The M4 carbine is a highly adaptable gun used for hunting, close-quarter combat, and tactical operations. For the best results, the rifle demands equally versatile and robust optical gear. Investing in high-quality optics is the best thing you can do for your M4 carbine rifle. The scope you choose for the rifle can make or break your hunt. The best M4 scope suits the gun’s versatility and maneuverability. It is well-built and suitable for a wide range of ammunition.
The best M4 scope recommendations in this review are not just random picks; they are the result of scrutiny and assessment and will have you filling tags in first light, last light, all day long. They have an array of features that make them stand out from a flooded market.
What Are the Characteristics of an M4?
The M4 carbine is a shoulder-fired rifle that is lightweight, gas-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed, selective rate, and features a collapsible stock.
It is chambered for the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge and typically features a 14.5-inch barrel. The M4 is known for its versatility and adaptability, and it is often equipped with a Picatinny rail system for mounting various accessories such as optics, lights, and lasers. Its characteristics include high accuracy, reliability, and ease of use, making it suitable for a wide range of military and tactical applications.
The rifle is presently the standard issue weapon for most US military units.
Qualities To Look for In the Best M4 Scope
The M4 is a highly versatile rifle that requires a top-notch scope to perform effectively. Some features to look for before purchasing a scope include:
Durability
If you own an M4, it is more likely you have paid a handsome price for it. In that case, it is only sensible to invest in the highest-quality optics possible. The easiest way to tell the durability of a scope is through the construction material and whether or not the manufacturer provides a lifetime warranty. The best M4 scope should be made from aircraft-grade aluminum. This material is preferred because of its unmatched durability, rigidity, and strength while keeping weight at bay.
Overtime warranties eat into a manufacturer’s bottom line. Therefore, if a manufacturer doesn’t expect to ever pay out, they are more likely to provide a warrant. Reputable household names are robust and offer solid warranties.
Magnification
The ideal magnification comes down to personal needs and preferences. For an M4 scope, a magnification range of 1x to 4x is generally ideal. This range provides the flexibility needed for both close-quarters combat and mid-range engagements, maintaining the M4’s versatility.
At 1x magnification, shooters can acquire targets quickly and efficiently at close distances, similar to using iron sights or a red dot sight. Increasing to 4x magnification allows for greater precision at intermediate distances, typically up to 500 yards, without sacrificing too much situational awareness or adding significant weight and bulk to the rifle.
Weight
The best M4 scope should be compact and lightweight with a less than 16 ounces weight. This helps to prevent excessive bulk, making handling and maneuverability hassle-free. Lighter optics are also available, but they are likely to have fewer features and may not have good durability.
Eye Relief
It is also vital to consider the eye relief of the scope that you intend to own. Sufficient eye relief keeps your eyebrows and face safe even when using cartridges with the heaviest recoil and when shooting from unconventional angles. At least 3.5 inches should suffice for rounds with plenty of recoil.
Best M4 Scopes
1) Vortex Viper PST Gen II 3-15x44mm Riflescope
The Vortex Viper PST Gen II 3-15x44mm Riflescope is arguably the best M4 scope. It offers a blend of versatility, precision, and durability that complements the rifle’s capabilities.
This high-performance scope features Extra-low Dispersion lens elements, which provide superior resolution and color fidelity, resulting in crisp, clear images. The XR Fully multi-coated lenses maximize light transmission and minimize glare, ensuring optimal visibility in various lighting conditions.
One of the highlights of the Viper PST Gen II is its First Focal Plane reticle. This design allows the reticle to scale with the zoom, ensuring accurate holdovers and range estimation at any magnification.
The glass-etched reticle is illuminated for enhanced visibility in low-light situations, and the brightness settings are adjustable to suit any environment.
The scope is constructed from a single piece of aircraft-grade aluminum for ruggedness and reliability. It boasts a 30mm tube size, providing ample room for elevation and windage adjustments.
Thanks to its O-ring seals, nitrogen purging, and robust construction, the scope is waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof. The hard anodized finish offers extra protection against scratches and wear, while the ArmorTek coating shields the external lenses from dirt, oil, and scratches.
The Viper PST Gen II is equipped with tactical-style turrets that offer precise and tactile adjustments. After making elevation adjustments, the RZR Zero Stop feature ensures a quick and reliable return to zero. The precision-glide erector system ensures smooth and accurate magnification changes, providing a seamless shooting experience.
Features
- Aircraft-grade aluminum constitution
- XR plus fully multi-coated optics
- 4 inches of eye relief
- Glass-etched reticle
- Fast focus eyepiece
- Radius bar
- Extra-low dispersion glass
- Single-piece tube
- Armortek coating on the lenses
- Tactical-style turrets
- RZR zero stop
- First focal plane
- Hard anodized finish
Pros
- Sharp and clear at all ranges
- Built like a tank
- Great feeling turrets
Cons
- No flip-up caps
2) Primary Arms SLx 4-14x44mm Riflescope
The Primary Arms SLx 4-14x44mm riflescope is a versatile and high-performance optic ideal for a wide range of shooting applications. Its first focal plane design ensures the reticle stays true at all magnifications, providing accurate holdovers and range estimations regardless of the zoom level.
It is formed from high-strength aircraft-grade aluminum to withstand whatever comes its way. Its robust design makes it shockproof, waterproof, and fog-resistant, ensuring reliable performance in various environmental conditions.
The 30mm main tube is compatible with a wide array of rings and mounts, allowing easy integration with your preferred setup.
This best M4 scope features side-adjustable parallax, allowing fine-tuning to eliminate parallax error and ensure a crisp, clear view of the target and reticle. The fast-focus eyepiece further enhances target acquisition by enabling quick and precise adjustments to achieve a sharp image.
The SLx 4-14x44mm is equipped with tactile and audible 1/10 MIL windage and elevation adjustments, providing precise control for accurate shot placement. The exposed tactical-style turrets with zero reset allow for quick and easy adjustments in the field, ensuring you can return to your original zero settings without hassle.
Moreover, the parallax adjustment range from 10 yards to infinity provides flexibility for various shooting distances, making this scope suitable for both close-range and long-range engagements.
Features
- Durable aluminum body
- Nitrogen purged for fogproof performance
- 1 to 3.2 inches of eye relief
- Parallax adjusts from 10 yards to infinity
- Waterproof and shockproof
- 30mm tube
- 44mm objective lens diameter
- 4x low magnification
- 14x high magnification
- Anodized matte finish
Pros
- Solid build
- Easy to use
- Clear glass
Cons
- Stiff magnification adjustment
3) Trijicon ACOG 6×48 Riflescope
The Trijicon ACOG 6×48 Riflescope is a robust and innovative optic, renowned for its durability and advanced features tailored for demanding shooting scenarios.
It is a unique M4 scope powered by fiber optics and tritium technology. This technology offers bright and clear reticle illumination in all lighting conditions without the need for batteries, ensuring consistent performance and reliability, even in the most challenging environments.
The ACOG incorporates bullet drop compensation, providing additional aiming points calibrated for various calibers. This feature significantly enhances long-range accuracy and allows for quick adjustments in the field.
The Bindon Aiming Concept enables both-eyes-open aiming, enhancing situational awareness and target acquisition speed. This makes acquiring the target easy.
One of the major benefits of investing in the scope is its battery-free operation, which ensures extended use without the need for power sources. The riflescope is also exceptionally durable and waterproof up to 500 feet, making it suitable for use in wet and harsh conditions.
Features
- 48mm lens diameter
- 1/4 MOA adjustment click value
- Forged aluminum construction
- Bindon Aiming Concept
- Waterproof up to 500 feet
- Fogproof and shockproof
- Matte finish
- 7 inches of eye relief
- Fiber optics/tritium illumination
- A length of 9 inches
- 1mm exit pupil
- Fixed 6x magnification
Pros
- Crystal-clear optical glass
- Easy sight adjustment
- Battery-free operation
- Super strong for heavy-duty use
Cons
- Expensive
4) Vortex Strike Eagle 1-6x24mm Riflescope
The Vortex Strike Eagle 1-6x24mm Riflescope is a versatile and high-quality optic designed to excel in a variety of shooting scenarios. It boasts fully multi-coated lenses that maximize light transmission and exceptional clarity, providing a bright and sharp sight picture.
The XD lens elements further enhance resolution and color fidelity, delivering top-tier optical performance on this best M4 scope.
The glass-etched reticle in the Strike Eagle is housed in the second focal plane, maintaining its size throughout the magnification range, which ensures quick target acquisition and consistent holdovers at any power setting.
The riflescope is nitrogen-purged and O-ring sealed, making it both fogproof and waterproof. This ensures reliable performance come rain or shine.
The fast-focus eyepiece is another valuable addition that allows for quick and easy reticle focusing and provides a clear view of the target at all times.
The scope also comes with a thread-in throw lever, enabling rapid magnification adjustments with minimal effort. This enhances the speed and adaptability of this best M4 scope.
Features
- AR-BDC3 reticle
- O-ring sealed and nitrogen-purged for weather resistance
- Built from aircraft-grade aluminum
- Anti-reflective coatings on the lenses
- Weighs 18.5 oz
- 30mm tube diameter
- Second focal plane
- Shockproof
- Extra-low dispersion glass
- 24mm lens size
- Fast focus eyepiece
- Throw lever for instant adjustments
Pros
- Low-profile turrets that work very well
- Steady and robust construction
- Very clear glass
Cons
- Too thin reticle
5) Bushnell AR Optics 1-4x24mm Riflescope
The Bushnell AR 1-4x24mm riflescope is equipped with a Drop Zone 223 BDC reticle, which offers outstanding accuracy in close-quarters engagements and precise holdovers for mid-range targets.
The field of view of this best M4 scope ranges from a wide 90 feet at 1x magnification to 23 feet at 4x magnification, allowing for quick target acquisition and situational awareness.
The fully multicoated optics heighten light collection and clarity, delivering a bright, clear sight picture under various lighting conditions. A fast-focus eyepiece ensures rapid reticle focusing, allowing shooters to always maintain a clear view of their target.
This best M4 scope is designed for precision, as revealed by the target turrets with 0.1 mil click values. These turrets allow for pinpoint adjustments to windage and elevation and provide tactile and audible feedback, ensuring accurate and reliable settings.
Adverse weather will have nothing on your scope as it is waterproof and fogproof, preventing ingress of moisture, dust, and debris. It is additionally shockproof to withstand recoil and impact.
Features
- 5 inches of eye relief
- Drop Zone 223 reticle
- IPX7 waterproofing
- Fully multi-coated lenses
- Fogproof to handle fog
- Fast focus eyepiece
- Shockproof built
- mil rad adjustment click value
- 30mm tube
- Second focal plane
- 1x to 4x magnification
- 24mm lens diameter
Pros
- Amazing glass clarity
- Easy to operate
- Budget-friendly
- Seamless adjustments
Cons
- The exposed turrets are not a preference for some users
6) Sig Sauer Tango6T 1-6x24mm Riflescope
This riflescope features HDX optics, combining extra-low dispersion glass with high transmittance glass, which delivers industry-leading light transmission and optical clarity. This ensures a bright, sharp, and clear sight picture, enhancing target acquisition and accuracy regardless of the lighting available.
The eyepiece has a fast-focus mechanism, which ensures rapid reticle focusing and provides a crisp view of the target at all times.
The Tango6T has night vision illuminated reticle settings and a locking illumination dial for optimal reticle visibility in low-light and no-light conditions. This feature is crucial for maintaining accuracy during nighttime operations.
This best M4 scope also includes a laser-engraved mounting line, facilitating precise alignment with scope rings for a secure and consistent setup.
It boasts dependable waterproof performance and is rated IPX-8 for complete and continuous immersion at depths of up to 20 meters. It is also fogproof, ensuring clear vision in freezing conditions.
A cherry on top is the power selector ring, which includes a throw lever for quick and effortless magnification adjustments.
Features
- Spectracoat on the lens maximizes light transmission
- Waterproof and fogproof
- LensArmor for extreme lens durability
- HDX optical system
- Matte finish
- 30mm tube diameter
- 1 inches of eye relief
- Mil rad adjustment
- Fast focus eyepiece
- Power selector ring throw lever
- 24mm objective lens diameter
Pros
- Superior weather resistance
- Great optical finesse
- Smooth adjustments
- Superb eye relief
Cons
- The instructions for the zero stop could be better
M4 Optics
Various types of M4 optics include:
Red Dot Sights
They use simple projected LED illumination technology bounced off a spherical mirror creating an illuminated, colored dot reticle that can be placed over your target for easy aiming at short distances.
Dot sights are popular options for home defense. They promote quick target acquisition and are more straightforward and intuitive to use, even in high-pressure situations.
Magnified Scope
This can either be a fixed-power or variable-power scope. A fixed-power option provides a single magnification setting and is typically seen in tactical scopes or scopes made for hunting. A variable-power scope is larger, more complex, and has a wide range of magnification settings, allowing you to use the rifle at different distances.
Prism Scopes
These provide a fixed magnification (typically 1x to 5x) and a clear, etched reticle.
ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight)
A rugged, fixed-power scope with a built-in bullet drop compensator, such as the Trijicon ACOG, commonly used by military forces.
Why Is the M4 So Popular?
The M4 is popular due to its versatility, reliability, and adaptability. It is lightweight and compact, making it easy to maneuver in various combat scenarios. The M4’s modular design allows for extensive customization with a wide range of accessories, such as optics, lights, and grips, enhancing its functionality for different missions.
Its selective fire capability, offering both semi-automatic and fully automatic modes, adds to its flexibility. The 5.56x45mm NATO chambering provides a good balance of accuracy, recoil control, and stopping power. Its proven performance in military and law enforcement applications further cements its reputation as a dependable and effective weapon.
Conclusion
The best M4 scope will make your rifle more useful and enjoyable to use. We hope selecting the appropriate scope is no longer an uphill task as this guide has served to eliminate the confusion that comes with navigating a proliferated market.
Read Also: