How to choose a night vision riflescope
Match the recoil rating to your rifle
Luna rates the Quantum Elite for rimfire and small centerfire rifles, up to 18.5 ft-lb of recoil energy, and the G3 for rimfire and air rifles, so check your load before you choose one. PARD rates the Night Stalker scopes to 6,000 J of recoil.
Infrared: built in, in the box or added
Every Luna Optics scope here has a built-in 850 nm illuminator. Three Night Stalker kits include one: the 4K 2.0 50mm and 5K eX with a detachable module, and the 4K Mini with a TL3. The 4K 2.0 70mm, 4K eX and Mini 35mm come without one, for hunters who add an illuminator later.
Magnification
For close cover, the Night Stalker Mini 35mm runs 3x to 6x and the 4K Mini 3x to 12x. For open fields, the 70mm Night Stalkers start at 5.5x to 6.5x, and the Luna 6-36x50 at 6x.
Frequently Asked Questions
Night vision or thermal on a rifle?
Thermal is the better detector: it reads heat, in any weather and through smoke. Digital night vision is the better identifier: it shows the scene in visible detail and works as a color day scope. For the other choice, see our thermal riflescopes.
Which night vision riflescopes ship to California?
The Night Stalker 4K 2.0 70mm, 4K eX and Mini 35mm. We do not ship scopes with an illuminator built in or in the box to California addresses (California Penal Code 468): every Luna Optics scope here, and the Night Stalker 4K 2.0 50mm, 4K Mini and 5K eX kits. The IL1 and TL3 illuminators are not sold there either.
Do night vision riflescopes record video?
Every one here does, to a microSD card: up to 128 GB on the Night Stalker and the G3, and up to 512 GB on the Quantum Elite, which records in 4K.
To weigh the two technologies, read Thermal vs Night Vision for Hunting, and for picks by budget, Best Night Vision Rifle Scopes 2026.