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If you enjoy shooting and want to take your game to the next level, a rifle scope will help you accomplish that.
There are so many scopes out there just for .308s and 7.62x51s. Some people take these out to 1000 yards with .308. To reduce your confusion and answer your questions, we’ve found the five best scopes for .308 on the market today.
Let’s take a look at the best products, as well as some tips to help you make the best purchase.
At A Glance: Our Top Picks For best scope for 308
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Most scopes have diameters of either one inch or 30 millimeters. The best size scope for you depends more on weight and eye relief than it does length and diameter.
Scopes made from heavy materials increase your gun’s total weight and make it more difficult to shoot accurately. What you want is a lightweight yet durable scope made from aluminum meant for airplane bodies. It’s an extremely durable material.
You also want a scope that has three or four inches of eye relief to protect your eye when your gun recoils.
The .308 is among the most popular rifles out there. As such, there are a ton of scopes available for it at a variety of prices. While the word “affordable” is subjective, you can find high-quality, budget scopes in many gun shops and sporting goods stores, as well as online.
You can also look for sales, discounts, and coupons to bring down the price of the scope you want. Except for bells and whistles, there’s a scope for .308s out there to fit pretty much every budgetary need.
.308s have a range of up to 1,000 yards. However, keep in mind that you’re probably not shooting at such extreme ranges, so you’ll want to stick with scopes that go with your preferred range.
The higher the magnification, the smaller your field of view and the less light you get through the eyepiece. At closer ranges, like the 200 to 400 yards at which most people hunt, high magnification can hurt you more than it will help.
A game hunter usually shoots between 250 and 300 yards, so they will do well with magnification in the 6x to 9x range. Those who hunt at extreme ranges, like 800 to 1,000 yards, will want something in the 24x range.
The .308 doesn’t have much recoil but don’t discount adequate eye relief, which is the distance between your eye and the lens of your scope. Scopes generally have two to four inches of eye relief.
Two inches is okay, but even on a gun without much recoil, you want as much of a safety cushion as possible. A good scope for .308 will have 3 1/2 to four inches of eye relief, just for safety.
Parallax is when your reticle and target are on different planes in your scope. If you move your head around, the reticle appears to move around the object at which you’re aiming, which can affect your targeting.
Parallax adjustment isn’t absolutely necessary, especially if you plan to shoot at ranges of less than 350 yards. Most scopes have it these days, though, and it makes it easier to acquire your target. Don’t discount how much parallax can improve your scope’s utility.
We did a lot of research and comparing and developed a list of the top five scopes for .308s on the market today to make it easier for you to choose the best scope for your needs.
Most buyers like this scope because of how easy it is to set up and use. They appreciate the chevron that replaced the reticle’s center dot, too, because it allows for more precise targeting.
However, when they look through it, some have problems with seeing some blur around the edges of the scope, which reduces their field of view.
For us, the range estimation is an immense help when you can’t tell how far away your target is. If you’re out hunting, it helps you get a better idea of how far away your quarry is, enabling you to adjust your angle for a more accurate shot.
The ACSS reticle gives you such fast target acquisition at close range that this scope reduces the worry that your quarry will run away before you get a chance to sight in on it. You can never eliminate that worry, but any reduction to it helps any hunter, especially those who hunt at close range.
This is a reliable, no-frills rifle scope. It works excellently at either the shooting range or while you’re out hunting with your .308. This is also our pick as the best scope for 22lr bench rest competition. Make sure you select the right caliber reticle! There are 10 options. Plus, it has everything you need without a lot of extras to get in your way.
Hunters and target shooters like the fact that this is a very lightweight but durable scope. The focus range of 100 yards to as far as you can see is excellent, too, and works quite well out in the bush.
However, the reticle has a large center dot, which can obscure targets. So if you’re a long-range hunter, you’ll have some problems here.
Even though it doesn’t have a durable finish, its underlying construction is very durable, making it suitable for hunting trips just about anywhere. It has some problems with daylight illumination, particularly at higher magnifications. However, depending on how you plan to use it, that may or may not be a problem.
We like the value you get with this scope. Many people would like a high-quality scope but can’t afford much more than what amounts to a fancy magnifying glass. This gives you many of the features of a more expensive scope wrapped up in an affordable package.
If you’re looking for a good scope on a tight budget, give some thought to this one. It provides you with a good, clear view at various ranges with the smoothness and durability of a higher-priced scope.
Buyers like that the reticle is still clear and crisp even if you choose not to illuminate it. The compensation lines are a little small for some of them, but otherwise, they feel they get an excellent view and target acquisition with this scope.
This is a heavy scope, but it doesn’t feel as heavy as you’d think, unlike other heavy scopes on the market. The choice between red or green reticle illumination is a nice touch, too, and is bright enough to work well in broad daylight.
The battery has a long life even if you use the illuminated reticle regularly, so if you prefer that, you have less worry that the battery will give out during your first few uses. Finally, it has an excellent magnification for mid-range and long-range hunting and sport shooting.
If you like mid to long-range shooting, this scope will probably work well for you. Besides having some exciting features that add to its functionality and help you build targeting skills, it comes at a great value.
Buyers like that this is a decent quality scope for a bolt action rifle, though they don’t like the fact that you need to try out different mounts for it. Many standard mounts don’t hold it steady well enough and virtually render it useless. Even so, they like its smoothness and ease of use.
This scope has excellent audible and tactile sensations on its knobs, which is essential for hunters since they need to make adjustments on the fly while looking through the scope. We also noticed its parallax adjustment allows for fine-tuning, which you’ll find on some other scopes but not all.
It also has both a chevron aim point and a half-moon reticle to enhance your aiming ability and target acquisition, and it holds its zeroing as long as it’s on the proper mount for a bolt-action rifle. It’s not suitable for long shooting ranges or long-range hunting, but it’s excellent for short- and mid-range shooting.
If you’re looking for a good mid-range and short-range scope, check this one out. You get something that remains zeroed when you use the proper mount and gives you what you need without lots of frills.
People who have recently bought this scope say that their view through the eyepiece is extremely clear and crisp, along with having excellent eye relief. It’s also easy to install and remove, which can be challenging to find in scopes. Even without adjustable magnification, buyers see this as a superior scope.
The first thing we noticed was that it’s a military-grade scope. It’s smaller and lighter but still uses many military-grade materials, making it unusually durable for a civilian rifle scope. Its weight and portability only add to its allure for us. You can use it without batteries for the illuminated reticle, but that feature only adds to the scope’s overall functionality.
Even with the fixed magnification, this makes an excellent scope for hunters and sport shooters alike. Since most people don’t shoot any farther than roughly 300 yards, the 3.5x magnification is sufficient and worth the scope’s overall quality.
It’s a bit on the expensive side, but this is an excellent scope for most hunters, target shooters, and sport shooters. It’s lightweight but durable and does everything it’s supposed to do, plus more.
Guns already come with sights, but they’re small pieces on the top of the gun’s barrel. You line up the rear sight with the front sight to aim. It’s not hard, but if you’ve ever compared that kind of sighting with a scope, you know how much more effort goes into using the mechanical sights.
If you have a good scope, you reduce challenges involved with sighting by as much as 30 percent. It’s far easier to place a dot on your target with a scope than with the mechanical sights. That, in turn, means fewer wasted shots and a more productive hunting or target shooting session.
If you’re learning how to shoot, it’s far easier to do so when you have a scope, too. You can sight much more accurately than with mechanical sights, which means you can work on certain things.
For instance, many people have problems with their trigger pulls. You can see where the barrel of the gun goes as you squeeze the trigger far better with a scope than with a gun’s mechanical sights, which makes it easier to correct the problem and improve your overall shooting.
If you have vision issues (due to aging or other factors), a scope can significantly improve your ability to see what you’re shooting. Since you can adjust them, you can use them to see your targets reasonably clearly, even if your vision is poor. Scopes don’t fully correct your vision, but they do help.
When you’re out shooting, either hunting or doing target practice, a good scope for .308 will improve your accuracy and your abilities. Whether you’re looking for a high-performance scope or a quality budget scope, you’ll find something out there that will work excellently for your needs.
There are some common questions people have about the best scope for .308. We have answers to them so you don’t have to look around yourself.
The most common zeroing distance is 100 yards, but that’s not necessarily the best zeroing distance. The best distance for you to zero depends on the distance at which you shoot most often. For instance, if your usual hunting range is 200 to 300 yards, zero your rifle at 250 yards.
The .308 is quite versatile. While people usually use it for target practice and hunting, it can also serve as a combat weapon, which is why snipers like it. Other guns work better for snipers, but they don’t necessarily work as well for different types of shooting or home defense.
Hunters and target shooters love the .308’s versatility, same as snipers do. The fact that you can find .308 ammunition easily adds to their love of it. If you need ammo in a pinch, you most likely don’t have to worry about going from shop to shop trying to find some.
Joseph Fox writes on a variety of topics ranging from reloading ammunition to gun cleaning. He has been featured on various publications like thetruthaboutguns, Sofrep & many more. Joseph is also the founder of Gunloading, where he reviews different types of reloading & firearm products available on the market.
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