Easily one of the most popular cartridges in the world. The .223 round has made a serious name for itself over the past couple decades. Cheaper than the standard 556 nato round while offering almost exactly the same ballistic capabilities. While it was once only used in tactical rifle configs, I’ve been seeing more hunters switching over. With its flat trajectory and long range the 223 is earning its place among the rest of my hunting gear. To get the most out of the round you need to pair it with a great scope. On most of my 223 hunting rifles I trade my standard red dot for a mid range scope. While I like to use a thermal scope for hunting coyotes, a traditional scope is better for my other hunting needs.
What’s The Best .223 Scope?
1. Leupold VX-2 4-12x40mm Duplex Reticle Riflescope
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Any serious shooter will appreciate the quality of a the Leupold VX2 Riflescope. Pairing the styling of a traditional rifle scope with crystal clear glass makes this sight perfect for any 223 Rifle. Working just as well on a bolt action rifle as it does on your AR15. This truly versatile scope will give you the accuracy needed on any hunt.
Leupold’s designed its VX2 lineup of scopes to be an affordable option for mid-long range shooters. While it’s not the cheapest scope on this list it’s easily one of the nicest. What you’re really paying for in this scope is Leupold’s crystal clear glass. No other manufacturer even comes close to the clarity of a Leupold at this price. I personally like this scopes 4-12x magnification, but you can save a little money and get the 3-9x40mm or 2-7×33 Scope. Regardless of the magnification you choose Leupold will guarantee a clear and bright sight picture. It doesn’t matter if it’s first light in the morning or high noon this VX2 scope will offer a bright sight picture. By using a ultra high contrast index matched lens and multi-coating this optic will provide exceptional brightness and extremely sharp resolution.
Like all Leupold products the VX2 Riflescope is built to last. Leupold designed this scope to last anything a hunter can throw at it. By offering a 100% waterproof and fogproof enclosure you won’t have to worry about dragging your rifle out into the elements. You won’t have to treat this scope like a safe queen with its shockproof reinforced body. If you do somehow manage to cause any real damage(non cosmetic) Leupold offers a lifetime replacement warranty.
2. Vortex Optics Crossfire II 3-9×40 Riflescope
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Vortex Optics Crossfire II Riflescope is an another moderately priced option that’s built like a tank. Vortex Optics are known for building exceptional guess packed with everything you need. There are more expensive scopes on this list, but the Vortex Crossfire really delivers for the price.
Vortex designed their entire Crossfire lineup of riflescopes to be both affordable and feature packed. Vortex seems to have a crossfire scope in just about every magnificatin level imaginable. Personally I think their 3-9x magnification offers the most bang for the buck. It also helps that 3-9x is about the perfect amount of magnification for your 223. The 3x magnification will allow you to get up close shots, while the 9x magnification allows you to stretch out a few hundred yards. With its oversized clear sight picture you’ll be able to stretch to the outer limits of the 223 cartridges ballistic profile. Crossfire’s sight picture is not only clear it’s very bright for the price. Vortex uses an advanced multi-coating process to get the most out of their glass. It seems to completely block out glare without causing issues in low light.
Vortex scopes are some of the most durable in the industry. All their scopes are backed by Vortex Optics no questions asked replacement policy. If you break it they’ll send you a new scope ASAP. That being said you will most likely never have to use Vortex replacement policy. Featuring a nitrogen purged and O-Ring sealed body this scope is 100% waterproof and fogproof. Paired that with its shockproof body and you would have to try and break a Crossfire scope. If you have a light budget you should definitely consider one of the mid range Crossfire scopes.
3. Leupold VX-R Patrol FireDot Rifle Scope
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Leupold’s VX-R Patrol Firedot scope really is an unusual piece of optical equipment. Leupold chose to pair a traditional 1-4x scope with what they call a Firedot. You basically get a red dot scope that has a 1-4x magnification rating. If you’ve ever tried a Trijicon ACOG you know how effective a 4x magnification can be on a hunting scope.
Leupold’s VX-R Patrol Firedot is one of my favorite rifle scopes. It’s the perfect mid range rifle scope for my hog rifle. When you’re staring down a pissed off boar that weighs a few hundred pounds it’s nice to keep a little distance between you. The 4x magnification allows me to easily get off shots out to about 200 yards and the firedot works like a traditional red dot. Boar are notoriously dangerous to hunt, and the Firedot will significantly increase your chance of a successful follow up shot.
If it wasn’t for the price the VX-R firedot scope would have been at the top of this list. With its high price tag comes the crystal clear clarity found in all Leupold scopes. Both the sight picture and red firedot are extremely clear under all lighting conditions. When shooting in low light the firedot will light up your sight picture. You won’t even have to turn the Firedot on. Using motion sensor technology the firedot will automatically turn on with the slight movement of your rifle.
4. Bushnell Optics Drop Zone-223 BDC Reticle Riflescope
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Bushnell Optics designed its Drop zone scope specifically for the 223 cartridge. With affordability in mind Bushnell work to balance cost with function. If you’re looking for high end quality at a value price this rifle scope is hard to beat.
While Bushnell might not be the best brand in the optics industry this scope really delivers. Offering loads of features at a tiny price this affordable scope will catch any hunters eye. Bushnell designed its scope specifically for the 223 platform using its patented BDC reticle. You’ll be able to easily make range adjustments on the fly with multiple aiming points. Featuring a 4.5-18x magnification this scope can extend to the outer limits of the 223 cartridge. You should be able to accurately place rounds on targets out to 600 yards. For a budget long range scope the optical clarity is actually pretty good for the price. It has a clear and bright sight picture throughout the entire magnification range. You can easily adjust the focus to fix parallax on high magnifications.
What really impressed me about the drop zone scope is its durability. Considering the price I wasn’t expecting a whole lot out of this scope, but Bushnell really outdid themselves. The shockproof 1″ tube diamater scope can really stand up to some abuse. It features a completely waterproof design that should handle just about anything life throws at it.
5. Nikon Buckmasters II 3-9×40 BDC Scope
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Nikon’s Buckmasters II rifle scope offers just about anything a hunter could ever need. Nikon paired up with buckmaster to design a affordable scope made for the average hunter. It’s a know thrills design that simply works when you need it.
Where the Buckmaster II rifle scope really stands out is durability. It’s amazing that Nikon was able to keep the price of this scope so low. Featuring a nearly bomb proof design that you would have to try to destroy. This overbuilt design is 100% waterproof, fogproof and shockproof. You would have thought that it this price point clarity would suffer, but that’s not the case. The sight picture is clear and crisp throughout the entire 3-9x magnification range. Nikon chose to use their patented BDC Reticle which is perfect for long range shots. Nikon features multi-coated optics that provides decent light transmission from dawn til dusk. If it had a little better anti-glare capabilities this scope would be perfect.
6. UTG 3-9X32 BugBuster Scope
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If you’re really on a tight budget you should consider the UTG Bugbuster scope. UTG aka Leapers is a company that came out of the European market and is quickly making a name for themselves in America. They recently opened up shop in the USA and make a fantastic product for the price.
The UTG Bugbuster scope packs a lot of features into a affordable package. UTG focuses primarily on the tactical optic market and you can see that in this scopes design. Using a compact design this is the perfect mid range scope for your AR15. It features a 3-9x magnification that is extremely clear for the price. The 1″ tube offers maximum light transmission with its emerald coating. To further aid its brightness the reticle is fully iluminated. You can choose between the red/green dual illumination display with multiple brightness settings. I really like this sights range estimating mil-dot reticle. You don’t normally see advanced reticles on budget scopes, and this is easily one of the best. Using a durable shockproof body you won’t have to worry about the occasional bump or ding. The only downside of this scope is that it’s not completely waterproof. The water resistant body should stand up to some light rain, but it won’t fully protect the scope when completely submerged. After losing a budget 22 scope to a flooded truck box the additional price of the Buckmaster might be well worth considering.
How To Choose a Rifle Scope?
When choosing a scope for the 223 cartridge you need to determine what you are going to use the scope for. Every shooter will have slightly different needs. Luckily since the AR15 platform is so popular there’s a scope to fit just about every shooter. It doesn’t matter if you want a fixed 4x magnification Acog, holographic sight, red dot or traditional scope, you’ll be looking for similar qualities. You’re going to need to look at price, magnification, optic size, durability and optical features.
Price: It doesn’t matter if you’re in finance or a janitor price is always the first thing we look for in a scope. I like to look at the optimal price as a running number. As the price of your rifle increases the glass should increase as well. It wouldn’t make sense to pair a custom built top of the line AR15 with a 50$ tasco scope, but that might be that bad of an idea on the old 22 your grandpa gave you. You’re just going to need to have a little bit of common sense when deciding between cost and quality. I like to stick between 1-200$ on most of my traditional style scopes. Unless I’m looking for a long range rifle build, or a weird magnification, you can find a really nice scope for 200 bucks.
Magnification: I won’t be able to tell your favorite magnification level, but I can speak from my own experience. Personally I like to mix up my magnification ranges a bit with the 223. It’s an extremely versatile round, so it will perform with just about any mid range optic. I like to pair most of my AR15’s with red dots, but my hog or coyote guns tend to have a mid range optic. I tend to lean towards the fairly standard 3-9x magnification range(4-12x works also). A 3-9x scope is the perfect distance for most 50-100 yard shooting ranges and can extend out a few hundred yards. If you have a 500-1000 yard shooting range close by you might want to bump up the magnification a bit.
Optic Size: As a general rule the larger your optics opening compared to magnification, the brighter your sight picture is going to be. As you increase the magnification relative to the objective lens size the brightness will decrease. So using the same multi-coating and quality glass a 3-9x40mm scope is going to be brighter than a 4-12x40mm scope. Things get a little more complicated as you change lens quality from manufacturer to manufacturer. It’s simple physics that manufacturers have known for decades.
Durability: As a general rule scopes that cost more than 100$ will most likely be pretty durable. Below 100$ and you’re going to have to look at the specs. The main thing that you’re going to want to focus on is waterproofing and warranty. The vast majority of damage to affordably priced optics is going to come from moisture. You don’t have to drop your scope into a puddle to get moisture damage. Leaving your scope in a damp gun safe without a dehumidifier could cause moisture issues.
Optical Features: There are a ton of different cool features you can look for in a scope. You’re going to have to look for range estimation tools, advanced reticles, illuminated sight pictures, special lens coatings, advanced turrets and a ton of other features.