What most beginners overlook and later come to find out its importance, is the quality of the scope on the crossbow. Even if you are well versed in the hunting arts and are an expert archer, your aim can be affected if you have a low-quality scope.
What does it mean when I say “quality” of a scope?
Well, there are a few factors that you should keep in mind when you are looking for crossbow scopes for hunting purposes. These factors determine the “quality” of a scope or crossbow sight. Keeping these factors in mind, we have come up with a list of the best crossbow scope reviews that you will find to be helpful in your search.
The first option that we have for you is the 4×32 1” scope by UTG. This option is number one on our list for a few reasons, the most important of them being quality and price. This scope is compact and lightweight, making it an ideal scope for crossbows. Weighing only 12.3 oz and having a length of 8.1 inches, you would have a hard time finding a physically better suiting scope for your crossbow.
It features the fixed 4x magnification which may seem to be a downside, but with the 32 mm lens, this gives you the perfect view from a crossbow. This scope has a unique 5-step red/green illuminated reticle design calibrated for 300 FPS crossbows. The broadband lens coating offers the clearest and brightest image and a wide field of view and an eye relief of 3.8” is quite forgiving.
TenPoint has made its name in the crossbow manufacturing industry but most people do not know that they manufacture accessories including scopes as well, bringing the TenPoint innovation in the designs.
This scope is no exception, with its unusually small and compact design measuring only 8.5 inches in length. This is the missing piece that you were looking for your crossbow to bring out the archer in you worthy of bringing down some big game.
It features 3×32 fully-coated optics giving you the best quality lens with great light transmission. It has non-illuminated black dots that can be switched on for either green or red rheostat-controlled, illuminated colour dots with 5 light intensities each.
Specifications:
Magnification: 3X Objective Diameter: 32mm Length: 8.5” Weight: 7.2 oz
Number 3 on the list, we introduce you to another manufacturer, Truglo. Truglo crossbow scopes are reviewed to be one of the best that are on sale in 2021.
If you are looking for crossbow scopes with built-in rangefinder, then this might be the best option for you. This scope has a special range finding and trajectory compensating reticle. It features fully coated 32mm lenses providing excellent clarity, contrast, and brightness. In fact, we found it to be the best-reviewed scope in terms of clarity and image quality.
It is also at the top of the game in safety, having a generous 4” eye relief and rubber eye guard to protect you from the recoil of a crossbow.
Durability is a strong factor in this scope as well. One-piece tube made of aircraft quality aluminium and is scratch resistant with a non-reflective matte finish. That’s not all, it also comes with a limited lifetime warranty.
Absolutely amazing scope for hunting in low light conditions. Rightfully named as the Hog hunter, this crossbow scope by Vortex will prove its value in tough lighting conditions with the V-brite reticle and an over-sized 56 mm objective lens.
The scope boasts fully multi-coated optics with anti-reflective coatings and a versatile 3-12x magnification so that your field of view is crystal clear. The Hog hunter crossbow scope by Vortex is reviewed to be one of the most durable options in the market. It comes with a 30 mm tube which is made from aircraft-grade aluminium and is waterproof and fog proof, making sure that your view is not compromised even in the harshest of environments.
The innovative V-Brite Illuminated MOA Reticle is perfect for tough low light hunting conditions. The eye relief it exceptional as well so that you can remain behind the scope for longer periods of time even when it is mostly dark outside.
Excalibur needs no introduction. It is a name that just absolutely comes up when you think of a crossbow. Their crossbow accessories are top-notch in quality as well, including scopes.
The best feature of the Tact Zone is its clarity with the fully multi-coated lens and the fact that it comes with 2.5-6x variable zoom, is another reason to get your hands on this scope. It is suitable for most of the modern crossbow that shoots between 275 FPS and 410 FPS with its speed adjustment dial. It was originally made and best compatible with the Excalibur Matrix and Micro series crossbows.
It comes with a newer reticle design with green/red rheostat illumination and a 30 mm tube. It is very compact weighing less than a pound and almost 13’ inches in length.
Specifications:
Magnification: 2.5-6X Objective Diameter: 32mm Length: 12.9” Weight: 15.2 oz
If you are looking for cheap crossbow scopes with rangefinder then this option by Pinty is perfect for you. Priced less than $40, people have compared this option with many high-end scopes in terms of the features that this scope comes with.
It comes with a 3-9x variable magnification that is almost never seen in scope in this price range. The rangefinder reticle design with red and green illumination and 5-level brightness provide ultimate clarity and superior vision.
It is also nitrogen purged and o-ring sealed which makes it water and fog proof. Performance-wise it is great and durable as well with a 2.7”- 3.3” eye-relief and comes with 2x 1” complimentary scope rings for mounting it on most common 20mm rails.
Another variable zoom featuring, high performance, top-rated and good crossbow scope manufactured by Hawke Optics. It comes in a matte finish and the adjustable magnification is 1.5x to 5X which is great for clarity of the image.
This option by Hawke is one of the most universal scope options because it can be matched with any crossbow due to its adjustable speed feature. It is also most durable with its high-grade aluminium build quality, 1” mono-tube chassis for superior strength and nitrogen purged option to make it fog proof along with it being water and shockproof.
The vision from this scope is amazing with its fully multi-coated optics for excellent clarity and light transmission. It features an updated SR glass etched reticle with red/green rheostat illumination and 5-level brightness and adjustable speed option between 250 FPS and 425 FPS.
Specifications:
Magnification: 1.5-5X Objective Diameter: 32mm Eye Relief: 3″ Reticle: XBI SR Length: 8.3” Weight: 13 oz
Variable zoom is a feature that seems to be in all the scopes mentioned on our list. But you would be hard-pressed to find one in this price range. This is a scope that will fulfil your needs and you would have money left over in the bank
The R4 Rectile scope by CVLIFE offers an adjustable magnification of 3-9x with an objective diameter of 4mm and a tube diameter of 1”. This scope is also shockproof because of the special design in the inner and outer tubes. It is also sealed making it waterproof and nitrogen filled makes it fog proof as well.
The above-mentioned features make the scope extremely durable, along with the ultra-strong machined aluminium build quality.
Clarity is not a thing that you would be worried about using this scope, the glass is fully multi-coated providing over 90% light transmission and crystal clear images. It also comes with free 20mm Picatinny rail mounts.
Going down the list, we have another scope for you, manufactured by Hawke. Hawke is well renowned in the world for their scopes and optics and they put out the most high-end products on the market.
This scope is specifically designed for crossbows with a speed of 340 FPS and no one can beat it in terms of clarity. It features 11 layers fully multi-coated optics for the best light transmission. It has a glass-etched illuminated XB SR reticle with the zero at 20 yards.
It also takes the lead in durability, as the frame is made from machined aircraft-grade aluminium and is shock and waterproof with nitrogen-purged optics making it fog proof as well.
It comes with the Hawke lifetime worldwide warranty, meaning Hawke will repair the product in case if it becomes defective or damaged with no extra cost to you. People have reviewed this scope to be the best for a crossbow, specifically a Barnett Jackal. They replaced the stock red dot scope that came with the crossbow with this beautiful piece of optics from Hawke.
Specifications:
Magnification: 3X Objective Diameter: 32mm Rectile: XB SR – 340 FPS Eye Relief: 4” Length: 8.5” Weight: 11 oz
The last item on our list is an exceptional premium scope by Nikon, the Prostaff P3 featuring a BDC 60 crossbow reticle designed to improve range and efficiency. With a 3X magnification and an objective of 32mm, the P3 has great optical features, as expected of Nikon. The optics are fully multi-coated for excellent light transmission. No scope can catch light if there isn’t any, but if there is a shimmer of light, the P3 will transmit it instantly.
It is also extremely durable with its 1” aircraft-grade aluminum main tube, a quick focus eyepiece with generous eye relief. The constructions of the windage and elevation turrets caps are of aluminum as well, for crisp reticle adjustments that you can hear and feel, and they are marked clearly for fast adjustments.
People have replaced their TenPoint scopes with the Nikon P3, saying that the P3 is the best choice for a crossbow scope.
Let us provide definitions of a few of the words used in the post, regarding crossbow scopes. Our experienced readers may not need this, this is just for the information of beginners so that they can better understand which crossbow is perfect for them!
Eye Relief: The distance between the lens of the scope and your eye. Greater the eye relief, less of a chance that you get hit in your eye with the weapon’s recoil.
Magnification/Zoom: The measure of how close of a distance you can see an object from, then with the naked eye.
Field of View (FOV): The width of the image you can see from your scope at a particular distance. Larger the magnification, narrower the FOV.
Exit Pupil: The quantity of light that hits your eye through the scope.
Tube Diameter: The size of rings to be used for mounting is determined by the diameter of the centre tube.
FAQs
Can you use a riflescope on a crossbow?
There are some risks involved in the grip of the scope. It might not hold up against the forward recoil of a crossbow but people have been doing it for some time and yes, you can use a riflescope on a crossbow.
What is a multi-reticle scope?
A scope that has more than one horizontal marks, dots, or reticles that enable you to shoot at various distances without making elevation or windage adjustments to the scope.
What does a 4×32 scope mean?
The 4x is the magnification or the zoom factor of a scope. How close you can see items that are far away is determined by this factor. A 4-16x scope has variable zoom, you can adjust it from 4x up to 16x.
The 32 is the diameter in millimetres of the objective lens, which is the lens that is on the opposite side of the lens that you look through. A larger objective lens increases the light transmission through the scope, resulting in a brighter image at a given magnification.
What distance should I zero my crossbow?
With the modern crossbows having a flat trajectory, you do not need to zero them at a close distance. You should zero in the top crosshair or reticle at a distance of 20 yards.
Concluding Remarks
We have tried our best to bring you the different types of the best crossbow scopes for hunting. If you are looking for crossbows as well, check out our Best Crossbow post. And for the thrill-seekers, we have another post about the Faster Crossbows that you can check out to get that excitement that you are looking for.
Our female readers will be glad to know that we have a separate post about the best crossbow for women based on their expertise, you can also check that out.
Even if you are well versed in the hunting arts and are an expert archer, your aim can be affected if you have a low-quality scope.
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