Looking for the best rifle scope for long-range precision shooting? We’ve done the research, so you don’t have to! By surveying the top 200 ranked shooters in the Precision Rifle Series (PRS), we uncovered the gear that top competitors trust to hit their mark. This guide reveals the most popular rifle scopes, brands, and features that define excellence in precision shooting.
Whether you’re an experienced competitor or just beginning your precision rifle journey, understanding what the pros use can help you make informed decisions about your setup. Some universal truths emerged from our survey: nearly all the shooters use first focal plane (FFP) scopes, prioritize exceptional return-to-zero reliability, and almost universally use scopes that are based in mrad/mils. Additionally, 83% of these competitors rely on magnification settings between 14x and 20x for most stages, so you’ll see that most of these scopes have higher magnification ranges.
But finding the best rifle scope isn’t just about the basics—it’s about staying ahead of the competition. This year, we’ve seen shifts in scope brand rankings, emerging trends in reticle design, and new favorites taking center stage. Which brand climbed to the top, and why are some pros moving away from traditional hold-over grids?
Whether you’re a seasoned shooter or just exploring your options, this article will help you choose the best rifle scope for your needs. Explore the data and insights that will take your long-range shooting to the next level.
Let’s dive into the data! Here are the rifle scope brands that the pros in the PRS are running:
You can see that Zero Compromise Optics (ZCO) became the most popular rifle scope among the pros this year. There were a few shifts in order of what rifle scopes were most popular among the top 200 since last year. Here is a look at the % change year-over-year among these top competitors:
ZCO scopes picked up 6% more shooters among this group to land at 20% overall. That was enough to edge out Leupold from the top spot that it held last year. Leupold represented 19% of the pros this year, compared to 22% last year.
Tangent Theta scopes went from 2nd to 3rd most popular but were once again just 2% behind Leupold. Nightforce had a similar showing year-over-year with a respectable 13%. Kahales picked up a few percentage points to land at 11% today, and Vortex dropped from 14% to 10% among this group of pros.
After those, the numbers drop off pretty significantly, but there are a few interesting shifts among the rest of the list. Apex Optics grew from 1% to 4% year-over-year, which represents a significant gain. Lastly, US Optics dropped from 3% to just 1% this year.
Now, let’s dive deeper into each of the top brands and look at what specific models and reticles these shooters were using:
20% of the top 200 ranked shooters in the PRS said they were running a Zero Compromise scope when I surveyed them at the end of the 2024 PRS Season. That included 3 of the shooters who finished the 2024 PRS Season in the top 10 in the Open Division, which was as many as any other brand among the top 10. They also had a total of 12 among the top 50 competitors, which means they were well-represented at every level.
ZCO started in 2018, so they are one of the newer brands on this list – but they’ve clearly already established a reputation as a top-tier optic among these serious competitors. The company is led by a group of veterans in the optics and mechanics industry in the United States and Austria. ZCO is a specialty scope company that is 100% focused on making riflescopes – not binoculars, rangefinders, spotting scopes, or other optics. They didn’t start by making hunting scopes – but went straight to premium, rugged, tactical rifle scopes like the ones being used by these shooters. ZCO says, “Our goal is not to just build riflescopes. We strive to build the absolute best riflescopes in the world!”
Zero Compromise Optics has released a few different models of scopes, and here is a breakdown of what these pros are running:
76% of those running a Zero Compromise said they ran a ZCO 5-27×56 scope (ZC527), but all 3 of the guys using a ZCO scope in the top 10 were running the ZCO 8-40×56 scope (ZC840).
The ZCO 5-27×56 scope was released in 2019, while the ZCO 8-40×56 scope was released in 2022. So that likely is playing into what model these guys are running. If they’d both been available since the beginning, we might see the ZCO 8-40×56 being more prevalent among this group.
The street price on the ZCO 5-27×56 is $4,075, and the ZCO 8-40×56 is $4,250. So, if someone already owned the 5-27, they might not run out to buy the 8-40 right when it came out.
Here is a breakdown of the ZCO reticles that these pros are running:
You can see some of the names in the reticle graph above have an X at the end, and some don’t. For example, there is an MPCT1 and an MPCT1X. I reached out to Jeff Huber at Zero Compromise Optics, and here is his explanation:
“Originally, the reticles were M1, M2, and M3. Those reticles had a heavy bar coming down from 12:00, which would sometimes block the open area in the upper half of the field of view. They also had intersecting lines at every whole mil mark. When it came to the 1X, 2X, and 3X, we eliminated the heavy bar at 12:00, and every whole mil mark now has a floating dot like the center of the reticle instead of intersecting lines. The X-series reticles replaced all of the older M1, M2, and M3 reticles.” – Jeff Huber, ZCO
So, the versions with and without the X at the end are extremely similar, with the X versions being the ones that are currently offered with some minor improvements. So I thought it’d be more helpful to combine those so we could get a clearer view of what designs were the most popular among this group:
You can see the MPCT1X and MPCT2X seem to be the most popular. There are 5 shooters in the top 50 using each of those. However, it is interesting to see that all 3 of the top 10 shooters chose to run the MPCT1X reticle.
The MCPT1X that the top 10 shooters preferred is a more open-concept reticle design that doesn’t have a hold-over tree, whereas the other 2 reticle choices have a hold-over tree.
Before we go any further, let me share some insight when it comes to how they guys think about reticles. Some of them use a reticle that is very open and only has marks on the vertical and horizontal axes, and others use what many refer to as a “Christmas Tree” reticle because it looks like a Christmas tree under the center crosshair.
You can see that hold-over reticles provide reference points that allow the shooter to more easily hold for elevation AND windage. Over 50% of these long-range shooters dial for elevation and hold for wind, but some of these competitions have stages where the time constraints are so tight on a stage that you’d run out of time if you tried to dial your elevation adjustment on every target. So, it can sometimes be advantageous to have reference points for holding both elevation and wind.
I interviewed two PRS Champion shooters about 18 months ago, and neither of them used a scope with a hold-over reticle. So I asked them both, “Do you not find that you need hold-overs in your reticle at rifle matches?” Here is what they said:
Austin Orgain, 2-time PRS Champion + AG Cup Champion: “I’ve been running the JTAC reticle for about 2 years, and so far, I’ve always been able to find a way to run any stage without a problem at all. Sometimes, it gets a little advanced, but so far, I’ve always found a way to run a stage without having to hold off into space (watch video example). There really aren’t a lot of hold-over stages at matches, and most of the time, you’re not even that far from the center of the reticle. So we don’t really find that we need hold-overs, and not having those hold-over marks really opens up the reticle a lot and makes it easier to see trace and spot things through that reticle.”
Austin Buschman, PRS Champion + 2-time IPRF World Champion: “I’ve been using a scope without Christmas Tree reticle for the past 3 years, and I haven’t had a single stage in that time where I needed it. There was always some way around it. I do own the same scope with a Christmas tree reticle, but I just found myself never using the tree. So why have it there?” I asked if he thought the hold-over reticles might make it harder to spot impacts, but Buschman wasn’t sure if that part of the reticle was ever in the way, although it’s really hard to say. He didn’t think it’d ever obscure your view enough that you wouldn’t see something. He simply prefers the reticle to be more open.
In contrast, Ben Gossett won the 2024 PRS Season using the Gen 3 XR reticle that DOES have a Christmas tree with hold-overs. There are clearly great shooters using both options, so it largely comes down to personal preferences.
19% of the top 200 ranked shooters in the PRS were running a Leupold scope. There was 1 shooter in the top 10 running a Leupold and a total of 14 in the top 50. That does make the Leupold the most popular scope among those in the top 50. So, plenty of guys at the top trust their Leupold scope.
Let’s look at what models these shooters said they’re using:
67% opted for the Leupold Mark 5HD 5-25×56, including 5 of 6 who were in the top 25. 31% were running the Leupold Mark 5HD 7-35×56.
One primary reason the Mark 5HD line of scopes has become so popular is the value they offer. The street price is around $2,199 (in Jan 2025), which is literally half the price of some of the other scopes on this list. Most of the popular scopes have a street price of $3,500 or more. The Leupold Mark 5HD scope clearly has all of the “must have” features and is at a price point that makes it a considerable value.
Now let’s look at the reticles these guys running Leupold scopes chose:
Wow! 97% of these guys are running the PR2-MIL reticle. I would say the Leupold PR2 reticle design is what attracts a lot of shooters to this scope, along with the value price point.
One somewhat unique aspect of Leupold’s PR2-MIL reticle is the hash marks are in 0.25 mil increments. Most other mil reticles are either in 0.2 or 0.5 mil increments. I’ve heard a couple of the top 25 shooters comment that they didn’t think they’d like the 0.25 mil increments on this reticle until they tried it. But after using it in a few matches, they now prefer it. They say this PR2-MIL reticle seems to make it faster to acquire the correct hold with 0.25 mil increments, and they can still hold with the precision that is necessary for these types of competitions.
“We designed the PR2 reticles to excel in competition. We worked with Morgun King, Jon Pynch, Nick Gadarzi, and other top competitors from around the country to make sure it’s exactly what they needed. The end result is a reticle solution that’s going to reduce your clutter, simplify your shooting process, and honestly improve your long-range performance with ease.” – John Snodgrass, Leupold Tactical Product Line Manager
Nick Gadarzi finished ranked 12th overall in the 2024 PRS Open Division, and here is what he has to say about using Leupold’s PR2-MIL reticle in competition:
“The unique split-line design in the PR2-MIL reticle provides a huge advantage when you’re trying to hit small targets at extended ranges. It’s open, simple, and fast–and if you want to compete with the best, it’s the reticle you need.” – Nick Gadarzi, 12th Overall in 2024 PRS Open Division
17% of the pros were using a Tangent Theta rifle scope on their precision rifle. That included 3 in the top 10, which was as many as any other brand. There were a total of 8 in the top 50, so it was well-represented at every level.
“I’ve been running a Tangent Theta scope since 2019. My first time trying one out was the first match of 2019, and I’ll never forget it. We were 6-7 stages in, and I shot a stage that was in a rock quarry. I cleaned the stage and didn’t think much of it. Justin Watts shot that same stage a few shooters later and got a 5 on it and asked, ‘Dude, how did you clean that stage?!’ I said, ‘I don’t know, I just shot the stage.’ Justin said, ‘I couldn’t see the targets. I was just looking for where I thought the T-post ended and was aiming there. Let me see your gun.’ He grabbed my rifle and looked through it and then looked back to me and said, ‘Oh, that’s why you cleaned that stage!’ Justin immediately bought a Tangent Theta scope after that match, and I’ve stuck with it ever since. The glass and the features on the thing are just absolutely awesome.” – Clay Blackketter, 2019 PRS Champion
Many people say the Tangent Theta scope has the best glass clarity in the industry. That is a hot topic with lots of debate, but I don’t think anyone would claim that it at least wasn’t among the scopes with the best glass. There is a lot to like about the Tangent Theta scope.
72% were running the Tangent Theta Professional Marksman 5-25x56mm scope, including 2 of the 3 in the top 10. The 5-25×56 model was released in 2016, but the 7-35×56 scopes with the JTAC reticle didn’t get to the first dealer until Feb 2024. So that likely played into the popularity here, at least in some ways.
While the Tangent Theta scopes may represent the best glass on this list, they also represent the most expensive scopes on this list. The street price on the Tangent Theta TT525P 5-25x56mm starts at $5,219 (as of Jan 2024), and the Tangent Theta TT735P 7-35x56mm starts at $5,790.
The JTAC and Gen 3 XR reticles were the most popular reticle options among the pros, with lots of good shooters using each of those. The JTAC reticle is a more open design, and the Gen 3 XR reticle has a Christmas tree for hold-overs.
The JTAC reticle was designed by veteran pro shooters and optimized for PRS competitions. JTAC is an abbreviation for the first initial of 4 PRS shooters: JTAC = Justin, Tate, Austin, and Clay. They are each very accomplished shooters, and if anyone knows what it takes to win a national championship, it has to be these guys! They collectively represent the PRS Champions from 2019, 2020, and 2021.
13% of these top-tier shooters said they run Nightforce scopes. That also included 3 in the top 10, tying it with Zero Compromise and Tangent Theta for the most popular among the top 10. There were a total of 7 in the top 50 running a Nightforce.
Nightforce is the only brand that has been in the top 5 among the pro shooters in the PRS for the last 10 years. Nightforce first introduced the ATACR line of scopes in 2013, and a good number of PRS shooters have been running them ever since.
While there is always debate on what brand of scope has the best resolution, contrast, and optical performance – many shooters believe Nightforce scopes are the most durable scopes on the market. Nightforce claims that their scope tubes are 2 to 3 times as thick as other riflescopes (read more)!
Let’s look at what model these shooters prefer:
The Nightforce ATACR 7-35×56 F1 scope is by far the fan favorite among serious PRS competitors. All of the guys in the top 50 who were using a Nightforce scope were running the NF ATACR 7-35×56. The ATACR 5-25×56 F1 has been a favorite in the past (and is still very capable), but the 7-35 has been the dominant choice since it was released in 2016.
The street price of the Nightforce ATACR 7-35×56 F1 starts at $3,600, and the ATACR 5-25×56 F1 starts at $3,100.
Here are what Nightforce reticles these guys said they run:
Shooters seemed to be split between running the Nightforce Mil-XT reticle and the Nightforce MIL-C reticle. 60% ran the Mil-XT, but there was also 1 more in the top 10 running the Mil-C than the Mil-XT.
The Mil-XT reticle has a Christmas tree for holding both elevation and windage, and the Mil-C is a more traditional mil-based reticle that is very open. Both are great options for long-range precision shooting.
11% of these top 200 pro shooters chose to run a Kahles scope. There weren’t any in the top 10 running Kahles, but there were 5 in the top 50 – so clearly, it’s still a very capable rifle scope.
Last year, 93% of the Kahles shooters were running the Kahles K525i 5-25×56 scope, but with the release of the new DLR line of scopes, there has been an enormous shift. The Kahles DLR line of scopes is purpose-built for fast-paced matches and features an extended field of view, easy-to-read clicks, an extra-long throw lever, and a parallax spinner.
This year, 65% of the pros are using the Kahles K525i DLR 5-25×56, but there were also 15% running the Kahles K328i DLR 3.5-28×50 and 15% running the older Kahles K525i 5-25×56 scope.
Kahles plans to release the brand new Kahles K540i DLR 5-40×56 scope in February 2025, and I’d expect that magnification range and model to be very popular among precision rifle competitors. That is a massive 8x zoom ratio, covering from 5x to 40x magnification! Kahles is marketing that the K540i has a 40% wider field of view compared to the K525i! Finding targets at relatively high magnification is one of the skills of pro shooters in the PRS, so if the field of view really is noticeably larger, as they claim, we might see more shooters moving over to Kahles.
The street price on the Kahles K525i DLR 5-25×56 starts at $3,400, and the new Kahles K540i DLR 5-40×56 is priced at $4,600. Ouch! $1,200 more for the 5-40×56 is a little surprising – but the 40% wider field of view likely adds a lot of complexity/cost to the optical system. That would put the Kahles 5-40×56 as the second most expensive on this list, just between Tangent Theta and Zero Compromise Optics. It will be interesting to keep an eye out for that new scope at matches as the season progresses.
Here are the reticles this group of elite marksmen chose in their Kahles rifle scopes:
The Kahles SKMR4 reticle was by far the most popular reticle among these shooters. The SKMR 4 reticle replaced the SKMR 3, and it only has a few minor changes. Here are the full details of the Kahles SKMR 4 reticle, including all the differences between it and the SKMR 3 reticle.
Coming in 6th place is Vortex scopes, with 10% of the pros running them in rifle matches. That didn’t include any in the top 10, but there were 4 in the top 50 rocking Vortex scopes.
Virtually all of the shooters running a Vortex scope were using the Vortex 6-36×56 Razor HD Gen III, which was released in 2022. The Vortex 4.5-27×56 Razor HD Gen II was a staple in the PRS back in 2017 (view the data), and is a legandary scope – but doesn’t seem to be as compelling when compared to more modern designs.
The Vortex 6-36×56 Razor HD Gen III has a street price of $3,000.
Most shooters prefer the Vortex EBR-7D reticle, including all 4 of the guys using a Vortex scope in the top 50. The EBR-7D features 0.2 mil holds and a Christmas tree for quick hold-overs.
The 6 brands of scopes itemized above represented 88% of the top 200 ranked shooters in the PRS, but the remaining 12% were spread over 7 other brands.
Here are the details of those other brands, along with what specific scope models and reticles the competitors were using:
- Apex Optics: 4% of pros. There were 7 total shooters using Apex scopes, and 2 of those placed in the top 100, but none were in the top 50. All of them were using the Apex 4-32×56 Rival FFP ($2,100) with the CLR reticle.
- Bushnell Scopes: 1% of pros. There were 2 shooters using Bushnell scopes (both placing between 100 and 200 in the open division), and both were using the Bushnell Elite Tactical 6-36×56 ($1,750 street). 1 was using the G4P reticle, and the other was using the EQL reticle.
- Schmidt & Bender Scopes: 1% of pros. There were 2 shooters using a Schmidt and Bender scope. One was in the top 100, but none were in the top 50. They were both using the Schmidt & Bender PM II 5-25×56 ($2,800 street) with H2CMR reticle.
- Burris Scopes: 1% of pros. There was only 1 shooter using a Burris scope, and they were using the Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR Pro 5.5-30×56 ($1,500 street) with SCR 2 MIL reticle.
- March Scopes: 1% of pros. There was only 1 shooter using a March scope, and they were using the March FX Tactical 5-42×56 G2 ($3,121 street) with FML-TR1 reticle.
- Maven Scopes: 1% of pros. There was only 1 shooter using a Maven scope, and they were using the Maven 5-30×56 RS.4 FFP ($1,800) with CFR-MIL reticle.
- US Optics Scopes: 1% of pros. There was only 1 shooter using a US Optics scope, and they were using the US Optics FDN 25x 5-25×52 ($2,800 street) with the JVCR reticle.
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