TOP 5 Best Scopes For A .243 Rifle

Best Scopes For A .243 Rifle

Introduction

The .243 rifle is a popular choice among hunting enthusiast. With a trusty 243 rifle, you can have a great tactical experience and you also have the ability to shoot medium range targets nicely. By adding a great scope, you can extend that distance out to a long-distance shooting range. The .243 is popular and versatile and a great choice.

There are lots of optics options when looking to add one to your 243. There are also several factors to consider. So, what is a good scope for a .243 rifle? This article will help break it all down for you and help show you what factors to consider when purchasing a scope for your rifle.

What is a .243 rifle?

A .243 rifle is designed to fire .243 caliber rounds exclusively. These rounds are often popular among hunters who are focused on varmints and predators. What makes these rifles stand out is that it can be a great “property management tool” for when those invasive creatures are destroying your property or causing trouble.

If you are someone who raises livestock or farm animals, they are vulnerable to predator attacks. If you are currently facing such a situation, a rifle like a .243 may come in handy here. This way, you have the perfect round with the right kind of firing power to knock out a varmint or predator dead in their tracks. 

Why do you need a good scope for your .243?

If you do any hunting at all or are considering it, then you need to consider a scope. A good hunting scope is versatile and can range from a low power scope to a scope that can handle long range shooting. You need to consider the geography of where you will be hunting and the type of targets you will be aiming for.

More important than flexibility with magnification, is the clarity and brightness of the target that you will see through the scope. A good optic will probably be one that is multi-coated and it will have a or better and would be larger objective to be able to pick out the deer or squirrel that blends in so well with its environment.

A good field of view is also important as most animals don’t stand still for long and being able to follow their movement while waiting on that perfect shot is vital.

A good scope for your .243 will allow you to raise your accuracy and aim when out in the field. And it will be versatile enough to handle different shooting distances and different types of prey.

What makes a great scope for a .243 and how to choose one?

When you are ready to purchase your scope, there are several factors that are helpful to keep in mind. Here is a breakdown of what to look for when purchasing your scope for a .243.

Magnification

There is no denying that magnification will play a role in making sure that you see the target right in front of you much closer. Not only that, it can come quite in handy if you need to make a better confirmation on what the target is. In other words, you want to make a “go” or “no go” decision. “Go” meaning shoot.

If you want a magnification level that will be better useful in a long range situation, consider purchasing a scope that will have more powerful levels of magnification. If you intend to go any less than 500 yards, you may want to settle with a scope that will have lower power.

Construction

A great .243 scope is a well-built scope. That’s because it’s designed to handle a good amount of recoil and power so the scope itself won’t lose its zero settings after so many rounds. Be sure to find a scope that is made from high-quality materials.

Nine times out of ten, your .243 scopes will be make from some kind of aluminum. And yes, you should have a scope that will be able to resist weather and doesn’t allow any water leakage or fogging up from happening.

Reticle

If you hold accuracy and precision to the utmost importance, then you want to pay attention to the reticle. This will not only provide quick target acquisition, but it will also allow you to hone in on your targets and drop them cold with accurate and precise shots.

Some reticles may also have some nifty features on hand. Some scopes have rangefinders that will help you determine how far out a target is. While you won’t find them in every scope, it’s good to have a little extra in an effort for a scope to perform at its peak.

Price

The price might just be one of the deciding factors in choosing a scope. But it shouldn’t be the “be all, end all” reason why you chose a scope. Understand that you need to focus on the quality and features. If you are indeed on a budget, it would be wise to find the best quality and performance that you can afford. That way, you won’t have to settle for cheap and flimsy (which ultimately leads to weak and disappointing).

Objective lens

If there is one thing to pay close attention to, it’s the size of the scope’s objective. You can choose an objective that might be below 30mm. But if you want some serious coverage of land, then you want something larger in size.

Typically, a 30mm objective or anything south of 40mm is the average size. But if you are looking for something that will have the ability to go long distance, an objective north of 40mm might just do the trick. And best of all, you’ll get plenty of real estate with a large objective and even quicker target acquisition.

Eye relief

A smart shooter would know better than to look a little too close to a scope while firing a .243 rifle. Unless you are a glutton for punishment and love yourself some scope eye, you need a scope that will give you a good amount of eye relief.

This means you have to look through the scope using both eyes. If you are far enough away from the scope and can be able to see the image picture, you are good to go.

Also, if you are dealing with a rifle that has a lot of recoil, then you’ll need a scope that will have even longer eye relief. A prime example of such scopes are scout scopes. They will have eye relief roughly around 7 to 10 inches.

Best 5 Scopes For Your .243 Comparison Table 2020

Product

Image

Magnification

Objective Lens

Focal Plane

Lens Coating

 Bushnell Elite Tactical G2DMR FFP Reticle Riflescope (6-24x50-mm)

6-24 x

 50mm

First Focal Plane

Yes

 Vortex Optics Razor HD LH 3-15x42 SFP Riflescope HSR-4 MOA

3-15 x

42mm

Second Focal Plane

Yes

 Nikon Buckmasters II 3-9x40 BDC

3-9 x

40 mm

Second Focal Plane

Yes

 Bushnell Banner Dusk & Dawn Multi-X Reticle Riflescope with 3.3-Inch Eye Relief, 3-9X 40mm

3-9 x

40 mm

Second Focal Plane

Yes

 Leupold VX-2 4-12x40mm Compact Waterproof Fogproof Riflescope, Duplex Reticle, Matte Finish, Black (114396)

4-12 x

40 mm

Second Focal Plane

Yes

Best 5 Scopes For Your .243 Reviews 2020

 1  Bushnell Elite Tactical G2DMR

The Bushnell company is well known among optics users. This company has been around and they design quality products. The Elite Tactical is one of those great optics. Bushnell is known for producing great equipment needed for successful shooting, tactical use and varmint hunting.

If you are looking for invasive critters that are digging through your property or if you are dealing with some predators that might be intimidating or harassing your livestock, then this could be the scope that you can tack onto your .243.

This sucker has an objective of 50mm. And that will give you plenty of real estate once you look through the scope. Even better, this is a scope that will hit a varmint or predator target from up to a good 400 yards. If that isn’t impressive in your book, we’d be speechless.

If you want a scope that will be protected from all types of weather and will have lenses that won’t fog up or scratch, this might be a scope worth checking out.

 2  Vortex Optics Razor HD

Next up, we got the Vortex Optics Razor HD. Before we dig right into this scope, let’s get one thing out of the way: this sucker is pretty dang tough. And if you are familiar with this brand, you won’t be surprised in the slightest.

Vortex scopes are among the toughest, most durable scopes in the world. Even at a pretty reasonable price point, you’ll swear that your stealing (but you really aren’t, so we won’t call the cops).

This scope comes jam packed with some pretty awesome features. For one, you got the objective measured at right around 42mm. That’s a pretty reasonable size considering that you will probably be able to look through the scope and see a great deal of land in front of you.

Second, the magnification levels ranging from 3 to 15 times. And with the image quality it’s got, this scope might as well be the total package. This puppy can go the distance and will provide superior accuracy at various ranges. It’s pretty solid for hunting and target shooting.

 3  Nikon Buckmasters II

We talked up durability when we reviewed the Vortex Optics scope. If they are known for durability, then Nikon is king when it comes to image quality.

When you look through a Nikon scope, you will be amazed with how crisp and clear the image quality is. In fact, you put this up against any scope on the market and the image quality of a Nikon scope like this will be the undisputed champion of the world.

This is a pretty good hunting scope that will probably be put to good use if your targets are more apt to hang around a good 300 to 600 yards out.  So if you want something that will give you some serious coverage, this could be the scope you wind up using.

 Of course, you will also be able to nail your kill shots from those distances because of the dead hold reticle. Accurate, reliable, and impressive clarity are just a few things you’ll get out the Nikon Bucknasters II.

 4  Bushnell Banner Dusk and Dawn

Bushnell once again makes the list with this scope. The company really does know how to turn out a quality scope. This scope from Bushnell lives up to its name as a reliable scope that can be useful in both dawn or dusk (hence the name) thanks to the lens gathering in light.

Even in low light conditions, you can still see a good amount in front of you. Even in broad daylight, you can still see excellent image quality that will give Nikon a run for its money.

The scope is excellent in quality and delivers excellent accuracy for mid range shooting. It will deliver consistent, effective accuracy at ranges from 200 to 400 yards. It’s undeniably one of the best scopes that any hunter that uses a .243 for all their hunting needs.

 5  Leupold VX-2

The Leupold is perhaps one of the more durable scopes on the market, but it’s more of a higher-end name compared to such brands like Nikon or Vortex. Who knows...there may be someone saying that Vortex is a “poor man’s Leupold” (their words, not ours).

But if durability is what you want, you better believe that you’ll get it out of this scope. The magnification levels range from 4 to 12 times. Even at some magnification levels, you can still get a good view of your target while not having to deal with the image quality getting blurry.

You’ll often run into that with most rifle scopes. Also, you get an objective that is measured at around 40mm. That’s a pretty good size if you need something that will cover a good amount of ground (and allows for fast target acquisition). If you want a scope that is ridiculously durable and will deliver excellent accuracy and precision from ranges up to 300 yards, the Leupold VX-2 might was well be worth every penny for a scope that can handle .243 gunfire.

How to zero a scope for your .243 rifle

Once you purchase a scope and attach it to your rifle, it will need to be zeroed. This means you are making adjustments so that your point of aim and point of impact are in alignment.

First, you want to be sure that the scope and your barrel are aligned. You can use either a boresighter or a collimator to check this. The next thing to do is to place a target at 50 yards. Take several shots and examine your results. Make any adjustments that you may need.

Then try again. Once you are shooting a bullseye, you can move the target back to 75 yards. Repeat the same process. Then move the target to 100 yards. You can keep moving the target back until you reach the distance you will most likely be shooting at. 

When you are zeroing your scope, make sure that you have a rest to use. It is crucial that you eliminate any possible human error during the process. It is also a good idea to clean your rifle after about 20 shots.

Some people feel that zeroing your scope is a tedious process that is not always necessary. This is not true. The process is necessary to ensure accuracy when out on the range. The time you spend zeroing your scope will be very beneficial later on.

FAQs

1.What power scope is good for a .243?

Any hunter knows that his or her shooting skills are good, but the right scope makes them stellar. This is true no matter what distance you are shooting at.

If your scope is not helping you to improve your shot every time, then it is a waste of money and energy. Your scope should be able to provide you with enough magnification, clarity and brightness to ensure your success.

The magnification on your scope should be enough, even if you’re not planning to go for longer distances. It is important to remember that the further away your target will be, the higher the magnification levels you will need on your scope

If you plan on shooting out to a minimum of 350 yards, for example, your scope needs a lot of magnification and power for clarity. And if you will be aiming for smaller targets, then the magnification should be even higher. In this scenario a magnification level of 9x or higher is ideal. And in this case, your scope needs to have 40mm lenses.

However, if you plan on medium range shooting, which is between 150-350 yards, you will do well to have a scope that has a slightly lower level of magnification. For this shooting scenario, magnification levels of 5-9x are sufficient.
If you will be shooting at a close range of less than 150 yards, then you really only need magnification of 1-4x.

2.What size scope do I need for a .243 rifle?

If you plan on doing medium to long range shooting, then a fixed power scope that has magnification levels between 6x- 12x are a safe bet. In fact, 10x would be the ideal. If you will be do closer to medium range shooting, than a variable power, low end scope with magnification in the 4-8x range should be fine.

The other consideration is the size of the tube and the objective lens. This is important because the bigger the scope, the more weight it adds and user fatigue is very real. Most tubes will be 1” in diameter. This is pretty standard. The objective lens, though, can vary widely in its diameter.

The objective lens is responsible for capturing light and helping you to see the area around your target. So, the bigger the lens, the better your sight and light capturing. The caveat is that as the lenses get larger, the heavier they will be. If you can keep the objective lens size to between 40 mm- 50mm, that should be fine.

Additional Information

One of the topics that is a matter of dispute is the distances of certain ranges. What constitutes as short range? What about mid-range or long range? The problem with these questions is that you’ll probably get a varying answer. But as an estimation, we can consider the following:

  • Short range may be any distance south of 200 yards. For example, a 100 yard shot may look like a pretty good distance. But it’s quite short when you are looking at a target (paper, big game, or small game).
  • For mid-range, this is where things get a little hairy. Since we mentioned short range being less than 200 yards, it would be safe to say that mid range would begin from 200 yards to roughly 500 yards.
  • Finally, we take a look at long-range. At this point, you can already tell that it’s a target that is situated 500 yards and beyond. 500 yards may seem like an exaggerated estimate for low-end long distance. But we believe that’s where it starts. Some even say long range begins from 1000 yards of all distances. Now that is an exaggerated estimate if we ever heard one.

Points to Consider

The .243 rifle is great rifle to use for many different hunting situations. It is a classic and has the power to take down big game, deer and varmints. Anyone with a .243 knows its value.

If you are looking to up your shooting skills, or simply to try shooting your .243 rifle at different distances, a scope is a great accessory to add to your rifle. But before you run out and grab the first scope that has a lot of magnification, you need to consider a few things.

1.Before buying a new scope for your .243 rifle, think about how you will be using it. You really need to figure out what your shooting distance will be. And you need to figure out what type of game or prey you will be hunting.

2.What is your budget? Scopes can vary pretty widely in price. Most optics manufacturers make them. Generally speaking, the more bells and whistles a scope has, the more expensive it will be. You need to be sure that you are purchasing a scope for your .243 rifle that will allow you to use your rifle effectively, without any extras. A good rule of thumb is that your optic should cost ½ of the price of your rifle.

Conclusion

Adding a scope to your .243 rifle can be game changing. Be sure to get just what you need and make sure it is properly mounted and zeroed. Then you can be assured of many successful shooting and hunting experiences.

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