As any full powered rifle round, it can benefit greatly from an optic. It’s got long range potential and to take advantage of it shooters need a good optic to reach out and touch your target. Regardless of your rifle’s function, be it hunting, target shooting, or self-defense, your 7.62x54r rifle can always benefit from one of the four optics below.
Here are our humble recommendations for the 4 best 7.62x54r scopes on the market:
Aim Sports LER Scope
Most rifles in 7.62 x 54r are Mosin Nagants. The Mosin Nagant was used in both World Wars and made in the millions. This has made the rifle cheap and easy to find. The Mosin Nagant’s old design makes mounting a scope in a traditional method difficult. Mounting systems for the Mosin Nagant often utilize the front sight base which is much farther forward than a normal scope. To rectify all this, you can utilize a long eye relief scope.
The Aims Sports LER or Long Eye Relief scope is an option that is purpose built for the Mosin Nagant platform. The is 2 to 7 power scope offers enough magnification on both ends of the spectrum for easy shooting. The magnification ring is heavily textured for easy use and rotates smoothly. It’s a tough scope designed to handle the recoil from both surplus and modern 7.62x54r loads. This scope has a long eye relief of 8.5 to 10.5 inches.
The scope features a mil-dot reticle that allows for compensation of both wind and elevation. This allows shooters to make on the fly wind calls as well as compensate for long range ballistic drop. The Aim Sports LER is very easy to use, and the long eye relief allows you to easily mount the weapon in a Scout style configuration, making it perfect for the Mosin Nagant and one of the best 7.62x54r scopes around.
Nikon Prostaff Scope
The recoil from the 7.62x54r round does have some considerable recoil. This raises concerns regarding two important features, the eye relief of the optic and the durability of the optic. The Nikon Prostaff addresses both of these issues without trouble. The Prostaff series of optics is designed to withstand the recoil of rounds as powerful as the .375 H&H magnum, so it can shrug off the recoil of the 7.62x54r with ease.
Addressing the eye relief issue is the simple fact that the Nikon Prostaff has designed the optic with 3.6 inches of eye relief (see full specs). This is plenty of room to prevent you from catching a scope to the eye, even when you need to aim upwards. The Nikon Prostaff offers the user 3 to 9 magnification and has a 40mm objective lens. The Nikon Prostaff also has a quick focus eyepiece so you can easily get the gun on target in an instant.
The optic has zero reset turrets with spring loaded adjustment knobs that make field adjustments convenient. The optic also features a bullet drop compensator. This BDC is unique because it isn’t tied to a single projectile. You utilize Nikon’s free app to enter the data from your load and then the software will give you the correct holdover from your reticle.
Vortex Optics Crossfire Scope
The Vortex Optic’s brand is quite well reputed in the United States for producing quality optics at great prices. The Crossfire is specifically designed for hunting. Therefore, it is extremely durable and designed to withstand the pressures of use in the great outdoors. The Vortex Optic’s Crossfire is completely waterproof, shockproof, and fog proof. The optic is nitrogen purged, and sealed via o-rings.
It can also withstand the stout recoil of the 7.62x54r. The Crossfire itself is a 2 to 7 power optic and utilizes a 32mm objective lens. It’s quite lightweight and very compact. What makes it a solid choice for the 7.62x54r is its long eye relief design. It’s another perfect scope for the Mosin Nagant. This Scout style scope provides 9.45 inches of eye relief for use with forward scope mounts. This allows you to position the optic forward of the ejection port and still utilize the optic. The scope offers you an 18.3-foot field of view at 2x at 100 yards and goes to 5.2 feet at 7x.
The Vortex Optic’s Crossfire uses a simple V plex reticle. The use of a simplistic reticle is important with a Scout scope. Complex reticles can be difficult to use with a long eye relief scope and can increase the time required to get your reticle on target. The Crossfire is a great option for those shooting Mosin Nagant, or Vepr rifles. And needless to say, it’s also a great contender for the best 7.62x54r scope.
Burris Scout Scope
The Burris Scout is a small, lightweight, and compact optic designed to keep your rifle light and maneuverable. Burris actually invented the Scout scope concept so they have basically perfected the design. Any list of the best 7.62x54r scopes needs to include the Burris Scout. The Scout is a 2 to 7 power optic with a simple magnification ring. It’s textured for easy use, and smooth, but stiff enough not to move on accident (see full specs). The Burris Scout is well suited for any rifle but tough enough to top a Mosin Nagant, a Vepr, or even a Dragonuv if you’re lucky to have one.
The 2 to 7 magnification is an excellent option for hunting, and for the longest time was the most common magnification rating for hunting rifles. It’s easy to utilize at both close and long ranges, for game both big and small. The Burris Scout is very well built and utilizes a 1 piece tube design. A 1 piece tube design is a more rigid design and is actually a more precise optic as well.
The Burris Scout’s high-end HD lenses are well worth its price. The Scout itself is well made and provides a beautiful sight picture. The Burris Scout is an excellent choice for the Mosin Nagant, and really any dedicated scout rifle.
7.62x54r Scoped and Ready for Action
The 7.62x54r is a powerful and capable round that is quite affordable. Any rifle in this caliber is an excellent hunting rifle, a fun target rifle, and can be greatly benefitted by the addition of an optic. Choosing the best means you have to take the rifle it’s mounted too in consideration. A great scope will accentuate both the round and the rifle.
