The 300 blackout is a popular choice to the ever increasing demand for powerful AR 15 cartridges. Amazingly, it’s closely comparable to the performance of 7.62mm on an AR 15 platform, using the existing bolts and a 5.56 mm magazine. Often used in handguns and rifles, and originating from military use, 300 blackout has made a really big name for itself.
With all this extra power, you will inevitably want optics that are capable of helping you achieve the maximum possible distances with these rounds. Therefore, you don’t just want any type of scope, you will want the best scope for 300 blackout rifles that money can buy. There are hundreds of great optics out there on the market, but only a few are good enough for them. Most modern scopes are designed with bullet drop compensation reticles, that will help you to correctly place your shot just by lining up the appropriate line. Due to the increased popularity of 300 blackout, a lot of scopes are now being calibrated for its use right out of the box.
How To Choose The Best Scope For 300 Blackout Rifles?
Before choosing your scope, it’s important to work out the exact use of the weapon that you will be using these cartridges on. The 300 blackout is very versatile and can perform above average at many distances. Although a scope that’s optimal for subsonic rounds will undoubtedly suffer at 300 yards for precision shooting or hunting purposes.
If you are planning on taking long shots with the 300 blackout, which is further than 300 yards, you will want light magnification. If you keep your rifle as a short barrelled weapon, then a red dot or holographic sight will be okay.
The 300 blackout was originally designed to be used with suppressed weapons, in a tactical environment. It’s the only cartridge that is able to be both super and subsonic, without changing anything within your weapon, except for the rounds themselves. This creates a massive ballistic variable if you start to try and zero, at the same time as swapping your rounds. It’s best to stick to one type of round at a time, to avoid frustration.
If you do plan on using a suppressor with this, then you should always remember that you will need to re-zero your weapon if you plan on taking it off. Depending on where you live a lot of places will have legal restrictions on suppressor use, so it is always up to you to look up the local law enforcement regulations, before using a suppressed weapon.
1- Primary Arms 1-6X24 SFP Hunting Scope
[Editor Top Pick]
This scope is made from anodized aluminum, and is 10.75 inches long, and weighs 17.4 ounces. As you can expect, it’s fully fog resistant and waterproof, as well as being equipped with multi-coated lenses. The tube diameter is 40mm and the turrets are of course capped.
All of the adjustments are precise and are easily achieved by hand using the serrated outer rings. Each turn is half an inch at 100 yards. The adjustment ring can be rotated independently in order to help align with the zero mark on the scope.
The ACSS reticle is what makes this scope so unique. There’s a lot of information on it, which will enable you to engage targets from any distance, as well as helping you to align with the center of your target. It also has markers to help you with your point of aim during windy conditions.
The horseshoe mark will always show the true center of your aim and is designed for 1x magnification CQB work. Most scopes that have a decent range on them, will usually have an additional optic on the top that you will have to use for close quarter fighting, whereas this scope is able to do both functions within itself. This is a massive benefit for those who do mercenary or close protection work, as well as military.
The illuminated reticle can be used in full sun as it is adequately bright. The 1x feature is completely zoom free, and certainly holds its own against other similar options like a reflex or red dot optic.
Verdict
This scope is fantastic for anyone that wishes to have as many range options as possible. With 1-6x magnification, you will be able to dial in on any targets that are in shooting range of a 300 blackout cartridge. The reticle is a fantastic addition, and the second focal plane helps you to really keep your eye on your target, without worrying about where your reticle is. For under $300, this scope is a steal. If you are looking for the best scope for 300 blackout rifles, but you are on a budget, then this is the scope for you.
2- Nikon P-300 BDC SuperSub Reticle Riflescope 2-7×32
Nikon, as you are probably aware, is the world leader in optical equipment, and make some of the greatest range of BDC reticles available. They have become very well known by AR 15 rifle users, due to the high-level performance of their relatively well-priced optics.
For the 300 blackout, they have made a 2-7x magnification scope that sits well on a lightweight rifle. It weighs 16.1 ounces and is roughly 11.5 inches in length.
The scope is packed full of features that you would expect from a Nikon product. It has double O-rings to help seal the fog-proof and waterproof interior, as well as multicoated lenses to ensure perfect viewing when looking through the scope. The spring-loaded turrets on the side will also help you to dial in your shots. The turrets are very large, but they work well and are able to spin without too much effort.
The clarity is amazing when looking through this scope. Even at the lowest power, you can effectively shoot at 100 yards, as well as having good eye relief. The eye relief for 7x can be a little troublesome on an AR 15 rifle, but it shouldn’t be needed for the majority of your shots.
Zeroing is very easy with the adjustment knobs. They are very precise, and they will let you become fully zeroed with only a few shots, even if you are inexperienced at doing so.
Verdict
As this scope is able to go up to 7x magnification, as well as being ballistic calibrated, it makes it perfect for 300-yard shots. Of course, this scope can actually hit a lot farther, but the limitations of the 300 blackout make shots a lot less reliable past this distance. If you want to get the most out of your rounds, then this is the scope for you.
3- Trijicon ACOG Dual Illum Crosshair .300 Blackout Ballistic Reticle
This Trijicon scope has been designed specifically for the 300 blackout. It has a fixed power magnification of 3.5x which is optimal for both subsonic and supersonic ranges. Because of the fixed magnification, it means that there are no zoom rings or controls, as well as it having fairly generous eye relief. This makes it a very fast and efficient scope to utilize. Both eyes should be open when using this scope, as that is how it has been designed. This will also aid you in target acquisition.
It’s dual illuminated using fibre-optic tubes which collect light to amplify your point of aim. The internal tritium lamp will provide illumination in low light, or even completely dark conditions. There is no way of turning it on, it just happens regardless. You can choose between either a green, amber, or red reticle. The color choice of this reticle should be considered depending on the type of light you are likely to be working in.
Zero is easily achieved by removing two caps that cover the elevation and windage dials. Use a screwdriver to turn the dials as needed, and each click will adjust the impact point at 100 yards by a quarter of an inch. The scope should come already centered and will only require a few clicks of windage and elevation to calibrate the optimal point of impact.
Verdict
Definitely a contender for the best scope for 300 blackout rifles, this ACOG comes with a hefty price tag. The main drawback of using this scope, is that it is a fixed power magnification. While this is perfect for medium range targets, which is optimal for the 300 blackout, you will struggle to engage anything further, as well as any targets that are very close to you. However, if you have the money and want something that is completely top of the range, then you will definitely be happy with purchasing this.
4- Aimpoint M4 2 Minute of Angle ACET CompM4 Sight
This is a professional grade optic that is often used by military and law enforcement officers. It has a 16 position switch which incorporates seven different night vision compatible settings, and nine settings for daylight. The body is very rugged and is designed for hard use and adverse weather conditions. It’s also waterproof up to 150 feet.
The integral mount means that you will not need a separate ring and is able to be customized with spacers to allow it to be fitted on many different weapon systems. It can also be used with almost all generations of night vision, but is fully optimized for third generation night vision capabilities. The unique coating that the front lens has will reflect the dots brightness, to allow it to be as bright as possible with the lowest amount of energy used.
The CompM4 is completely parallax free which enables it to have unlimited eye relief and field of view. The internal regulator for voltage allows this scope to be run using any AA-sized battery. It can run for approximately 80,000 hours on a single battery or roughly 8 years of being used continually. So there’s no need to worry about changing batteries every single time you go shooting. When used on its night vision setting, it can last for 500,000 hours, as there will be less demand for high amounts of light.
The body is anodized in a matte black finish which ensures that your pray, or enemy, will not be alarmed to your location from any reflections caused by your scope.
Verdict
This is a fantastic scope for those who feel that they are likely to find themselves in situations where there is very minimal, or no light at all. This is only available in a 1x magnification, so only consider purchasing this scope if your needs demand close quarter shooting. The best scope for 300 blackout rifles available for CQB focused shooters.
5- BSA Optics TW223-14x24CP Tactical Weapon 223 Scope
Don’t let the price tag fool you, this scope was designed specifically for law enforcement and military applications. For less than $100, this really is the best entry level scope that is available for the 300 blackout.
This scope has a mil-dot reticle, which is something that most people will be familiar with. The turret caps are interchangeable between 223 and 300 calibers, meaning that this is a great way to test out 300 blackout rounds, and to still be able to use this scope if you feel like you want to resort back to your original rounds.
The aluminum two-piece body makes this scope very light, but it is still incredibly durable. It is waterproof, shockproof, and fog proof. It has magnification of 1-4x, as well as the optics being multicoated.
The parallax adjustment is fixed, but we feel that’s fine for a scope of this price and quality. Parallax is a feature that is added to scopes to ensure that what you’re looking at is actually what your rifle is aligned to. If you don’t look through the scope at the perfect eye relief and angle, the shot will be off. It will take a few shots to get used to the specific distance.
Verdict
There is nothing fancy about this scope, and the two dials are the only things that you can play with, but if you are simply looking for an incredibly cheap way to start using 300 blackout rounds, then this is a great option. Undoubtedly the best scope for 300 blackout rifles, for under $100.
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Resources
[2] Why is blackout so awesome?