Scopes & Optic Reviews

Technology often has a fantastic trickle-down effect. Anti-lock brakes used to be fully optional – now they’re standard safety features. The same kinds of dynamics are at play in the world of AR-15 optics. You’d be surprised what you can get in an AR-15 scope under $100 – while these aren’t going to be as… Continue reading The Best Budget AR-15 Scopes

Many a rifle whisper will spew forth the advice that one should “spend as much on the glass as the rifle” — but what if that’s not in the cards? I’m more of a “spend what you can realistically afford” kind of guy, which means certain brands aren’t really on the radar a lot of… Continue reading Vortex Sonora Reviewed: Affordable Mid-Power Precision

Ah, the laser sight. Conjuring up images of Stallone’s iconic “Cobra” or the jungle hunts of “Predator,” laser sights have made a lasting impression on our imaginations. Chasing the fantasy alongside our childhood heroes, we dove deep into the realm of AR lasers, leaving behind the Hollywood nonsense and highlighting their unique practicality.

ATN has been a big name in thermal and night vision optics for many years now, with a great many products that fit into the consumer price range they have enjoyed success in that market. For over twenty-five years ATN has been perfecting their products, and increasing the many product offerings with advancements in thermal… Continue reading ATN ThOR 4 Thermal Riflescope Review [Real View Throughs]

Are you a fan of long-range shooting? Are you constantly putting your targets out further and further? If so, then you need to start thinking about first focal plane (FFP) rife scopes. These scopes are fantastic optics for long-range rifle enthusiasts, and they’ve become far more popular in recent years. There are a lot of… Continue reading Best First Focal Plane (FFP) Scopes

To find the best rangefinder binoculars, we had a professional hunting guide spend over 20 hours field-testing 12 pairs against his own $2,600 Leica Geovids. After using our collection of test pairs in the mountains and forests of Eastern Oregon, then on a hunting trip in the heat of southern Mexico, he found that the… Continue reading Best Rangefinder Binoculars: Budget, Hunting, & More

If you’re a pistol enthusiast and you want to take your handgun accuracy as seriously as you would any other firearm, we’ve concluded that the new SIG Romeo2 is the best red dot for most people after a renewed round of testing some of the best-selling pistol red dot sights. We tested these in a… Continue reading Best Pistol Red Dot Sights: Find the Perfect Red Dot for Your Budget

After more than 70 years in service, SKS rifles have been around the block. After replacing the Mosin Nagant the world over (and given the amount of time this rifle has been in the hands of recreational shooters) there’s an incredible number of aftermarket components available to help bring these rifles into the 21st century.… Continue reading The Best SKS Scope Mounts in 2023

From the rudimentary iron sights of yesteryear to today’s state-of-the-art optics, the journey of rifle scopes mirrors the evolution of shooting as both a sport and a survival skill. With a myriad of options spanning price points, sizes, and features, the modern shooter is presented with an overwhelming array of choices. Yet, at the heart… Continue reading The Best Rifle Scopes in 2023

If you want to put down a lot of coyotes, chances are you’ll have to do it at night. To do that, you need the best thermal scope you can get. It is not uncommon to put shots on coyotes at over 100 yards, so a good thermal scope is a must if you want… Continue reading Best Thermal Scopes for Coyote Hunting

Maven Outdoor Equipment Company is an American-based company founded in 2013 by Brendon Weaver, Mike Lilygren, and Cade Maestas. Their goal was to create an optics company that puts quality and performance first without the big box store markup. Maven prides itself on its mountain town roots, operating today from Lander, Wyoming. They design innovative products… Continue reading Maven Optics Review

Is Holosun’s 510c the best red dot sight on the market today? We put the sight to the test to determine if this budget-friendly red dot sight can perform with the best of them.

When it comes to AR-15 optics, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. A rifle’s purpose — what you are trying to achieve with your rifle — should inform your choice of optic. From red dots to prisms, holographic sights, reflex sights, and long-range scopes, we’ll go over what to look for in a quality optic, as… Continue reading The Best AR-15 Optics in 2023

For most of us, our rifles are only as effective as our optics. But if your optics are powered by batteries, as are all red dot and other electrical sights, then those batteries will eventually run dry (often at the worst time) leaving you without any sights whatsoever. Backup iron sights, or BUIS, are a… Continue reading The Best Backup Iron Sights (BUIS)

Ask anyone who owns an AR (or might be in the market for one) why the platform is so appealing — beyond their world-dominating looks — and it almost universally comes down to the customizability of the platform. It’s rare to find an AR owner that doesn’t want some kind of optic on their rifle… Continue reading The Best Offset Iron Sights: Get the Edge

Stock shotgun sights are fair at best and will get the job done in a pinch, but who doesn’t love customizing the sights on a new gun? Like anything else, choosing an aftermarket sight is about setting the shotgun up for a specific purpose. Shotgun sights vary in application – -some excel at hunting, others… Continue reading Best Shotgun Sights: From Tactical to Practical

Coyote hunting has become more and more of a necessity in both rural and urban areas due to their rapidly increasing population. With this rise in coyotes, there have been countless stories and documented incidents of predators attacking domestic animals and livestock. Coyotes are vicious and violent predators who hunt other animals of all sizes.… Continue reading The Best Coyote Hunting Scopes

For those exploring the world of firearm optics, the rise of the Low Power Variable Optic (LPVO) presents a fascinating convergence of versatility, technology, and user-friendly design. Originating as an answer to the evolving needs of modern marksmen, LPVOs bridge the gap between the short-range rapid target acquisition of red dot sights and the distance… Continue reading The Best LPVO Scopes: From Rimfire to Long Range

Some optical brands are household names — Leopold, Vortex, Bushnell, and Trijicon are all jump to mind when thinking of new glass. Monstrum is not one of those companies. They were founded in 2008 with one goal — make gun parts affordable to the typical person. They’ve done just that, and now Monstrum has expanded… Continue reading Monstrum Scope Review [Hands-On]

If you want to get on-target faster, a holographic sight can be an excellent asset. They increase accuracy and reduce the amount of time it takes to aim and fire your weapon. They also provide more reticle options than a red dot sight – like a variety of crosshairs or dot configurations – so if… Continue reading The Best Holographic Sights

Personally, I like to put red dot sights on most of my short-range rifles. Iron sights are incredible, but most of the time, it is just so much easier to use an excellent red dot. You get a clear sight picture, and your target acquisition is much better. Although if you want to shoot medium-range… Continue reading The Best Red Dot Magnifiers in 2023

series resembles many other budget-focused brands made specifically for Amazon. You won’t find these in traditional outdoor retailers.” Sighting in a rifle is a skill — one that takes time to develop — and one that can be made much easier with a few tools. Boresighting is the process of aligning your sight with the… Continue reading Best Laser Bore Sights: Get On Target Faster!

The need for determining a target’s range is as old as warfare itself. Artillerymen manning cannons, ballistas, and other siege weapons had to define the distances to their targets, or risk injuring or killing friendly forces. This process of triangulating the distance to a specific point used basic trigonometry to determine the angles, and when… Continue reading Best Hunting Rangefinders: An Essential Tool For A Winning Hunt

While bigger calibers get all the coverage, using a smaller caliber for plinking, practice, and target shooting can make your experience cheaper and easier while still keeping it fun. Even after more than a century since its invention, the rimfire cartridge is as popular as ever – and there’s a lot of innovation in these… Continue reading Best Rimfire Scopes: Small Calibers, Big Performance