243 Scope Review
If you are looking for the best scope for 243, we have you covered since we have researched comprehensively and written this review list of the best 243 scopes. This is based on the compatibility of the scope with the cartridge and other features like the cost, durability, design, and power.
243 Winchester Cartridge
The .243 Winchester cartridge is one of the most common rounds for coyote hunting as well as deer, hogs, and pronghorns hunting. It is a variant of the most effective game hunting round – .308 cartridge.
It measures 6 by 52 mm and is designed from the necked down .308 case and it is also very good for target shooting since it has a relatively good accuracy and low recoil.
243 Winchester Quick Fact Sheet
To help those people who are not conversant with this round, let us list a few facts about the .243 cartridge.
- The 243 round was first developed in 1955 initially for the Winchester Model 70 bolt-action
- It is optimized for the long-range shooting of varmint – groundhogs, coyotes etc.
- Its design is a necked down version of the .308 Winchester
- It has been very popular for hunting varmint and predators.
- It can be used for big game but it is not effective since there are better cartridges for big game hunting.
Best Scopes for 243 Comparison Table
Preview | Scope | Price | |
1 | ![]() |
Bushnell Trophy XLT Multi-X Reticle Riflescope Bone Collector Edition | View Price |
2 | ![]() |
Vortex Optics Diamondback 2-7×35 Rimfire, Second Focal Plane Riflescope – V-Plex Reticle (MOA) | View Price |
3 | ![]() |
Leupold Mark 4 LR/T 16x40mm (30mm) M1 Mil Dot | View Price |
4 | ![]() |
Nikon Buck Master II Scope with BDC Reticle, 4-12 x 40mm | View Price |
5 | ![]() |
Sightron SIH Series 3-9×40 Rifle Scope | View Price |
6 | ![]() |
BARSKA IR Tactical Rifle Scope: 6-20x50mm | View Price |
7 | ![]() |
NcStar Scope Review: 3-9X42E Red Illuminated | View Price |
8 | ![]() |
RITON Scope Review: RT-S Mod 3 1-4×24 | View Price |
9 | ![]() |
LEUPOLD VX-2 1.5-4×28 IER Scout Scope | View Price |
10 | ![]() |
Sightron SII Big Sky 3-12×42 HHR Rifle Scope | View Price |
Top 5 Best Scope for 243 Reviews
For you to get the best out of the .243 round you need to get the best scope that is suitable for this round just like the best scope for 308 that we reviewed previously.
The 243 has a lot of features that it shares with the parent round -.308 cartridge. The ideal, scope for the .243 round should have the following characteristics:
- Fine Optics – the quality of the optics will determine how well the scope performance in a wide range of shooting conditions. Ideally, you should go for the scope with good optics that are scored based on the light transmission and its adaptability to different weather conditions –water, humidity, fog and harsh dusty conditions.
- Construction – the materials used to make a scope will largely determine its lifespan and the ability to perform – this is especially important where heavy recoil rounds are to be used.
- Adaptability-the versatility of the scope is important since in most cases you need to use the scope in different weather, environmental or shooting conditions.
- Accuracy (BDC) – A good scope should have features that help you improve the accuracy of every shot. The ideal scope should have a good or reliable bullet drop compensation mechanism or calibration.
- Compatibility (.243) – Finally, since we are talking about the best scope for 243 when you are picking a scope for this round, you should check its compatibility score but a multipurpose scope is more desirable.
Let us now focus on the best scopes for 243 as outlined in the comparison table above.
#1) Bushnell Trophy XLT Multi-X Reticle Riflescope Bone Collector Edition
Bushnell Trophy XLT Multi-X Reticle Riflescope is the finest scope from Bushnell brand or the best scope for 243. It is a five-star rated scope that has been consistently proven to be reliable, stable and is the standard of what a good low budget scope should be.
Just like the name suggest it is a trophy to those people who dare to try it out. It has a rich history of reliability in the hunting community and its popularity is rife than ever. Let us briefly evaluate its features and find out more why it’s our number #1 pick for the best scope for 243.
If you would like to learn more about Sightron Bushnell Trophy XLT Multi-X Reticle Riflescope Bone Collector Edition; you can view full specifications here and more reviews from other customers.
Features
- It is designed with fully multi-coated optics that offer ultra-bright images and its more useful in the low light condition than any other scope of that price. It’s the king when it comes to utilization of the available light to maximize the visibility.
- It is of course 100% waterproof, fogproof and shockproof
- Has been dust or fog proofed by filing it with Dry nitrogen
- It features a fast-focus eyepiece for easy and fast sighting.
- It is made of one-piece tube that makes it strong and stable
- It weighs 14.1 ounces or 400 grams its length is 11.9 inches or 30.2 centimeters
- It features a magnification of 3 – 9x power a perfect range for the best hunting scopes
- It has an objective lens of 40-millimeter that has Multi X aiming reticle to maximize your accuracy.
- The adjustment for both windage and elevation is based in the 1/4 MOA fingertip adjustments.
- Finally, it comes with Butler Creek flip-open scope covers unlike other scopes that do not come with the covers
- Bushnell offers the users a limited lifetime warranty
Bottomline: This is the best scope for 243 based on the features that this scope has to offer, the brand, the cost that is below 200 bucks and also the warranty. It has also received rave reviews from the hunting community and continues to maintain the ratings. For these reasons, we have picked it as our best pick for the 243.
#2) Vortex Optics Diamondback 2-7×35 Rimfire, Second Focal Plane Riflescope – V-Plex Reticle (MOA)
This is a second focal plane scope that is a perfect fit for the 243 cartridges and is designed with a unique V-Plex reticle to bring the best out of this round. This Rimfire scope is our second pick for the best scope for 243 since it brings to the table variety of desirable features.
It also comes at an affordable price (less than 200 dollars) and therefore fits the ‘budget scope’ tag and it has a good balance of price and quality– good value for money. It has a variable magnification of 2-7x power and high-quality construction to ensure it is rugged and reliable. Let us now focus on the features of this Vortex scope.
If you would like to learn more about Vortex Optics Diamondback 2-7×35 Rimfire, Second Focal Plane Riflescope – V-Plex Reticle (MOA); you can view full specifications here and more reviews from other customers.
Features
- Vortex Diamondback 2-7×35 Rimfire riflescope is perfect for use at mid-range and it is suitable for wide range of rifles including muzzleloaders and shotguns.
- It is designed with the proprietary reticle V-Plex reticle that makes it a very reliable multipurpose scope for hunting in different conditions.
- The Vortex Diamondback 2-7×35 lenses are fully multi-coated and deliver crystal clear, bright images and it works at both dawn and dusk.
- It features a fast focus eyepiece to let you do the fast and easy focusing.
- It is designed with metal on metal precision turrets and you are able to zero reset after you sight-in.
- It comprises of a precision glide erector system that improves your accurate tracking and the repeatability.
- It is made of one one-piece solid tube that is hard anodized to give it a perfect finish
- It is 100% shockproof, fogproof and it is designed to have a lifetime waterproof performance.
Bottomline: Vortex Diamondback 2-7×35 riflescope is a blend of high-quality material and ingenious design to yield a 243 scope that will last for a lifetime. If you love Vortex scopes, you cannot afford to ignore this scope as a choice for the best scope for 243.
#3) Leupold Mark 4 LR/T 16x40mm (30mm) M1 Mil Dot
If you are looking for the most suitable (Leupold) best scope for 243, you should consider this Leupold scope that comes with a Mil-dot reticle and a side focus parallax that helps you to quickly make an adjustment and easy parallax focusing ranging from 75 yards to beyond 1000 yard or if you like infinity! It is a carefully designed scope with the features needed to get the best out of a .243 round.
In a quick summary, let us check out its specific features and find out why we recommend Leupold Mark 4 LR/T 16x40mm (30mm) M1 Mil Dot as our third best pick for the best scope for 243.
If you would like to learn more about Leupold Mark 4 LR/T 16x40mm (30mm) M1 Mil Dot; you can view full specifications here and more reviews from other customers.
Features
- It features a magnification of 16-40x that gives you the best magnification range for 243
- It is designed with a side focus parallax adjustment as mentioned in the introduction above.
- It has an objective lens that ranges from 31-40mm giving you the best field of view you can wish for the 243 round.
- It is a multipurpose scope that is suitable for both hunting and tactical shooting.
- The scope has a solid construction with a tube diameter of 30mm and finger adjustments for the windage and elevation at 1/4 MOA with clearly audible clicks.
- It has laser sighting and the optics are made from high quality glass for the best image clarity.
Bottomline: This is a high quality five-star rated Leupold scope that is good for 243 cartridge and many more. It is an ideal scope for 243 based on its range, magnification power and a good field of view.
#4) Nikon Buckmasters II 4-12x40mm Scope with BDC Reticle
Nikon Buckmasters II 4-12x40mm Scope is a long range scope that every avid hunter should consider buying it since it has the power of optics not seen in most other ordinary hunting scopes.
It is the kind of 243 scope that allows you to keep your distance as you stalk your game and gives you the power to zoom and carefully place the shot on the target without arousing so much attention from the game. Nikon is known world-over for making the best quality optics for a wide range of household products.
It is with this ingenuity that their experts have used in the Nikon Buckmasters II 4-12x40mm Scope to give the user the best image quality and also a BDC reticle to ensure every shot count. Now let us consider in a quick summary the features of Nikon Buckmasters II 4-12x40mm Scope and find out why we recommend this as our fourth pick for the best scope for 243.
If you would like to learn more about Nikon Buckmasters II 4-12x40mm Scope with BDC Reticle; you can view full specifications here and more reviews from other customers.
Features
- The best optics from a world-leading optic technology company and this allows you to see an extremely bright sight picture: of all your targets
- It has the ability to deliver high-resolution images even when you are hunting in low light, humid conditions.
- It has fully multicoated lenses that offer increased light transmission for dawn to dusk brightness.
- Nikon Buckmasters II 4-12x40mm Scope comes with a patented BDC reticle.
- It has a variable magnification range of 4-12x power to give you the flexibility you need in different hunting situations.
- It is 100% Waterproof, fogproof and shockproof.
- Finally, these are the specification in a summarized way: Objective Lens Diameter: 40 mm; Eye Relief: 3.7″; Field of View @ 100 yds: 23.6′ at 4x, 7.9′ at 12x; Click Adjustments: 1/4″ @ 100 yds.; Max. Internal adjustment: 60 MOA; Tube Size: 1″; Length: 14″; Weight: 13.6 oz.
Bottomline: Nikon Buckmasters II 4-12x40mm Scope is a perfect pick for the best scope for 243 since it offers the best optics you can desire. It is a typical hunting riflescope that augments the capabilities of 243 cartridges and the best fact is that comes with a BDC reticle to enhance accuracy.
#5) Sightron SIH Series 3-9×40 Rifle Scope, MIL-DOT
Sightron3-9×40 Riflescope is a spot on tactical Mil Dot riflescope that is considered a good pick for the best scope for 243. It is not as a popular brand as the other brands mentioned above but in our reviews, we like to blend in some variety of optics to give you a wide range of choice when you are buying a scope.
Sightron is a substantially good scope brand that has been around for years and is continually growing in the market share. There are considerable quality optics from this company and one of my favorite is Sightron SIH Series 3-9×40 Rifle Scope which is arguably one of the best low budget Mil-Dot scope you can buy for hunting and also tactical shooting.
It is a worthy 243 scope in comparison to other leading scope brands of the price – scopes under 200 dollars. Now let us cut the chase and look at the features of this scope to learn more why we have picked it as our fifth best scope for 243.
If you would like to learn more about Sightron SIH Series 3-9×40 Rifle Scope you can view full specifications here and more reviews from other customers.
Features
- This scope is designed with a magnification of 3-9x power which is ideal for the best hunting scopes.
- It has an objective lens of 40mm diameter and also features a Mil-Dot reticle that improves your accuracy by a hundredfold compared to other ordinary scopes.
- Sightron3-9×40 Riflescope features a fast focus eyeball feature that allows you to quickly and easily sighting and zeroing on a target.
- It has finger adjustable windage and elevation settings
- It is designed as an all-weather scope that works perfectly in all environmental or shooting conditions.
- This series SIH Series features multi-coated lenses to ensure you get the best image quality of all the targets.
- It is one of the best budget scopes that come for under 200 dollars.
Bottomline : Sightron SIH Series 3-9×40 Rifle Scope has a lot of good features and comes at an affordable price making it a good pick for the best scope for 243 and it will not disappoint you since it has been positively rated by several other users online.
Conclusion
Finally, we have come to the end of the review of the best scope for 243 and we hope we have shed a light on the best options you have when you are looking for a good 243 scope. It is important to consider every scope we have highlighted in this review compilation as a good or potential scope for 243. I hope this post has been a good starting point for you and you can now get your best scope for 243 from this list.
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