When it comes to personal and home defense, one of the most popular choices of weapons is shotguns. Many American citizens have a shotgun lying around somewhere in their homes. Nevertheless, while shotguns are great for close-range combat, they are also perfect for hunting. They are a perfect choice for small game hunting.
In fact, with a good shotgun scope, you can hunt accurately up to a distance of 300 yards. There are different types of scopes for different purposes, and picking the right one for your needs is very important. In this guide, we will walk you through some of the best shotgun scope reviews and what you need to look for when shopping for a scope for your shotgun.
The Best Shotgun Scopes Are:
| Product | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.Bushnell Trophy Shotgun Scope with Circle-X Reticle, 1.75-4x32mm |  Top Pick |
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| 2.Bushnell Red Dot Sight TRS-25 |  |
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| 3.TRUGLO GOBBLE-STOPPER 30mm Turkey Hunting Dual-Color Dot Sight |  |
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| 4.TRUGLO 4x32mm Compact Rimfire and Shotgun Scope |  |
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| 5.Weaver Kaspa 1-4x24 Shotgun/Muzzle Bal-X Mossy Oak Bu 30mm |  |
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| 6.Bushnell Trophy Rifle Scope with Multi-X Reticle | |
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| 7.UTG 4.2” ITA Red/Green CQB Dot with QD Mount |  |
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1. Bushnell Trophy Shotgun Scope with Circle-X Reticle, 1.75-4x32mm
The Bushnell Trophy Shotgun Scope is one of the best shotgun scopes in the market. This scope tends to stand out from the rest in the market because of its adaptive design and unique features. It also offers excellent vision and other protective features. This one-piece tube scope comes with an outer housing that flaunts a unique camouflage design.
This unit comes with an objective lens of 32mm, which is great for sharp tactical shooting. The objective lens offers an easy target acquisition and a seamless vision. It also comes with a great image enlarger with a minimum zoom level of 1.75x and a maximum zoom level of 4x. This magnification range is great for short to medium-distance shootings.
When it comes to windage and elevation adjustments, this unit comes with an easy to reach and control turret with .25 MOA click. It comes with fully multi coated optics as well as a fast-focus eyepiece. In addition, this shotgun scope has a rain guard HD, allowing for light transmission of up to 91 percent. That guarantees a clearer, sharper, and flawless vision when you take a look through the scope.
This shotgun scope also features a great and durable construction. The reticle of this scope is made with circle-X. It is also nitrogen purged, making it completely fog-proof, shockproof, and waterproof. It has 3.5 inches of eye relief and it is backed by Bushnell’s lifetime warranty.
Specs
- 1.75 to 4x
- N/A
- 12.7 ounces
Pros
- Fast-focus eyepiece
- Fully multi coated lenses
- Circle-X reticle
Cons
- No illumination on reticle
2. Bushnell Red Dot Sight TRS-25 – Best Red Dot Scope for Turkey Shotgun
The Bushnell TRS-25 is one of the best red dot scopes for turkey shotgun. This red dot sight is the number one choice for many hunters and shooters. This little sight is compact, rugged, and it is a highly functional sight for the money. It comes with a fascinating design, which many admire. The controls are also very easy to reach, as they are all located conveniently on the top of the scope.
This device weighs just 3.68 ounces, which makes it conveniently light on shotguns. When it comes to performance, this red dot sight is quite a performer. It appears very clear and bright and it features an emerald amber coating for enhanced brightness. This shotgun scope comes with a 25mm objective lens, which when combined with the 1x magnification adds to the surprising optical performance of this scope.
This scope features a matte black finish with a 3 MOA Dot reticle and 11 brightness settings. You can also use this scope with muzzleloaders , rifles, and pistols, it mounts easily on most Picatinny rails. It is nitrogen purged, which ensures interior optical surfaces will not fog due to rapid temperature change or humidity.
This optic is resistant to both recoil and drops, which is very important when firing heavy 12 gauge loads. It is also water and weather-resistant, so you can use it in any and every condition. You can also position it anywhere on the rail that you deem comfortable due to the parallax-free operation and unlimited eye relief.
Specs
- Fixed – 1x
- 2.4 inches
- 3.68 ounces
Pros
- It comes with a mount
- It is compatible with both Picatinny and Weaver rails
- 11 brightness settings
- Weatherproof
- Drops and recoil resistant
Cons
- The battery is not that strong
3. TRUGLO GOBBLE-STOPPER 30mm Turkey Hunting Dual-Color Dot Sight
This is another great red dot sight for hunting. This scope together with your shotgun will give you a fulfilling and memorable hunting experience. This red dot scope also gives you the opportunity to hunt with style and grace through its high-definition glass.
It features a reticle illumination with dual-color: green and red. This is a big advantage for extreme turkey hunting, as you can change the shade of the reticle depending on your target or the background of the field.
It comes with a multi coated lens that allows up to 95 percent light transmission, providing you with very bright and clear images. You do not also have to worry about the glare from the sunlight, as this unit comes with extended, removable sunshade as protection. It also comes with high-quality and transparent flip-up lens caps. Interestingly, this red dot sight comes with storage for the main and spare battery.
This scope also features unlimited eye relief with a wide field of view. Furthermore, this scope comes with an adjustable rheostat that allows you to adjust the brightness. This unit is lightweight, and it is also very easy to set up.
It also features a Weaver-style mounting system, which helps to protect it from loss of screw. This red dot sight is made with CNC-machined aircraft-grade aluminum, and it is shockproof, fog-proof, and waterproof.
Specs
- Fixed – 1x
- 10 inches
- 7.2 ounces
Pros
- Lifetime limited warranty
- Removable extended sunshade
- Dual reticle color
- Multi Coated lens
Cons
- It is a bit bulky
4. TRUGLO 4x32mm Compact Rimfire and Shotgun Scope – Best Shotgun Scope for Deer Hunting
TRUGLO is an upcoming player in the weapon gear industry. The TRUGLO 4x32mm Compact Rimfire and Shotgun Scope is another great scope for shotguns. This shotgun scope comes with a 1-inch main tube that is constructed from aircraft-grade aluminum, which accounts for the strength and durability of this product. It features a fixed power of 4x and an amazing 32mm objective lens.
This scope comes with a fully multi coated lens that allows for a great amount of light to pass through, hence providing you with clear and bright images. It also features adjustable turrets for windage and elevation settings. For easy and quick adjustments with your fingers, the turrets of this unit feature a leaf spring-based mechanism.
Furthermore, this scope also comes with 3/8-inch Weaver scope mounting rings, making it very easy to install on shotguns with weaver rails. It has a generous eye relief of 6 inches. To protect your eyes and prevent unexpected injuries, the eyepiece of this unit is protected by a rubber guard.
It comes with a diamond reticle that does not dim away, and it enhances your accuracy when shooting, especially when hunting deer and ducks. This shotgun scope is available in two finishes: camo finish and matte black finish. Finally, this product comes with elastic lens caps.
Specs
- Fixed – 4x
- 10 inches
- 11.4 ounces
Pros
- Low-profile and compact design
- Lens caps and integrated mounts
- Highly durable
- Eye protection
Cons
- Fixed magnification
5. Weaver Kaspa 1-4×24 Shotgun/Muzzle Bal-X Mossy Oak Bu 30mm
If you are looking for a heavy-duty shotgun scope that you can use to spice up your hunting sessions, then you should try the Weaver Kaspa 1-4x24mm Shotgun/Muzzle Bal-X Scope. This scope offers sharp and excellent performance in the field.
The major selling point of this shotgun scope is that it has three reticle options. The three reticle options are a reticle for Slug/Muzzleloader, Dual X, and Turkey. This is an impressive feature that is unique to this scope.
That feature is also very useful and beneficial, as it is very practical and you can switch to other reticle types depending on your aim target. It is also a budget-friendly option, as it comes at a pocket-friendly rate.
The magnification range of this scope is from 1x to 4x, allowing you to zoom the lens up to four times larger. It also comes with a 24mm objective lens that provides you with high-resolution, super clear, and sharp images. This shotgun scope is ideal for short and medium-range hunting distance.
In addition, this unit comes with fully multi coated optics. Multicoated lenses are high-quality lenses with anti-reflective quality. This lens comes with several layers of coating on the outer and inner part of the glass, and it helps in minimizing reflection.
It features .25 MOA adjustments for accuracy and it is nitrogen purged. The downside to this shotgun scope is that it has a lower objective lens of 24mm.
Specs
- 1-4x
- 10.5 inches
- 16 ounces
Pros
- Three reticle options
- Fog-proof
- Ideal for short to medium-range shooting
- Fully multi coated optics
Cons
- The size of the objective lens is low
6. Bushnell Trophy Rifle Scope with Multi-X Reticle
The Bushnell Trophy Rifle Scope with Multi-X Reticle is a great choice for hunting. This scope was designed specifically for hunting, and it comes with a price tag that will not leave a hole in your pocket.
This scope features variable power, with a minimum magnification of 3x and maximum magnification of 9x. To complement such a great magnification range, this shotgun scope comes with a 40mm objective lens and the Bushnell’s 200 DOA reticle that is designed for use with shotguns.
It also comes with a 1-inch tube that you can use with any standard set of optic rings. This scope was built to be fog-proof and waterproof to make it suitable for all conditions. With this feature, you will no longer have to worry about a foggy scope before getting ready to take your shot. It is also shock-resistant, and it can handle the recoil of a 12 gauge and not lose zero.
The eye relief of this scope is 4 inches, providing you with great comfort while aiming. The lenses are also fully multi coated and they allow for great light transmission while providing you with clear and sharp images.
Specs
- 3 to 9x
- 12 inches
- 14.1 ounces
Pros
- Side parallax adjustment
- Weatherproof construction
- Easy adjustments
- Fully multi coated lenses
Cons
- A lower minimum magnification would have been better
7. UTG 4.2” ITA Red/Green CQB Dot with QD Mount
The last on our list is the UTG 4.2” ITA Red/Green CQB Dot Sight, which is actually one of the best scopes for shotguns. This scope made it to our list because of its durability, ruggedness, and high performance. It features unlimited eye relief and a great field of view.
This sharp and clear 4.0 MOA Dot Sight also comes with no reflection, high-tech emerald coating lenses. It also has two colors: red and green, and the green and red dot adapt to any environmental background.
It comes with both a smart adaptor and straight-up quick-detachable tactical mount with an innovative quick-detach mounting deck to use on any Picatinny rail. You can also adjust the brightness level of this scope, thanks to the illumination rheostat.
Specs
- 6 to 24x
- 4 inches
- 10 ounces
Pros
- Affordable
- Adjustments work well
- Fog-proof
- Variable brightness settings
Cons
- It is heavy
What To Look For When Buying A Shotgun Scope
Magnification
The magnification range of a scope is one of the most important things you need to consider before buying. However, the magnification range (also referred to as the power) of a scope is solely dependent on your needs or intended use.
Lenses
The quality of the scope’s lens can make or break your hunting experience. The best way to figure out which shotgun scope will have the best lens is to check the type of coating the lens uses. The best shotgun scopes are those with fully multi coated lenses. Nevertheless, they are a bit more expensive than fully coated and multi coated lenses.
Durability
Make sure you always settle for a scope that is designed to withstand extreme weather conditions. Hence, before you add that shotgun scope to your cart, make sure the scope is fog-proof, shockproof, and also waterproof.
Clarity
Another vital thing you need to look at is the clarity of the scope. Getting a scope with a clear view does not necessarily mean buying the most expensive one in the market. You want to ensure the scope offers sharp and clear views of whatever you point it at.
Conclusion
A shotgun scope definitely enhances the accuracy of a shotgun. The best shotgun scope must be lightweight, durable, clear, and have an anti glare finish.
From our list, the clear winner is the Bushnell Trophy Shotgun Scope with Circle-X Reticle because of its great features such as a fast-focus eyepiece, circle-X reticle, and fully multi coated lenses. It also has a great magnification range and is lightweight.
