Best Budget Scope

Does your budget include the rings? I'm 100% on board with Arken Scopes. I have an EP5 (outside of your current budget) that I've used on a CZ457 MTR (22lr) and a CZ600 Trail (.223) without issue. I'm so impressed that I'm currently also looking for a scope in your budget window and planning to get an Arken EP4 or SH4J.

Watch some YouTube reviews etc. I get it though, it's tough for people to buy outside of the "established" manufacturers, but I have no regrets. The customer service I got from Robbie at Shooting Warehouse Sport Optics (where I buy my Arken stuff) was 5/5 star.
 
Lots of options in your budget depending on what you are setting yourself up for.
A used recent production Redfield is made by Leupold and is a great scope, with new rings expect to shell out about $3-400 ($200 to $300 for the scope, about $100 for new rings).
A Sig Sauer Buckmaster 3-12x44 was $280 with taxes new so with a set of new Talley’s just at $400 all in.
Nice scope for the money.
The Burris scopes are nice too but you pretty much need a picatinny rail to set eye relief as they’re fairly short between the erector and the objective. If your model already has a rail then you’re golden but if not it’s more money.
If you want a high magnification scope with all the bells and whistles an Arken EP5 used is close to your price point but I don’t think you’ll find a used one with rings at $500, if you can stretch the budget they’re a nice scope for the price.
Not uncommon to find used Vortex Vipers for $350 to $450.
 
KodiakHntr said:
What are you going to use the rifle for is probably the first question you need to answer….
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Fair… I’m new to all of this. First rifle. Will be doing a lot range shooting to cut my teeth. Know some guys that hunt coyotes. Will likely take a stab at that. Can’t hunt anything else in this zone with a rifle.
 
Miller326 said:
Fair… I’m new to all of this. First rifle. Will be doing a lot range shooting to cut my teeth. Know some guys that hunt coyotes. Will likely take a stab at that. Can’t hunt anything else in this zone with a rifle.
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That’s reasonable. So you probably want something with a simple crosshair, and capped turrets.
Don’t worry about getting too caught up in the tech out there.
You could do worse than a Burris Fullfield E1.
 
Id be putting a minimum 6x18 on that rifle

Look for a used Bushnell elite made in Japan of course

I will even take the ones with the AO over the new garbage most manufacturers put out these days
 
I'm a huge fan of the Diamondback Tactical FFP scopes. I have 4-14 and a 6-24. I would suggest a 4-14 would be more suitable to your needs.

The other scope I have been happy with is the Athlon Talos BTR Gen 2 4-14. It is FFP and has an illuminated reticle. It's been on my .308 Win for the past 2 years and held up quite well.

I'm suggesting a FFP scope since you can use the reticle at different magnifications which is useful for coyotes at different ranges. I do like illuminated reticles in lower light.
 
That fiscal budget is probably the biggest band of optics on the market today (especially when you consider used), so as others have mentioned, you really should nail down what you want the rifle to do. For field shooting, glass quality counts more than magnification usually... but yotes at range still requires a fair amount of magnification. For your described use case... i would look hard at the Arken EPL-4 VHR MIL 4-16x. At around $500 it gives you FFP, a really, really good illuminated reticle, reasonable weight... and will not hold you back on a flat range if you start pushing out to the limits of your rifle and skill. Of course nothing wrong with a traditional hunting optic... but if you want to shoot groups beyond 200 yards... you will quickly wish you had more. The Arken gives you ceiling to grow.
 
Look for a used Bushnell 3200 or 4200. The 4200 might be pushing the budget a little but I’ve had a 3200 for most of the last 20 years or so. 4-12AO in my case, and I think that would be a good power range for a 223 hunting gun.

I think (for target) there was a 7-21x (might not be remembering that exactly) and a 5-15X or something. 3-9 and 4-12 most common
 
I’ve picked up a couple of new Riton scopes that were on sale and thus in your price range from site sponsors. Haven’t had a chance to try them out yet as my range has been unusable due to weather and snow. However, I find the glass to be exceptionally clear as mounted on rifles. They have a very good reputation to boot.

Just to give you an idea, I put a 3-15X with an illuminated reticle and 30mm tube on a Tikka CTR in .308. The scope was ~$425 to my door.
 
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Chuckbuster said:
I’ve picked up a couple of new Riton scopes that were on sale and thus in your price range from site sponsors. Haven’t had a chance to try them out yet as my range has been unusable due to weather and snow. However, I find the glass to be exceptionally clear as mounted on rifles. They have a very good reputation to boot.

Just to give you an idea, I put a 3-15X with an illuminated reticle and 30mm tube on a Tikka CTR in .308. The scope was ~$425 to my door.
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I just won a 2-12x44 30mm tube Riton on SFRC's auction. Shipped today. $360 to my door, even with the auction fees etc.

I also have an illum New gen Burris 2-8x35 illuminated - also seems really nice.

I don't have them mounted - but find it hard to pass up some deals. Maybe time to get some more rifles lol.
 
Miller326 said:
Fair… I’m new to all of this. First rifle. Will be doing a lot range shooting to cut my teeth. Know some guys that hunt coyotes. Will likely take a stab at that. Can’t hunt anything else in this zone with a rifle.
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Righton. Welcome to Gunnutz and welcome to our sport!

For a good quality value optic, I’d take a hard look at the Vortex Crossfire HD line. These are a resent upgrade from the old Crossfire II and have improved lens coatings, a few new features, and are still priced modestly. Vortex also has an excellent, essentially unlimited warranty.

If you’re willing to consider used scopes, keep an eye out for anything Vortex and Leupold (both have excellent unlimited warranty that doesn’t matter whether you’re the first owner or bought it used). Burris and Riton also make great scopes, but tend to be a little heavier than comparable products and don’t come with much warranty, to my knowledge. A couple other guys have mentioned Arken, I have no experience with these but see a lot of good reviews.

If it’ll mostly be a range toy, I’d definitely try for something that tops out at least 12x power, though you may want something at 14-16x. Keep in mind though that the higher you go with magnification and larger the lenses, you quickly get into a much heavier optic, which can make hunting with the rifle a lot more of a task.

Good luck!
 
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