When choosing a weapon for self-defense or a gun for survival, it is essential to think about some additional devices to get it equipped with. Of course, some survival skills and items of survival gear are of the topmost importance, but they won’t get you game. Your survival backpack contents should help you stay nourished in the wilderness unless your food supplies or water resources are unlimited.
The eye-relief scope is one feature of rifle scopes that always gets underrated, and in most cases, this is because of people’s lack of knowledge on this issue: eye-relief scope is the distance that your eye needs to be able to see the picture thoroughly. We hope that now you understand just how important it actually is to have a decent extended eye relief scope. With a bad one, close to your eyes, the sight picture will be blurred on the edges, and far from them – your whole vision is lost. To avoid this – consider getting a mil-dot scope addition.
All you professional homesteaders, survivalists, and preppers, hear me out and remember to use the info in this article to maximize your survival chances.
Top 1o best out of the best scopes with a long eye relief in 2021
1. Vortex Optics Crossfire II 6-24X50MM
Vortex Crossfire II’s long eye relief scope offers a lot more than its previous competitor, and here are its characteristics:
- 12 inches of eye relief length
- 4o mm objective lens
- Aircraft anodized aluminum construction, with a matte finish, eliminates and glares
- An integrated sunshade that also protects your objective lens from getting any glares
- Multiple anti-reflective coatings for better light transmission and brightness control so that the device can be used in dark conditions and give you as much light as possible
- 30 mm main tube made from aircraft-grade aluminum that is also nitrogen purged and has an O-ring with waterproof and fog proof qualities
- Minimum eye relief is equal to 3.8 inches with a parallax adjustment on the objective lens so that this high-quality scope would provide you with a decent and magnified object focus
Also matters
Another essential feature is the long eye relief scopes’ V-brite illuminated reticle located in the second focal plane that makes your aiming more accurate and precise. Moreover, this reticle has zero resettable 1/4 MOA capped turrets.
Also, Vortex Crossfire II has decent protection from any physical damages: this is due to its wind and elevation adjustment knobs.
All of this is located in a mid-range of pricing: note that because of the price and the features of this long eye relief scope, it might be hard to find it in stock, but it is definitely worth the wait!
2. Leupold VX-3 Handgun
The most frequent problem with heavy handguns is that they lower your beating scopes. With a Leupold VX-3, you can be sure that such a problem will not occur; its weight lets you use it for a long time because it is easily installed and used afterward, with little lowering of a beating scope: it can bear 3x the recoil of a .308.
Also, the material of its lenses is military-grade with resistance to scratches that lets you use it in different conditions.
Moreover, this device can be put very far away from the eyes: as it has an extended eye relief of 15″, it allows you to see 12.9-4.8 foot/100 yards. These characteristics would allow you to use Leupold VX-3 even in low light conditions when there is little to no time for hesitation: up to 85 percent of stray light can be eliminated with this long eye relief scope.
In addition to all of the previous amazing stuff described by us above, this generous eye relief also has a duplex reticle that is also punisher tested and a great light transmission!
Talking about the specifics, Leupold VX-3 has a 10.09 oz weight and 11.4 inches of eye relief length.
3. Vortex Optics Crossfire II 4-16X50
Vortex Crossfire II 4-16×50 is known for its perfect eye relief function: even when using both of your eyes, you will not have any problems with focusing on the target. This Second Focal Plane is tough to find a match for, so if you ever find it in stock, do not hesitate to buy it!
Moreover, this riflescope has an adjustable objective lens so that you would be able to make your image quality as bright and sharp as you need!
And the price for this one of the best long eye relief scopes is also reasonable, which can be good for fresh starters, as they would not spend a lot of money waiting for the same functions: but remember, the cheap scope is not always a bad one!
The only small disadvantage of this eye relief scope is that its light transmission is quite bad. However, this is not as awful as being unable to see anything at all.
4. Burris Scope 2-7X32MM
Burris Ballistic Plex Hunting Riflescope is a long eye relief scope that lets you easily aim to the target and provide you with confidence that no recoiling back of your scope to the eye target would happen.
What other features does it have?
- High-quality shock resistance (no more than a usual waist-high drop) for different possible off-grid scenarios and fog proof
- Increased light transmission
- Fast target acquisition with the possibility of using both of your eyes
- A waterproof and weatherproof feature of a scope: you do not have to worry about your device not working when raining or in cold temperatures.
- Steel-on-steel adjustment system with audible clicks: do not worry about them being too loud so that your target will notice the clicks; they are not. This is just a notification to you that needed adjustments are made so that you can be sure that your rifle scope will not let you down.
However, it might be hard to see the BDC reticle. But for the price that this rifle scope offers, you can easily forget about it.
5. Vortex Crossfire II Scout 2-7X32
Vortex Optics Crossfire II 2-7×32 is another perfect scout scope for your scout rifle that has a long eye relief of 9.45″: it has mounted towards the direction that reduces your long eye relief scope when put in a maximum power position. However, when using it as a scout scope, you will not have to use maximum power for an excellent, bright sight picture.
More on the features
This scout scope has a fast-focus eyepiece (which means only a single-piece tube is available) and an aircraft aluminum coverage.
Moreover, it is waterproof by its O-ring seals and fog proof because of its nitrogen gas and shockproof, so you do not have to worry about weather conditions and quite a beating possible.
No illuminated center dot or BDC reticle is present, but with the help of V-plex chains and its second focal plane, you will still have an excellent light transmission and fast target acquisition for close-range shots.
And to top this all off, Vortex Crossfire II Scout comes under 200 dollars in price range, which makes it a best-seller among forward mounting scout scopes.
6. AIM Sports 2-7X42 30mm Scout Rifle/Rangefinder
AIM Sports Scout Scope is great for beginners, as well as for professionals: covered with aircraft aluminum, it has a multi-coated lens with:
- A light tranny,
- Resolution,
- And resistance.
Also, this scope is capable of withstanding the recoil from a high-powered rifle.
All the features
This great eye relief scout scope has a 2-7 magnification range and 42 mm objective lens, which means that your objects can be seven times enhanced.
Moreover, a rangefinder reticle capable of creating a possibility of fast and sharp shooting is present in this eye relief scout scope together with Picatinny 1913 ring mounts, 8.5-10.5″ long eye relief that protects you from the heavy recoil of your high powered rifle, and nitrogen charging for waterproof, weatherproof and shockproof capabilities.
About the lenses of this scout scope: they have anti-glare multi-coating with great light transmission, resolution, scratch resistance, and a 1/4″ MOA windage and elevation adjustment.
7. UTG Scout scope Long eye relief 3o mm
This UTG 2-7×44 11″ scout scope is quite an affordable item on the scout rifles market. However, that does not necessarily mean that it is of bad quality.
Important features of UTG scout rifle
- 44 mm objective lens with emerald lens coating
- A side wheel adjustable turret for parallax adjustment
- Long eye relief with a set of 30 mm quad-mounting scope
- EZ-TAP illumination enhancing system for improving maximum light transmission in bad light conditions
- Illuminated reticle for a pleasant experience of lining up crosshairs on a dark target
- Adjustable turrets that could be set to zero
8. Trijicon TR24R Accupoint Rifle scope
Accupoint 1.-4×24 Triangle Riflescope is the best choice for someone with a high-end scope rifle looking for the same quality scout scope, as it does not need any batteries, has a fiber optic, and always working reticle that can automatically adjust to your surrounding light level.
Accupoint long eye relief scopes could be taken somewhere off-grid or even used in a survival situation with these amazing features.
As such conditions require fast decisions, Trijicon Accupoint eye relief provides you with windage/elevation knops for quick windage adjustments, a fast-focus eyepiece, a decent reticle with fast ranging and holdovers: basically, it has all that you could have needed when every second of your time decides your fate.
Moreover, this eye relief rifle scope has rugged material perfect for different weather conditions and has been tested to meet military standards. So now you see that this device is worth in every cent.
9. Burris Handgun Ballistic Plex Reticle Pistol Scope
Burris Handgun 2-7×32 weighs 13 ounces, has 9.7 inches of eye relief length, and is capable of being your best long eye relief handgun scope: it has the standard scope configuration, such as 2-7x magnification, an extended eye relief of 11-21″, and 7x power.
The Burris handgun scope is better than most that you can find on the market: it has a double internal spring-tension system, an ability to recoil up to .50 BMG, and a 1-inch eye relief tube with a solid but light construction.
Moreover, these long eye relief scopes have a Ballistic Plex reticle in them that features holdover marks up to 500 yards.
However, it might be a while before you get used to the time that it takes to make the maximum magnification. For these efforts, you will get a handgun scope that will let you hit very long-range targets with a ballistic reticle.
10. Leupold FX-II Scout long eye relief rifle
The Leupold company and its FX-II scope are examples of a business that cares about its customers and the quality of its rifle scopes: this eye relief for Ruger charger will satisfy anyone who would buy it.
Characteristics
FX-II scout has an excellent long eye relief of 9.5 inches and makes sure that no harm would be made to you in any conditions, even when using high-powered ammunition or bolt-action rifle: a high-quality picture is still present even when you are not using these long eye relief scopes for their purpose.
The diamond coating of the external objective lens makes a great amount of light inside your tube. Also, this material ensures that illumination for a clear sight picture and no scratches would be present.
Moreover, this eye relief scope has a waterproof feature thanks to its Argon and Kryton blends, which is a bit unusual for this company. In most cases, they use their patented nitrogen purging technology for that function.
Note that the shipping cost will be taken from you if you want to return the item. This might be an unpleasant fact, but anyways, Leupold company is well known for its quality, so there is little to no chance that you would not be satisfied with their products.
Think about the scope you will take on your next hunting trip: is it decent?
The content of this article:
- What options do I have?
- Long eye relief scopes versus short relief ones
- What needs to be considered?
- 1o best out of the best long eye relief scopes in 2021
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What options do I have?
Generally, there are two most widespread categories of eye-relief: short and long relief scopes that, of course, have their own ups and downs.
Another possible type is scout rifles that allow you to aim using both of your eyes. Also, this is the type for you if low magnifications are present.
Long eye relief scopes versus short relief ones
In comparison with short reliefs, long eye relief scopes have smaller magnification, and their eye relief range starts from six inches and furthermore. Short-range ones go from 1.5 to 5 inches.
But unfortunately, most eye reliefs available on the market now have the biggest eye relief of about four inches for usual rifle scopes.
Even more, you would probably end up with 3 or 3.5 inches. But do not worry; this is also more than enough.
And as we realize that the process of finding the best long eye relief scope is hard, as well as understanding what is important, we will now provide you with a list of important properties and then with decent long eye relief scope options.
What needs to be considered
Their types are divided into two: soft lenses and rigid gas permeable ones. In any case, ask yourself the following four questions before choosing what long eye relief scope to buy.
1. How to understand the best criteria for my long eye relief scopes?
As simple as it only can be: all you need to do is to understand your facial characteristics, which are the distance between the top and bottom of your eye and the width of your nose.
If you are afraid of making your own measurements, ask an optometrist to do it for you.
After that, find a physical or online store and choose long eye relief scope that will fit your face perfectly.
2. What are the best eye contact lenses brands?
There are a lot of decent companies on our market:
- Acuvue
- Cellex
- Durasoft
- Purevision
- ReLite
- Freshlook, etc.
Their differences are in the variety of products offered: it can be about the measurements available or terms of usage – one day, two weeks, or even more. Your eye specialist can recommend you some, depending on your personal characteristics.
3. How can I measure contact lenses?
We believe that the only option is to go to your ophthalmologist and the best way to measure it is to do it on both of your eyes: this will help you to understand what diopters would you need, as one eye can require a different one in comparison with the second eye.
Also, it will help to understand what size of a lens you would need: we humans can even have different sizes for different eyes!
4. I have astigmatism; what to do about that?
We might guess that your eye doctor will recommend you Acuvue contact lenses with a toric design that has a bridge on the top of each lens that makes the space for light to come right to the top of your eye so that no blurs would occur when you are working or reading.
After receiving a prescription, look for contacts that have the same measurements as those that are written for you. As your ophthalmologist has measured both cornea and iris, the measurements might be quite different.
This can create a problem for you in finding the exact characteristics, so try to find those contacts that will be the closest to those you would theoretically need.
Also, try to ask your eye doctor as many questions as you can: about different brands that can suit you, their cost, effectiveness, etc.: that way, you will not have to go through the trouble of finding the best solution for your own, as you have already received some help on this issue.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is an infinite eye relief on a scope?
We would not say that such a thing exists, as the eye relief is only a distance between your eyes and the scope for acquiring the best field of view for finding the target and pulling the trigger.
There are short and long eye relief scopes, nothing more. And you generally would prefer the last type, as it lets you avoid recoiling to your head when you are pulling the trigger.
And actually, what you need to look for when choosing an eye relief is its magnification power and the eye relief range.
What is the best scope for old eyes?
Basically, any long eye relief that has a great magnification, big objective lens, and light illumination will do. But if you have troubles with your eyesight, the first thing that you should think about is not the scope but contact lenses.
Ask your eye doctor to measure your eyes and give you a prescription for a particular kind of lenses for you. If this is already done, then here is a list of decent eye relief rifle scopes:
- Leupold VX-3 Handgun
- Vortex Optics Crossfire II 6-24X50MM
- Vortex Optics Crossfire II 4-16X50
- Burris 2-7X32MM
- Vortex Crossfire II Scout 2-7X32
- UTG Long eye relief 3o mm scout scope
- Trijicon TR24R Accupoint Rifle scope
- Leupold FX-II Scout long eye relief rifle scope
- Burris Handgun Ballistic Plex Reticle Pistol Scope
- AIM Sports 2-7X42 30mm Scout Scope/Rangefinder
Look up their characteristics and prices and choose the one that will fit your needs and possibilities most. Other scopes of these companies are also of the best quality on the market.
Can you adjust a scope eye relief?
Unfortunately, you cannot somehow adjust your eye relief, as it is not possible to move it after you have already positioned it on the rifle. However, what you can do is move your rifle scope either closer or further from your eyes to find the best sight picture and spot for targeting.
It does not always depend on your eyes. The quality and the features of your eye relief rifle scope matter the most. When your eye relief has low magnification and light transmission, there is nothing much that you can do to make a clear sight picture.
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