The 5 Best Long Eye Relief Scopes — Rifle & Pistol Reviews 2023

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Long eye relief scopes fill a specific niche among shooting enthusiasts. They are most commonly found on hunting revolvers but are also popular on scout rifles and certain surplus rifles. A good long eye relief scope needs to be tough, very tough. The handgun hunters use a high recoiling powerful cartridge and so do most scout rifles. A weak scope will rattle apart with recoil. The scope should at the very least be shockproof.

Because of the unique situation that long eye relief scopes are used in they need to be especially clear and capable of transferring a good, high definition sight picture to the shooter. These optics need to be easy to use and simple in nature. The sight picture will appear smaller than a standard scope and any complication is bound to make just cloud the sight picture. These optics need to small and as lightweight as possible, especially when mounted on a handgun. On a rifle they are mounted forward and can offset the balance if they are too heavy. Of course, these optics also need to be precise and accurate.

Here, in our humble opinion, are the best long eye relief scopes for the money:

Leapers Accushot

The Leapers Accushot is a true long eye relief optic that is perfect for rifles. Specifically this optic would excel on a historical military surplus rifle like the popular Mosin Nagant. The Accushot provides eleven inches of eye relief, making it perfect to mount forward of any rifle action but works wonders when dealing with the long bolt of the Mosin Nagant.

The Leapers Accushot is a 2 to 7 power optic that can take advantage of the long range ability of a rifle and provides up to 11 inches of eye relief. The 42 mm objective lens is perfect for capturing and transmitting light, and when combined with the multi-coated lenses the optic deliver a crystal clear, bright sight picture. The Accushot comes complete with fingertip adjustable turrets that are capable of being reset to zero.

The Accushot has a forward sunshade to prevent glare from giving up your position, and to prevent too much sunlight from entering the optic and blinding the shooter. The Leapers Accushot has an etched glass reticle complete with six mil dots for range holdovers. The optic is also illuminated and with Leaper’s dual color mode that allows the optic to illuminate the reticle during all light conditions. Overall the Leapers Accushot is one of the best long eye relief scopes because it combines a compact design with a good level of magnification.

Savage Scout Rifle/Leapers Scope Accuracy/Tac Test & Review

Leupold VX-3

The Leupold VX-3 handgun scope is a clear winner in the best LER scope world. With its 2.5-8 power magnification and rifle sized 32mm objective lens, you get all the power of a modest hunting scope for your favorite handgun or to use on your next scout rifle build. It also provides 15 inches of eye relief. Of course, Leupold quality hardly needs an introduction (after all, we rave about it often enough here as it is) and with their lifetime warranty plus generations of trusted manufacturing, there is precious little reason to not buy a Leupold scope if you have the dough to spread. Ideal for target shooting, hunting, or for a scout rifle to stick behind the seat of your truck, this is the first and last LER scope you will need.

Leupold VX-3 2.5-8x32 Handgun Scope - Midwest Outdoors Tip of the Week

Simmons Pro Hunter

Simmons is well known for their high quality, but affordable sporting optics designed for hunters and plinkers. The Simmons Pro Hunter line is quite large and full of a wide variety of different scopes. Obviously, this specific model is a long eye relief scope. The Simmons Pro Hunter long eye relief scope packs a variable magnification. This is a great feature to have in any scope and can be rare in handgun scopes. This model is a 2 to 6 power scope that gives you an exceptional amount of power and range for such a small scope.

The Simmons Pro Hunter also packs a nice 32mm objective lens for a wide field of view and crystal clear sight picture. It’s equipped with the simple, but very useable Truplex reticle. This simple reticle doesn’t clog up your sight picture or distract you from tracking your target. This optic is made to be tough. These optics are tested with a thousand rounds of .375 H&H magnum.

The Pro Hunter is also water and shockproof, making it an excellent option for hunting in the harshest of conditions. The Pro Hunter also makes use of fully multicoated optics and high-quality glass to give you a clear and bright sight picture. This makes it perfect for low light shooting and hunting in thick canopy. The Simmons Pro Hunter long eye relief scope is an affordable and reliable option for a handgun or scout style rifle. This might be the best long eye relief scope if you’re on a budget.

Simmons ProHunter Series 2-6x32mm Truplex Reticle Handgun Scope mfg#822010

Nikon Force XR

The Nikon Force XR is designed as a long range handgun hunting scope for the most powerful of revolvers. The scope is capable of withstanding the brutal recoil of the Smith and Wesson 500 series of revolvers. The Force XR offers a high level of magnifications to allow precision shots at longer handgun ranges, the scope’s variable magnification being from 2.5 to 8 power. Although this makes the scope somewhat long, it remains compact by keeping a 28mm objective lens.

This tough little Nikon (see full specs) sports a rugged, recoil proof construction, an exceptional level of magnification, but only weighs a little over eleven ounces. The scope also offers up to 30 inches of eye relief, which should be aplenty for the vast majority of people.

The Nikon Force XR is also waterproof, and nitrogen charged for fog protection, and it should go without saying it is shockproof. The optic provides a crystal clear sight picture and is extremely rugged. The Nikon Force XR is for those looking to go big, with both their caliber and the game they are hunting. It is likely the best long eye relief pistol scope.

Aim Sports Scout Scope

The Scout rifle is a simple concept designed by legendary gunman Jeff Cooper. The idea for a lightweight rifle, supremely accurate, easy to use, and rapid to reload. The design mandated the use of a long eye relief optic to ensure the weapon could be loaded with stripper clips. The Aim Sports Scout Scope is designed with the magnification of rifle and features a variable magnification, from 2 to 7 power, and it provides 10 inches of eye relief.

The Scout Scope is an excellent choice for rifles utilizing long eye relief. The optic includes a set of rock solid scope rings ready to be mounted to any 1-inch Picatinny or weaver rail. The Scout Scope provides a crystal clear picture at any magnification setting. At higher levels of magnification, the 42 mm objective lens comes in extremely useful for gathering light in morning or evening hunting trips.

The Scout Scope is made to be tough and dependable. The optic is shockproof and sealed to prevent water from entering the scope. The optic is also nitrogen charged to prevent any fog from building in the optic. The Scout Scope is reliable and precise, and offer a high level of magnification for a long eye relief optic, certainly enough to get the job done. This is undoubtedly one of the best long eye relief rifle scopes period.

Conclusion

The best long eye relief scopes are quite versatile and can be mounted onto a variety of different platforms for enhanced accuracy. From handguns to AK 47s these optics are a needed niche in the optics world. Sometimes they are the only option to mount an optic on a particular rifle or is the only way to upgrade a historic rifle without modification. They’re indeed invaluable in many situations. Good luck!

  • Owner of Reloaderaddict.com, Boyd Smith is a major handgun enthusiast, and although he owns Glocks, he prefers the revolving wheel type. His go-to guns are a Smith & Wesson 642 Performance Center for carry and a Ruger GP100 in the nightstand biometric safe (he has kids). He loads both revolvers with old-school 148-grain Federal Gold Medal .38 wadcutters. It’s OK if you think he’s a wimp. Email him.

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4 responses

  1. I have been “kissed” between the eyes from my scope one too many times and can not encounter another concussion. Looking for advice for the best deer rifle and scope combination to ensure I don’t get too close again. Any recommendations would be appreciated…extended stock, recoil control, extended eye relief scope.

    • Sounds to me like you are not tucking the butt pad into your shoulder hard enough.

      I have never been “kissed”, and have never worried about long/short eye relief, even on a heavy magnum rifle.

    • depending on your budget i would not settle for just good optics or on a salesmen pushing a product like in my area night force or vortex which are really nice scopes just not the be all end all of anything , and as these top 10 pages can give you ideas on companies names most are old at this point some may still be used by a lot of people. I looked for the best deal i could get on the most scope i could afford and looked more into something i could grow into rather than out of and as a newer shooter i cant see me needing more scope for maybe the next 20 years unless i do something stupid like drop it. then again warranty on my scope is 30 years so i should be covered.

  2. Burris made the best long eye relieve target scopes back in the 70s and 80s. They were 12x,10x and 7x parrelax adjustable and capped target turrets. Fine crosshairs with a target dot in the center. Many a t/c contender pistol wore them and shot silhoute matches back then. Still have a 7x with a regular duplex on one of my dan wesson 8 in. barreled 357’s. and the other has a 7x with the fine crosshairs and dot. Just saying new doesn’t mean better.

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