What Are the Best 1-4x Scopes on The Market 2023 – Buying Guide

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While skilled shooters out there are running the long-distance scope game, what is there you can do to become fast and furious?

You may think of rushing to store and get the most powerful scope with the farthest magnification. No! It doesn’t work that way.

To excel on your targeting skill, you need the best 1-4x scopes to pair with. That is what you are going to discover shortly in this post.

So, we went through some models. We heard them shout their best. We collected the features, and we withdrew the final list.

Here you are.

1-4x Scope: Definition

Scope is what you know. 1-4x is the variable magnification power the scope can adjust to.

At 1x, you get the largest field of view bonus the “eye box.”

How about 4x? You are able to nail the target in the distance of 500 yards.

Simple as it should be, 1-4x riflescopes do nothing but giving you a hand to shoot more accurately.


Why It Has to be The 1-4x Scopes?

The big picture of a 1-4x scope with a rifle is to shoot any object within 300 yards which a long-range scope finds it hard to handle.

If you are a wood roamer hunting behind the thick bushes, you want to aim fast and leave to mercy to your prey.

While a long-distance scope allows you some time to hold zero, recoil and all that before you can step to the next round, the low magnification scopes squeeze those into speedier frame footage.


Benefits of a 1-4x Scope

A 1-4x scope today is not a mere optomechanical device anymore. It has showcased the versatile in hunting and tactical situation better than a CQB sight.

Using a 1-4x scope promises a consolidation on shooting skill making it ideal for any beginner.

It may sound fictional, but all you do with this scope is to point and shoot.

More than that, riflescopes of 1-4x will aid your gun to be more precise even in the longer distance. And this creates a huge difference if you are an aggressive hunter.

Once you get used to aiming fast, accuracy becomes the priority. When you advance into using more powerful scopes, you won’t be new to the surrounding.

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The Most Important Criteria When Choosing a 1-4x Scope

Light transmission

Magnification is not the only impact on light transmission. This factor also relies on the lens diameter as well as the coatings.

When the light comes in the scope, the more of it you have, the better the quality of picture you will obtain.

That is why people tend to seek a larger objective lens to have more light transferred into the scope.

Coating plays a broker role in creating the ideal condition for light to go through, thus no doubt, it is one element you should care about.

Size and weight

Length is a part of the scope’s mass. Longer scopes are indeed heavier.

If you need a lightweight optic, you want to consider the material.

Typically, aluminum makes the lightest scope while maintaining its rigidity.

Field of view

The diameter of the actual image you see through a scope in a circle is the field of view.

If you have the eye cuff set in a wrong position, it results in a blackening effect where it looks like a crescent coming in and out of view on the sides. Or it can be a fuzzy black edge around a closing view.

What you want is a full circle embracing the objects. But keep in mind that the higher the magnification is, the narrower the field of view.

Eye relief

At this point, you want the recoil level not to abuse your face. That said, you need to have enough clearance between your chin and the weapon.

The best eye relief is said to be 3”, you can go a bit further to ensure the safety. 4” to 5” should make it fine.

Take this seriously, or you will learn it the hard way.


The Best 1-4x Scopes – Reviews From Users

On the back of the device, we have a focus eyepiece lets you get your reticle dialed into your eyes fairly quickly.

The PCL, or Power control lever, is the flip up/down tool to twist from 1 to 4 power with a flick of the wrist. These levers are an added expense referred as a cattail which you have to buy separately if you choose the non-PCL version.

Bushnell has included a nice rubber O-ring the end of the PCL lever. If you move it while it’s down, you won’t scratch up the ocular bail of your scope.

This is a first focal plane optic. That means, no matter where you put the power lever, your reticle is going to be correct.

Now, that is an important element to note down because the scope uses Bushnell ballistic reticle which is designed around the 223 cartridges. And it has a center dot for 0 to 200-yard engagements.

The appealing point about this reticle is when you crank back to 1 power, it shrinks down to a non-distracting big dot so as not to obscure a whole lot of your target.

Most importantly, the brightness of this scope does give a level of satisfactory.

On the overall construction, the aluminum alloy with an anodized finish gives the scope a sleek appearance that is 100% proofing to scratch and rust.

Pros

  • Offer 11 settings on the 1st focal plane reticle

  • Excellent performance under low light

  • Precise holdovers up to 500 yards

  • Protected with O-ring against rough weather

  • Fully multicoated optics

Cons

  • Eye relief changes slightly between the zoom

  • On the heavy side


This optic doesn’t have to be an entry-level device, but it definitely has an entry-level price point. As a plus, it comes with Vortex’s lifetime unconditional warranty.

Speaking about the specs, the scope is 9.8-inch long, weighs 16 ounces. You got multi-coatings on the lens, as well as anti-reflective coating.

As a second focal plane reticle, 1-4x exposes to be more effective than on the first or front focal plane. That means the reticle on this scope is fixed. No matter what you zoom between 1 to 4 power, that reticle remains the same.

It does have a center illuminated red dot which is more for low-light purposes.

The settings are all the way from 1 to 10. On this optic, you can expect to find some features only presented on high priced products.

Those are being proofing to water, shock, and fog. When you’re sighting your optic and get it zeroed, you can reset the turrets so that they can go back to zero. If you want to apply modification later, you can dial it right back.

It’s got a fast focus eyepiece on the back as well as being a single piece of 30mm tube made from aircraft grade aluminum.

Pros

  • Air-to-glass surfaces covered multiple coatings

  • Lifetime warranty

  • Resettable MOA turrets O-ring

  • Stiff body made of aircraft aluminum

Cons

  • Center dot is not very bright

  • No illumination in low light

  • The V-plex reticle is basic

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The 1-4x variable zoom on this optic gives you some good range for shooting out longer shot.

On 1x, the picture is quite clear and bright. The eye relief is forgiving an inch and a half which turns out to favor many of our shooters.

The big turrets score the first impression out of the box that are locking turrets. Once you get some twists, the sound is crisp and audible.

Besides, this scope is an illuminated scope with a decent illuminated reticle that goes from 1 to 5.

What amazed us was the tinted reticle scope we got at 5 in the snowing sky where the sun is behind the cloud. It doesn’t obstruct the scope or has any bleed of the light.

One more thing is the scope comes with its own mount. We haven’t noticed any zero shift. Once you set it, you lock them, and you’re ready to fly.

Pros

  • Red, green and black illuminated reticle

  • Easy-to-lock target turrets

  • Solid construction can withstand water and shock

  • Included a fir cantilever mount

Cons

  • It consumes battery

  • Red and green illumination is not as bright

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Final Thought

We love the idea of having the green reticle on the Barska that allows more effective aim when the sun is not giving enough light.

But all in all, the choices are here, and we guarantee no spoil alert since we had tried them all.

Anyhow, you can do some homework before settling your mind on any scope. Keep in mind the criteria; you should be good to go.

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