Inteliscope: smartphone for smart hunting?

Is there anything a smartphone can’t do? Now there’s a device that turns an iPhone into an intelligent and feature-packed rifle scope.

The Inteliscope, which will be available in June, mounts an iPhone or iPod to a rifle via a Piccatinny or Weaver rail, giving the shooter a heads-up display of features ranging from crosshairs to ballistics data.

The American-made mount, which holds the smartphone in landscape or portrait position, allows shooters to use a host of features, including:

custom crosshairs
5x digital zoom
video recording from the shooter’s perspective
ballistics and firearm data
built-in compass
GPS position
local prevailing winds
shot timer
flashlight and strobe using built-in LED.

The Inteliscope’s makers say the app “brings critical ballistics and environmental insight to the shooter in real time”.

The mount is made from reinforced polymers with a rubberised finish and is ‘tactical’ in style to suit AR-15 type firearms, although it should work on any gun with the appropriate rail.

However, it is not clear how an iPhone or iPod will cope with recoil heavier than the light kick of a semi-automatic .223 like the AR-15.

The Inteliscope sells for $US69.99 and can be ordered online.

Mick Matheson

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Mick grew up with guns and journalism, and has included both in his career. A life-long hunter, he has long-distant military experience and holds licence categories A, B and H. In the glory days of print media, he edited six national magazines in total, and has written about, photographed and filmed firearms and hunting for more than 15 years.