Mueller designed their 3-10x44mm Tac II to bridge the gap between specialty tactical riflescopes and every-day hunting scopes. It is Mueller's top of the line model; a deluxe, four-star scope made in Japan and supplied with a Mildot reticle and target knobs. This 3-10x44 offers excellent optics, a comparatively wide field of view and adequate eye relief for use on high power rifles.

The 3-10x44 Tac II is built on a one-inch diameter, matte black anodized, aluminum alloy main tube. Inside that tube are fully multi-coated lenses. The fingertip adjustable, ¼ MOA windage and elevation adjustments offer a whopping 95 MOA range and the mildot reticle always remains centered. Eyepiece focus is of the European fast-focus style, which we prefer. All Mueller Tac II scopes are covered by Mueller's transferable Limited Lifetime Warranty.

It may be something of a trade secret, but the fact is that the 3-10x44 Tac II is produced for Mueller in the same factory that makes the very highly regarded Sightron SIIB Big Sky riflescopes. This accounts for its similarity in many ways to a Sightron Big Sky, which is a Guns and Shooting Online staff favorite.

Here are the features and specifications of the Tac II 3-10x44mm riflescope:

• Item number: MTAC31044
• Fully multi-coated, camera quality, crystal lenses for superior brightness and contrast
• All weather high-torque power change ring
• ¼″ windage and elevation adjustments with audible click stops and easy fingertip turrets (no tools required)
• Maximum internal adj.: Elevation 95moa / Windage 90 MOA
• Parallax setting: 100 yards
• FOV @ 100 yards: 36′–11.4′
• Weight: 15.5 oz
• Eye relief: 3.40″
• Overall length: 12.625″
• Exit pupil: 14.6mm–4.4mm
• Fast focus ocular bell
• Nitrogen filled, waterproof, fog proof and shockproof
• 1″ tube construction with matte black finish to minimize glare
• 2008 MSRP: $299.95

We installed the Mueller 3-10x44mm Tac II on a new Browning X-Bolt .308 rifle for this review and found that, among its other features, the 3-10x44 Tac II provides clear, contrasty views of the target. Sharpness and brightness are good for a scope in this price range. There is some fall-off in resolution at the edge of the field of view and some residual coma, but neither are particularly intrusive. The multi-coatings do a good job of controlling lens flare. The windage and elevation adjustments were accurate and repeatable, as well as being easy to use. The bottom line is that this Mueller scope worked as it should.

The mildot reticle provides an accurate point of aim and, since mildot reticles are designed to be used at 10 power magnification and this Mueller scope's maximum power is 10x, you need only wind the magnification ring to its maximum setting to get the full benefit of the mildot "ballistic" reticle.

For readers not familiar with the use of Mildot reticles, here is Mueller's explanation of how to range-find a whitetail deer with a Mildot reticle:

"Let's say the average height of a Whitetail’s body (bottom of belly to top of back) is 18″. We know that one mil = 3.6″ @ 100yds, which means the Whitetails body will be 5 mils @ 100yds (18″ ÷ 3.6 = 5) or 2.5 mils @ 200yds (18″ ÷ 7.2 = 2.5) or even 1 mil @ 500yds (18" ÷ 18 = 1). By knowing your range, you can then switch over to using the Mildot reticle for BDC (bullet drop compensation). By calculating your BDC and knowing where on the reticle to hold over for the specific range allows you to make extremely accurate shots never before thought possible. Another useful trick is using the zoom setting to put one of the mildots exactly where your point of impact is for that specific range. Accurate mildot calculations are based off the scope being set @ 10×. Knowing how to range-find with the mildot reticle also limits motion as opposed to using a completely separate range-finding unit."

We were able to take advantage of the Mildot reticle in an unexpected way when, in the course of testing the Browning X-Bolt rifle at 100 yards with a variety of ammunition, we found that it grouped the Federal Low Recoil 170 grain .308 load so low that it was almost off of the paper. The simple solution with that load was to aim using the first dot beneath the intersection point of the crosshair, which raised the point of impact just about the right amount.

In conclusion, we feel confident recommending the Mueller Tac II to any shooter in the market for a 3-10 power riflescope. At a 2008 retail price of only $299.95, this high quality scope is a real bargain. See the Mueller web site (www.muelleroptics.com) for details.