Detailed Guide on Scopes and Sights

A collection of uniform screencaps comparing the available scope and sight mods for your weapons, as well as various other nice-to-know details.
Scopes and sights are surprisingly varied in zoom levels and how much screenspace they take up.
There's no way to compare these aspects of them without installing them one-at-a-time and inspecting them in the Safehouse, so I went ahead and did it for you.

Just for the record

• The in-game resolution I've taken these screencaps at is 1280x1024 (5:4). If you use a resolution with a wider aspect ratio, you will see more empty space on the sides of scopes.
  
• The field-of-view in these shots is at the game's maximum, 100%.
  
• Unless specified otherwise, shots are taken with the mod attached to the CAR-4 rifle, the R93 sniper rifle, or the Crosskill pistol.
  
• For all sights and scopes except for the sniper scopes, the red circle reticule was selected to best show the reticule size variance.
  
• I took these screencaps without the Rifleman Aced skill.
  
• All shots were taken hugging the center of the shooting range counter for the sake of uniformity.
  
• If you're wondering how to hide the HUD, the option becomes available in the video settings after you have started a mission. The HUD will come back on when the mission ends.

General Information

Stability/Concealment stats

All sights have the same stability bonus. However, it varies by what gun you are modding with the sight. Different guns will recieve varying stability bonuses from attaching a sight or scope mod. However, the concealment penalty varies based solely on the sight being installed.

Sights on sniper rifles

When mounting a sight or scope onto a sniper rifle, it has significantly less zoom than mounting the same sight on another type of gun. Whether this is intentional or not is unknown.

(Acough Optic Scope mounted on the CAR-4 rifle and the R93 sniper rifle respectively)

Sights of unusual size

The size of weapon sights (and so how much screen space they occupy, as well as reticule size) will vary based on the size of the gun they are modded to. The level of zoom will remain the same however.

(Military Red Dot Sight mounted on a CAR-4 rifle and Deagle pistol respectively)

Rifleman Aced

The Rifleman Aced skill in the Technician tree will increase your zoom level by 25% for assault rifles and sniper rifles. Other weapons are unaffected.

(See More Sight without and with the Rifleman Aced skill respectively)

Aim sensitivity compensation

Unlike most other games, your aim sensitivity is NOT compensated for varying zoom levels when aiming. Sights with high zoom levels will have the same level of aiming sensitivity as sights with lower zoom levels. This may result in sights with high zoom being more difficult to control.

Universal Scopes and Sights

Note: These mods listed here are ordered based on their order in the modification menu.

Default Ironsights

• No Stability bonus, nor concealment penalty
  
• Very minor zoom, may or may not vary by gun

Military Red Dot Sight (Loot Bag variation)

• Concealment penalty: 3
  
• Zoom level: High

This is a special variation of the normal Military Red Dot Sight that comes with the Loot Bag DLC, which is a preorder bonus. The only differences it has to the standard variation is a significant cost reduction and a few visual differences, the most notable being the picture in the lens cap.

Holographic Sight

• Concealment penalty: 2
  
• Zoom level: Moderate

The Professional's Choice Sight

• Concealment penalty: 1
  
• Zoom level: Moderate

Surgeon Sight

• Concealment penalty: 1
  
• Zoom level: Low

Acough Optic Scope

• Concealment penalty: 3
  
• Zoom level: Very High

Added in Update #20 (Dec 16th, 2013). Very sniper-esque.

Military Red Dot Sight (Standard variation)

• Concealment penalty: 3
  
• Zoom level: High
  
• Patriotic

Milspec Scope

• Concealment penalty: 3
  
• Zoom level: High

See More Sight

• Concealment penalty: 1
  
• Zoom level: Moderate

Part of the Armored Transport DLC.

Combat Sight

• Concealment penalty: 1
  
• Zoom level: Moderate
  
• Courier pack: Blue Eagle

Part of the Gage Mod Courier DLC.

Compact Holosight

• Concealment penalty: 2
  
• Zoom level: Moderate
  
• Courier pack: Green Mantis

Part of the Gage Mod Courier DLC.

Speculator Sight

• Concealment penalty: 1
  
• Zoom level: Moderate
  
• Courier pack: Green Mantis

Part of the Gage Mod Courier DLC.

Trigonom Sight

• Concealment penalty: 1
  
• Zoom level: High
  
• Courier pack: Yellow Bull

Part of the Gage Mod Courier DLC.

Solar Sight

• Concealment penalty: 2
  
• Zoom level: High
  
• Courier pack: Blue Eagle

Part of the Gage Mod Courier DLC.

Sniper Rifle Scopes

All sniper rifles and their specialized scopes are part of the Gage Sniper Pack DLC.

It's worth noting that a rather infamous issue exists with the overlays used for sniper scopes. The sniper rifles will always shoot dead-center of the screen, but the scope and reticule sways randomly from the center of the screen, and occassionally an issue will come up where the scope is offset by a moderate amount. Using a laser module can help compensate for this issue with the scope, or you can install a non-sniper scope.

Default Sniper Scope

• No stability bonus nor concealment penalty (Even though the scope takes up more physical space than other sights and scopes)
  
• Zoom Level: High
  
• Used by default for all sniper rifles
  
• Cannot change the reticule design or color

Theia Magnified Scope

• Concealment penalty: 3
  
• Zoom Level: Unmatched
  
• Rewarded for completing the "Didn't See That Coming Did You?" achievement.
  
• Displays a Range Finder, measuring distance in meters to what you are currently aiming at. Most practical use is for achievements like Far, Far Away.
  
• Automatically tags enemies in stealth, and specials outside of stealth.

Pistol Sights

Bronco and Deagle scope mounts

The Bronco and Deagle pistols can use non-specialized scopes and sights, but require the Bronco Scope Mount and Deagle Scope Mount respectively, which are only available through the Gage Mod Courier DLC. The scopes will also appear significantly smaller due to the size of the guns, but will have the same zoom level (see General Information).

Default Ironsight

• No bonuses or penalties
  
• Zoom level: Minimal, may or may not vary by gun

Marksman Sight

• Accuracy bonus: 2
  
• Stability bonus varies
  
• No concealment penalty
  
• Zoom level: Very low
  
• Only attachable to the Crosskill, Bernetti 9, and Deagle pistols.

Pistol Red Dot Sight

• Accuracy bonus: 2
  
• No stability bonus
  
• Concealment penalty: 1
  
• Zoom level: Low
  
• Courier pack: Purple Snake
  
• Attachable to all pistols except the Bronco.

Part of the Gage Mod Courier DLC.

Last words

If you see any misinformation or typos that need correcting, please leave a comment.
Keep those helmets flying, clowns.

Changelog

• 09/27/14 - Guide published

Credits

• Thanks to Senku Niola for providing a screenshot with the one weapon sight I lacked.
  
• Thanks to the Payday Wiki[payday.wikia.com] for serving as my cheat sheet for some facts.

[unhelpful player]

How do i use a secondary scope, like not the main one on the top, but the other one on the side?

[Auber]

Add sex (erotic)

[iRoboFw0ggy]

Can you update this guide to include the new Box Buddy and Reconnaissance Sight as well as the Riktpunkt Magnifier Gadget?

[「La+ Darknesss ⸸」]

I think you forgot the Flip-sight on Raven Shotgun and GL40

[DAE]

Good jab Here's a melon for your effort

[Diara]

I thank you

[gasoline huffing enjoyer]

This was very useful, I always used Milspec Scope for my Marksman Rifles but now I use Acough Scope!

[Talon]

Awesome work.

[JackKnife (Day)]

Vary informative, can't believe i didn't look for this sooner.

[Jack of Blades]

Very useful! Thanks!