the target and then holding the illuminated dot on your reticle on that spot. No more guessing the holdover or dialing the shooting solution with your turrets—the system calculates the hold for you at lightning speed. The reticle has 76 elevation holds and 18 wind holds in addition to Sig’s LevelPlex illuminators that blink when the scope is canted.

The Sierra maintains its familiar lines because it isn’t packed with electronics. The slim belly of the riflescope contains only a Bluetooth receiver and circuitry that lights up the reticle; the computational brain of the BDX system (it stands for Ballistic Data Xchange) is contained in the rangefinder.

Environmental conditions, including temperature, altitude, and barometric pressure, are gathered from your phone’s location services and automatically transferred to the rangefinder. That means you need cell service to get live updates, a serious limitation of the system. But you can manually input these factors, along with wind speed and direction, and adjust them as conditions change or when you're out of cell range. For shooters with basic operating knowledge of a smartphone, the system is simple and fairly intuitive, and it really shines with a partner, one of you ranging and the other on the gun. Single-user utility is slower, simply because it takes time to range, then get back in the scope, place the hold0ver dot, and make the shot.

Of course, any time you add battery-powered components to a system, you risk loss of capability when you lose power. But even without the illuminated reticle, the Sierra is a serviceable scope. We wish its duplex reticle had more etched aiming points for use when the lights go out, but if the power fails (the scope’s battery is rated for 1,000 hours of continuous use), a shooter can always dial a shooting solution using the adequate turret controls.

In an effort to neutralize criticism for what will likely be considered promotion of long-distance hunting, Sig has added a feature endorsed by the Boone and Crockett Club. The app calculates the downrange energy of various bullet weights. If your shot is so far that your bullet lacks sufficient kinetic energy, the holdover dot in the scope blinks to warn you that your ambition may be exceeding your ethics in that particular case.

Sig is bringing the BDX to market at a price that’s within reach of many hunters and shooters. The 4.5-14x50 Sierra we tested costs $720, and you can get it in a kit with the Kilo 1800BDX rangefinder for $1080. The innovation and utility of the system won the BDX our Editor’s Choice award, but by delivering this amount of utility for just over $1,000, it earns our Great Buy award as well.

Maven RS.1

Maven RS.1: 2.5-15x44 • $1,200 • 1st plane MOA reticle

Bill Buckley

Buy

With its brushed-nickel controls, this 30mm riflescope might be the dressiest optic in the field. It’s also a shooter. Maven broke into the optics business by offering customizable, direct-to-consumer binoculars and spotters. The Wyoming company’s first riflescope offers either a simple non-illuminated holdover reticle or a very capable MOA-based reticle that features fast and useful holdover references at every magnification but also precise aiming points for long-distance targets, a capability enhanced by its gem-bright glass and positive, precise turrets.

Zeiss Conquest V4

Zeiss Conquest V4: 4-16x44 • $1,000 • 2nd plane hash reticle

Bill Buckley

Buy

A candidate for all-around scope honors, this workhorse features a non-illuminated MOA-based reticle that has simple references for both fast and precise shooting. The glass is very good, and the controls are simple and precise. Contrary to the trend that has bulked and complicated riflescopes, the 30mm V4 is trim (1.4 pounds) and simple, making it an ideal companion for a walkabout rifle. The only deficiency is its exposed, nonlocking elevation turret. The revolution indicator is confusing, and the dial turns a bit too easily, which could compromise its ability to hold zero in the field.

Steiner H4Xi

Steiner H4Xi: 4-16x56 • $1,150 • Capped turrets

Bill Buckley

Buy

An excellent all-around hunting scope, the Steiner’s glass is among the best in the field. The 30mm H4Xi won the low-light test and delivered good resolution scores. The BDC-style reticle gets quickly on target and has useful hash-and-dot holdover and windage marks. The center-cross illumination is robust, but the capped MOA turrets are small and have indistinct clicks. Made in America, this light, classy hunting scope is priced right.

Meopta Meostar R1

Meopta Meostar R1: 3-12x56 • $1,200 • Battery-free illuminated plex

Bill Buckley

Buy

In terms of optics and controls, there’s nothing especially new here. This is a very good and bright 30mm hunting scope with a traditional German 4 reticle in the first plane. What is new is groundbreaking—an illuminated dot in the center of the reticle that requires no batteries to activate. Meopta has developed a light-sensitive dichroic coating that turns bright red in daylight conditions but lime green in twilight. The first-plane configuration of our sample is perfect for running game and super-fast target acquisition in any light conditions, but it’s not especially useful for precision work.

Bushnell Forge

Bushnell Forge: 2.5-15x50 • $850 • 1st plane MOA reticle

Bill Buckley

Buy

In Bushnell’s new brand alignment, the Forge product line replaces the Elite at the top of the hierarchy, and this 30mm scope is a worthy successor to the lineage. The exposed locking turrets and zero-stop are first-rate, the glass is pretty good, and the configuration serves both hunters and precision shooters. The biggest demerit: The Deploy MOA reticle is busy and hard to see at magnifications under 6x.

Blaser Infinity

Blaser Infinity: 2.8-20x50 • $3,500 • Rheostat-controlled illumination

Bill Buckley

Buy

This elegant optic practically quivers with aristocratic flair. The first riflescope from German gunmaker Blaser, our test sample came rail-mounted on a Blaser R8 rifle trimmed in leather. The pairing is perfect for a Bavarian boar drive or a high-seat roebuck hunt. Curiously, the windage turret is on the left, where you might expect to find the focus on most scopes, and the illumination control on the right. Not just a showpiece, the 30mm Blaser has plenty of game. The front-plane plex reticle is fast, the glass stunningly clear and bright, and the price stratospheric.

GPO Passion 6xi

GPO Passion 6xi: 2.5-15x50 • $1,400 • Illuminated plex reticle

Bill Buckley

Buy

One of the few purpose-built hunting scopes in this category, the 6x magnification ratio of the 30mm GPO covers the gamut from close-in shots to middistance targets. The glass is clear and bright, and the controls—including the center-point illumination, image focus, and resettable elevation turret—are tight and precise. The illuminated German 4 duplex reticle in the second focal plane contains no holdover or hold-off references for longer shots, a deficiency that limits the versatility of this otherwise excellent hunting scope.