Mike Fellon

The M4’s split personality creates a scope problem most shooters get wrong. You need true 1x magnification for room-clearing and close quarters—anything higher handicaps you when targets appear at arm’s length. But you also need enough magnification to make precision shots at 200-300 yards where the 5.56 still has plenty of energy. Stack on the … Read more

The 1-4x scope sits in an awkward spot. It’s not a red dot, not a precision optic—somewhere in between, trying to do both jobs without excelling at either. Or that’s the theory, anyway. What I’ve found after years of running these scopes on AR-15s is that the good ones don’t compromise. They give you true … Read more

Shotguns present a unique scope challenge that most shooters underestimate. The heavy recoil hits differently than rifles, and typical engagement distances demand different magnification considerations. Add the dual-purpose reality—most scoped shotguns need to handle both turkey hunting at 30 yards and deer slugs at 80—and you’ve got a scope selection problem that can’t be solved … Read more

The 1-6x scope sits in a sweet spot that took me years of competition and tactical training to fully appreciate. At 1x, you’ve got the speed of a red dot for close work. Crank it to 6x and you’re making precise hits at 400 yards. That’s the promise, anyway. The reality is most 1-6x scopes … Read more

The human eye is, unfortunately, not designed for great vision during the nighttime hours. But that doesn’t mean that hunters are out of luck when it comes to pursuing their quarry after the sun has gone down. Instead, night vision scopes use various types of illuminators (infrared is the most common) to beam light into … Read more

This high-powered cartridge is extensively used in sniper rifles, and you’d be hard-pressed to find an alternative that can match its performance. Why did I need a scope worthy enough to match the .300 Win Mag? A hard-hitting belted Magnum round like this produces recoil that will demolish entry-level scopes in just a few shots. … Read more

The Mosin Nagant’s straight bolt handle creates a problem that modern rifles don’t have. Mount a traditional scope over the receiver and you can’t work the bolt. Your options: pay a gunsmith to bend the bolt handle and drill the receiver, which permanently alters a piece of history, or go scout-style with a long eye … Read more

Rimfire scopes occupy an odd middle ground that a lot of shooters misjudge. You can’t just grab a budget centerfire scope and expect it to work at 25 yards without parallax problems. What you actually need is glass designed for the way rimfire rifles get used: close enough that parallax matters more than most people … Read more

Even the best of marksmen will falter when the accuracy of their riflescope doesn’t match up to their shooting skills. So, if you take your shooting seriously and you want to do your skills justice, you need the best of the best. In this guide, I will tell you how to select the best scope … Read more