1-4x Power Scope Comparison Charts

While 3-9x scopes and similar magnification ranges probably account for the lion's share of the rifle scope market; the 1-4x scope magnification has found favor with two distinct groups of shooters: dangerous game hunters and tactical shooters.

Dangerous Game Scope
Those that hunt dangerous game animals are often faced with close shots on large, angry animals; however, shots sometimes need to be taken out past a hundred yards. Therefore, a high quality 1-4 scope usually on a 30mm tube is often the choice because of its low magnification (or no magnification) at close ranges and for its 4x capability on the occasion that the shot reaches out past 100 yards. Why not just buy a cheaper model 1-4x rifle scope on a standard 1" tube? Two reasons, the 30mm tube generally allows for more strength and more field of view. The extra strength is needed for the heavy recoil of rifles used to hunt dangerous game, and the extra field of view is necessary for quickly finding animals with the scoped rifle at close range.

Tactical Rifle Scope
The other group of shooters to find the advantages of the 1-4 power scope on a 30mm tube is the tactical rifle shooter, often law enforcement or military personnel. These shooters also often operate at the same close ranges that dangerous game hunter do, with shots coming anywhere from feet away to several hundred yards or meters away. Here the extra strength of the scope is appreciated not for its ability to withstand heavy recoil but for its capability to stand up to rough use in a variety of environments. The large field of view of the provided by the lower end of the magnification of a 1-4x scope is also used to find targets, at close range, while the 4x magnification again allows for shots out to several hundred yards. Many of these 1-4x tactical scope models come with, or have available as an option, an illuminated reticle; which is important for both groups of shooters who may need to acquire their target quickly under a variety of light conditions.

Comparisons
While some of these scopes are utilized by both the dangerous game and tactical communities, many manufactures offer a version of their scopes with a reticle calibrated for the 5.56 NATO round, obviously these are intended for the tactical shooters using these scopes. The advantage of a reticle matched to a specific cartridge is that it allows the shooter to extended the effective range of his weapon out to around 500 yards with some of these optics. Rifle Scopes Spy has gathered information on a number of these scopes whose prices can range from $200 to $500.

1-4x24 Scopes $400 - $500

Model	Vortex Viper PST	Leupold VX-R	Bushnell Elite	Burris MTAC
Picture
Est. Price	$499	$459	$439	$399
Mag/Obj	1-4 x 24mm	1.25-4 x 24mm	1.25-4 x 24mm	1-4 x 24mm
F.O.V.	98' - 27.5'	75' - 29'	81.4' - 27.1'	100' - 32'
Eye Relief	4"	4.1" - 3.7"	3.3"	4" - 3.5"
Weight	16.2oz	11.5oz	15oz	17oz
Length	9.7"	9.5"	10.4"	11.3"

*Not all models are 1-4x24 exactly, close variations were included

1-4x24 Scopes $200 - $400

Model	Leatherwood CMR	Burris Fullfield Tac 30	Bushnell Trophy XLT	Meuller Speed Shot
Picture
Est. Price	$339	$299	$249	$235
Mag/Obj	1-4 x 24mm	1-4 x 24mm	1-4 x 24mm	1-4 x 24mm
F.O.V.	94.8' - 26.2'	100' - 32'	75' - 29'	100' - 25"
Eye Relief	3"	4" - 3.5"	3.5"	3.5"
Weight	16.5oz	17oz	16.2oz	17.6oz
Length	10.2"	11.3"	12.7"	10.3"