Best 1x Muzzleloader Scope

Back in the day before the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources decided to go back and forth with optics on muzzleloaders, I used both a Vortex 1x24 and a Nikon Buckmaster 1x20 Muzzleloader Scope.

 on my muzzleloaders. With these 1x scopes, I could shoot out to 200 yards but after that, the thick reticles would cover up much of the target, making it too difficult for me to be effective.

A few years back, variable power optics were made legal by the UDWR to help get more people wanting to muzzleloader hunt and fewer people complaining that they can't get a general rifle deer tag. When this happened, I started working toward upgrading my muzzleloading system. I ended up purchasing a CVA Paramount in 45 caliber and a Vortex 4-16x44 HST scope. This system was money for me out to 500 yards. You can learn more about setting this muzzleloader up in this article: Go Long with the CVA Paramount Muzzleloader

For the 2024 hunting season, the UDWR went back to 1x power optics. Oh, how I wish they had never messed with this in the first place. Anyhow, it was time for me to find a new 1x optic for my muzzleloader, as well as Dallen's and Kaden's.

I initially thought that the Leupold Freedom RDS BDC with dialable MOA elevation turret would be the right optic for my Paramount with a 1 MOA red dot. I purchased one and right off the bat, I didn't like the clarity of the advertised "1 MOA" sized red dot. The red dot looks larger than 1 MOA in size to me and is rather fuzzy for my eyes. I also found reflections within the optic to be quite annoying. You can see internal parts within the scope reflected in your view, things like a white rectangle around where the red dot is projected from. Because of this, I passed this optic along to Dallen for his CVA Accura V2 muzzleloader. The Leupold Freedom RDS is working great for him and he is dialing up shots out to 250 and drilling the targets.

With Utah hunters needing 1x optics Vortex brought back their 1x24 muzzleloader scope. I thought about getting another one of these scopes but having already used one in the past felt there has to be something better.

An EOTECH XPS2 Holographic Sight looked very intriguing. The technology they use on this red dot sight does indeed produce a very fine sub MOA sized red dot. If they were not so expensive and I didn't have to turn them on to see the sight, I might be using one of these optics. A friend of mine has one on an AR rifle and let me look through it. They are nice. Another bonus is that you could mount a magnifier on the rail behind the optic to help with sighting it in, just remove the magnifier for hunting, of course.

Ultimately, a Primary Arms SLx 1X MicroPrism with an ACSS reticle is what Kaden and I have went with for our muzzleloaders. This is a true scope with the reticle etched in the glass. You can illuminate the reticle but so far I have preferred to shoot with the illumination turned off. The chevron aiming point is really small and gives me great target holding options out to 300+ yards. 

Primary Arms has two very similar models, the SLx (Silver series) and the GLx (Gold series). The SLx is made in China and the GLx is made in the Philippines. I have been very happy with my SLx but from what I can tell the biggest upgrade with the GLx is that it should be a little brighter with better glass.

At the range, I have been dead on out to 300 yards with the Primary Arms 1x microprism on my Paramount muzzleloader. 

If the Primary Arms SLx had a dialable turret with a zero stop, I believe shots out to 400 yards or more with a muzzleloader like the CVA Paramount could be very doable with some practice.

Kaden initially went with an older Bushnell HOLOSight (same technology as EOTECH sights). After missing a buck during the 2024 muzzleloader deer season with the HOLOsight, we decided to upgrade to a Primary Arms SLx 1X MicroPrism like mine, except he went with the FDE color while mine is black.

My top 1x optics for Muzzleloaders

#1 Primary Arms SLx or GLx 1x Microprism Scopes

• These scopes are true scopes with a reticle etched in glass (no need to worry about a battery failure)
• You can illuminate the reticle if you want, but I have never felt the need to do so in the field
• The chevron aiming point is crisp and provides excellent hold over aim points out to 300 yards with my muzzleloader (see hold over images below)
• The price is reasonable for the quality of optics and compared to other 1x optic offerings
• A dialable turret with a zero stop would make this scope the bomb. If you could dial a shot and use the very tip of the Chevron for your aiming point, I feel you could extend your range beyond 300 yards with these scopes

#2 Vortex Crossfire II 1x24 Scope

• Like my favorite SLx 1x scope, this is a true scope with no batteries required
• This is the most affordable option and a good quality scope
• The full-length side-to-side and top-to-bottom duplex crosshairs make it difficult for me to shoot past 200 yards, as too much of the target is obstucted from vision 
• This scope needs a floating dot reticle with a one MOA or less dot in the center and dialable target style turrets with a zero stop and it would be amazing

#3 EOTECH XPS2 Holographic Sight

• These sights are of very high quality
• This is a holographic sight using a laser to illuminate a recorded hologram and is truly one MOA or less in size, making a very fine aiming point
• With the small aiming point, you could effectively take shots out to 300 yards using hold overs with a faster shooting muzzleloader
• Batteries are required and extra time is needed to turn the optic on and adjust the brightness in the possible excitement of a fleeting moment you have to take a shot
• This optic is the highest-priced 1x optic I have seen

#4 Leupold Freedom RDS BDC

• The only 1x optic with a dialable elevation turret with a zero stop. This is a great feature
• This is a red dot sight that uses an LED light reflected off coated glass. It is advertised as a one MOA dot but it looks much larger to me and blurry in a slanting oval like shape. You can dim the light down to make the dot less blurry and smaller but then the dot is difficult to see in the daylight. The coated glass reflects a lot more than just the LED light. It is reflecting all sorts of other mechanisms inside the optic that can be distracting as you look through it
• Again, this requires a working battery and extra time to turn the optic on in the possible excitement of the moment
• Around 250 yards is where I think this optic maxes out, unless you can get the brightness of the dot way low and still be able to see your target
• The price is higher than the Primary Arms and Vortex options

Other Thoughts and Options 

Other microprism scopes and red dot sights I have looked into have larger aiming points than I would like. It is common to see 2 MOA dots and even 6 MOA dots. This is just too large to effectively take as long of shots as a true 1 MOA dot or the very crisp chevron aiming point of the Primary Arms ACSS Cyclops Reticle. The SwampFox Blade 1x25 prism scope might also be a decent option but I would have to see exactly how small the aiming point is and the aiming point does have a small line coming down from the chevron that would block more of the target.

These are my top picks. I have a muzzleloader capable of ethically taking big game out to 500 yards and beyond with a good variable power optic. You can watch me shooting steel at 475 yards in this article: Go Long with the CVA Paramount Muzzleloader. I know my muzzleloader can shoot longer distances and I'm looking for the best option to shoot effectively as far as possible, given the limits of the optic. I also don't like needing batteries for the optic to function and fiddling with turning it on and messing with the brightness settings in the moment of the hunt. Also, if I wasn't going to shoot past 200 yards, any of these optics would work fine.

In the images below you can see my holdover aiming points from Strelok. The chevron tip is 100 yards, the top corner of the bottom of the chevron is 200 yards and across the bottom edge is 300 yards as you can see in the images below.

Some related articles using 1x scopes

• 2025 Henry Mountain Muzzleloader Deer Hunt
• Nikon Buckmaster 1x20 Muzzleloader Scope
• Setting Up My New CVA Accura V2 with Vortex 1x24 Scope