Best Sub $750 optic for target and varmint - 2025

[Freedom Thirty-Five]

Another one of these threads sorry in advance. I am looking for a scope that is around the 5-25 power. Sub $750. I want at least 5 on the low end 25 on the max. FFP IR MIL, 34mm tube. This gun will sit on a varmint and target trainer rifle. I will also use it for 600 yard PRS matches. The gun is chambered in 223 with a throat and magazine that can accommodate heavy for caliber high bc bullets that the 22 arc would launch. My goal is to shoot varmint out to 600 yards. So my need on the clarity side is at 25 power I want to be able to see coyotes/dogs etc. at 600 yards.

I have looked at the following and am having trouble because I cannot look through them all side by side. Main contenders are strike eagle 5-25x56, Arken EP5 5-25 and the Gen 2 Athlon Ares ETR 4.5-30. I've never owned athlon or looked through one. The reticle seems good but I've read they have some tunneling. I really like on the strike eagles how the eyebox has almost no tunneling the body just disappears. The arken reticle and ir is actually preferred, I have found in low light fully illuminated reticles really block your vision. The strike eagles ilum is too much and not useful for low light. So in summary arken has preferred reticle as it's kind of hybrid target and hunting, strike eagle for the thin eyebox effect and athlon ares I have no experience and I hear lots of hyperbole on glass quality which I no longer believe what I read on the Internet lol. My thought is the glass on all three should be relatively close but you have people saying arken is just as good as night force atacr, same thing with ares oddly enough there are hyperbolic reviews of the strike eagle as well as a lot of people call them pieces of shit lol. Your insight and expertise is greatly appreciated...

 

[DeathBeforeDismount]

Something from Vortex or Athlon. IF/when it shits the bed, they will take care of you.

You aren't getting good glass for under 2K, so be sure to manage expectations.

Check that, you can get good glass (vortex LHT) but the other features will be lacking (eyebox, turrets, build quality). Maybe a Ziess S3 or something. But you will need to more than double your budget.

Anyone saying Arken is as good as NF or anything else in that price tier is either A. Paid shill or B. Fucking Retard.

You get what you pay for in glass. Its the LAST thing you should cheap out on. But 25 years later explaining this to people on this site and it still needs to be explained.

 

[BobinNC]

Something from Vortex or Athlon. IF/when it shits the bed, they will take care of you.

You aren't getting good glass for under 2K, so be sure to manage expectations.

Check that, you can get good glass (vortex LHT) but the other features will be lacking (eyebox, turrets, build quality). Maybe a Ziess S3 or something. But you will need to more than double your budget.

Anyone saying Arken is as good as NF or anything else in that price tier is either A. Paid shill or B. Fucking Retard.

You get what you pay for in glass. Its the LAST thing you should cheap out on. But 25 years later explaining this to people on this site and it still needs to be explained.

That's because "glass" is the most overrated item in the optics spectrum when it comes to rifle scopes. Your scopes mission is not to read news papers at 500 + yds. It's to put rounds on targets. In most cases if you can see your target thru the scope glass, you can hit, as long as your adjustments are true, you can read the wind, know your loads dope, practice at range, manage mirage, establish good trigger control and have a good rest.

Notice in most of the cases that a civvy finds themselves in, none of the above have anything to do with "glass quality".

And yes, you do get what you pay for in optics, but "glass quality" is only one of many bennies you get when spending more $ on a scope. And by far one of lessor importance, compared to build quality, service after purchase, good reticle design, and robust & repeatable adjustments, just to name a few.

Just a minor example: Athlon Helos 2-12x42mm costs less than $500. Leupold's Mark 5HD 2-10x30 with illumination cost $2500.

I've shot side by side other shooters with my little Helos and their "better" Leupold and their better "glass quality" in the Leupy meant exactly ziltch.

Now as we go up in scope power, say from 20x and up, glass quality or lack thereof really shows up in overall clarity and light transmission. Yet those very high scope powers in use are often negated by mirage, rendering them near useless often.

None of this is to say don't spend big money on rifle optics, but rather consider all elements in your proposed optics package, of which "glass quality" is just one of many elements that rounds out a rifle scope.

 

[Freedom Thirty-Five]

Something from Vortex or Athlon. IF/when it shits the bed, they will take care of you.

You aren't getting good glass for under 2K, so be sure to manage expectations.

Check that, you can get good glass (vortex LHT) but the other features will be lacking (eyebox, turrets, build quality). Maybe a Ziess S3 or something. But you will need to more than double your budget.

Anyone saying Arken is as good as NF or anything else in that price tier is either A. Paid shill or B. Fucking Retard.

You get what you pay for in glass. Its the LAST thing you should cheap out on. But 25 years later explaining this to people on this site and it still needs to be explained.

I could be persuaded to spend more than $750. However it would be hard to justify an $1800 for a scope. I have an allowance each year of $6000 for everything I buy whether it be hiking boots, scopes, guns, ammo so if I want to get out and shoot I need to leave room for ammo in all of this. I do reload and buy powder by the jug. This one one of the reasons I built the 223 rifle is to get more range time.

 

[Freedom Thirty-Five]

That's because "glass" is the most overrated item in the optics spectrum when it comes to rifle scopes. Your scopes mission is not to read news papers at 500 + yds. It's to put rounds on targets. In most cases if you can see your target thru the scope glass, you can hit, as long as your adjustments are true, you can read the wind, know your loads dope, practice at range, manage mirage, establish good trigger control and have a good rest.

Notice in most of the cases that a civvy finds themselves in, none of the above have anything to do with "glass quality".

And yes, you do get what you pay for in optics, but "glass quality" is only one of many bennies you get when spending more $ on a scope. And by far one of lessor importance, compared to build quality, service after purchase, good reticle design, and robust & repeatable adjustments, just to name a few.

Just a minor example: Athlon Helos 2-12x42mm costs less than $500. Leupold's Mark 5HD 2-10x30 with illumination cost $2500.

I've shot side by side other shooters with my little Helos and their "better" Leupold and their better "glass quality" in the Leupy meant exactly ziltch.

Now as we go up in scope power, say from 20x and up, glass quality or lack thereof really shows up in overall clarity and light transmission. Yet those very high scope powers in use are often negated by mirage, rendering them near useless often.

None of this is to say don't spend big money on rifle optics, but rather consider all elements in your proposed optics package, of which "glass quality" is just one of many elements that rounds out a rifle scope.

I totally agree. I do a lot of target practice as well as positional shooting in PRS and 22 PRS. I have used a venom and it works great on high conteast targets and has tracked well for me. At 25x at 600 yards a prairie dog is a smudge and spotting impacts is just about impossible with the venom. It also gives me a headache lol.

 

[DeathBeforeDismount]

There is always onlyfans.

 

[Simonsza1]

Do people actually say arken is as good as nightforce? That’s one of the most hilarious things I’ve ever heard.

 

[steve101610]

I would save more and get into the $1500-2000 range. I bought an arken ep5 to see what all the hype was about and it’s just hype. It does what any other $600 scope will do and nothing more. People that glorify the arkens are either paid for it or just don’t know any better. If you set your budget at $750 you’re just going to be disappointed and eventually spend more later to upgrade so you might as well buy once and be happy.

 

[Simonsza1]

If your budget is firm then buy a $500 used strike eagle in the px and roll with it. It’s probably the best of that bunch and the warranty is easy peasy if something goes wrong. Arken customer service sucks big fat ones.

 

[carbonbased]

At 25x at 600 yards a prairie dog is a smudge and spotting impacts is just about impossible with the venom.

Out on public land in ND, pdog shooting is often at 300-450yds. Sometimes 200yds. It’s because the towns on public land are routinely shot at. I’ve found some towns off the beaten path that I can actually stalk the critters with a suppressed 22LR. That’s fun!

Anyway, I use a Razor G2 4.5-27 on my main 204 rifle shooting the 40gr vmax factory Hornady ammo, and a 500yd shot is very iffy with that setup (2.0 mil horizontal correction, 15mph left—>right wind). It’s going to be basically the same correction with the 223 77gr TMK. And you’re not even at 600yds yet. A pdog is a bit smudgy at 500 with the Razor (edit: midday on a hot day)…at 600? Lol.

I’ve done a 510yd shot once, but had to walk it in. Maybe 6-7 shots. I could see the impacts on the dusty ground, but the mirage is tough at 27x on a hot day. 600 yds? Better attempt early in the morning when the mirage is largely absent.

The Vortex PST II 5-25 is a good scope. Not as good as the Razor G2, but it’s decent. Can’t directly compare it to your other Chinese choices as I’ve never shot them. But I’ve used it out to 300yds on a 17 Hornet with no problem, and for kicks, even attempted 450yds. I could see fine. Didn’t hit the target as 17 Hornet blows all over and really is out of gas at 300. But 600? Not sure how well the view will look.

The DNT 7-35 has people like it when it’s sunny out; not so much in challenging conditions (low light, overcast/low contrast, etc). Not sure how it handles mirage. Nice holdover reticle. Edit: it’s under $750. Or at least it was before tariffs at Cameraland.

Viper HD is the replacement/upgrade. But the PST can be had for $650 new at Midway. The 2D reticle was a special run done and it’s awesome. Similar to the 2C, and offers a clear view for varmint shooting.

Vortex Optics Viper PST Gen 2 Rifle Scope 5-25x 50mm EBR-2D MRAD

The Vortex Viper PST Gen II hands an unfair advantage to shooters who seek to keep the upper hand in every situation from close quarters to long-range...

www.midwayusa.com

 

[Jojo417]

Out of your options listed, the gen 2 ares smokes them. The glass is better, the controls are better, and Athlon has a killer warranty.

I also have one posted for sale in the classified section.

 

[Agracer]

CDOES rates the Bushnell Match Pro ED every bit as good ad the $500 more Vortex PDS G2. I have one, and it's very good out 500yards.