In search of the best scope for your AR-10 rifle? Unsure what makes a scope good for an AR-10 or overwhelmed by all the options available? Not clear about whether you even want a scope for your AR-10?
Then you’ve come to the right place.
In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know to choose the right AR-10 scope. We’ll start by talking about why you’d want to use an AR-10 scope in the first place, then we’ll go over how to choose the right one for your needs.
Then we’ll get into the real meat of things: our reviews of the top five best scopes for AR-10s currently on the market. We’ll hit all of the highlights of each one.
If you’re in a hurry and don’t have time for the details, here are our best rated scope for AR-10:
- Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9×40 Riflescope
- Nightforce NXS 5.5-22X56 Riflescope
- Trijicon ACOG 4×32 Riflescopes
- Vortex Optics Diamondback 4-12×40 Riflescope
- ATN X-Sight 4K Pro 3-14X Smart Ultra HD Day & Night Vision Rifle Scope
Table of Contents
Why Use a Scope on Your AR-10?
Though the AR-15 platform is more popular, the AR-10 has a longer range and is more powerful. It’s a versatile rifle platform that’s popular among civilians for hunting medium to large game, as well as for target shooting. It’s also commonly used by police and military snipers.
With an AR-10, you can shoot up to about 200 yards without a scope with no problem. However the AR-10 is a medium range to long range rifle, so to take advantage of its full capabilities, you’ll really want a magnified optic.
With a scope, you can take advantage of the AR-10’s full range of about 600 yards (depending on the specs of the particular model you use).
How to Choose an AR-10 Scope?
To make sure that you’re choosing the right scope for your needs, there are a few things to pay particular attention to:
Reticle Pattern
The right reticle pattern depends largely on personal preferences, but as a general rule, there are certain patterns that are generally considered better suited for different uses.
For hunting, a duplex or crosshair reticle is generally the way to go. These reticles have a simple pattern that provides two main advantages.
First, they’re easy to see against a busy background, like a forest, especially if they’re illuminated. Second, they avoid blocking your game, helping you to get an accurate shot for a responsible kill.
For longer range shooting, you may prefer a BDC (bullet drop compensation reticle). This style of reticle features a series of hash marks below the center to help shooters, as the name suggests, compensate for bullet drop when shooting longer distances.
Some also have additional markings to the right and left of the center of the reticle to help with windage adjustments too.
BDC reticles are becoming more and more popular among hunters, though, because they allow shooters to make easy, accurate windage and elevation adjustments without having to mess with their turrets.
Again, the “correct” reticle style is just the one that you prefer.
Windage & Elevation Turrets
Speaking of turrets, you can choose between capped or exposed (also called tactical style) turrets. Each style has its advantages.
Capped turrets are covered to prevent accidental adjustments to your windage and elevation settings, but they also make it less convenient to make changes intentionally. They’re more commonly used for hunting scopes, since you usually zero your scope, then leave these settings alone.
For target shooting, exposed turrets are more popular since they make it easy to make quick settings adjustments. However, exposed turrets are getting more and more popular for hunting as well.
Like with reticle style, there’s no “right” choice, just the style that you prefer.
Magnification Range
To be able to take advantage of the full range of your AR-10, you need a scope with the right magnification range.
For hunters, the minimum magnification should be no higher than 2x to 3.5x magnification. The maximum magnification should be at least 8x.
For target shooting, you’ll want to go higher, especially for the maximum magnification. Be careful about going too high, though, especially if you want to be able to shoot short range targets too.
If you’re going with a fixed magnification scope, it depends on the range you plan on shooting at. Somewhere around 4x is generally best though.
Lenses
A scope’s lenses are one of its most important features, but there’s not much to say about them.
They need to be made of high quality, warp free glass to ensure an undistorted picture.
Lens coatings are also important. The best scopes have fully multi coated lenses, which means there are multiple layers of coatings across the entire surface of the lens. These coatings prevent reflection of light, improving light transmission for greater visibility. They also help improve the picture definition.
Durability
Scopes are incredibly precise pieces of equipment and the internal components can be delicate. Scope manufacturers, therefore, need to do as much as they can to enhance the durability of the scopes they make.
Look for scopes that are waterproof, fog proof, and shockproof. Keep an eye out for features like o-ring seals, nitrogen or argon purging, and single piece tubes.
Best Scope for AR-10 on The Market Reviews
1 Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9×40 Riflescope
The Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9×40 riflescope is our all around top recommendation because it balances cost with quality.
It offers a versatile 3-9x magnification range paired with clear, fully multi coated optics for a bright, high definition picture.
Leupold also thoroughly tests the durability of each scope they offer. The VX-Freedom is waterproof and fogproof, and has been tested against impacts and extreme temperatures. It also comes with a lifetime performance guarantee.
It comes in a bunch of different reticle options, so you can pick just the right one for your needs. Some are even illuminated for faster sight acquisition and low light visibility.
Mounting Rings & Lens Covers
To protect the scope’s lenses without losing utility, we recommend getting Leupold Alumina Flip Back Lens Covers. You can pair the scope with virtually any 1 inch diameter rings, such as the Leupold LRW Weaver-Style Rings.
Is It Worth It?
The Leupold VX-Freedom doesn’t offer a ton of fancy features, but it is a reliable scope with good optics and comes at a budget friendly price, so it’s an excellent value. Here are some of its best features:
- Leupold’s Custom Dial System (CDS)
- ZeroStop turrets
- Versatile magnification range
- Scratch resistant lenses
- Waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof
- Several reticle options to choose from
2 Nightforce NXS 5.5-22X56 Riflescope
For a more high end scope, the Nightforce NXS 5.5-22X56 Riflescope is an impeccable option.
The 22x maximum magnification gives you the accuracy you need at the upper limits of your AR-10’s range, while the 5.5x minimum is perfect for close to medium range target shooting.
The large 56mm objective lens lets in plenty of light, working with the high quality glass lenses to provide a clear, bright image.
The Nightforce NXS is available in three different BDC reticle patterns, each with illumination. The illumination is great for low light visibility, but it does result in a heavier scope. The Nightforce NXS 5.5-22X56 Riflescope weighs 32 ounces.
Mounting Rings & Lens Covers
For mounting rings that match the quality of the Nightforce NXS scope, we like the Nightforce X-Treme Duty Ultralight Scope Ring Set.
At the same time, protect your scope’s lenses with a Nightforce Optics Eyepiece Flip-Up Lens Cap and a Nightforce Optics Objective Flip-Up Lens Cap.
Is It Worth It?
The two main disadvantages of the Nightforce NXS 5.5-22X56 Riflescope are the cost and weight. But since the weight allows for an illuminated reticle, the scope is still well worth the money if you can afford the $1,800 price tag. Advantages include:
- Huge objective lens
- Illuminated reticle options
- ZeroStop elevation
- Long eye relief
- Adjustable parallax
3 Trijicon ACOG 4×32 Riflescopes
If you’re looking for a fixed magnification scope, Trijicon ACOG 4×32 riflescopes are awesome!
It comes in several different versions with different reticle patterns, mounting styles, and finishes. Those different reticle patterns are optimized for particular rounds, so you can choose the right one for your rifle’s chambering. Most of those patterns are also illuminated and those that are typically available in not just red, but also in green or even amber.
We particularly like the dual illumination models, which use a combination of tritium and fiber optics to provide illumination that’s always on, doesn’t require a battery, and automatically adjusts according to the level of ambient light.
Some dual illumination models are available for under $1000, but most models are between $1000 and $1500.
Mounting Rings & Lens Covers
Trijicon ACOG 4×32 riflescopes have built in mounts, so you won’t need separate mounting rings. The built in sunshade makes buying a lens cover a little trickier than on other scopes, so if you’re looking for one, you’ll want to get the Tijicon ACOG Flip Cap Eyepiece specifically.
Is It Worth It?
These scopes aren’t cheap, but they have tons of features in addition to the variety of models available and stellar reticles that merit the price tag:
- Battle proven by the U.S. Marine Corps
- Rugged, durable design
- Multicoated lenses made from high quality glass
- Allows for “both eyes open” shooting
- Waterproof, fogproof, and shock resistant
4 Vortex Optics Diamondback 4-12×40 Riflescope
For those in need of a particularly budget friendly scope, the Vortex Optics Diamondback 4-12×40 Riflescope offers a great value for under $200.
Despite the low price, this scope is very well made. It’s made from a single piece of aircraft-grade aluminum alloy and is argon purged so it’s shockproof, fogproof, and waterproof.
It’s a pretty basic scope, which is to be expected for the price, but what it does, it does well. The lenses are clear and fully multicoated. The Dead-Hold BDC reticle is great for correcting at longer ranges. The 4-12x magnification range is great for both hunting and target shooting.
Mounting Rings & Lens Covers
The scope comes with removable lens covers, so you don’t necessarily need to buy them separately, but we generally prefer the flip cover style for their ease of use. After all, the easier something is to use, the more likely you are to do so. For that reason, we suggest Vortex Optics Defender Riflescope Flip Caps.
For mounting rings, we like Vortex Optics Hunter 1-inch Riflescope Rings.
Is It Worth It?
The Vortex Optics Diamondback 4-12×40 Riflescope is a great option for those with a limited budget. It doesn’t have some of the high end features of other scopes, but the quality for the price is excellent.
- Waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof
- Fully multi coated optics
- Capped turrets
- Hard coat anodized finish
- Fast focus eyepiece
5 ATN X-Sight 4K Pro 3-14X Smart Ultra HD Day & Night Vision Rifle Scope
Finally, if you’re looking for a night vision scope, the ATN X-Sight 4K Pro Smart Ultra HD Day & Night Vision Rifle Scope is unbeatable, especially for the money.
Night vision scopes like this one are great for hunting in low light conditions and even complete darkness. That makes them perfect for hog hunting and hunting other nighttime game.
It’s also a digital scope, which has allowed ATN to pack in all kinds of other cool features thanks to the built-in computer.
For example, you can use the built in ballistic calculator to automatically adjust your reticle based on conditions, including wind, humidity, and more. It even has different profiles to use with different guns and ammo.
Mounting Rings & Lens Covers
The ATN X-Sight 4K Pro comes with a standard ring set, an L-shaped ring, and a ring with a picatinny rail, so you probably don’t need to buy rings separately. ATN also doesn’t make lens covers for this scope, but it does come with a scope cover to protect it while you’re not using it.
Is It Worth It?
With everything that the ATN X-Sight 4K Pro can do, it’s easily worth the under $700 price tag. We couldn’t possibly list all its features here (there are too many!), but just to hit the highlights:
- 1080p full HD day and night vision modes
- One Shot Zero
- Built-in ballistic calculator
- Smart Mil-Dot Reticle
- Video recording including recoil activated video and dual stream video
Final Thoughts
The AR-10 is a versatile platform, so we’ve provided a diverse list of scope recommendations to match. And, of course, different people have different budgets, so we were sure to make sure we recommended scopes at different price points as well.
Each of those scopes listed here is an excellent option, but no single scope is equally well suited for all purposes and situations. The Leupold VX-Freedom, for example, is particularly well suited for hunting, while the Nightforce NXS is better for long range target shooting.
Fortunately, with the information given in this guide, you should have no problem choosing the best scope for AR-10 to meet your needs.
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