7 Best Scopes for AR-10 in 2021
The AR-10 is one of the most versatile and powerful rifles ever made. And many users also like it because of its relatively lightweight, easy customization and high accuracy and precision.
But, this brilliantly designed gun still needs the best scope for AR-10 to complement its amazing capabilities. Thanks to the ever-growing popularity of the AR-10 for both civilian and military use, there are now several scopes on the market designed for these guns.
In addition to reviewing 7 top rated scopes for AR-10, in this piece, we will also explain the important factors to consider when shopping to help you get a fantastic scope .
-
7 Best Scopes for AR-10 – Review
- 1. Nikon ProStaff 6722 – Best Overall
- 2. Vortex Optics DBK-04-BDC – Versatile Vortex AR-10 Scope
- 3. UTG 3-12x44 – Best AR-10 Scope for The Money
- 4. Trijicon VCOG – Outstanding Long-range AR-10 Scope
- 5. Leupold VX-1 – Versatile, Multipurpose Scope
- 6. Leupold VX-2 114396 – Trustworthy All Weather Hunting Scope
- 7. Nikon M-308 – Specially Designed for AR-Style Rifles
- How to Buy the Best Scopes for AR-10
- Conclusion
7 Best Scopes for AR-10 – Review
|
IMAGE |
PRODUCT |
FEATURES |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
1. Nikon ProStaff 6722 (Best Overall) |
|
|
|
|
2. Vortex Optics DBK-04-BDC (Versatile Vortex Scope) |
|
|
|
|
3. UTG 3-12x44 (Best for The Money) |
|
|
|
|
4. Trijicon VCOG (Outstanding Long-range Scope) |
|
|
|
|
5. Leupold VX-1 (Versatile, Multipurpose Scope) |
|
|
|
|
6. Leupold VX-2 114396 (Trustworthy All Weather Scope) |
|
|
|
|
7. Nikon M-308 (Specially Designed) |
|
|
PRODUCT |
|---|
|
1. Nikon ProStaff 6722 (Best Overall) |
|
2. Vortex Optics DBK-04-BDC (Versatile Vortex Scope) |
|
3. UTG 3-12x44 (Best for The Money) |
|
4. Trijicon VCOG (Outstanding Long-range Scope) |
|
5. Leupold VX-1 (Versatile, Multipurpose Scope) |
|
6. Leupold VX-2 114396 (Trustworthy All Weather Scope) |
|
7. Nikon M-308 (Specially Designed) |
1. Nikon ProStaff 6722 – Best Overall
Photo: Nikon
- Magnification: 3-9x
- Objective Diameter: 40mm
- Reticle Type: BDC
- Field of View: 33.8 to 11.3 feet at 100 yards
- Weight: 13.7 ounces
Nikon’s Prostaff is a tested and proven rifle scope that will make your AR-10 more accurate and enjoyable to shoot, and it is also relatively more affordable. And this is what makes it our best overall model.
This 3-9x magnification scope features durable and compact aluminum construction and is nitrogen filled and O-ring sealed to make it completely water, fog and shockproof.
You can also be confident of always getting a clear and bright sight picture when using it as its 40mm objective lens and fully multicoated optics are designed for maximum light transmission.
Reticle focusing is also made fast and simple thanks to the quick focus eyepiece and it also has zero-reset turrets with a spring-loaded adjustment knob for simple field adjustment.
Although this scope can be a little blurry especially at the edges of the field of view at high magnification settings, it should still provide a super clear image for under 300-yard distances. Also, flip-up cups would have been better but whatever you get is still good enough for protecting your optics.
Pros:
Cons:
2. Vortex Optics DBK-04-BDC – Versatile Vortex AR-10 Scope
Photo: Vortex
- Magnification: 4-12x
- Objective Diameter: 40mm
- Reticle Type: BDC
- Field of View: 32.4 to 11.3 feet at 100 yards
- Weight: 14.6 ounces
With an amazing scope like the Diamondback by Vortex Optics, you will always look forward to your next hunting or shooting escapade as you will invariably enjoy it.
The scope is also designed to be ideal for various uses from hunting small game to target shooting from long range. And it has the necessary features to ensure its versatility.
These features include some fully multicoated lenses that will provide a bright and clear sight picture and the dead-hold BDC reticle that will eliminate guesswork when it comes to hold-over and windage corrections.
Also, this Vortex scope for AR-10 rifles has a solid one-piece main tube designed to deliver many years of great service and is argon-purged and O-ring sealed for absolute water, fog and shockproof integrity.
With its easily accessible side focus adjustment, you will never need to worry about parallax and the metal on metal turrets with the ability to reset to zero will also add to the convenience of the scope.
Although the included bikini lens covers look cheap, they still do a good job protecting your lenses, and you can always get some affordable flip-up covers if you do not like them.
More Detailed : Vortex Optics Diamondback Review
Pros:
Cons:
3. UTG 3-12x44 – Best AR-10 Scope for The Money
Photo: UTG
- Magnification: 3-12x
- Objective Diameter: 44mm
- Reticle Type: Mil-dot
- Field of View: 32 to 10 feet at 100 yards
- Weight: 23.2 ounces
UTG makes this rifle scope for hunters and target shooters looking for a more affordable option that still delivers superior quality and high performance. And this makes it our best AR-10 scope for the money.
Apart from the highly affordable price tag, this is also one of the best tactical scopes for AR-10 rifles that you can get at that price range.
Its suitability for tactical use and other applications stems from various features such as the dual red/green illumination with 36 color modes and zero locking and resettable turrets with a handy side wheel.
Also, the scope delivers a parallax-free view from 10 yards to infinity, and it also has a range estimating mil-dot reticle that will be highly useful. When you buy this AR-10 scope you will also get flip-open lens caps and mount rings.
For its size, this rifle scope seems a bit heavy but it’s a little over 23 ounces is not enough to add any significant weight to your rifle.
Pros:
Cons:
4. Trijicon VCOG – Outstanding Long-range AR-10 Scope
Photo: Trijicon
- Magnification: 1-6x
- Objective Diameter: 24mm
- Reticle Type: BDC
- Field of View: 95 to 15.9 feet at 100 yards
- Weight: 23.2 ounces
Long range shooting and close quarter battles (CQB) require a scope with better performance capabilities than the regular ones and everything from the field of view to reticle quality has to be perfect. Trijicon’s VCOG fulfills these conditions better than all others in our list.
It is a top rated scope for AR-10 rifles with a rugged overall construction and a LED-illuminated first focal plane reticle specifically designed for long-range shots and CQB.
Also, the reticle will work under all magnification settings, and it is powered by an amazing battery that will deliver up to an impressive 700 hours of continuous use.
With up to 95 feet field of view, the view field that you get with this scope is way much higher than what all others on our list can deliver. And it also has superior quality lenses that are designed to ensure excellent light gathering for the best sight pictures.
The AR-10 scope also offers full 90 MOA windage and elevation adjustments and is backed by a limited lifetime warranty.
Although this is the priciest option among our review of scopes for AR-10, its rugged construction and performance capabilities make it worth it.
Pros:
Cons:
5. Leupold VX-1 – Versatile, Multipurpose Scope
Photo: Leupold
- Magnification: 3-9x
- Objective Diameter: 40mm
- Reticle Type: Duplex
- Field of View: 34.6 to 14.6 feet at 100 yards
- Weight: 11.2 ounces
Leupold is one of the top brands that you should consider when shopping for the best scopes for AR-10 rifles as they almost never disappoint given that they are an industry leader.
And if you are on the lookout for something versatile that will be ideal for various purposes when both hunting and shooting, their VX-1 will be a great choice.
This highly versatile scope has been designed to offer a 3:1 zoom ratio erector system that is one of the things that make it ideal for various situations and with multicoated optics to deliver a bright and crisp image.
Windage and elevation adjustments are made easier by the 1/4 MOA precision finger click adjustments. And with the proprietary nitrogen filling and O-ring sealing, you can be sure of complete water, fog and shockproof integrity.
This scope is also made with durable but lightweight aircraft-grade aluminum alloy main tube which is also designed to be more spacious to accommodate more components.
A little fine-tuning could make the adjustments more precise. But, for most shooters, the turrets will still be precise enough. And the knobs only requires some getting used to.
Pros:
Cons:
6. Leupold VX-2 114396 – Trustworthy All Weather Hunting Scope
Photo: Leupold
- Magnification: 4-12x
- Objective Diameter: 40mm
- Reticle Type: Duplex
- Field of View: 20.4 to 9.7 feet 100 yards
- Weight: 13.1 ounces
The image brightness, clarity, and contrast that you get with Leupold’s VX-2 mean that it will be a perfect scope for hunting in any weather and condition including in low light.
And if you are looking for a scope that will give you some extra hunting time late in the evening, this will be your best bet.
It also offers a versatile 3:1 zoom ratio that will make it ideal for even more hunting conditions and situations, and you can easily fine tune it to suit your needs thanks to its 1/4 MOA precision finger click adjustments.
The scope uses an adjustable objective to allow for quick and easy parallax adjustment, and it is a lightweight and durable aluminum alloy scope with absolute fog and waterproof integrity.
While it is true this is one of the priciest scopes on our list, it is still quite fairly priced given that it is a top brand, well-built and high-performing AR-10 scope.
Pros:
Cons:
7. Nikon M-308 – Specially Designed for AR-Style Rifles
Photo: Nikon
- Magnification: 4-16x
- Objective Diameter: 42mm
- Reticle Type: BDC
- Field of View: 25.2 to 6.3 feet at 100 yards
- Weight: 19 ounces
Because Nikon's M-308 has been built specifically for AR-style rifles, you can buy it with certainty that it will be a great addition to your AR-10.
The 4-16x power rifle scope is made with fully multicoated lenses that will enhance light transmission to up to 95% so that you always get an excellent sight picture.
And you will hardly ever miss acquiring a target even when it is moving as the scope has a quick focus eyepiece for speedy reticle focusing.
But, its spring-loaded, zero-reset turrets are probably what many shooters will love most as they simplify field adjustments. Also, this scope is optimized for use with Nikon's Spot On Ballistic Match technology and has a highly useful BDC 800 reticle.
Zoom control is also built to be a smooth and quick process for greater user convenience, and the M-308 also features solid one-piece construction.
Unlike some earlier versions, this scope may not come with the one-piece mount but it is cheap and readily available, and so this should not be the deal breaker.
Pros:
Cons:
How to Buy the Best Scopes for AR-10
Photo: Trijicon
Keeping the following important factors in mind when shopping will allow you to get a good scope fr AR-10.
1. Optical Performance
While the AR-10 can still offer decent performance for both short and long range shooting, it is best suited for fast intermediate shooting. And so the scope that you buy needs to provide the optical performance for this.
First, it should be able to withstand the recoil that comes with fast intermediate shooting. Also, it should not be too bulky or heavy to ensure it does not put too much weight to your gun.
For the optics, you need lenses that are able to ensure maximum transmission of light (at least 90%), and this means they should not only have a large objective diameter but also multiple layers of coatings.
2. Magnification
Whether you are looking for the best tactical scope for AR-10 or are a hunter looking for something to improve your accuracy, magnification power will always matter.
While it is true the optimal magnification for you is subjective, the range that you are shooting from and what you intend to use the scope for will have an effect on the right magnification for you.
If you intend to shoot from long range you need a scope with a magnification power of at least 9x like the 3-9x Leupold VX-1 . For medium range shooting at least 5x should be okay while 2x can work for very close ranges.
Also, note that you need to choose between scopes with fixed and variable magnification power. However, the variable is always the best choice as it means the scope will be ideal for a variety of situations.
3. Reticle
As you shop for a scope for your AR-10, you also need to decide on the reticle pattern to go for. Just like the magnification, it will also depend on your shooting distances and conditions.
While different manufacturers will offer different reticle patterns and give them different names, the three most common options, are duplex, mil-dot, and BDC reticles.
Duplex reticles are ideal for shooters looking for a simple pattern for hunting and target shooting while mil-dot is best suited for precision shooting from 300 yards. And BDC like the dead-hold BDC on the Vortex Optics DBK-04-BDC is your best bet where compensating for bullet drop is crucial.
4. Focal Plane
The focal plane is the position of the reticle within the telescopic sight when the scope is at different magnification settings, and it is also an important factor to consider.
Like with most other rifle scopes , you can get scopes for AR-10 with either first focal plane (FFP) or second focal plane (SFP).
The first focal plane scopes are the cheapest but the reticle size changes as you change the magnification setting, and so the sight picture is not consistent.
With the second focal plane scopes, the sight picture will be consistent at all magnification settings as the reticle size always remains the same, but these scopes can be a little pricier.
Different shooters seem to have varying preferences when it comes to the focal plane, and so it is mostly up to you decide which between the two works best for you.
5. Light Transmission
Light transmission defines the amount of light that the scope will allow to pass through and the higher it is the better.
It is typically measured in percentage for example 90% or 95%. Most manufacturers will indicate it on the scope description, and you should always aim to get the highest light transmission.
With at least a 90% light transmission, your scope will be able to gather enough light for a bright and clear enough sight picture even in low light conditions at dusk/dawn.
But, also note that things like the lens material and coatings and the diameter of the objective lens are key in determining the light transmission.
6. Price
When it comes to rifle scopes you always get what you pay for, and so in many instances the more you are willing to spend the better the scope quality you get.
However, it is also important to note that there are many budget models that are of decent quality and will still offer great performance.
Hence, when it comes to the scope price the right idea is to come up with a budget by deciding on whether you are looking for a good under $50 model or are willing to spend hundreds of dollars to get something more feature rich.
Conclusion
With the right information in mind, finding the best scope for AR-10 rifles should be a quick and easy task despite the fact that there are lots of models to choose from in the market.
Our review further make things easier with some amazing recommendations. And from this review the Nikon ProStaff 6722 is our best overall as it is reliable top brand scope with a solid aluminum build and many other amazing features.
But, if you prefer something more budget-friendly the UTG 3-12x44 is a good pick as it still offers a range-estimating reticle and dual illumination.