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If you want to know what the best rifle scope is for long-range shooting, there is no better place to look than the firing line at a Precision Rifle Series match. The top PRS shooters in the world are incredibly demanding on optics. They need scopes that track perfectly, hold zero through hard use, offer a forgiving eyebox, provide crystal-clear glass in difficult lighting conditions, and help them to spot impacts and misses under time pressure. These guys aren’t choosing scopes based on marketing hype or what looked good in a booth at SHOT Show. They are choosing the optics that help them hit the most targets and win matches. So I surveyed the top 200-ranked shooters in the PRS Open Division to learn exactly which rifle scopes, reticles, and magnification ranges they are trusting in competition today.
This article breaks down the specific scope brands, models, and reticles used by the pros, along with long-term trends and shifts in popularity over time. I’ll also highlight some of the key features elite shooters prioritize when choosing the best rifle scope for precision rifle competition, including magnification range, turret design, reticle preferences, field of view, and optical performance. Whether you’re a new shooter trying to make a smart investment or an experienced competitor wondering what the top PRS shooters are running right now, this data-driven look at what the pros use should help cut through the noise and give you real insight into the optics performing at the highest levels of the sport.
Best Rifle Scopes for 2026
Here is the latest breakdown of scope brands that the top 200 ranked shooters in the PRS are using:
On the chart above, the various colors represent where a shooter landed in terms of season rank in the PRS. For example, black indicates shooters who finished in the top 10, the darkest blue is people who finished 11-25, and the lighter the blue, the further out they finished in overall standings. The chart legend itemizes the ranks each color represents, but basically, the darker the color, the higher the shooter’s overall ranking.
Zero Compromise Optics continues to dominate among the top PRS shooters for the second year in a row, with 45 of the top 200 competitors running one of their scopes, including the largest share of shooters ranked in the top 25. Leupold and Tangent Theta remain firmly in the mix among elite competitors, with both brands showing the strongest representation across the top 50 shooters. Kahles and Vortex continue to hold meaningful market share deeper into the field, but neither had any shooters represented among the top 10, and Vortex didn’t have any in the top 25. While Nightforce’s presence has declined somewhat in recent years, it still has the largest representation in the top 10 (barely edging out ZCO, Leupold, and Tangent Theta by 1).
Overall, the data shows that while there are many capable optics on the market, a relatively small group of premium brands overwhelmingly dominate among the highest-ranked PRS shooters competing at the top levels of the sport.
Now, let’s look at the breakdown by specific model of scope and magnification range that these top marksmen are running. To help keep the chart readable, it shows only the scope models with 5 or more shooters represented from this group of pros. 100% of the guys who finished in the top 25 were using one of the models listed below.
Here are the street prices of each scope at the time this was published, in the same order as their popularity ranking in the chart above.
| Scope Model | Street Price |
| Zero Compromise 5-27×56 | $4,485 |
| Leupold Mark 5HD 5-25×56 | $2,199 |
| Vortex 6-36×56 Razor HD Gen III | $2,999 |
| Tangent Theta 5-25×56 | $5,537 |
| Kahles K540i DLR 5-40×56 | $4,599 |
| Nightforce ATACR 7-35×56 F1 | $3,800 |
| Zero Compromise 8-40×56 | $4,655 |
| Tangent Theta 7-35×56 | $5,993 |
| Leupold Mark 5HD 7-35×56 | $2,399 |
| March FX 5-42×56 HM Gen2 | $4,659 |
| Kahles K328i DLR 3.5-28×50 | $3,499 |
Next, I’ll dive into each brand, unpack the models and reticles they offer, and provide some pro insight on which are the most popular.
Zero Compromise Optic (ZCO): 23% of Pros
23% of the top 200 ranked shooters in the PRS said they were running a Zero Compromise scope. They had 2 in the top 10 and a total of 7 among the top 25 competitors, which means they were well-represented at every level.
Zero Compromise Optic, or ZCO, has quickly become one of the most dominant scope brands in precision rifle competition, despite being a relatively new player in the optics market. The company was founded by a team of experienced optical engineers and industry veterans from Austria who set out to build a no-compromise rifle scope specifically for serious long-range shooters. Their scopes have developed a reputation for exceptional optical clarity, extremely forgiving eyeboxes, precise tracking, and outstanding mechanical consistency, which are all things that matter a lot when you’re trying to spot impacts and make corrections under match pressure. While ZCO scopes come with premium price tags, the overwhelming adoption among top PRS shooters suggests many competitors believe the performance advantages are worth the investment.
Here is a more specific breakdown of all of the ZCO scopes that shooters said they were running:
The ZCO 5-27×56 is the most popular scope model overall with 28 pros running it. However, the ZCO 8-40×56 is a newer model that 2 of the top 10 shooters choose to run, and it seems to be gaining popularity.
The ZCO 5-27×56 scope was released in 2019, while the ZCO 8-40×56 scope was released in 2022. So that may have played into the 5-27 being slightly more popular. The street price on the ZCO 5-27×56 is $4,485, and the ZCO 8-40×56 is $4,655. So, if someone already owned the 5-27, they might not run out to buy the 8-40.
One noteworthy feature many pro shooters love is the option to get a 10-mil turret on the ZCO scopes. That simply means 1 full turret revolution is 10.0 mils. Some other scopes on this list have 12, 15, or 16 mil turrets, which means the clicks and lines on the turret are more densely packed (20-60% more lines).
Having only 10 mils per revolution makes it easier to dial precisely and know you are on the right correction, especially when you are on a stage with tight time constraints. Also, even with some of the smallest cartridges we use, you rarely need to dial more than 10 mils of elevation at a match. I’ve competed in 3 PRS Pro Series matches in 2026, and the farthest target I engaged was 1,045 yards. The correction for my 6mm Dasher at that match was 8.4 mils of elevation, so I almost never need to go beyond one revolution, even with a 10 mil turret. (Note: ZCO scopes still have a total of 35 mils of elevation travel.)
Then here is a breakdown of the ZCO reticles that were most popular among these pro competitors:
Here is a quick view of the most popular reticles from Zero Compromise Optics:
Leupold: 18% of Pros
18% of these top-ranked pro shooters were running a Leupold rifle scope, including 2 in the top 10.
Leupold really needs no introduction in the shooting world. They’ve been building rifle scopes for well over a century and have one of the longest track records of any optics manufacturer represented in the PRS. While newer premium brands have gained momentum in recent years, Leupold continues to have a strong presence among top shooters, especially with the Mark 5HD lineup, thanks to its great reticle options, solid tracking performance, and competitive price point relative to other top-tier optics.
The Leupold Mark 5HD scope is by far the most popular product line among these shooters. 23 were using the Leupold Mark 5HD 5-25×56 and 10 were using 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 $2,199 (in May 2026), 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 huge value.
The Leupold Mark 5HD scopes are also the lightest on this list. Most of these high-end optics weigh around 36-39 ounces, but the Leupold Mark 5HD 5-25×56 is just 30 ounces.
While the optical performance of the Leupold scope is clearly adequate to compete at even the highest levels (the 2025 PRS Champion was using one), that is the area where some shooters would criticize this scope. For example, the field of view of the Leupold Mark 5HD is the most narrow of any of the scopes on this list, at 14% below the average.
Now let’s look at the reticles these guys running Leupold scopes chose:
97% of these guys are running the PR2-MIL reticle. The Leupold PR2 reticle design is what attracts a lot of shooters to this scope, along with the value price point.
One unique aspect of Leupold’s PR2-MIL reticle is that its 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 say 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.
Tangent Theta: 16% of Pros
16% of the top-ranked shooters in the PRS were running a Tangent Theta rifle scope, including 2 in the top 10 and 5 in the top 25.
Many people say the Tangent Theta scope has the best glass clarity in the industry. That is a hot topic with a lot of debate, but I don’t think anyone would claim it wasn’t among the scopes with the best glass. There is a lot to like about the Tangent Theta scope.
Tangent Theta has built an almost legendary reputation in the precision rifle world for optical quality and mechanical precision. Originally developed in Canada with a strong focus on military and professional end users, Tangent Theta scopes are known for incredibly crisp glass, exceptional turret feel, and some of the best overall fit and finish in the industry. They’ve consistently maintained a strong following among elite PRS shooters who prioritize optical performance and reliability above almost everything else, even with price tags that put them among the most expensive rifle scopes on the market.
Tangent Theta scopes are the only scopes with a street price above $5k on this list, with the Tangent Theta 5-25×56 priced at $5,537 and the 7-35×56 priced at $5,993!
One note: Tangent Theta scopes are only available with 15 mil turrets. There isn’t a 10 mil turret option.
Here are the Tangent Theta reticles that these competitors chose to run:
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.
Kahles: 13% of Pros
Kahles is the fourth-most-popular rifle scope among elite PRS shooters, representing 13% of the pros.
Kahles is one of the oldest optics manufacturers in the world, with roots in Austria dating back to 1898. They are the tactical sister company to Swarovski, and they’ve become a major force in the precision rifle competition scene over the past decade. Their scopes are especially popular among PRS shooters because of features that seem purpose-built for competition, including excellent glass quality, wide field of view, intuitive turret layouts, and the unique left-side windage option that many shooters love for fast stage management.
Here are the specific Kahles scope models these shooters chose to run:
Kahles released the brand new Kahles K540i DLR 5-40×56 scope in February 2025, and it is already the favorite among serious precision rifle competitors. That is a massive 8x zoom ratio, covering from 5x to 40x magnification! The Kahles K540i also has the widest field of view of any scope on this list. It is 28% wider than the average FOV on this list! Finding targets at relatively high magnification is one of the skills of pro shooters in the PRS, so a large field of view is an extremely compelling feature for competition use.
The street price on the new Kahles K540i DLR 5-40×56 is priced at $4,599. That puts the Kahles 5-40×56 as one of the most expensive scopes on this list.
Here are the Kahles reticles these shooters said they use in rifle matches:
The Kahles SKMR4 reticle was by far the most popular reticle among these shooters. Here are the full details of the Kahles SKMR 4 reticle, including all the differences between it and the SKMR 3 reticle.
Vortex: 11% of Pros
11% of the top-ranked PRS shooters said they ran a Vortex 6-36×56 Razor HD Gen III. However, it is noteworthy that there weren’t any shooters in the top 25 using a Vortex scope.
Vortex is one of the largest optics companies in the world, and its Razor HD Gen III rifle scope has earned a strong following among top PRS shooters. Competitors are drawn to its aggressive feature set at a price that is typically lower than many other premium European optics. The Vortex 6-36×56 also has a slightly wider field of view than many other scopes on this list.
As I mentioned, all of the shooters were using the same model scope: Vortex 6-36×56 Razor HD Gen III.
The Vortex 6-36×56 Razor HD Gen III has a street price of $2,999.
One thing of note about this scope is that it is the heaviest of any scope in this list. It weighs 45 ounces, which is 6 ounces heavier than any other scope and 26% heavier than the average scope on this list. That may not matter much if it’s on a 25-pound PRS rifle, but it’s worth noting if you are using it for other applications.
Most shooters prefer the Vortex EBR-7D reticle. The EBR-7D features 0.2 mil holds and a Christmas tree for quick hold-overs.
Nightforce: 9% of Pros
More people in the top 10 ran a Nightforce scope than any other brand, and they accounted for 9% of these pro shooters overall.
Nightforce has long been known for building some of the most rugged and reliable rifle scopes in the industry. The ATACR lineup still has a loyal following among top shooters who value durability, dependable tracking, and proven performance under hard use. The ATACR 5-25×56 was originally released in 2015, and the ATACR 7-35×56 was released in 2016, so it’s impressive to still see them represented so heavily at the top of the leaderboard.
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 for years.
These Nightforce ATACR scopes are only available with 12 mil elevation turrets (no 10 mil option).
Here are the Nightforce reticles that these shooters said they used in matches:
Shooters seemed to be split between running the Mil-XT reticle and the MIL-C reticle. 56% ran the Mil-XT, but there was also 1 more in the top 10 running the Mil-C than the Mil-XT.
March: 5% of Pros
March Scopes grew from just 1 shooter represented in this group last year to now representing 5% of these top-ranked PRS shooters! That is a lot of traction in a single year!
March Scopes have always had a strong reputation among hardcore competition shooters in other disciplines, but in 2024, they released the new March 5-42×56 High Master Gen II, which is focused squarely on the PRS/NRL competition world. You can see that is exactly the scope that many of these top marksmen have adopted:
You’ll see the “March 5-42×56 High Master Gen II” also listed as the “March FX PRS Wide Angle 5-42×56 G2” as the “March-FX 5-42×56 PRS Edition.” March says it combines an enormous 8.4x zoom range with exceptional optical quality, a huge wide-angle eyepiece, and March’s High Master lens system that uses Super ED glass to minimize chromatic aberration and maintain clarity at high magnification.
The new Gen II version also introduced competition-focused features like writable turrets, improved image quality near the limits of elevation travel, and the new reticle designed specifically for PRS-style shooting.
You’ll also see the March 5-42×56 High Master Gen II marketed as “wide angle,” because it has one of the largest fields of view of any scope on this list. It is 15% larger than the average scope on this list, and only the Kahles K328i and K540i have a wider field of view.
The street price of the March 5-42×56 High Master Gen II is $4,659, making it one of the most expensive scopes on the list (only behind Tangent Theta).
Here are the March scope reticles these shooters were running:
Almost all of the shooters were using the March FML-WBR reticle, which was designed specifically for PRS-style shooting by Brandon Rudge, who is a semi-pro PRS competitor.
All Other Scopes
The 7 brands above combine to represent 95% of the pros, and the remaining 5% were spread over a few brands. None of these were represented by more than 2% of the pros.
- Apex Optics: 4 total shooters all using the Apex 4-32×56 Rival FFP (highest rank was #70 Chase Beckley)
- Burris: 3 total shooters all using the Burris 5.5-30×56 XTR Pro (highest rank was #29 Dave Ostrowske)
- Zeiss: 1 shooter using the Zeiss LRP S5 5-25×56 FFP (#68 Allen Jaworski)
- Bushnell: 1 shooter using the Bushnell 6-36×56 Elite Tactical (#56 Robert Brantley)
I feel compelled to add that ranks above 50 might sound like they aren’t a great shooter – all of those guys are truly world-class shooters. Think of the absolute best shooter at your local rifle club. Chances are very good that anyone in the top 200 season rankings in the PRS would smoke that guy in a rifle match.
All of these scopes are extremely capable. None of them are “budget” scopes that can’t compete at the highest level.
Year-Over-Year Trends
Finally, I thought it’d be interesting to look at the trends of what optic brands the best shooters in the PRS have used over the years. I’ve been surveying the top-ranked competitors for well over a decade, and have data going back to the inaugural season in 2012.
The chart below shows the past 3 years (2025, 2024, and 2023) along with 5 and 10 years prior to that (2018 and 2013). There are a ton of brands that have been represented over the years, so to keep the chart readable, I only included the companies that represented at least 10% of the top-ranked shooters in any of the years shown.
This is the most interesting chart in this whole article to me! I’ve personally been competing in these styles of field matches since 2012, and this chart shows how disruptive new scope designs have been over the years.
This chart shows how new a company Zero Compromise Optic is. They released their first scope design, the ZCO 5-27×56, in 2019. So they didn’t have a single shooter represented in 2018, but then quickly gained ground and earned the top spot among the pros the past 2 years. They seem to still be on an upward trajectory, so it will be interesting to see if that continues.
There wasn’t a single top-ranked shooter using a Leupold scope in 2018! It’s probably hard for people to believe that, but there was a period of time when very few competitive long-range shooters were running Leupold scopes. But then Leupold released the Mark 5HD line of scopes with a new PRS reticle, and you can see they’ve been one of the top choices among the pros since that time. It’d be hard to argue that the Leupold Mark 5HD isn’t the best bang for your buck when it comes to scopes, and Leupold has continued to hold that price point that is well below the majority of other scopes on this list.
Tangent Theta released their 5-25×56 design in 2014, but it took a while to make inroads among this group of shooters. But today, they’ve been among the top 3 brands for a few years in a row.
Kahles is the first brand that was represented among the top-ranked competitors in every year shown. They are one of the OG brands in the PRS, and their popularity also seems to be on an upward trajectory, especially with their newest scope designs.
Vortex has been the most consistent choice among this group of elite marksmen and is the only brand to have had at least 10% in every year shown. The Vortex Razor HD Gen 2 scope was THE mainstream scope in the PRS for many years, and the Gen 3 version seems to be carrying on that tradition.
Nightforce is another OG company that goes back to the early days of the PRS. Following the release of the ATACR in 2015, you can see they dominated for a few years. Even though that scope design is now 10 years old, it continues to be one of the top picks among the guys at the very top of the leaderboard.
Bushnell’s tactical line of scopes was once a very popular choice even among pro shooters, but you can see its popularity has been declining every year. They had only 1 shooter represented among the top 200 competitors this year.
And finally, this was the first year that Schmidt and Bender was not represented among this group. In 2013, they accounted for 39% of the top-ranked PRS shooters, but that had dropped to 13% by 2018 and to 0% in 2025.
While it’s crazy for a company that used to dominate high-performance optics to no longer be represented by even a single shooter, it just goes to show how many new companies have entered the mix over the past 15 years. There has never been a more exciting time to be involved in long-range shooting! We have so many great options, and it seems like new designs keep coming out that are pushing the industry forward.
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