If you happen to own a lot of property, or, better yet, a ranch, it’s quite possible that you own Ruger’s Mini 14 Rifle. It’s great for sport shooting but it’s also just an awesome standard rifle that’s easy to keep in the back of your truck as you drive around your acreage. Let’s make sure you find the best Mini 14 scope.
 | Vortex Optics Crossfire II |
| $129   Shop NowClick to read my review |
 Best Overall Pick | Bushnell Trophy |
| $148   Shop NowClick to read my review |
 | UTG 3-12X44 30mm Compact Scope |
| $138   Shop NowClick to read my review |
 | Leupold Mark AR MOD |
| $299  Shop NowClick to read my review |
We’ve put together a list of our favorite scopes, and as always in our scope reviews, we’ll let you know what we think is the best option for the average gun owner. We do realize that you may have other uses for your Ruger rifle than sport, so we tried to cover other purposes with the scopes we’ve selected.
Happy shopping!
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Factors To Consider When Buying A Scope For Ruger Mini 14
The Ruger Mini 14 is a popular favorite among gun owners because it is a useful gun for deer hunting and target shooting. As a matter of fact, by adding a suitable scope to your Mini 14, you can actually test its limits and capabilities.
So, when it comes to purchasing a scope for this gun, keep the following factors in mind to get the best value for money.
Magnification
It’s important to figure out what you’re going to do with the rifle because the magnification required in a rifle scope varies depending on distance and shooting style. This is the most important consideration when purchasing rifle scopes because it will help you improve your shooting accuracy.
Mounting system
You must ensure that the scope is mounted on a stable platform and will not lose zero with each blow shot. There are various types of optics mounts, but the best for the Mini 14 is a solid one-piece scope mount because it is more secure and enables you to easily switch out scopes without losing their zero.
Reticle
The reticle, also known as the crosshair, is an image in the scope that aids in rifle aiming. Some people prefer a simple reticle to keep their full magnification view of the target unobstructed.
Lens Coating
The lens coating on the scope is important because it prevents fog from forming on the surface of the lens. It also prevents glare and reflections while still allowing enough light to enter the scope to provide a brighter sight picture. Glare reduction prevents excess light from blinding you and blurring your vision.
Eye Relief
Scope eye occurs when your scope is mounted in such a way that you must hunch up close to see clearly. Spending some time at the start getting acquainted with proper eye relief will save you time and reduce your risk of headaches and eye strain.
Now that we’ve seen the factors to consider when choosing and buying a scope for Mini 14, let’s move on to our top picks.
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Best Ruger Mini 14 Scope
Vortex Optics Crossfire II
Materials – The Vortex Optics Crossfire II riflescope has a single-piece tube made of hard-anodized and aircraft-grade aluminum. This scope is also beneficial because it includes an O-ring sealing. Allowing the scope to provide excellent fog-proof and waterproof performance. Both the windage and elevation turrets have a zero reset feature, making it quick and easy to make necessary adjustments. It also has a fully multicoated and anti-reflective lens that can provide clear and bright views.
Performance – This Vortex crossfire scope has 9.45-inch eye relief, you can be confident that it will assist you in obtaining a sight picture quickly. It also enables rapid acquisition of your target. This high-quality scope is an excellent match for the Mini 14 ranch rifle. With variable zoom and magnification power ranging from 2x to 7x, making it is suitable for close to medium-range encounters.
What we say – Most users are looking for the best performance and affordable-to-value ratio possible. If this describes you, you should consider the Vortex Crossfire II riflescope. You can get this rifle scope for $129 online.
- Comes with five different magnification levels
- Provides more than enough eye relief
- High performance at an affordable price
- At maximum magnification, image quality degrades
- Slightly heavy
Bushnell Trophy
Materials – The Bushnell Trophy Ruger is another one-inch tube with a matte black finish with a similar sleek and simple design. It comes with seven configurations and six reticle options, which are intended to satisfy every hunting application. The 40mm objective lens has a Rainguard HD coating, making it fog and waterproof. It is, of course, also shockproof. It offers a clear picture through the sight, and it has a fast-focus eyepiece to help every hunter take down their prize with speed. The variable magnification range is 4x to 12x, and it has side parallax adjustment knobs.
Performance – Bushnell is another great brand name for scopes, and the Trophy model is the best scope for Ruger Mini 14s due to its focus on hunting accommodations. The long magnification range makes this scope perfect for use on ranches or other property with a large number of acres. Again, the sleek look of the Bushnell Trophy adds definition and discreteness to your rifle while offering a clear picture that won’t be affected by various weather conditions. Our one complaint? There seems to be a short eye relief, but you’ll have to test it out for yourself to see if this will really impact your shooting/hunting.
What we say – The Bushnell Trophy Scope is going to cost you around $100 online. This is another trustworthy brand name that would be worth investing in, and it’s the best scope for mini 14 rifles for anyone who loves hunting or shooting game from particularly far yardage.
- Good price
- Up to 12x magnification
- Rainguard HD lens coating
- Short eye relief
UTG 3-12X44 30mm Compact Scope
Materials – This UTG compact scope is made with the most cutting-edge and innovative technology. It even takes a good punch in its wide range of unique features. This scope can provide you with a fun and exciting hunting experience as a whole, so it is very useful. The color of the scope is custom-built from 36 different colors. You can change it at any time by pressing a single button. The precision remains the same, but it helps when the light changes.
Performance – This UTG scope is well-built and holds zero. Its coated lenses provide excellent light transmission as well as long-term durability. There is also a specially angled front sunshade. When you point the scope toward the general direction of the sun, this prevents you from receiving too much light from glaring. As a result, it is very user-friendly and simple to set up.
Many UTG scopes also have MIL-dot reticles, as differ to the traditional MOA reticles used by the majority of other scope manufacturers. Because of their high precision and specialized holdover points to compensate for bullet drop, windage, and elevation.
What we say – The UTG scope is an excellent value for money and will set you back $140.25 if purchased online. It has more features than most scopes in this price range. This scope also comes with a ring or mounting systems included in every purchase, making them among the easiest scopes to buy and use right out of the box.
- Durable and easy to use
- Provides limitless parallax adjustment
- Can accommodate all lighting and weather conditions
- Considering its small size, it is a little heavy
Leupold Mark AR MOD
Materials – The Leupold Mar AR MOD Ruger is made of both a polymer and aluminum body in a sleek, matte black finish. The 40mm objective lens is multicoated to increase light transmission while also reflecting any glare or outside light. This scope is also shockproof, waterproof, and fog proof, and the waterproofing is specifically done with argon and krypton. The quantum optical system allows for clarity and precision while shooting. The magnification power is 3x to 9x and the reticle type is the FireDot TMR, which is illuminated.
Performance – The Leupold Mark AR MOD is a wonderful addition to add to your Ruger Mini 14 due to its low profile and high-quality function. While a lot of the features are fairly standard ( the magnification range, shock/water/fog proof system, and objective lens), this is a great scope to use on a range for hunting and defending your home. There’s truly very little to complain about with this scope except for the fact that it’s the most expensive option within this review. Leupold didn’t skimp on any of the parts of this scope, down to the little adjustment knobs. This Ruger Mini 14 scope should last you through some good time.
What we say – The Leupold Mark AR MOD Ruger goes for around $230 online. Although this is the most expensive option within our review, that’s definitely a lower price for the level of quality we’re looking at here. You won’t have to worry about anything falling apart or receiving a faulty piece when you purchase from this brand.
- Polymer and aluminum body
- Water proofed with argon and krypton
- Standard features perfect for ranch use
- Most expensive option
Our Top Pick
After some debate, we finally agreed that the Bushnell Trophy is the best scope for your Ruger Mini 14 rifle.
We initially wanted to give this spot to the Leupold Mark AR MOD scope, but a nearly $400 scope will likely be out of the price range for your average gun owner.
The Bushnell option here is an equally trustworthy brand name that delivers high-quality function at a much small cost: almost half as much as the Leupold. We also chose this one because it offers a little more than your standard 6 power magnification range. With up to 12x magnification, you can do a little more than surveying your property.
We highly recommend looking into the Bushnell Trophy.
