Scopes & Optic Reviews

Learn all about the most popular scopes and optics for pistols, rifles, and shotguns.

ATN THoR 4 Review - Mirror Shot

May 30, 2023

ATN ThOR 4 Thermal Riflescope Review [Real View Throughs]

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]

FFP Rifle Scope Mounted on a Bolt Action Rifle

May 23, 2023

Best First Focal Plane (FFP) Scopes

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

March 25, 2023

The Best Rangefinder Binoculars

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 The Best Rangefinder Binoculars

Pistol Red Dot Cover

March 10, 2023

Best Pistol Red Dot Sights: Find the Perfect Red Dot for Your Budget

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

July 16, 2022

The Best Rifle Scopes in 2023

The Maven RS.4 riflescope is the best rifle scope money can buy. Its reticule is big, and the glass is amazingly clear — we could see our target clearly even at the highest magnification with not even a hint of mirroring or mirage effect. It gives you the kinds of high-end features you’ll want when shopping for a… Continue reading The Best Rifle Scopes in 2023

June 26, 2022

Best Thermal Scopes for Coyote Hunting

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

June 23, 2022

Maven Optics Review

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

June 17, 2022

Holosun 510c Red Dot Sight 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.

May 28, 2022

The Best AR-15 Optics in 2023

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

April 22, 2022

The Best Backup Iron Sights (BUIS)

Guide to Everything AR 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,… Continue reading The Best Backup Iron Sights (BUIS)

April 19, 2022

The Best Offset Iron Sights

Guide to Everything AR 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… Continue reading The Best Offset Iron Sights

April 09, 2022

The Best Shotgun Sights

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 The Best Shotgun Sights

March 29, 2022

The Best Coyote Hunting Scopes

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

March 20, 2022

The Best LPVO Scopes: From Rimfire to Long Range

To add flexibility to your rifle or hunting set-up, you may want to consider a Low Power Variable Optic (LPVO). These versatile scopes are perfect entry-level optics, with magnification ranges from 1-4x, 1-6x, or 1-8x. Most LPVO scopes will start at a true 1x range and increase magnification from there, with intended use for targets… Continue reading The Best LPVO Scopes: From Rimfire to Long Range

March 16, 2022

Monstrum Scope Review [Hands-On]

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]

February 17, 2022

The Best Holographic Sights

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

February 07, 2022

The Best AR-15 Lasers

It’s rare to find anyone with an AR not interested in hitting their target, but — depending on the purpose of your firearm — the right approach to optics can vary wildly. The good news is there are lots of products to choose from; be it traditional scopes like those from Burris, Nikon, or Bushnell,… Continue reading The Best AR-15 Lasers

January 15, 2022

The Best Red Dot Magnifiers in 2023

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

January 15, 2022

The Best SKS Scope Mounts

After reviewing more new models, we’ve updated our top recommendation to the Weaver Multi-Slot SKS System. We’re keeping the other recommendations on our list, but now recommend them as runners-up or budget options. After more than 70 years in service, SKS rifles have been around the block. After replacing the Mosin Nagant the world over… Continue reading The Best SKS Scope Mounts

January 12, 2022

Best Laser Bore Sights: Get On Target Faster!

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 lining up your sight with the axis of your gun’s bore and is a critical first step in sighting in your scope. Boresighting… Continue reading Best Laser Bore Sights: Get On Target Faster!

January 01, 2022

The Best Budget AR-15 Scopes

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

January 08, 2021

The Best Hunting Rangefinders

The need for determining the range to a target 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,… Continue reading The Best Hunting Rangefinders

November 18, 2020

The Best Rimfire Scopes

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 The Best Rimfire Scopes