If you have a rifle scope and are thinking about putting it on your slug gun, then DON’T DO IT! Riflescopes and slug gun scopes are similar but are also very different in the way that they are used.
So put your rifle scopes aside and look into the best Slug Gun scopes currently available to improve your accuracy and shooting experience. In this review, we’ll be discussing the top 5 picks from a wide array of options of the best slug gun scopes on the markets.
So let’s start with a quick comparison before moving on to the in-depth reviews…
Contents
Best Slug Gun Scopes Comparison Table
| Name | Battery-Life | Reticle | Brightness Levels | Magnification | Objective Lens |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Also Great Barska 3-9x32  View Price | Battery-Life No battery | Reticle Mil-dot crosshairs | Brightness Levels None | Magnification 3-9x | Objective Lens 32mm |
Best Choice Leupold VX-Freedom Muzzleloader  View Price | Battery-Life No battery | Reticle RFP tri-MOA | Brightness Levels None | Magnification 3-9x | Objective Lens 40mm |
Also Great Aimpoint ACO Red Dot Reflex Sight  View Price | Battery-Life 10,000 hours | Reticle 2 MOA dot | Brightness Levels 9 levels | Magnification None | Objective Lens 28mm |
Battery-Life 250-3,000 hours | Reticle DRT MOA | Brightness Levels 9 levels | Magnification None | Objective Lens 28mm |
|
Battery-Life Long battery life | Reticle 4 reticles | Brightness Levels 5 levels | Magnification None | Objective Lens 32mm |
Next, we’ll find out what makes each one unique and which is the perfect scope for you…
Top 5 Best Slug Gun Scopes On The Market 2023 Reviews
1 Nikon Prostaff P3 Shotgun BDC 200 Riflescope
There is no doubt about lens quality when it comes to Nikon, they truly have mastered the craft.
The Prostaff P3 shotgun line will help you extend your range and accuracy well over 200 yards with its powerful 3-9x magnification. That number is already impressive for a rifle, but this is a slug gun! So reaching such a distance will give you an advantage in either sports shooting or hunting.
The housing, turrets, and turret caps are all made from strong, light, and durable aircraft-grade aluminum, which gives added strength to the whole scope.
The wide 40mm lenses are fully multicoated and allow the optic to let in as much light as possible, giving the shooter a bright and clear image of the target. Etched in the glass is also a BDC 200 reticle with transparent reticle dots to help pinpoint the location while not blocking the target.
Nikon scopes use the companies Spot On Ballistic Match Technology to further assist you in finding the exact yardages to any type of caliber and grain you are using.
The windage and elevation turrets are kept safely inside protective caps. And have a ¼ MOA precise clicks that are audible for you to keep track of your adjustments. With spring-loaded knobs, you can also have the luxury of setting your scope after you have set its “zero” and return to the same settings after shooting different targets.
(5 / 5)Pros
- Multicoated lenses.
- Aircraft-grade aluminum.
- Lightweight.
- Spring-loaded reset.
- Spot On Ballistic Match Technology.
- Transparent reticle.
Cons
- Reticle not illuminated.
- Mounts not included.
- Capped turrets.
- Not weatherproof.
2 Bushnell Trophy Rifle Scope With Multi-X Reticle
Bushnell is another high-end name in scope manufacture. And have mastered the art of making performance-grade optics and guarantee a wonderful shooting experience.
The Multi-X reticle is a classic aiming crosshair that enhances the image through the eyepiece. While the lenses are multi-layered with anti-reflective coating to give a brightly lit and vivid picture. And the objective lens is 40mm, so it is large enough to give you a wide-angle view through the scope.
Set in the Second Focal Plane (SFP) it is perfect for increasing the accuracy of your slug shots and giving you a greater range while you’re at it. The Bushnell Trophy has a powerful 4-12x magnification. As you know, slug guns don’t have a very long range. At maximum, maybe 4-5 magnification is more than enough. But with 12x magnification, you can get really close to your targets.
The windage and elevation turrets are capped and don’t have any zero-rest or locking technology which keeps the price down. The ocular piece works as an eyepiece as well as a parallax adjustment ring that goes all the way to infinity.
The housing is made from a single tube of high-quality aluminum with a durable coating to keep it protected from bumps and scrapes. Any parts that can be screwed on or off are sealed with an O-ring keeping it watertight and submergible. Weighing in at 16.40 ounces and a length of 12.8 inches, this scope is an excellent choice for many.
(4.2 / 5)Pros
- Waterproof.
- Powerful magnification.
- Multicoated lenses.
Cons
- Capped turrets.
- No zero-reset.
- Mounts not included.
- Reticle not illuminated.
3 Burris Droptine Riflescope With Ballistic Plex Reticle
The Droptine is a simple and easy-to-use scope that meets the needs of the shooter and makes sure they a good time using their scopes.
Shooting at a long distance is now made easy with the simplistic design of the Droptine and its powerful 3-9x magnification. Made from a solid piece of steel, the housing is stress-free and durable enough to withstand any caliber size and recoil. The tube has been nitrogen treated to make sure the lenses don’t fog up with temperature changes or rain.
The 40mm objective lenses use Index-match, which is a multi-coating by Hi-Lume that allows maximum light during low-light conditions and protects the shooter’s eye from the glare of bright light sources. The optical glass is high-grade and ensures lasting durability.
The windage and elevation turrets are standard capped. There is nothing extraordinarily special about them, and they don’t have any fancy locking or reset functions, but they do the job and keep the scope low-profile and simple. You get all this for a great price, and it comes with Burris’s lifetime warranty.
(4.2 / 5)Pros
- Weatherproof.
- Hi-Lume index match lenses.
- Burris Forever warranty.
Cons
- Reticle not illuminated.
- Capped turrets.
- No reset.
- No turret locking mechanism.
- Mounts not included.
4 Simmons 517793 Prodiamond Shotgun Prohunter Riflescope
Simmons provides cutting-edge clarity and sharp images and pride themselves with the best lenses in their class.
The highlight of the Simmons scope is their HydroShield optics, which are multicoated lenses that are made from high-quality glass. This glass gives their 32mm objective lens scope an extremely clear and bright picture while shooting.
It features a Quick Target Acquisition (QTA) eyepiece with a 4-inch eye-relief. This is perfect for slug guns that have heavy recoil, keeping your eye a safe and comfortable distance from the scope.
The windage and elevation turrets have an advanced locking system for setting it to your preferred distance, and can be adjusted by removing the caps. TrueZero will keep your scope on its precise zero in any environment, without any slips or miss clicks. The turrets come with a SureGrip rubber surface so you can make adjustments while wearing thick gloves or in any weather conditions.
Other than the turrets, that’s the only thing you can adjust on this scope as the magnification is fixed at a 4x. However, it is a slug gun scope, so it doesn’t need pinpoint accuracy, and the ProDiamond reticle puts a nice big diamond shape on your target giving you a lot more accuracy than you would expect.
The housing of the scope is made from durable aluminum and has a matte finish. This housing is 100% water, shock, and fog-proof, making it perfect for extreme hunting conditions.
(4.3 / 5)Pros
- Weatherproof.
- Superior optics.
- HydroShield coating.
- SureGrip turrets.
- TrueZero turret locking.
- 4-inch eye relief.
Cons
- Fixed magnification.
- Reticle not illuminated.
- Mounts not included.
- No zero-reset.
5 Vortex Optics Diamondback Second Focal Plane Riflescopes
Vortex Optics holds its position with the other big names like Bushnell and Nikon and is well-known for making quality performance scopes.
Made from a solid piece of high-quality aluminum and a hard-anodized finish, it is tough and lightweight. As the housing is made from a single piece of metal, there are no gaps for moisture to get in. At the points where there is an opening, O-rings do the job of sealing out water and anything that could get into the scope.
Inside the scope, Argon is used to purge the internals to keep it from fogging up when there are changes in temperature.
The 40mm objective and the eyepiece lenses are made from premium glass and have been coated multiple times to get a clear and sharp image in low-light environments. The coatings also aid in allowing light to be transferred into the scope, making sure the image is bright and crisp.
The eyepiece on the rear lens is fast focusing, helping you see the target instantly. Set in the Second Focal Plane, it features the Vortex Dead-Hold Bullet Drop compensator, making it perfect for long-distance shooting.
This model has a decent amount of magnification and can be zoomed from 3-9x. For long-range shooting, the windage and elevation turrets are of a metal on metal construction which adds precision while adjusting your scope. They also have a zero-reset function after you sight-in the scope in with your preferred yardage.
However, since it features turret caps, it will take a little extra effort to make field adjustments. But at least they will be kept safe and clean from dust or whatever else might get in.
(4.1 / 5)Pros
- Anodized finish.
- Solid-piece housing
- Zero-reset.
- Argon purged.
- Weatherproof.
- Multi-coated lenses.
- Dead-Hold BDC reticle.
Cons
- Capped turrets.
- Reticle not illuminated.
- Fixed Parallax.
Scopes are pretty simple to understand, and when buying them, there are only a few things to keep in mind. Next, in the buyer’s guide, you will go over some points that will help you make a better purchase.
Best Slug Gun Scopes Buyer’s Guide
The first thing to remember is that a slug scope is not the same as the rifle scope. They have similarities, but the usage is different and therefore, different features are needed to make it an ideal slug gun scope.
One thing to keep in mind is the magnification. You don’t need a powerful scope, as most of your targets will not be any further than 200 yards away.
The next thing is the reticle. Bullet Drop Compensators are good for getting a little extra range while making a simple calculation, but since most of your targets will not be very far away, getting a reticle that gives you the ability to focus quickly and fire is the best.
Lastly, eye relief is very important. Slug gun shooting doesn’t require pinpoint accuracy and so fast reflexes, and quick focusing is key. Also, the longer the distance your eye is from the eyepiece, the faster and more comfortably you can aim, without worrying about the heavy recoil slug guns are known for.
So What Are The Best Slug Gun Scopes?
And now for the moment of truth. The scopes offered in this Best Slug Gun Scopes review have different strengths and weaknesses. However, the victor will be decided based on the features and the practicality of the scope in real-life situations.
Therefore, the winner is the….
This scope has clarity that surpasses the others. As a shooter, you will enjoy looking down your scope every time you use it and will always be amazed at the bright and vivid images in your sights.
It is also heavily feature-based as it has many in its favor. The reticle is perfect for close, and long-range shooting and the turrets have a zero-reset, which is always handy when making adjustments then returning to your original zero. Plus the housing is durable and light-weight, so you will have little trouble carrying your gun for long hunts.
The other offerings on this list also fit the needs of slug gun shooters. But the Nikon Prostaff P3 seems to do a better job in terms of versatility and functionality.
