Best 1x Muzzleloader Scope

Skip the history of our 1x scope experience and jump straight to our top 1x muzzleloader scope choices.

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 the now-discontinued 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 shoot past that range.

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 muzzleloaders.

I initially thought that the Leupold Freedom RDS BDC with a 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.

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.

In 2024, Kaden and I went with Primary Arms SLx 1X MicroPrism with an ACSS Cyclops reticles 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 might 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 with ACSS Cyclops reticle had a dialable turret with a zero stop, I believe shots out to 400 yards or more with a muzzleloader like the CVA Endura could be doable with some practice.

What are our top 1x optics for Muzzleloaders?

Let me preface this list by saying that if I were only going to shoot 200 yards or less, all of the 1x optics listed here would work well. I generally lean toward optics with features that help extend your shooting range past 200 yards.

1. Western Optic MuzzlePro LR Dial-up Edition
2. Primary Arms SLx with ACSS Gemini 9mm Reticle
3. Western Optics MuzzlePro BDC
4. Primary Arms GLx or SLx with ACSS Cyclops reticle
5. Muzzle-Loaders Genesis
6. EOTECH XPS2 Holographic Sight
7. Leupold Freedom RDS BDC
8. Vortex Crossfire II
9. Athlon Optics Talos HMR
10. All other Red Dot sights

#1 Western Optic MuzzlePro LR Dial-up Edition

• Ultra-fine reticle
• Target-style elevation turret with solid clicks and zero-stop
• Best scope to extend your effective shooting range potentially beyond 400 yards. Yes, 400 yards and beyond with a 1x scope. Watch videos of long-range shots with the Western Optics 1x scope and learn more.

View this reticle on a target at 300 yards and learn more about this 1x muzzleloader scope: Western Optic MuzzlePro 1x Muzzleloader Scope

#2 Primary Arms SLx with ACSS Gemini 9mm Reticle 

• These scopes are true scopes with a reticle etched in glass (no need to worry about a battery failure or turning it on)
• You can illuminate the reticle if you want, but I have never felt the need to do so in the field
• 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.
• This optic only comes with an H1/T1 footprint with a really high mount for AR rifles. Shown on the packaging for the new H1/T1 version, it says " 2.26" riser mount & low mount included ", but they actually only come with the really high 2.26" mount. I recommend getting a low-mount for use with a muzzleloader.

Learn more about the Primary Arms 1x microscopes and see the reticles on targets at 300 yards in this article: 1x Primary Arms SLx ACSS Cyclops & Gemini 9mm Reticle

#3 Western Optic MuzzlePro BDC

• Ultra-fine reticle
• BDC reticle designed for ranges within 1x optics' effectiveness
• Good scope to extend your effective shooting range
• Same features as the Dial-Up version but without a zero-stop. You can still dial-up shots with this scope and Kaden is doing just that with this scope on his CVA MR-X.

View this reticle on a target at 300 yards and learn more about this 1x muzzleloader scope: Western Optic MuzzlePro 1x Muzzleloader Scope

#4 Primary Arms SLx or GLx 1x Microprism Scopes with ACSS Cyclops Reticle

• These scopes are true scopes with a reticle etched in glass (no need to worry about a battery failure or turning it on)
• You can illuminate the reticle if you want, but I have never felt the need to do so in the field
• The really small ACSS Cyclops chevron aiming point is crisp and provides excellent holdover aim points out to 300 yards with my CVA Paramount muzzleloader (see holdover images from Strelok ballistic app). Also, see actual photos of the reticle on a 300-yard target.
• 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.

Learn more about the Primary Arms 1x microscopes in this article: 1x Primary Arms SLx ACSS Cyclops & Gemini 9mm Reticle

#5 Muzzle-loaders Genesis 1x24mm MZ1104 Scope

• No batteries required. This is a true scope.
• Decent quality scope at a very affordable price. This scope is the least expensive of the scopes I have used and is strikingly similar to the Vortex Crossfire II for around $80 less.
• Around a 3+ MOA reticle thickness, blocking targets at extended ranges
• This scope does have a BDC Reticle, but being only a 1x scope, it is useless unless you are shooting truck-sized targets 675 to 1300 yards away. See why the BDC is too large in this article: Closer Look At The 1x Muzzle-Loaders Genesis & Vortex Crossfire II Scopes
• A very small 1 MOA or smaller dot in a floating-point dot reticle and add target turrets with a locking zero stop and this could be an amazing one-power "longer range" muzzleloader scope
• A major factor in me ranking this higher than other similar scopes is the low price of $120

See this article for greater details: Closer Look At The 1x Muzzle-Loaders Genesis & Vortex Crossfire II Scopes

#6 EOTECH XPS2 Holographic Sight

• These sights are 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 fast velocity using a higher BC bullet
• 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
• Like the SLx scope this is a scope with a small enough aining point that you can actually use it to shoot deer sized targets at 300 or more yards

#7 Leupold Freedom RDS BDC

• The only 1x optic with an exposed, 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 becomes 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 most 1x scope options
• A major factor for this not ranking higher is my dislike of red dots and the higher price
• A lot of people like this red dot and are able to shoot to 300 yards, but I'm not a fan of it.

See this article for greater details on this optic: Leupold Freedom RDS 1x Red Dot Muzzleloader Scope

#8 Vortex Crossfire II 1x24 Scope

• Like my favorite SLx 1x scope, this is a true scope with no batteries required
• This is a more 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 more of the target is obstructed from my vision 
• This scope needs a floating dot reticle with a one MOA or smaller dot in the center and dialable target-style turrets with a zero stop and it would be amazing

See this article for greater details: Closer Look At The 1x Muzzle-Loaders Genesis & Vortex Crossfire II Scopes

#9 Athlon Optics Talos HMR 1x24

• Very similar to the Western Optics MuzzlePro Dial-up Edition, except Athlon failed at the reticle size
• The dialable target turret looks good and gets a plus from me for having this option.
• You can see how thick the reticle is in this video from Ultimate Reloader. They have this Athlon 1x scope on a tricked-out Endura muzzleloader that is hitting targets at 700 yards with a variable-powered scope. If you watch toward the end, they take it out to a distance of a whole 100 yards and the reticle is covering a 4-inch target. They talk about how nice it is to dial for the 100-yard shot. LOL! 

#10 Red Dot Sights

• In general, red dot sights have very large aiming points covering up deer-sized targets at range
• Batteries are required
• Potentially requiring extra time to turn it on and adjust the brightness in the fleeting moment you have to take a shot
• I don't like them

Other 1x Scope Thoughts 

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 dislike needing batteries for the optic to function and fiddling with turning it on and adjusting the brightness settings during the hunt.

Other microprism scopes and red dot sights I have looked into have larger aiming points than I like. It is common to see 2 MOA dots and even 6 MOA dots. This is just too large to be able to see a deer-sized target at "loner" ranges. To effectively take longer shots, a true 1 MOA dot or the very crisp chevron aiming point of the Primary Arms ACSS Cyclops Reticle is needed.

Related Articles

• CVA Endura Muzzleloader Accuracy
• Western Optic MuzzlePro 1x Muzzleloader Scope
• Closer Look At The 1x Muzzle-Loaders Genesis & Vortex Crossfire II Scopes
• Why Blackhorn 209 is the Best Powder for Muzzleloaders
• 2025 Henry Mountain Muzzleloader Deer Hunt
• Go Long with the CVA Paramount Muzzleloader
• Nikon Buckmaster 1x20 Muzzleloader Scope
• Setting Up My New CVA Accura V2 with Vortex 1x24 Scope