The AR-10 is a NATO battle rifle, which is the older brother of AR-15 rifle as it was manufactured long before the AR-15 rifle. They are essentially the same weapon except that the AR-10 rifle is chambered for the larger 0.308 Winchester round ammunition, thus giving it greater power and range.
Rifles are designed to assist long distance shooting when hunting. However together with a scope, you are allowed to view and zero in on your target so you get to take a shot with higher accuracy and ease. Hence, having a rifle scope together with your rifle is extremely vital. Therefore, check out our top 5 rated scope for AR-10 rifle scopes below.
Apart from that, the AR-10 rifle scope is all in all capable of extreme accuracy and is regularly used in competition shooting, hunting and even tactical roles. The factors that play an important role in choosing the best rifle scope are the size and weight so your rifle scope is well-balanced and easy to handle.
Not only that, the magnification power is important as your rifle scope has to possess great zoom power to improve its optical clarity. The mount and reticle on the other hand should be suitable so you can properly mount your scope on the rifle as well as able to view the crosshairs easily when aiming. Lastly, your rifle scope has to be durable in terms of its construction, waterproofness and shock-proofness.
Top 5 Rated AR-10 Scopes Comparison Table
| Name of Product | Magnification | Reticle | Objective Lens Diameter | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikon M-308 4-16x42 Riflescope | 4-16x | BDC 800 | 42mm | $$$ |
| UTG 3-12x44 Compact Riflescope | 3-12x | Mil-dot | 44mm | $$$ |
| Trijicon VCOG 1-6x24 Riflescope Ballistic Reticle | 1-6x | Red Horseshoe | 24mm | $$$$ |
| Aimpoint ACET CompM4 Riflescope | 1-3x | 2 MOA | 40mm | $$$ |
| Vortex Optics Diamondback 4-12x40 Riflescope | 4-12x | Dead Hold BDC | 40mm | $$$ |
- The magnification is rated by its magnification power.
- The reticle is based on the type of reticle used for the scope.
- The objective lens diameter is measured in mm.
Magnification Power
The magnification power of a rifle scope is the zoom factor of how much the sight picture of your target is magnified. Magnification plays an important role especially when you plan to shoot your target from longer ranges. However, too much magnification will result in a smaller field of view of your target thus reducing the accuracy of your shot.
Hence, you should choose the right amount of magnification according to the ranges you plan to shoot from so you will get a wide field of view as well as a slightly enlarged image.
Reticle
A reticle basically consists of crosshairs in a circle which displays the position of your target. There are many type of reticles such as mil-dot reticle and BDC reticle in which the crosshairs and dots differs in arrangement for a specific purpose when hunting.
Also, some illuminated reticles in either red or green color comes in handy during low light conditions. Bright reticles are important so that you will have a high clarity and bright image of your target when hunting.
Objective Lens Diameter
An objective lens increases light transmissions which result in more light gathered in your scope so that the image of your target is bright and clear. Therefore, a larger diameter objective lens will increase the amount of light entering your scope hence improving the image quality of your target even under low light conditions.. However, it does not play a role in increasing the field view of your rifle scope.
Nikon M-308 4-16×42 Riflescope
Nikon’s rifle scope comes with a scope, lens cap, non-reflective lens cover to protect your lens from scratches and damage when hunting, and an owner’s manual. However, it does not provide a mount so you should purchase one separately to mount this scope on your AR-10 rifle.
Moreover, this product is equipped with a fast-focus eyepiece that allows instant target acquisition when hunting at both short and long ranges. Nevertheless, it is a little hard to obtain a good eye relief zone at the maximum magnification power as the field of view is largely reduced due to the sight of your target enlarged.
The magnification power of this rifle scope on the other hand is 4-16x with an objective lens diameter with length 42mm. In other words, this scope is able to enlarge your picture 16x its original size to assist you during long range shooting. Besides that, the tube of this scope is waterproof, shockproof and fogproof thus making it highly durable and able to adapt to any weather situations.
Furthermore, this rifle scope has a bright and fully-multicoated system that increases the light transmitted to it and hence providing a clear and bright sight picture. Also, this product has a black and non-illuminated BDC (bullet-drop compensator) reticle.
The crosshairs on this reticle are accurate and bright resulting in shots with tight and consistent groupings. It can be used together with Nikon’s Spot On application. In other words, this application provides precise aiming points for any Nikon BDC reticle riflescope.
This product has zero lock or also known as set zero feature in which you just have to pull the knob out, turn it to zero and finally push it back down. It is also simple to zero in as well as holds zero well due to the zero lock feature so you don’t have to repeatedly sight in your scope after every shot.
Not only that, this AR-10 rifle scope consists of 3 different turrets in which the left turret is a focus ring that offers a parallax view from 50 yards to infinity meanwhile the other two are for adjusting the windage and elevation. All the turrets have good knobs with distinguishable clicks.
Suitable for :
- BDC 800 reticle
- Set zero feature
- Nikon’s spot on application
UTG 3-12×44 Compact Riflescope
This product is a 30mm SWAT IE tactical range estimating scope with a mil-dot reticle in which there are other short lines that mark mil angles other than the standard crosshairs. Also, the MIL in the mil dot defines the shortening of the term milliradian. Besides that, this rifle scope has a magnification power of 3-12x in which you can enlarge the image of your target at longer ranges with ease according to your preference.
Moreover, this rifle scope features an IE technology in which its reticle system has red and green dual crosshair color as well as a 36-color multi-mode operation. Apart from that, this scope consists of a tube with length 30mm which is sealed and nitrogen filled thus giving it an excellent shockproof, rainproof and fogproof performance.
This rifle scope has a special circuit and housing design for uninterrupted illumination even under heavy recoil so your scope doesn’t get damaged over the heavy recoil encounter. It also has a premium zero locking and zero resetting turrets in which you can make consistent and precise adjustments such as for the windage and elevation adjustments.
Not only that, this rifle scope comes with multi-coated emerald lenses which further increases the light gathered on the scope thus providing brighter images and an integrated angle front sunshade complete with flip-open lens cap to cover and protect your lens from damage hence obtaining sight picture with maximum clarity.
In addition to the flip-open lens cap, a pair of maximum strength heavy duty rings are included. These rings are designed to fit on picatinny or weaver rails and are secured with user-friendly, quick-detach twist locks. However, the eye relief of this product is a little too short compared to other rifle scopes.
This top rated AR-10 rifle scope provides parallax free view from 10 yards to infinity. A parallax free view is basically a difference in between the point of aim and point of impact that is caused when the eye is out of alignment with the sight and the target. So, with this parallax free view feature, the accuracy of your shot can be widely improved.
Also, this product is easy to sight in and can hold zero for a long time without you having to sight it in constantly.
Suitable for :
- IE technology
- Zero-locking and zero-resetting turrets
- Parallax free view
Trijicon VCOG 1-6×24 Riflescope Ballistic Reticle
Trijicon’s rifle scope features a red horseshoe reticle matched with 175-grain of .308 loads. This type of reticle is great for fast acquisition on your targets as the horseshoes design itself has several varying measurements that will assist you in referencing your point of impact and range targets.
Also, this reticle has variable brightness so it can be adjusted according to your preference so you can view you target with ease even under low light conditions.
Besides that, the first focal plane of this scope allows this horseshoe ballistic reticle to be used and properly function at any magnification. The magnification power on the other hand is from 1-6x hence it is important to enlarge the picture of your target so you can get a proper aim when hunting or shooting from longer distances.
In terms of energy-saving, this AR-10 rifle scope runs on 700 continuous hours at brightness setting 4 or 6 with a lithium AA battery so you can use it for a longer period of time. This VCOG scope is also designed especially for wartime soldiers as a battle rifle scope. That very well explains the heavy weight of the scope as well as the strong, tank-like build of the scope.
Furthermore, the turrets of this rifle scope also known as ‘combat optic’ are essentially set in one place once it is zeroed in for simple windage and elevation adjustments. For example, the full 90 MOA of windage and elevation setting can be made in 0.5 inch per click with increments of 100m. Apart from that, it is easy to sight in using this scope and it also holds zero well over repeated uses.
This scope is also waterproof hence it is able to withstand any weather conditions when you are hunting. Moreover, it features crystal clear optics as well as clear and crisp glass of its lens so the sight picture obtained is of maximum clarity. The eye relief in which the hunter can obtain a good and full viewing angle is great with a length of 4 inches.
Suitable for :
- Red horseshoe reticle
- First focal plane
- Crystal clear optics
Aimpoint ACET CompM4 Riflescope
Aimpoint’s rifle scope features a very solid construction and excellent mounting system. Its integral mounting system eliminates the need for a separate ring to mount the scope on your AR-10 rifle. Also, it can be customized with vertical and forward spacers to fit different kinds of weapon systems.
In terms of solid construction however, this AR-10 rifle scope includes a QRP2 mount, standard AR-15 spacer, killFlash anti-reflection device and Milspec rubber lens cover upon purchase. The material housing on the other hand consists of extruded high strength aluminium meanwhile the surface has hard anodized matte black finish.
The sight of this scope on the other hand has improved energy efficiency and internal voltage regulator that allows operation on any AA battery. Besides that, there is a unique coating on the front lens that reflects the dot frequency of its red light at 100% efficiency which in return provides the highest possible dot (crosshair) brightness with the least amount of energy.
Besides that, this product features an extremely rugged and easy-to-use 16-position manual switch which has 7 night vision compatible settings as well as 9 daylight settings so you are able to adjust its brightness accordingly. This rifle scope is also equipped with a mount base keyed into its sight body to absorb heavy recoils thus ensuring the durability of your AR-10 rifle scope.
Moreover, this product has a magnification power of 3x in which you can magnify the sight picture of your target. The sight pictures are mostly parallax free with an unlimited field of view and a great eye relief to obtain the best view of your target. You are able to also keep both eyes open while utilizing the sight which in return gives you a wider field of view while still being able to keep aim on your target.
This rifle scope also holds zero well so you can improve your aiming and improve the accuracy of your shot. Also, this product can be used with a carry handle adapter for use on all M16 rifles.
Suitable for :
- Integral mount included
- Parallax-free view
- 16-position manual switch
Vortex Optics Diamondback 4-12×40 Riflescope
This rifle scope features a Dead Hold BDC reticle in which its customized dot design helps eliminate guesswork or holdover and even windage corrections. Therefore, it is extremely useful for hunting at varying ranges where it is hard to estimate the holdover between yourself and your target.
Apart from that, this product is constructed from a solid one-piece aircraft-grade aluminium alloy which ensures that this rifle scope is virtually indestructible and highly resistant to heavy magnum recoil hence contributing to the durability of this AR-10 rifle scope.
The tube of this product on the other hand is argon purged making it waterproof and fogproof as all the moisture are absorbed. It also has multi-coated optics which further increases light transmissions as well as improve the gathering of light to produce a clear and bright image of your target.
Moreover, the magnification power for this AR-10 rifle scope is 4-12x where you can magnify the image of your target especially at longer ranges. A precision-glide erector system is also featured in which premium components are used in the 200m lens mechanism to ensure smooth magnification changes.
This scope is of high clarity and brightness. It is also easy to adjust and focus together with crisp and clear optics even under low light conditions. The eye relief included is great as you will have a good viewing angle of your target.
Furthermore, this product is able to hold zero well and is quite simple to sight in and install as the settings are fairly simple to understand. The turrets provided on the other hand are smooth, solid and has audible clicks meanwhile the zoom control is easy to manipulate. Therefore, all settings are easily adjusted once you have zeroed in your scope.
Suitable for :
- Dead hold BDC reticle
- Argon purged
- Precision-glide erector system
Conclusion
In a nutshell, choosing the best scope for your AR-10 rifle is no easy task. You need to review different kind of factors to choose the right one well-suited to your needs and worth your investment.
Therefore, I hope my review assists you in making the right decision.