For Hunting

What are you hunting ? "Everything" is not an answer.

Reticle, magnification, scope weight and scope durability are paramount considerations here.

Pick a sensible magnification according to the animal size. A large animal needs less magnification than a small animal. Dangerous game can be hunted adequately with open sights, and usually under 100 yards. If you prefer a scope for dangerous game hunting get a 1-4x or 1-6x so you can use the reticle at 1x for close range with both eyes open.

Make sure the reticle can be well discerned against the background color that is the animal. This means you could favor an illuminated reticle, in green or red.

Pick a magnification that can give you the required optical resolution on the vitals area at the range you expect to be hunting.

Every hunter has their own idea of what the maximum range is that they are prepared to hunt at. Some take it to such extremes they are effectively target shooting at live animals, but this write-up is about choosing a scope, not ethics.

Reliability can be critical. A lot of time and money is usually invested in a hunt. Don't skimp on scope quality at the risk of ruining the hunt. The scope will get knocked against something, the rifle will get dropped, it will rain, dust and dirt will coat the scope. The scope needs to take all that and hold zero with a clear sight picture. Not all scopes can.

The Beginners Guide to Scope Selection   First   Second   Recreational Target Shooting   Hunting   Competition   Recoil   Warranty   In Summary