Finding the Best Scope for 300 Win Mag Rifles on the Market
The 300 Winchester Magnum is an extremely versatile cartridge that is designed to fit standard rifles. This caliber is used by hunters, military units, target shooters, and even law enforcement agencies. Hunters that are looking for the best scope for 300 win mag rifles understand how it can deliver better long-range performance compared with some of the other 300 caliber options and that it has adequate weight to take down larger targets, like moose or elk.
Military and law enforcement agencies have adopted this cartridge for essentially the same reason. As certain rifle optics work better with specific calibers, it’s important that you choose the correct one for the job. If you are looking for the best scope for 300 win mag rifles, then choosing one from the list below is a good starting point.
1- Vortex Crossfire II 4 – 12x50mm AO Riflescope
[Editor’s Choice]
This scope is excellent for its price, and it comes with a fantastic warranty as well. Vortex has a very good reputation for having extremely good customer care, so with both of these things in mind, if you find that you are having any problems, which should be unlikely, then you will have peace of mind that you will be able to get your scope replaced if needed. You can pick up the Crossfire II for less than $300, which makes this an extremely cost effective, yet practical scope.
This scope comes with a 1-inch aluminum tube which allows it to be easily installed onto any rifle. This aluminum is aircraft grade, so should not deteriorate throughout the life of your rifle. The lens glass that is used is film coated which helps to eliminate any refractive index errors, from light traveling between the lenses. This allows the vision to be superb, as well as maintaining clarity regardless of the light situation.
The adjustment knobs that are used for wind and elevation have been capped to increase durability. This will reduce the chances of them getting damaged, from any knocks or scrapes that are likely to happen when you are out in the field. This also helps to protect them when being put in storage or during transportation.
The matte finish helps to eliminate any glare possibilities that you may encounter from sunlight hitting the surface of the rifle scope. Any glare in a hunting situation can alert your prey to your presence, and if in a military setting, you could, unfortunately, alert the enemy.
The objective lens is adjustable which allows the shooter to eliminate any parallax errors. Parallax errors will displace the object from being seen through the scope in its correct position and can make it look slightly to the left or right. Eliminating this error helps to ensure that the shooter is directly looking at the target.
Verdict:
Vortex is certainly a company that you can trust, and the crossfire range is an incredibly popular set of rifle scopes for all types of shooters. For under $300, this is a very good contender for the best vortex rifle scope for 300 win mag rifles.
2- Nikon Buckmasters II 3-9×40 Riflescope BDC Matte
[Top-Rated]
The Buckmaster 3-9×40 is a fantastic scope for the price, as you can usually find one brand-new for under $200. Nikon is a company that is famous for producing exquisite lenses, whether that’s for cameras, or rifle scopes alike.
One of the great benefits of the Buckmaster is that it utilizes bullet drop compensation. This means that you can easily adjust for your bullet drop, depending on your distance, just by changing your point of aim up or down. This means that you will not have to move out of your comfortable shooting position, in order to twist and turn any knobs on the side of the scope. If used alongside a rangefinder, you will have absolutely no problems at all at hitting targets the first time, regardless of distance. Although it still has the capabilities of the dials on the side, being dialed in on 100 yards will still allow you to hit targets at 300 yards, by simply changing your point of aim.
This scope weighs 16.1 ounces, which is about right for its capabilities and price. And in a lot of cases, having a very light scope can have more disadvantages than benefits, especially with heavy recoil rifles. The eyepiece allows for quick target acquisition, which is especially useful for animals that are on the move. The BrightVue technology that has been used on these optics allows up to 92% of light transmission through them, which will aid you in low light conditions.
The matte finish helps to reduce any unwanted reflections that the scope could accidentally give out, which would undoubtedly scare off any nearby animals if they caught sight of it.
Verdict
For the money, the Buckmaster 3-9×40 from Nikon pretty much outperforms any other scope at this price range. In fact, the Buckmaster is often compared with the Monarch in terms of accuracy and quality, which is usually at least a hundred dollars more expensive. If you want bang for your buck then this is undoubtedly the best scope for 300 win mag rifles.
3 – Leupold VX-Freedom 2-7x33mm Riflescope
Leupold is a big name in the riflescope business and has been producing quality scopes since 1907. The VX-1 features a two-piece aluminum alloy tube, which is of aircraft quality. Being two-piece isn’t necessarily a negative, as it is more about the quality, rather than just how many pieces that have been used to create the optic. A lot of people consider that one piece is the most important thing to look out for, but that is undoubtedly not correct.
As is standard, the optical lenses are multicoated to reduce your sight picture being ruined by reflections in the scope. It also uses micro-friction adjustments for windage and elevation, with 1/4 MOA graduations. If you are someone who likes to experiment with different types of the reticle, then you will be happy to know that you will have a choice between choosing Duplex, Wide Duplex, and LR Duplex reticles.
The zoom rings require a reasonable amount of force to turn, to make sure that magnification is not accidentally changed by knocking into it. Regardless, the action is still smooth. Fingertip adjustment knobs could have been used on this scope, although it would have made it a lot bulkier.
The scope tube is anodized to help it resist scratches and general wear. Although matte black is the most popular choice for rifle scopes, the VX-1 comes with the option of having it in gloss black or silver too. These two additional options are fine if you don’t intend to use this scope for hunting or military engagements.
What is interesting to note is that Leopold’s quality control tests are incredibly high. They spend a lot of money on fully testing every single product before they are allowed to be sold. This is one of the reasons why this brand is notoriously a little more expensive, but with the lifetime guarantee for manufacturer defects, you are assured that your money is well spent. One of these tests involves the product being submerged in hot water that is boiled to 120°, as well as it being in a partial vacuum. This will allow them to see if any tiny bubbles of gas are escaping, which would be a flaw in the scope.
Verdict
Leopold, as we have already mentioned, are a very well renowned company, and all the products are trusted. Amazingly, even though products from this company are usually a lot more expensive, you can sometimes find the VX-1 for under $200. The quality you are getting for this price cannot be beaten, therefore if you are looking for the best leupold scope for 300 win mag rifles, for a reasonable price, then this product wins hands down.
4- Nightforce Optics 5-20×56 SHV Riflescope
[Best Choice for Long-Range]
The NightForce SHV comes with two different reticle options, one is illuminated, and one isn’t. Due to the legal limits of night shooting, the non-illuminated option is the most popular and is the one we are reviewing here. The NightForce SHV is known for its incredibly dependable reliability. It doesn’t matter what the weather conditions are, the robust construction allows this scope to perform in all circumstances comfortably.
This scope comes with a 5x to 20x magnification capability and has a 56 mm objective lens diameter. The reticle is located in the second focal plane, which allows the reticles to be in your vision while you are focusing on your target, rather than you having to focus on the reticle first. This can take a little bit of getting used to if you haven’t experienced this before, but it is definitely a better way of shooting. The parallax feature starts from 25 yards and goes on to infinity. 80 to 90 mm eye relief is enough to even safeguard yourself from massive recoil.
The field of view for this scope is incredibly wide, which allows long-range hunters and shooters a lot of capability to observe as much space as possible, without the need to zoom in and out all of the time.
Verdict
If you’re looking for the absolute best scope for 300 win mag rifles, then this is the winner. It may weigh a lot more than most rifle scopes, at 29.1 ounces, but the range capabilities and clarity are unrivaled with. It’s not uncommon for shooters to be able to hit targets up to 1000 yards, while still being able to see the target with ease. This scope is a lot more expensive than most, but if you are serious about hunting or shooting, then this is the best option available to you.
5 – Redfield Revolution 3-9x50mm w/ Accu-Range Reticle (Matte, Black)
The Redfield 115208 weighs in at a fairly standard 14.7 ounces and comes with the very popular multicoated lens. This multicoated feature essentially means that there will be no negative effects from reflection within the scope, and is something that has become a standard for any worthwhile magnifying riflescope. You can only truly appreciate this feature if you have experienced this problem first-hand, with lower quality scopes that are prone to receiving unnecessary reflection or distortion.
The overall appearance of this scope is nothing fancy, but the design is functional and works well. Target sighting may take a little while to get used to because it does not use mill dots, which are the traditional option. Redfield uses a 4-Plex Reticle for this scope, which is basically four arrows pointing towards the center of your target.
The Redfield 115208 isn’t the cheapest scope on the market, but you should still be able to find it under $300. This means that it still falls short of the mid-range pricing bracket, which is good, as its functionality is way above its price.
It’s possible to adjust and resets the elevation of the scope, at the same time as resetting windage, in order to get an accurate aim. There is no need to worry about magnification adjustments changing due to changing your zero. The zero gets adjusted via the side turrets, and you should get great magnification performance up to around 250 yards, although that definitely falls short of its maximum capabilities.
You should still be able to make out targets past 250 yards, though it may get slightly blurry. The shot will still be accurate nonetheless. The field of view, naturally, will get a fair bit smaller when scoping past this distance. However, for general hunting purposes, it’s unlikely that you’ll be targeting anything further.
Verdict
If you like the sound of this scope but prefer to have a mill dot reticle, then you will, unfortunately, be a little disappointed. We spoke about the 4-Plex Reticle previously, and although it’s an incredibly accurate way of targeting, it does take a little while to get used to. If you’re someone who’s very comfortable with mill dot scopes, and don’t fancy relearning your shooting practices with a different reticle, then you should probably look at one of the other scopes on this list.
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