Written by the “Hopeful Ballistics” YouTube channel

What if I told you the golden age of scopes is now?  What do I mean by that?  Let me explain.

Never before has the ratio between features and price been better.  When I was growing up in the 90s, there were much fewer rifle scope companies, and much fewer offerings available.  These offerings were also lacking in the features that we take for granted today.  Of course, there were high-end scopes available, but they were prohibitively expensive.  Most people I grew up with went to a local department store and bought cheap optics.  These rifle scopes definitely limited your clarity and limited your affective range.  Range finders and chronographs weren’t as common, or as well developed as they are today.  So the technology matched the applications.  Fast and flat cartridges with good maximum point blank ranges were considered the norm.  Generally, you would sight in your scope with one reload, or the one factory ammo that shot the best in your rifle.  You would adjust your turrets to zero that load, and potentially never touch the turrets again.  Unless you changed loads or your scope got off a little, you were good to go.  Yes target scopes existed, but to get a good quality one with the desired features, you would probably be spending thousands on a European model like a Schmidt & Bender, Swarovski , or Zeiss.  If a shot presented itself, with the scope you had, outside of the maximum point blank range, you probably would hold over instead of turret dialing.  Honestly though, could you see your target at distance with the affordable glass at that time?

As we entered into the 21st century, a new hobby began to emerge.  Shooting rifles at longer ranges became more mainstream.  Your everyday hobbyist wanted to shoot at 1000 yds or beyond.  Even hunters were looking for extended range options.  I remember some of the rhetoric being talked about on forums and websites.  If you wanted to shoot long range, you might prefer features like first focal plane, zero stop turrets, parallax adjustment, etc.  You also realized, to truly be accurate at distance, you needed high quality lenses, and very precise turrets.  However, these features really boosted the price up, that excluded most of the enthusiasts out there.  

Also media outlets like YouTube came into being.  They provided much more opportunities to see scopes tested, discussed, and evaluated.  Hobbyists began to test turret tracking, and compare glass clarity.  They would put out this information for all the world to see, and they weren’t sponsored in most cases.  Unfortunately, some of the popular scopes didn’t track like you’d hope or expect.  The consumer began to crave features and quality that would aid them in their long range pursuits.  These features weren’t cheap, and if you were going to spend that kind of money you wanted a lifetime warranty just in case of any potential issues.  But only a few companies had exceptional warranties.  Leupold and Burris comes to mind, and later Vortex, as companies with great warranties.  But that list is growing daily today, which is a great thing.

Enter today, in this golden age of rifle scopes.  To get a scope with the features I’ve talked about, is possible at a reasonable price.  Never before have scope companies offered so many features, including illumination, and a wider array of reticle options than ever before.  Not every company has equal warranties, but it’s the norm to see exceptional lifetime protection guarantees.  30mm and 34mm main tubes are available, and common.  The baseline standard of turret precision tracking, and glass quality is better than ever.  Manufacturing and technological advancements have really improved, as well as a healthy and competitive industry that’s keeping the cost down.  If you’re looking for an LPVO that is a 1-8 power to go on your AR, there are affordable options.  If you’re looking for a lightweight hunting scope with good dawn/dusk light transmission, your choices are better than ever.  If you’re looking for a long range target scope with the top features and at a reasonable price, you’re in luck.  Features are becoming more common and prices are becoming more affordable.  Never before could you get more bang for your buck.  For the hunters out there, it’s easier than ever, to put the bang on a buck.  For the long range target shooters out there, it’s more accessible than ever, to get started in this growing industry.  It’s a good time to be alive for the optic lovers like myself.