As an experienced hunter, let me tell you something important: if you’ve never taken a hit to the face from a riflescope, consider yourself lucky. But for those of us who have experienced it, we know firsthand the importance of having sufficient eye relief.
Eye relief is one of those aspects of a rifle scope that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. But is a very important one.
So, let’s embark on this journey together and explore the scopes I’ve personally tested. I’ve made sure to select scopes with excellent eye relief, so you can take aim with confidence, knowing that your face won’t be taking a beating. These scopes will give you the freedom to focus on what truly matters: the thrill of the hunt and making that perfect shot.
My Top Pick – Burris Scout 2-7×32
Personally, I think the Burris Scout 2-7x32mm is the best long eye relief scope. I’ve used variety of scopes and I am not saying that lightly. It is a solid scope, not only because of its excellent eye relief, but it has other excellent features. You’ll find my thorough review underneath.
My Top 5 Long Eye Relief Scopes
Besides the review of my top pick, you can find 4 other long eye relief scopes worth checking out.
1. Burris Scout Ballistic Plex 2-7x32mm – Best Overall
Buy on Amazon
Check Price on OpticsPlanet
First on my lis is this Burris Scope, which is a solid piece of equipment for a variety of reasons, so let me break it down for you.
My Feelings After Using the Burris Scout 2-7×32
For starters, the Burris scope comes with excellent eye relief. I’m talking much longer than you are used to, typically between 9.2 to 12 inches. As a result, I tested this scope with high-recoil rifles and found it to be an enjoyable, safe experience. You can absolutely use the Burris scout scope with a high-recoil weapon without worrying about injuring your orbital bone.
On top of that, the Burris has a pretty good short to medium-range shooting range of between 2x and 7x. I paired it with a scout rifle and had a lot of fun and a stellar target shooting experience from start to finish.
I really appreciated that the scope comes with multicoated lenses to reduce glare and maximize light transmission, as well. I tested the scope in various lighting conditions from bright daylight to overcast to dusk and was impressed with the image clarity throughout the magnification range. The eye relief provides enough space between my eye and the scope to comfortably observe the full field of view. This ensures safety and comfort during shooting. It is my top choice for an M1A scout rifle.
When testing the elevation and windage adjustments, I found them to click in precise 1/4 MOA increments. The adjustments were very repeatable, allowing me to dial in the point of impact reliably. The turrets have an audible click and decent tactile feedback without being too stiff.
In terms of durability, I was able to subject the scope to prolonged shooting sessions with high-recoil rifles without any issues. Despite exposing it to dust and some light rain during my testing, the scope continued to function flawlessly thanks to the protective nitrogen purging and O-ring seals.
Product Highlights
But out of everything in the Burris scope, I was most impressed by the coil spring system that enabled me to lock my position perfectly. When lying prone and trying to track a moving target, this is more beneficial than you may realize. Indeed, this is a stellar feature I wish would be integrated into more optics, especially from other manufacturers.
Common Problems and How to Deal with Them
Although the Burris scout scope has a lot to like, it also has one problem: blurriness at maximum zoom. When I was testing this scope, I found that images became noticeably softer at the maximum 7x magnification, making it more difficult to clearly distinguish fine details on targets. Keep that in mind, but remember that it might also have been my particular scope model, not an issue with the product line overall.
Key Features
- 2-7x magnification
- SFP scope
- 32mm objective lens
Pros
- Generally excellent construction
- Weatherproof functionality
- Good lenses
- Coil spring system to lock your position
Cons
- Image can be blurry at longer zooms
The Bottom Line
Overall, I’d rate the Burris scout scope very highly thanks to its flexibility and coil lock system. The rest of the scope is similarly high-quality.
My rating: 4.8/5
2. Leupold VX-3 2.5-8x32mm Handgun Scope, Matte
Leupold’s VX-3 scope has a lot of excellent features, particularly if you are looking for a handgun optic.
My Feelings After Using the Leupold VX-3 2.5-8×32
The VX-3 scope is, as its title suggests, a top choice for those in the market for handgun scopes. That’s a bit of a unique optic, but you might want one for target shooting or, in my experience, varmint hunting. In my testing over several weeks, I found the eye relief to consistently measure between 15 inches. This provided ample room between my eye and the scope even when firing high caliber handguns with significant recoil.
The sight picture is phenomenal, and the scope overall is very lightweight. With a slim, 1-inch main tube design, I could mount it on practically any pistol or even some rifles without any difficulty or balance issues. The glass clarity is superb, providing a bright, crisp image even in low light conditions. The fine duplex reticle stays sharp across the entire magnification range. I did not notice any issues with parallax or distortion towards the edges of the sight picture.
Of course, this VX-3 handgun scope is weatherproof, shockproof, and fog proof. So you can take it into any hunting or target shooting environment and have a great time. In my testing, I used it in rain, snow, and extreme heat without any fogging or mechanical issues. The scope survived repeated drops onto concrete from 4 feet high without losing zero. This level of durability inspires confidence for real world use. It comes bolstered with MOA finger adjustable windage and elevation adjustment turrets, helping you to compensate for these values easily. The turrets provide clear, audible clicks when making adjustments. I found it easy to dial in my preferred elevation and windage with no slop or backlash issues. I also really liked the simplistic duplex reticle and matte finish, which keeps the scope stealthy in the field.
Product Highlights
The proprietary Leupold Twilight Max Light Management System is the standout feature of this handgun scope. In a nutshell, it’s designed in such a way as to collect a few extra minutes of shooting light at the beginning and end of each day. If you like to hunt at dusk and dawn like me, this is a must-have feature, in my opinion.
Common Problems and How to Deal with Them
All that said, the VX-3 scope is a bit pricey compared to other scopes, including other handgun optics. Other than this I did not encounter any major issues during my testing that would discourage me from recommending this scope.
Key Features
- 2.5-8x magnification
- 32mm objective lens
- SFP scope
Pros
- Excellent durability
- Has a matte black finish
- Eye relief is fantastic
- Max light management system gives you extra shooting light
Cons
- Windage and elevation turrets aren’t marked
- A bit expensive
The Bottom Line
All in all, the Leupold VX-3 scope is arguably the best long eye relief handgun scope on the market today, so consider checking it out.
My rating: 4.7/5
3. UTG 2-7X44 30mm Long Eye Relief Scout Scope
Buy on Amazon
Check Price on OpticsPlanet
UTG also has an excellent long eye relief scope, which is designed for scout rifles. I found there were plenty of excellent features about this optic worth considering.
My Feelings After Using the UTG 2-7×44
The UTG 2-7×44 Scope has customizable reticles. I appreciated this feature during my hunting trips, as I was able to adjust the reticle color and brightness to stand out against different backdrops and lighting conditions. The ability to select from 36 different colors ensured the reticle was always clearly visible for me no matter the environment.
As far as eye relief is concerned, the UTG 2-7×44 Scope does a great job of providing from 9.5 to 11 inches of it. Even at max magnification, I could easily see the full field of view and Mil-Dot reticle without any vignetting. The generous eye box and eye relief made it comfortable to use this scope with my scout rifle.
The crystal clear glass and emerald lens coatings provided excellent light transmission and optical clarity. Targets appeared sharp and crisp through the scope at all magnifications. I did not notice any issues with glare, fuzziness, or distortion even in low light dawn and dusk shooting sessions.
On top of that, the UTG 2-7×44 Scope comes with a packaged sunshade for extra protection, as well as zero locking and zero resetting windage and elevation turrets. The locking turrets allowed me to reliably return to my zero after making adjustments in the field. I also appreciated the audible, tactile clicks when dialing in elevation and windage corrections.
Product Highlights
In addition to the above factors, the UTG 2-7×44 Scope does an even better job of providing excellent shooting experiences for scout rifle users thanks to a parallax adjustment turret. Because of this, you can adjust for parallax from 10 yards to infinity: a key concern when using a scout rifle at max range. I tested the parallax adjustment at various distances and can confirm it allows for tack sharp focusing near and far. The side parallax turret was smooth to operate and the numbered scale made it easy to dial in the appropriate setting.
Common Problems and How to Deal with Them
The only practical challenge I experienced was the extra weight of this scope. At over a pound, it offset the balance on my lightweight scout rifle. However, after an initial adjustment period I became accustomed to the weight distribution. A sturdy mount helped mitigate the heavier optic.
Key Features
- 2-7x magnification
- 44mm objective lens
- SFP scope
Pros
- Excellent windage and elevation turrets
- Allows you to eliminate parallax
- Customizable and illuminated reticle
Cons
- A bit heavier than average
The Bottom Line
All in all, the UTG 2-7×44 Scope provides a ton of value for money, even if it’s a bit heavy. Consider picking this up if you like the option to customize your reticle exactly to your preferences.
My rating: 3.8/5
4. Trijicon AccuPoint TR-22 2.5-10x56mm Rifle Scope
Buy on Amazon
Check Price on OpticsPlanet
Trijicon’s AccuPoint TR-22 riflescope is one of the best in the industry for those seeking long, generous eye relief. I spent some time with this scope, so let me tell you what I found.
My Feelings After Using the Trijicon AccuPoint 2.5-10×56
The AccuPoint TR-22 optic starts off with a crosshair amber dot reticle. This reticle is phenomenal for keeping track of your target and tracking its movement with pinpoint accuracy, in my experience. I certainly liked it thanks to the fiber-optic/tritium aiming point illumination system. Thanks to the illuminated reticle, I don’t have to worry about not being able to shoot in lowlight environments. Through rigorous testing, I found the glass clarity to be crystal clear with minimal distortion or chromatic aberration, even at max magnification. The reticle also maintained precise holdover marks with minimal parallax shift when observed from different eye positions behind the optic.
Of course, the AccuPoint TR-22 scope also comes with adjustable and pop-up pointer dials for windage and elevation. These let me sight-in to my target, then adjust for those windage and elevation factors on the fly, plus reset them to zero, whenever I need. Talk about ease of use! The turrets provided accurate and repeatable clicks with each adjustment. I was able to precisely dial in my adjustments for both elevation and windage.
The rest of the scope is similarly well-made. It’s made of aircraft-grade aluminum, plus features a matte black finish to keep me stealthy. The matte black finish reduces sun glare and is complemented by waterproof functionality, allowing me to take it into the field and in a variety of temperatures, ranging from -20°F to 140°F. After several range sessions in varying weather, I did not notice any fogging, degradation in optical performance, or malfunctions despite exposing the scope to rain, snow, and extreme temperatures.
Product Highlights
Let me return to the illuminated reticle for a moment. I really liked this feature in part because it uses a dual illumination fiber-optic system. In other words, it automatically adjusts brightness levels for me without I having to fiddle with a control.
That’s an invaluable benefit in the field, especially if I am lying prone and trying to keep your eye on a target. It’s overall one of the easiest illuminated reticles to use, bar none. I found that the automatic illumination settings a did pretty good job of predicting what brightness level was appropriate given the light in my environment. The eye relief and eye box were also quite forgiving, making it easy to get a full sight picture quickly when getting into shooting position.
Common Problems and How to Deal with Them
Even though the AccuPoint TR-22 has excellent features, it also has one big flaw in its weight. It’s a bit heavier than average at 22.1 ounces, but that’s certainly something you can manage with a bit of practice and spending some time with the optic after mounting it to your rifle of choice.
Despite its heavier weight compared to other optics, I did not notice any issues with durability or mechanical failures even after extensive bumps, drops, and recoil exposure during testing. The user interface and controls are straightforward and ergonomic, making field adjustments quite intuitive. The only practical challenge I faced was balancing heavier rifles during offhand shooting positions. However, on rifles over 8 lbs, the additional weight was negligible.
Key Features
- 2.5-10x magnification
- 56mm objective lens
- SFP scope
Pros
- Excellent illuminated reticle
- Matte black finish
- Designed to be durable
- Good eye relief
Cons
- A little heavy for some rifles
The Bottom Line
All in all, I’d classify the AccuPoint TR-22 as a stellar long eye relief scope, particularly for fans of nighttime shooting or those who want to have an automated system take control of illumination settings for them.
My rating: 4.2/5
5. TACFUN Long Eye Relief Scout Scope 2-7X32
TACFUN might not be the most well-known optic manufacturer in the business, but this long eye relief scout scope is a great piece of equipment thanks to its big benefits.
My Feelings After Using the Tacfun 2-7×32 Scout Scope
The Long Eye Relief Scout Scope is one of the lightest in the industry, clocking in at just 9 ounces. Because of that, I found I could mount it on plenty of different firearms, and even handguns, without issues regarding balance or clunkiness. Extra ease of use is always a good thing. I mounted the scope on my AR-15 rifle, which already has a lightweight profile. The addition of the scope did not make the rifle front-heavy or unbalanced at all. I was able to keep the rifle shouldered and on target with ease during rapid fire drills.
In addition, the Tacfun scope comes with a matte black finish and waterproof functionality. These elements mean that I can effectively take the scope into any weather environment without worrying about durability or wear and tear. The matte black finish prevents sun glares from appearing on the surface of the scope, as well. I tested the waterproofing by leaving the scope out overnight during a rainfall. The next morning I checked it and found no moisture or fogging inside the optics. The glass remained crystal clear with no visible degradation. The matte finish also worked very well to cut down glare when shooting into sunny backgrounds.
Then there are the finger-adjustable windage and elevation turrets. These don’t offer tactile feedback, but they are precise and very smooth to use. Just keep in mind that bumping them could cause them to jostle out of position. The turrets had smooth rotation, however I did notice some backlash or looseness when changing direction that made precise adjustments slightly challenging. This may impact precision shooters the most when dialing in long-range shots. The turrets stayed in position well during normal carry and transportation.
Product Highlights
I like the fact that the Tacfun optic comes with Weaver scope rings included in the package. This is already a scope for budget-minded shooters, as it’s less than $100. But it also comes with easy-to-use Weaver scope rings so you can almost instantly mount it to your firearm right out of the box. A lens cloth and an Allen tool are included for even easier installation and maintenance. Because of this, this is one of the best scopes in terms of pure value for money, in my opinion.
The included Weaver rings allowed me to mount the scope to a Picatinny rail in under 5 minutes out of the box. I really appreciated not having to purchase separate mounts. The installation was quick and secure. The included lens cloth and tools also demonstrate the attention to detail and value offered with this affordable package.
Common Problems and How to Deal with Them
While testing at the range, I found it challenging to keep track of turret adjustments without any visual references. I missed several follow up shots because I lost count of how many clicks I had dialed. To improve this, I used a paint pen to mark the zero point and 10 click increments, which helped tremendously with quickly dialing adjustments.
Key Features
- 2-7x magnification
- 32mm objective lens
- SFP scope
Pros
- Made for durability
- Has a matte black finish
- Very easy to use
- Comes with Weaver mounting rings and accessories
Cons
- Windage and elevation turrets aren’t marked
The Bottom Line
Overall, the TACFUN Long Eye Relief Scout Scope is an affordable and effective scout scope that’s perfect for purchasing something quickly and bootstrapping it to your rifle for a day of target shooting with your friends.
My rating: 4/5
What To Look For When Buying Long Eye Relief Scopes
Eye Relief
Well, obviously. As I mentioned above, eye relief is of paramount importance in keeping your eyes out of harm’s way if you’re using anything with considerable recoil.
The industry standard for eye relief is about 3.5 inches at the lowest magnification. In higher magnification levels, you need to move your eyes closer to the lens to get a clearer picture. In my opinion, long eye relief scopes should have at least 5 inches at the lowest magnification to ensure your eyes stay safe even when you’re shooting from unconventional angles.
Magnification
Plenty of people believe that magnification is the most critical aspect of a rifle scope.
If you’re hunting big game, you would definitely want as much distance as possible between you and the target. A large magnification range gives you a lot of versatility and lets you hunt the way you want, up close and personal or long range and tactical.
The Reticle
When it comes to accuracy, nothing is more critical than the reticle and its crosshairs. Reticles can be of two types – first focal plane and second focal plane.
A reticle should provide adequate information, have adjustment and holdover positions and basically, give you a good idea of the bullet’s trajectory.
Light Transmission
A good rifle scope will have multicoated, anti-reflective lenses. These lenses transmit as much light as possible from the surroundings which make for a vivid, bright picture. Contrast is especially important when you’re shooting in a forest with a lot of grass and trees.
Excellent light transmission is absolutely essential when you’re shooting in the dark. The lens should at least, provide as clear a picture as you can get with your naked eyes.
Durability
What really separates the best scopes from the sub-standard ones is their durability. Whereas a cheap china knockoff is probably going to be in shambles after only a few shots, high-quality scopes are made with craftsmanship that will last you years, often a lifetime.
A good scope should be made out of aircraft grade aluminum, and the scopes should have nitrogen or argon purging. These features protect your rifle from both environmental conditions like grass, trees, and branches and climatic conditions like rain, fog, and water. Having a lifetime warranty also helps a lot! All the scopes I tried during my testing are quality ones that will last you a long time,
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is a Long Eye Relief Scope?
A scope’s eye relief must be at least 6 inches for it to be deemed to have a lengthy eye relief. This is the maximum distance at which you can look away from the scope and still see a clean image.
If you have a rifle that has a lot of recoil, such one that fires large-caliber ammo, you’ll need a gun with a lot of eye relief. When the gun kicks back from recoil, a long eye relief will allow you to aim properly without fear of the scope hitting you straight in the face.
Long eye relief scopes may or may not contain a large focal lens, but they must always have strong light transmission. As a result, even when your eye is far from the ocular lens, the sight picture is always clear. When looking for a scope, this is one of the most important factors to consider.
What’s the difference between a long eye relief scope and a regular?
You can get by with just a standard scope if you have a rifle that utilizes low-recoil ammo, such as a 270 Winchester or a 30-06 Springfield. Because the ammo has so minimal recoil, your shoulders can take the majority of the shock, these scopes have eye reliefs of 4 inches or less.
A long eye relief rifle sight is required if your rifle fires.40-65 Winchester, 416 Ruger, 444 Marlin, or any other high-powered ammo. You won’t be able to take good aim with a standard scope on a high-powered rifle without injuring yourself.
The power of the ammunition leaving the rifle’s barrel will be so great that the entire thing will kick back. It’s possible that you’ll break your eye socket in multiple locations as a result of this. You’ll need a rifle sight for high-powered weapons that allows you to aim effectively while keeping your face a safe distance away from the scope’s eyepiece.
Final Words
Eye relief is a feature that doesn’t get nearly as much publicity as it should. A lousy experience resulting from insufficient eye relief, ending in a cut above the eye can be enough to put off a newcomer from hunting forever.
The riflescopes reviewed above are all top-notch scopes, which are highly accurate and have excellent picture quality. But more than everything else, they have incredibly abundant eye relief.
So what are you waiting for? Buy one of these scopes, put on your hunting boots and set out into the wild.
Mike Fellon is an experienced firearms enthusiast and optics expert. He delivers unbiased and detailed rifle scope reviews. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He inherited his hunting passions after his father John – he was fascinated by his stories, hearing how much attention, focus, dedication and patience he invested in shooting every animal. When he was old enough, his father first allowed him to shoot some cans and bottles with his shotgun, and then took him hunting – it was love at first sight. Mike has never stopped shooting ever since.