The M1A is a popular semi-automatic M14 style rifle. It is able to fire high powered cartridges from long ranges, mostly for hunting and sniping purposes. Of course, you need great high-powered scope to be paired with your M1A rifle. Generally, scopes are a must have together with your rifle.
You may be wondering why not shoot without the scope? To answer that, scopes offer magnification as well as higher accuracy when you plan you shoot your target, either at short or long ranges. The scope comes with a reticle, where you can get proper aiming at your target before firing a shot which especially comes in handy for long distance shooting.
Scopes are usually mounted onto your rifle for ease of use. The factors that needs to be taken into consideration when choosing the top rated scope for M1A are the objective lens diameter, precision, magnification and ease of use.
Check out the top rated scopes for the AR-10 and AR-15 rifles as well.
Top 5 Rated M1A Scope Comparison Table
| Name of Product | Weight | Magnification | Objective Lens Diameter | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVLIFE Hunting Riflescope | 1.9 lb | 6-24x | 50mm | $$ |
| Nikon M-308 Riflescope | 5 oz | 4-16x | 42mm | $$$ |
| Redfield Revolution Accu-Range Scope | 13.1 oz | 4-12x | 40mm | $$$ |
| Sightron Matte Black SIII | 2.7 lb | 8-32x | 56mm | $$$ |
| Sightmark Photon Digital | 2.4 lb | 6.5x | 50mm | $$$ |
Objective Lens Diameter
The objective lens functions to gather light for your scope to ensure that your sight picture is bright and of high clarity. So, you are able to view your target clearly, through the reticle which further contributes to the accuracy of your shot. In other words, an objective lens with larger diameter will increase the amount of light entering the scope.
As a result of that, a sharp and crisp image will be produced, for your added convenience. Don’t get me wrong here, it doesn’t increase the field of view of your scope. That solely depends on the magnification. Thus, both magnification power and objective lens diameter are equally important for the effective performance of your M1A scope.
Sight Picture Clarity
It is essential for your sight picture to be bright and of high clarity. The sight picture is basically the image of your target. With higher clarity, you are able to aim properly because you can view the crosshairs of the reticle easily. Your target on the other hand can be viewed easily for shooting whether long or short range.
This contributes to the accuracy of your shot, with tighter and consistent groupings. Apart from that, clear lens contributes to great clarity. Therefore, you should get lens cover whether flip-up or so to protect your lens from scratches and damages.
The tubes of the scope on the other hand are nitrogen purged and O-ring sealed to ensure waterproof, fogproof and shockproof performance so it can be used under any weather conditions. That being said, it prevents any internal fogging up of your lens thus making your lens clear instead of cloudy so you can properly aim at your target.
Magnification
The magnification power of your riflescope defines how much your sight picture is magnified. It is highly essential and comes in handy for precision shooting at longer ranges. Most of them ranges from a smaller factor to a larger factor. For instance, the CVLIFE scope has magnification power ranging from 6 to 24 times.
However, refrain from using too much magnification because it will just distort the image of your target, thus making it blurry. That being said, when your magnification is increased, your field of view will be significantly decreased. Hence why, you need to choose the suitable magnification power that will zoom your picture, without it being blurry.
Cost
No matter the cost, it is essential to get a high quality product that is built to last in the long run. It all comes down to your budget after all, so you shouldn’t be hesistant to fork out extra bucks for a scope with top notch quality as it will give you promising results by enhancing your shooting accuracy and consistency.
To get the top rated ones, you should do a little research based on customer reviews as well as product-based reviews to give you a little insight of the product itself and its additional features which suits your personal preference. All in all, it should offer you good magnification and accuracy.
CVLIFE Hunting Riflescope
First things first, this riflescope is equipped with a dual illuminated reticle, in which it is available in both red and green illuminations so you can choose according to your preference. This feature especially comes in handy during low light conditions so you are able to view your target with maximum clarity.
In addition to that, it is made from high-strength aluminium alloy thus contributing to the sturdiness of its body. The tube on the other hand is completely sealed and fully nitrogen purged, therefore making it fully waterproof and fogproof when in contact with different temperatures.
The coating is scratch-resistant to offer protection to the exterior lenses from scratches, oil and dirt to ensure that you can view your target with maximum clarity through the lens. Not only that, the scope offers a parallax-free view of 15 yards to infinity to provide you with a vivid sight picture of your target.
Moreover, the optics are crystal clear and fully multi-coated to ensure increased light transmissions so you are able to view a clear image of your sight picture through the reticle. Also, it includes a Kelner eyepiece that comes in handy to allow extra field of view as well as eliminates most of the image aberrations.
Its spherical structure design prevents the reticle from rotating when any adjustments are made, for your added convenience. That being said, it is shockproof and offers a more precise windage and elevation adjustment. It also comes with a free mount upon purchase.
Apart from that, it is equipped with an ocular built design with dioptric adjustments lens so you can view a clear sight picture of your target, without any need of eyeglasses, for your maximum convenience. Also, it has 28 feet at 100 yards field of view meanwhile a click value of 1/8 inch at 100 yards.
Equipped with a 50 mm objective lens diameter, it includes magnification powers of 6 to 24 times. Magnification is important for shooting at long ranges, however adjust your scope to the right magnification factor to prevent your image from going blurry.
Suitable for :
- Dual illuminated reticle (red & green)
- Completely sealed and nitrogen purged
- Kelner eyepiece
- Spherical structure design
Nikon M-308 Riflescope
The Nikon M-308 riflescope comes with a bright, fully multi-coated system to ensure increased light transmissions in the scope. The increased light transmissions will further contribute to a clear sight picture through the reticle, so you can properly aim and view your target when hunting. Its Ultra ClearCoat optical system also contributes to increased light transmissions.
In addition to that, it comes with a one-piece main body tube which has high strength and low weight. The M-308 one-piece mount is included with a built-in 20 MOA slope. Also, there is an enhanced mount ring spacing to provide you with a greater mounting versatility, for your added convenience.
It has a fast-focus eyepiece which comes in handy for instant acquisition so you are able to view the target with maximum ease. Also, this M1A scope has a BDC 800 reticle. Though not illuminated, it provides a clear and accurate viewing of the sight picture. Also, it comes with a 4 inch constant eye relief so you can view the full viewing angle of your target conveniently.
Apart from that, its tube is nitrogen filled and O-ring sealed to ensure that this product is waterproof, shockproof and fogproof when in different temperature atmospheres. The included flip open lens cover functions to protect the lens from any scratches.
The windage and elevation knobs are tight and sound off with an audible click when making adjustments. It is equipped with tactical-style turrets that comes with zero-reset feature so you can easily sight in and reset the zero.
Furthermore, this product is equipped with an objective diameter lens with a length of 42mm. It functions to gather light for your scope. In other words, it increases the amount of light entering your scope for a clear and bright sight picture.
The large magnification range on the other hand includes an oversized lens hence making it suitable to be utilized with heavy caliber rifles. The magnification power ranges from 4-16x so you are able to zoom in the picture of your target for long range shooting with maximum ease.
Suitable for :
- Bright, fully multi-coated system
- Quick-focus eyepiece
- Flip open lens cover
- BDC 800 reticle
Redfield Revolution Accu-Range Scope
This product comes with an Accu-Range reticle. This type of reticle is mainly used for bullet drop compensation. It has a circle crosshair pattern with a secondary aiming point so you are able to aim properly and accurately at your target.
Moreover, the tube of the scope is nitrogen filled and O-ring sealed to provide you with shockproof and waterproof performance. It comes with a weather sealed housing which comes in handy as it can be used under any weather conditions, according to your preference.
The multi-coated illuminator lens system on the other hand allows for enhanced light transmissions for vivid and bright sight picture, through the reticle. The reticle on the other hand is a second focal plane reticle in which it stays the same size upon the change of magnification power.
It is equipped with an eyepiece for rapid target acquisition. The eyepiece is fast-focus with lockable settings. This enables shooters to maintain their diopter correction so they are able to view their sight picture with high clarity.
The finger adjustable and resettable Accu-Trac windage and elevation turrets allows for simple adjustments to be made before firing your M1A rifle. That being said, it allows impact point adjustments in ¼ MOA increments every 100 yards for tighter shot groupings with high accuracy and consistency.
All in all, this product has clear optics as well as provides a bright and clear sight picture under low light conditions. It has a main tube diameter of 1 inch meanwhile its eye relief ranges from 3.7 to 4.9 inches. The eye relief is rather generous in length so you are able to get a full viewing angle of your target.
Equipped with an objective lens diameter of 40 mm, this M1A scope has magnification power of 4 to 12 times so you are able to zoom the picture to enlarge them which especially comes in handy if you plan on taking a shot from long ranges.
Suitable for :
- Accu-Range reticle
- Nitrogen purged
- Accu-Trac turrets
- Rapid Target Acquisition eyepiece
Sightron Matte Black SIII Riflescope
In terms of appearance, this scope is available in a matte black finish that is rather rugged and attractive. It also has great lens quality therefore contributing to high clarity sight picture. A lens cover on the other hand is included upon the purchase of the product to protect the lens from scratches and damage in the long run.
Apart from that, it is equipped with a tube with thickness more than twice as thick as standard 1 inch models. The thick tube ensures maximum rigidity and durability of your scope. That being said, it features a single piece tube of length 30 mm, constructed from high quality aircraft aluminium.
The tube on the other hand is nitrogen purged to provide it with a waterproof, fogproof and shockproof performance. In other words, it successfully provides an internal fog protection which comes in handy for any type of weather conditions.
Moreover, it includes an eye relief with length ranging from 3.6 to 4 inches. The eye relief not only protects your eyes from impact from the rifle itself, but also allows you to have a full viewing angle of your target.
The reticle that comes with this riflescope is the MOA-2 type. The click value is ¼ MOA every 100 yards. Not only that, it is rather easy to sight in. You can easily shoot ¼ inch at 100 yards therefore it is suitable to be used for long range shooting. In other words, the MOA-2 reticle allows you to shoot small targets at long ranges.
The unique ExacTrack feature allows you to make simple and accurate windage and elevation adjustments before firing a shot. The ZACT seven layer multi-coating on the other hand comes with a precision ground glass. It functions to provide superior light resolution and transmission, thus ensuring a bright and high clarity sight picture.
Furthermore, the magnification power ranges from 8 to 32 times so you are able to magnify your target images, which especially comes in handy for long range shooting. However, over-magnifying the image will only make it blurry, so choose the suitable power. The objective lens diameter on the other hand measures 56mm.
Suitable for :
- Aircraft aluminium single piece tube
- ExacTrack adjustment system
- ZACT-7 layer multi-coating
- Double thickness of tube
Sightmark Photon Digital Riflescope
Firstly, this product comes with an easy to use interface. However, since it’s digital rather than optical, it will take a little getting used to. Don’t fret, the set up procedure and instructions are well explained in the manual provided.
The built-in 810 nm LED IR illuminator feature comes in handy, especially to be used under low light conditions. It is good to be used over ranges of 150 to 200 yards, for high clarity and bright viewing of the sight picture, through the scope. That being said, it is designed for both daytime and nighttime use, for your added convenience.
Apart from that, it is equipped with high magnification power of 6.5 x (fixed) for extended viewing range which comes in handy if you plan on shooting from long ranges. The objective lend diameter on the other hand measures 50mm. It functions to gather light in your scope for a clear and vivid sight picture.
This product includes a digital reticle with the option of 6 reticle styles which you can choose from according to your preference. It also offers a long eye relief which will not only provide you with a great viewing angle of target but also protects your eyes from the impact of the rifle, in terms of safety.
Furthermore, the riflescope has a shockproof and weatherproof performance as its single piece tube is most likely O-ring sealed and nitrogen purged to remove all the air out of it. Thus, it can be used under any weather conditions because the difference in temperature won’t cause the fogging up of your lens.
It has a rather unique feature, where it includes an additional weaver rail so you can mount on additional accessories conveniently, according to your preference. Not only that, it offers video output options so you can record videos with ease. The sight picture of your target on the other hand is guaranteed to come with a high resolution display so you get a vivid picture therefore contributing to the accuracy of your shot.
Suitable for :
- Built-in 810nm illuminator
- Easy to use interface
- Offers video output options
- Additional weaver rail
Conclusion
A scope is very important to be paired up with your rifle. For a high powered rifle such as the M1A rifle, it is best to get a high powered scope as well that offers good accuracy and magnification. Therefore, I hope my review assists you in making the right decision. (check out our sks scope mounts too!)