Best Air Rifle Scopes of 2023

You may be thinking that air rifle scopes are pretty much all the same and that all you’ve got to do is decide on a budget and magnification requirements—but there’s a bit more to it. While you can certainly find great rifle scopes from names that you’ve no doubt heard before—such as Leupold, Bushnell, and Vortex—there’s a whole other world of air rifle scope manufacturers to be discovered. Don’t discount them simply because you’re unfamiliar with the brand.

Many air rifles today look almost identical to their powder-burning brethren, but those looks can be deceiving. Beneath the surface, air rifles are built differently, and these differences can have serious consequences, such as a broken scope, if you’re not careful. Of course, it’s not all doom-and-gloom, and picking out the best air rifle scopes can be a fun part of outfitting your rifle for a specific purpose.

Best Overall: Hawke Vantage 3-9×40 Rifle Scope

Best Budget: Vortex Optics Crossfire II 2-7×32 Scope

Best Premium: UTG 4-16×44 30mm Scope

Best Beginner: Crosman Targetfinder 4x Scope

Best for Strength: SWFA 10×42 SS 30mm Rifle Scope

How We Picked the Best Air Rifle Scopes 

From plinkers and varmit rifles to long-distance platforms, I’ve shot some of the best air rifles in a wide array of calibers and configurations suited to different applications. Similarly, each rifle was outfitted with a different scope for optimum performance in a given situations. I’ve learned what works, what doesn’t, when something is overkill, and when something is undervalued. I evaluate air rifle scopes using the following criteria:

Build quality: A scope is only as good as the glass that’s in it. This is especially important when it comes to air rifles and recoil. The rest of the scope is important, too. You want to make sure that the body is durable and that the adjustment turrets are solid.

Magnification: How powerful is this scope in terms of magnification and is it going to be able to live up to the expectations I have for a specific caliber and rifle combination?

Features: Are the features on a given scope adequate for what I’ll be doing with it? Conversely, are there more bells and whistles than necessary just so the manufacturer can charge more?

Cost: Does this scope provide enough features and benefits to justify the amount of money it costs? Or is there another option out there that’s similar in price but offers more bang for the buck?

Best Air Rifle Scopes: Reviews and Recommendations

Best Overall: Hawke Vantage 3-9×40 Rifle Scope

Key Features 

Side focus knob for parallax adjustment

Lifetime warranty

Pros

Traditional 3-9×40 design that we all know and love

Overengineered for use on air rifles

Ability for parallax adjustment isn’t found on all air rifle scopes universally

Cons

Doesn’t come with mounting rings

Price reflects the overengineering, but it’s still a solid deal

Featuring a classic Mil-dot reticle with a 40mm bell and variable 3-9x magnification, the Hawke Vantage scope walks and talks like a regular rifle scope but comes with distinct advantages for use on air rifles. You still get .25 MOA adjustments for windage and elevation, but you also get a knob on the side to adjust for parallax.

Best Budget: Vortex Optics Crossfire II 2-7×32 Scope

Key Features 

Backed by the Vortex lifetime warranty

Available with two different reticles

Perfect for air rifles or regular rifles

Pros

2 to 7x magnification is perfect for most air rifle applications

Uses capped resettable turrets

Compact and durable

Cons

Quite honestly, I don’t have any

Vortex is well-known for making scopes that punch above their weight class, and the Crossfire II 2-7×32 is no exception. The scope weighs less than a pound and is less than a foot in length, making it a compact yet durable option for an air rifle. Backed by the unmatched Vortex lifetime warranty, this scope should outlast you by a generation or more. In terms of price, it’s on par with many regular rifle scopes. At first glance, that may make you question placement as the best budget scope, but the Crossfire II can easily pull double duty and go between an air rifle and a regular rifle with no issues whatsoever. Essentially, it’s two scopes in one.

Best Premium: UTG 4-16×44 30mm Scope

Key Features 

36 reticle colors to choose from

Brightness memory

Pros

Lockable and resettable turrets

Comes with rings and lens caps

Great magnification for large-caliber air rifles

Cons

Big and heavy: 15” long and weighs 1.5 pounds

UTG’s 4-16×44 30mm scope is the most technologically advanced one on this list, and while it costs more than the others, it still isn’t expensive for what’s considered to be a premium scope. Because it comes with rings and lens caps, this scope is ready to be mounted and taken to the range right out of the box. With a staggering 36 reticle colors to choose from, you can pinpoint what color works best for you. Plus, there’s a brightness memory that can take you back to your previous color and brightness settings with just one click. The 4 to 16x magnification is perfect for larger caliber air rifles and the 44mm bell will let in plenty of light for early morning or late evening shots.

Best Beginner: Crosman Targetfinder 4x Scope

Key Features 

Fixed 4x power

1-year warranty

Pros

Costs less than $20

Comes with dovetail receiver mounts

Cons

Not recommended for spring-powered air rifles

Crosman has been in the air gun business since 1923, so they know a thing or two about air rifle scopes. The Targetfinder 4x is a great beginner scope because it’s so affordable at an MSRP of just $19.99 and available for even less at many places. Don’t let the price fool you, though—this is a solid option if you’re just getting into the world of air rifles and don’t want to spend a fortune on a scope if your gun was relatively inexpensive to begin with. Featuring fixed 4x magnification and dovetail receiver mounts, it can be installed easily on many beginner Crosman (and other brand) air rifles.

Best for Strength: SWFA 10×42 SS 30mm Rifle Scope

Key Features 

Uses a Mil-quad reticle

Water-, fog- and shockproof

Pros

Safe for use on spring powered rifles

Great price for what you get

Has an adjustment wheel for parallax, which isn’t universal on all air rifle scopes

Cons

You’re locked in to a specific magnification level

Built to like an absolute tank to NATO specs and designed to withstand recoil up to a .50 BMG, you probably think that the SWFA 10×42 SS 30mm scope is overkill on an air rifle, but you’d be wrong. Instead, it just means that you’ve got an absolutely rock solid rifle. Because the scope has a fixed magnification level, they’ve used the turret that normally adjusts this to make adjustments to parallax.

What to Consider When Choosing an Air Rifle Scope

Like any other scope, you’ll want to figure out how much magnification you want or need, what tube diameter you’d prefer, and the size of the optic bell. This isn’t really any different than deciding on a regular rifle scope, but there are some differences that you need to consider and keep in mind. Here are some of the things you should think about before parting with your hard-earned money:

Recoil

An air rifle recoils differently than a regular rifle. While a regular rifle recoils backwards, an air rifle will actually recoil backwards and forwards. This extra directional recoil is not something that regular rifle scopes are designed to deal with over a long period of time. This means you should either look for an air rifle-specific scope or a scope that is designed to work on both.

Parallax

The parallax is also different between air rifle scopes and regular rifles scopes. Whereas a regular rifle scope will be set around 100 meters, an air rifle scope will be set around 10 meters. That 10-fold difference can be a big deal, so, again, look for an air rifle-specific scope or one that is designed to work on both.

Price

Good glass isn’t cheap. That’s not to say that you can’t get a good air rifle scope on a budget, but be mindful of how much you have to spend and how much you’re willing to spend. You could spend thousands upon thousands of dollars on a scope and find that it gets the same results as one that costs a fraction of that price. Don’t spend gobs of money just to spend it.

FAQs

Best Air Rifle Scopes: Final Thoughts

Best Overall: Hawke Vantage 3-9×40 Rifle Scope

Best Budget: Vortex Optics Crossfire II 2-7×32 Scope

Best Premium: UTG 4-16×44 30mm Scope

Best Beginner: Crosman Targetfinder 4x Scope

Best for Strength: SWFA 10×42 SS 30mm Rifle Scope

Knowing the difference between a regular rifle scope and an air rifle scope—and more specifically, knowing why they are different—is important when it comes time to pick out a scope for an air rifle. While you could probably get away with using a regular rifle scope in many instances, you should do so with the understanding that it isn’t necessarily the right tool for the job and, as such, you shouldn’t be surprised if something goes wrong or breaks.

Thankfully, the price of admission into the world of air rifle scopes is inexpensive. A good one can be had at a reasonable price, and even a premium one may surprise you as to how much money is left in your pocket after purchase.

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