A varmint scope is mainly used for predator hunting and is often done during low light conditions due to varmints mostly coming out at night compared to the day. Therefore, it is essential to get an objective lens with an excellent light transmission property. Hence, the varmint scope differs from the usual standard scopes as it is designed to withstand rapid movement of your prey, varied terrain as well as low light environments.
The factors that affect the efficiency of your varmint scope are the magnification so you can shoot at longer ranges, type of reticle that is bright and of high clarity, parallax feature for fast target acquisition and great lens. The lens should function well under both light and dark conditions as well as waterproof, fogproof and shockproof to absorb the strong recoil of your scope. Also, if there are no parallax provided with your varmint scope, you should at least get a scope with side focus knobs to compensate. Backpacks for hunting prove to be far more useful than you might think.
Thus, a scope used for coyote hunting together with a powerful rifle not only increases your accuracy in the field but also increases the range of your shots when hunting. Check out our best varmint scope review below.
Top 5 Rated Varmint Scopes Comparison Table
| Name of Product | Magnification | Objective Lens Diameter | Clarity | Reticle | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BSA 6-18x40 Sweet Riflescope | 6-18x | 40mm | Moderate | Duplex | $$$ |
| Vortex Optic Crossfire II 4-12x50 AO Riflescope | 4-12x | 50mm | High | BDC | $$$ |
| Leupold VX-1 Rimfire Riflescope | 2-7x | 28mm | High | Duplex | $$$ |
| UTG 3-9x32 Bugbuster Riflescope | 3-9x | 32mm | Moderate | Mil-dot | $$ |
| Bushnell Banner Dusk & Dawn Multi-X Reticle Riflescope | 6-18x | 50mm | High | Multi-X | $$$ |
- The magnification is rated by its magnification power.
- The reticle is the type of reticle used for this scope.
- The objective lens diameter is measured in mm.
- The clarity is rated from low to high.
Magnification
The magnification is factor of how much the image of your target is enlarged. It is important to have magnification in your varmint scope so that you can target varmints at longer ranges. Most of your shots however are most likely at longer ranges since it is safe to keep certain distance away from varmints for safety purposes.
Magnification reduces the field of view of your sight picture so you should choose the right power to go with your scope so you get an enlarged image as well as a wide field of view. Too much magnification also might cause your image to be blurry.
Reticle
A reticle consists of crosshairs arranged in a circle. It displays the location of your target and used as an aiming point when attempting a shot. There are different type of reticles available according to your needs in which they differ either by their crosshair arrangement that serves variety of purposes.
Lighted reticles with illuminations such as red and green dual illumination also come in handy during low light conditions as the standard black ones are difficult to view in the dark. With a bright reticle, you can get a clear sight picture and thereby improve the accuracy of your shot.
Objective Lens Diameter
An objective lens diameter serves its purpose to gather light so that you are able to get a bright and high clarity sight picture of your target. A larger diameter objective lens gathers more light compared to a smaller one because it has a wider surface area for the light to be gathered.
Therefore, the larger the objective lens diameter of your scope, the brighter the sight picture of your target. This will especially come in handy during low light conditions when hunting for varmints at night.
Clarity
The clarity of the varmint scope is how well you can view the sight picture of your scope. Even from your reticle, it is important to have a clear picture of the crosshairs so you can aim well thus increasing the accuracy of your shot.
The lens on the other hand should be clear and free of scratches so you should get a lens cover to protect it. Some of the varmint scopes are nitrogen purged to ensure great waterproof and fogproof performance of the lens thus also contributing to excellent clarity.
BSA 6-18×40 Sweet Riflescope
Weighing just 20 ounce, this varmint scope is specially designed for the .17 HMR bullet and is custom made for bullet-drop compensation. This bullet-drop compensation property automatically adjusts the elevation to take into account the bullet hold over for further distances.
Moreover, this product comes with multicoated lenses that in return will produce a bright and clear sight picture of your target due to its increased light transmissions. However, the clarity might vary and reduce at higher magnification power so you should choose the right power to enlarge the picture as well as get a wide field of view.
The tube of the scope on the other hand is nitrogen-purged to absorb moisture from it thus resulting in your scope being waterproof and fogproof in the long run. It is also shockproof so it is able to absorb powerful recoils and hence preventing damage on your scope. Apart from that, this product has a strong and sturdy construction with matte finish hence resulting in a durable scope.
Furthermore, this varmint scope has an objective lens with diameter 40mm and a 6-18x magnification power so you are able to get a great view of your target at longer ranges hence making it easy for you to aim and take an accurate shot. Also, it has a decent 4 inch eye relief that will assist you in getting a full viewing angle of your target.
This scope is easy to sight in and holds zero well for a long time. Not only that, it has a ¼ MOA finger adjustable click. In other words, the scope adjustments are made with ¼ increments at 100 yards. The side parallax adjustments and multi-grain turrets contribute to fast target acquisition as well as easy adjustment of settings such as windage and elevation.
Besides that, this varmint scope is equipped with a standard duplex reticle in which it has thin and fine crosshairs that maintains a clear view in the center. This reticle stands out against cover and in twilight conditions (low light conditions) so you can get a high clarity and bright sight picture as well as aim well using the crosshair.
Suitable for :
- Standard duplex reticle
- Side parallax adjustments
- Multi-grain turrets
- ¼ MOA finger adjustments
Vortex Optic Crossfire II 4-12×50 AO Riflescope Review
Vortex’s scope for varmint hunting has fully multi-coated lens which has increased light transmissions with multiple anti-reflective coatings on all air-to-glass surfaces so that the scope is able to gather more light to produce a clear and bright sight picture. Also, weighing just 21 ounce, this product comes together with freebies such as a sunshade, removable lens cover to protect the lens from scratches and a dust cloth.
Besides that, it has a second focal plane reticle scale that maintains its same-ideally size appearance. In other words, the second focal plane reticle remains the same size when the magnification is adjusted. The listed reticle subtensions on the other hand are used for estimating the range in which the subtensions are defined as the distance the reticle covers at a certain range.
Equipped with a fast-focus eyepiece together with a 50mm adjustable objective lens, you can quickly acquire your targets with ease. The objective lens on the other hand also provides image focus and parallax removal features to ensure the maximum accuracy of your shot when hunting especially at longer ranges.
This varmint scope is waterproof, fogproof and shockproof. It has O-ring seals that prevents moisture, dust and debris from penetrating the riflescope while its shockproof feature prevents sharp recoils from damaging the scope. Also, the lenses are locked in place with machined locking rings to further provide a fully shockproof performance.
Moreover, the magnification power of this scope is 4-12x so you can enlarge the image according to your preference. This scope uses a Dead Hold BDC reticle that has a customized hashmark design that reduces the need for guesswork of the bullet holdover and windage corrections at longer distances. With this hashmark, the shooter will have a reliable bullet-drop reference at all distances.
This varmint scope is easy to zero and it holds zero well thus you most probably will have no trouble to get tight groupings with ease. The turret clicks on the other hand are easy and smooth as the resettable, capped MOA turrets has ¼ MOA increments at every 100 yards. Also, it has an extended eye relief that will assist you in getting a better sight picture of your target.
Suitable for :
- Second focal plane reticle
- Resettable MOA turrets
- Adjustable objective lens
- Fast-focus eyepiece
Leupold VX-1 Rimfire Riflescope
The micro-friction windage and elevation dials of Leupold’s varmint scope are marked in ¼ MOA increments for every 100 yards. It is also equipped with a parallax to 60 yards feature in which it will be free of parallax up to 60 yards regardless of the magnification power. This parallax free feature will ensure that your point of impact does not run and stay constant.
Furthermore, this varmint scope has 4 different multi-coat layers that will increase the amount of light entering your eyes thereby, minimizing the reflection to produce a better, sharper and clearer image quality. Its Index Matched Lens system feature further eliminates the reflection which in return maximizes the light transmission in your scope hence producing a brighter image.
Equipped with a quantum optical system feature, this product ensures sharp imaging of your image at all times and conditions. In other words, the glass lenses of this product are refined using advanced software and equipment thus increasing the resolution and producing razor-sharp imaging across the entire spectrum of light conditions.
Apart from that, this coyote hunting scope is treated with Diamondcoat which provides the best abrasion resistance hence contributing to the durability and the tough and solid construction of this scope. It has an objective lens diameter of 28mm as well as a magnification power of 2-7x. In other words, magnification comes in handy when attempting shot at longer ranges.
Leupold’s varmint scope fits well on a Ruger 10/22 takedown and is easy to be mounted onto your rifle. Nevertheless, you should get extra mounting rings with this scope so ensure that your varmint scope is tightly and securely mounted on your rifle. Not only that, this product holds zero well, is easy to sight in and has a fast-focus eyepiece to ensure quick target acquisition.
Moreover, this product comes with a duplex reticle in which it has fine and defined crosshairs hence making it easy to read and aim at your target. Besides that, the duplex reticle are great in low light conditions as well as gives you the ability to extend the range of your shot.
Suitable for :
- Fine duplex reticle
- Diamondcoat treatment
- Multicoated with 4 layers
- Quantum optical system
UTG 3-9×32 Bugbuster Riflescope
This tactical scope is equipped with a 1 inch tube coated with emerald to ensure maximum light transmission thus producing a bright and vivid sight picture. Moreover, it comes with lockable turrets with ¼ MOA per click adjustment each 100 yards. These turrets also can be reset with ease according to your preference. Therefore, the operation of this scope is fairly moderate.
Besides that, this product comes with a range-estimating mil-dot reticle to ensure optical aiming and the best shooting performance. This mil-dot reticle usually have 4 dots in each direction of crosshair thus giving you nine different aiming points to adjust either windage or elevation of your scope.
Apart from being bright and clear, the reticle has red and green dual illumination for versatile applications. These illumination might come in handy especially during low light conditions so you can get a bright sight picture especially in the nighttime. Also, this product comes complete with a sunshade, flip-open lens cap and quick detachable rings in which these rings can fit on picatinny and weaver rails which in return makes it easier to mount the scope on the rifle.
This coyote hunting scope is built on true strength platform thus resulting in the solid and tough construction of the scope. It is completely sealed and nitrogen-filled, thus making it waterproof, fogproof and shockproof. Also, the scope is well-built and fits tightly on your rifle as you latch the quick release rings properly.
It has an adjustable objective lens from 3 yards to infinity as well as comes with an excellent eye relief for optimum CQB mission. With both of this features, your scope will have a good focus and full viewing angle therefore resulting in a better and crisp sight picture of your target. It also has an adjustable parallax so you can improve the accuracy of your shot and thoroughly reduce the chances of you missing a shot.
Furthermore, it has a magnification power of 3-9x hence you are able to magnify the image of your target which comes in handy at longer ranges. This product also holds zero well which lasts up to many rounds and is easy to sight in.
Suitable for :
- Adjustable parallax
- Mil-dot reticle
- Emerald coating
- Red/green dual illumination
Bushnell Banner Dusk & Dawn Multi-X Reticle Riflescope Review
Bushnell’s varmint hunting scope comes with dusk and dawn brightness (DBB) multi-coated lenses to ensure maximum optical clarity and brightness due to its increased light transmissions. Apart from that, it has an objective lens with diameter 50mm as well as magnification power of 6-18x. In other words, you can enlarge the image of your target by a maximum factor of 18.
At different magnification power, the zoom produces a clear picture and focuses properly, however it starts not get a little blurry at the highest magnification power where the field of view is vastly reduced. Also, it has an adjustable objective so your scope can focus better on the target.
Moreover, this scope has a one piece (single) tube design. This tube is nitrogen purged hence the moisture in it is fully absorbed. Therefore, the scope is waterproof and fogproof. Not only that, this scope is both well-built with solid construction and also shockproof so it can absorb sharp and powerful recoils quickly with ease without damaging your scope.
Furthermore, this varmint scope comes with a lens cover that is essential to protect your lens from damage and scratches. It also holds zero easily for many rounds as well as is easy to sight in thus improving the accuracy of your shot. However, in terms of weight, this product is a little on the heavy side.
This product has an eye relief with length 3.5 inches which comes in handy so you can obtain a full viewing angle of your target. It also has a fast-focus eyepiece that contributes to quick target acquisition when hunting and taking a shot. The operation of this product on the other hand is fairly simple. The turrets can easily adjust the windage and elevation of your scope ¼ MOA for every increment of 100 yards.
The reticle of this product on the other hand is a multi-X reticle. The multi-X reticle is a single plex aiming reticle and works extremely well under low light conditions.
Suitable for :
- Multi-X reticle
- Single tube design
- DBB multicoated lenses
Conclusion
In a nutshell, you should choose the best varmint scope well-suited to your needs. Factors such as magnification power, reticle type, clarity, objective lens diameter and finally price need to be taken into consideration. Using a camera specially designed for hunting to record your trips helps out a lot as you can learn from your mistakes.
Therefore, I hope my review assists you in making the right decision to choose the right varmint scope worth your investment.
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