Rifle Scopes Sub $500 scope recommendations

[Lightning8]

Burris Optics Closeouts

Designed, machined, and assembled in the United States, the Burris Xtreme Tactical riflescope is a prime example of expert riflescope craftsmanship. While supplies last, enjoy huge savings on select Burris Xtreme Tactical II & III riflescopes

www.eurooptic.com

 

[Halfnutz]

Burris Optics Closeouts

Designed, machined, and assembled in the United States, the Burris Xtreme Tactical riflescope is a prime example of expert riflescope craftsmanship. While supplies last, enjoy huge savings on select Burris Xtreme Tactical II & III riflescopes

www.eurooptic.com

Beat me to it.

 

[Scopeye]

I suppose I should say "my" fixed and my SWFA 3-15 had/have poor IQ. I had a 10x around 15 years ago, a 20x about a year or two after that, then when the FFP 3-15's came out I bought two.
The 20x and both 3-15's were disappointing glass wise and 10x not much better.
I kept one 3-15 because it focuses close but I'm tired of it because I used it on a pcp all week when I went camping and at this point in my life its a issue I don't want to deal with. Also that $2700 pcp deserves better.

The Athlon Argos BTR 6-24x50 FFP scopes have superior IQ than both my 3-15's did/do/sold one to a friend. The three friends comparing two SWFA's and three Argos agreed with me.
Hopefully SWFA corrected the IQ in these but I'm not buying one to find out.

I pretty much quit buying any more SWFA SS 3-15x42 scopes as well which seem to be behind in their glass department compared to modern day Chinese made scopes in the same price range or cheaper. They do seem to be very reliable though and their fixed 10x is a decent scope when they go on sale for $220.

How are you liking your new $699 Meopta Optika 6 5-30x56? I think it's a much better buy compared to the Athlon Ares ETR 4.5-30x56 and Cronus BTR G2 4.5-29x56.

 

[steve123]

I pretty much quit buying any more SWFA SS 3-15x42 scopes as well which seem to be behind in their glass department compared to modern day Chinese made scopes in the same price range or cheaper. They do seem to be very reliable though and their fixed 10x is a decent scope when they go on sale for $220.

How are you liking your new $699 Meopta Optika 6 5-30x56? I think it's a much better buy compared to the Athlon Ares ETR 4.5-30x56 and Cronus BTR G2 4.5-29x56.

All scopes can and do break, right?! The SWFA 3-15 that I sold to a friend broke one day when I went to spot for him. The side focus knob fell off when he was using it. He sent it back and the scope was replaced.
They all tracked well which is the attribute we like about them the most but nowadays we can have our cake and eat it too with other brands.

I wrote a short review on AGN in the optics forum about my Meopta. All scopes have positives and negatives some of which are personal preference.
For me the IQ made it a keeper for now but if that wasn't the main consideration I'd take a Helos G2 over it and of course more so the ETR's.
The short of it;
Tool less elevation cap is cool, glass cool, and I like the thicker and simpler Mildot3 reticle which is what I wanted for a change of pace.
Turret click lines don't line up well with line on housing and are a bit light feeling, no rev indicator on the stem?!?!, windage turret is light enough it'll turn by accident at some point. Not cool.
The rest of the scope is fine.

 

[Scopeye]

All scopes can and do break, right?! The SWFA 3-15 that I sold to a friend broke one day when I went to spot for him. The side focus knob fell off when he was using it. He sent it back and the scope was replaced.
They all tracked well which is the attribute we like about them the most but nowadays we can have our cake and eat it too with other brands.

I wrote a short review on AGN in the optics forum about my Meopta. All scopes have positives and negatives some of which are personal preference.
For me the IQ made it a keeper for now but if that wasn't the main consideration I'd take a Helos G2 over it and of course more so the ETR's.
The short of it;
Tool less elevation cap is cool, glass cool, and I like the thicker and simpler Mildot3 reticle which is what I wanted for a change of pace.
Turret click lines don't line up well with line on housing and are a bit light feeling, no rev indicator on the stem?!?!, windage turret is light enough it'll turn by accident at some point. Not cool.
The rest of the scope is fine.

What's AGN?

Active Galactic Nuclei shows up according to Google search...

 

[PewZ]

Personally I like the Athlon Helos G2 DMR 2-12 or the 4-20.

For hunting or fast shooting I'd get the DMR because it has a thicker reticle that's visible on 2x.

I've used it from 10y to shoot fly's, win our PFT state match, and hit steel out to 1122y no problem.

I believe this is what I'm going to go with. Slightly smaller scope, reticle that I like, illumination, and locking turrets. It's a win for me

 

[tacoman69]

I pretty much quit buying any more SWFA SS 3-15x42 scopes as well which seem to be behind in their glass department compared to modern day Chinese made scopes in the same price range or cheaper. They do seem to be very reliable though and their fixed 10x is a decent scope when they go on sale for $220.

Maybe it's because Im much more into hunting than competition (your scope fails your hunt is done) but this is wild to me. Youre actually going to choose a scope brand that is a little better to look through with a history of not holding zero and failing when put through any type of abuse over one with a substantially better history of tracking and holding zero?! Even the non hd swfa glass is perfectly adequate. Isn't the whole point of a scope to hit where your aiming? If you want to look and something crystal clear isn't that what a spotting scope or alpha binos for? Prioritizing these Chinese scopes over a proven brand like swfa is bananas to me. Too many ppl got their priorities mixed up when it comes to what matters in a scope

 

[steve123]

What's AGN?

Active Galactic Nuclei shows up according to Google search...

Ha, its the Airgun Nation forums.

 

[Sblzrd65]

Along with CameraLand and EuroOptic B&H Photos will have some decent sales from time to time, also e-mail for price and a decent deal comes back.

 

[PewZ]

All scopes can and do break, right?! The SWFA 3-15 that I sold to a friend broke one day when I went to spot for him. The side focus knob fell off when he was using it. He sent it back and the scope was replaced.
They all tracked well which is the attribute we like about them the most but nowadays we can have our cake and eat it too with other brands.

I wrote a short review on AGN in the optics forum about my Meopta. All scopes have positives and negatives some of which are personal preference.
For me the IQ made it a keeper for now but if that wasn't the main consideration I'd take a Helos G2 over it and of course more so the ETR's.
The short of it;
Tool less elevation cap is cool, glass cool, and I like the thicker and simpler Mildot3 reticle which is what I wanted for a change of pace.
Turret click lines don't line up well with line on housing and are a bit light feeling, no rev indicator on the stem?!?!, windage turret is light enough it'll turn by accident at some point. Not cool.
The rest of the scope is fine.

Do you know if the helos g2 moa reticle is any better than the mil reticle? I keep hearing how large the mill reticle gets as you increase magnification and while I'm not looking to punch paper at distance all the time it would be nice to from time to time.

 

[steve123]

Do you know if the helos g2 moa reticle is any better than the mil reticle? I keep hearing how large the mill reticle gets as you increase magnification and while I'm not looking to punch paper at distance all the time it would be nice to from time to time.

Better? I don't use MOA anymore and the one friend I do have that does likes Midas TAC 6-24's so I couldn't advise you.

Reticles are a highly personal preference thing. I prefer mid sized reticle thickness of .05 mil in the 6-24 and 5-25 range. The reason why is I'm usually around 16x to 22x. I holdover a lot and like to see the reticle better. The HG2 6-24 has a .03 MIL reticle thickness so its as thin as I want to go because I don't like to lose the reticle on dark targets or in shade if the illume isn't on.

If in a high magnification SFP target scope a little thinner reticle does fine for me but not otherwise. A specific purpose scope vs a FFP scope for versatility.

Just mentioning that any limiting factor in precision will be you and or your gun's precision capability not a few .01's of reticle thickness. In other words does your gun shoot in the .1" consistently and are you a .01" shooter?? If not then I'd say don't be concerned about reticle thickness.

 

[Abelmartinez90]

Hello all, I got an HK SL8

Now I have to get a scope for it. The scopes I had on my other guns are not really expensive but i think my budget for the SL8 scope would be 600$max. I do not mind to get used scopes if they work perfectly.

I made a thread about it https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/scope-for-a-hk-sl8-6-under-600.7204505/

My purpose with that rifle is mainly target shooting as far as possible and as precise as possible given that rifle and my budget.

After going thru all the comments here and some research, I decided I need a FFP with at least 20x, so I think my options are:

Vortex:

Viper PST 6-24x50
Venom 5-25x56

Bushnell:

Match Pro 6-24x50
Nitro 6-24x50

Athlon

ARES BTR 4.5-27x 50

I went ahead and ordered the Athlon and the Match Pro, since I have free returns so I can take a closer look to them. Any thoughts or recommendations?

Thank you in advance

 

[BCP]

I thought the SL8 came with an integrated optic in the carry handle? Anyways I'm in the same budget boat for a 308 scope and chose the 3-15 burris from euro optic (499).

 

[Abelmartinez90]

I thought the SL8 came with an integrated optic in the carry handle? Anyways I'm in the same budget boat for a 308 scope and chose the 3-15 burris from euro optic (499).

In the case of Burris, I would need the Xtreme Tactical XTR II 5-25x50 but I do not really like the reticle so I took all the Burris out of the list.

No, it does not

 

[steve123]

A used Athlon Ares ETR 4.5-30x56 with APRS6 reticle. I've owned 5 Ares BTR's and I rate the ETR enough superior over them to not even consider the BTR anymore. I sold all my BTR's for Helos G2's, MIdas TAC's, and ETR's.

Actually I like the Midas TAC 5-25 much more than the BTR except it doesn't have illume and the Helos G2 is probably the most underrated optic in the industry. I could sell some of my higher priced scopes, buy HG2's, and not be terribly sad.

 

[Abelmartinez90]

A used Athlon Ares ETR 4.5-30x56 with APRS6 reticle. I've owned 5 Ares BTR's and I rate the ETR enough superior over them to not even consider the BTR anymore. I sold all my BTR's for Helos G2's, MIdas TAC's, and ETR's.

Actually I like the Midas TAC 5-25 much more than the BTR except it doesn't have illume and the Helos G2 is probably the most underrated optic in the industry. I could sell some of my higher priced scopes, buy HG2's, and not be terribly sad.

Ok I see,

so the ARES BTR 4.5-27x 50 I got from walmart for 550 is far worse than the much newer for example:

Athlon Midas TAC 6-24x50mm DD SF 30mm APLR4 FFP MOA Riflescope 213076

FREE SHIPPING on Athlon Midas TAC 6-24x50mm DD SF 30mm APLR4 FFP MOA Riflescope 213076

www.eurooptic.com

or

Athlon Helos BTR GEN2 6-24x56mm APLR6 FFP IR MOA Riflescope 214113

FREE SHIPPING on Athlon Helos BTR GEN2 6-24x56mm APLR6 FFP IR MOA Riflescope 214113

www.eurooptic.com

????

 

[steve123]

Not far worse, marginally less is the better way to put it. Edit- mine and my friends owned the G1's and G2's and the last ones I had were from 2 years ago. I don't know if Athlon changed the BTR's into more of a G3 model lately or not. It was the optic prescription that didn't work for my friends and me who are in our 60's. Also they wouldn't fully focus on infinity past about 800Y at our diopter setting.

No problems at all with the other scopes I mentioned??!!

Younger shooters - YMMV.

 

[db2000]

Ok I see,

so the ARES BTR 4.5-27x 50 I got from walmart for 550 is far worse than the much newer for example:

Athlon Midas TAC 6-24x50mm DD SF 30mm APLR4 FFP MOA Riflescope 213076

FREE SHIPPING on Athlon Midas TAC 6-24x50mm DD SF 30mm APLR4 FFP MOA Riflescope 213076

www.eurooptic.com

or

Athlon Helos BTR GEN2 6-24x56mm APLR6 FFP IR MOA Riflescope 214113

FREE SHIPPING on Athlon Helos BTR GEN2 6-24x56mm APLR6 FFP IR MOA Riflescope 214113

www.eurooptic.com

????

I have a couple Helos G2 and really like them in that price. 6-24 and 4-20.
Feel well built, track, illuminated and I like the reticle pretty good.
Glass is pretty nice for this range.

 

[Abelmartinez90]

Not far worse, marginally less is the better way to put it. Edit- mine and my friends owned the G1's and G2's and the last ones I had were from 2 years ago. I don't know if Athlon changed the BTR's into more of a G3 model lately or not. It was the optic prescription that didn't work for my friends and me who are in our 60's. Also they wouldn't fully focus on infinity past about 800Y at our diopter setting.

No problems at all with the other scopes I mentioned??!!

Younger shooters - YMMV.

O I understand. I am 33 and never had any vision problem (I think). I think in order to see properly a target at 500-600 yards I would need at least 20X magnification.

As I can see in their website, the Athlon gamma is:

Helos BTR<Midas HMR<Midas BTR< Midas TAC<Ares BTR<Arest ETR

For the same price I got the Ares BTR 4.5-27x50 APLR3 I could also get this:

Athlon Midas TAC 6-24x50mm DD SF 30mm APRS2 FFP MIL Riflescope 213075

FREE SHIPPING on Athlon Midas TAC 6-24x50mm DD SF 30mm APRS2 FFP MIL Riflescope 213075

www.eurooptic.com

But in theory, if both at similar price, I should go with the Ares BTR since is higher in gamma an thus better in quality, right?? The Ares BTR I got is gen 2, so it should be superior to the G2 of Helos and Midas TAC right?

 

[Abelmartinez90]

I have a couple Helos G2 and really like them in that price. 6-24 and 4-20.
Feel well built, track, illuminated and I like the reticle pretty good.
Glass is pretty nice for this range.

So Midas TAC G2 and Ares BTR g2 should be better, right? since they are 1 and 2 steps higher in the Athlon gamma:

Helos BTR<Midas HMR<Midas BTR< Midas TAC<Ares BTR<Arest ETR

 

[steve123]

If that Ares BTR works good for your eyes then that's great. Just check to see if at your diopter setting it focuses well at any distance.
If both are yes then don't give it another thought and enjoy your scope.
But for sure the ETR line stands out above the rest of the chinese made scopes. These are great scopes for the money.

The SFP HMR is more of a Argos tier scope, and Midas a SFP also a older scope design as far as I know and might not be eqaul to the Midas TAC line, not sure.
Otherwise for FFP the tiers are, Heras FFP, Helos G2, Midas TAC, Ares BTR, ETR, and Cronus.

 

[FuhQ]

It's a semi-auto 5.56 rifle, I wouldn't expect true LR precision and performance out of it. This would be more than enough scope, and within your budget, and would fit easier on top of it... I have 2 of these, and for the money, they are solid.

Home

DetailsThis Primary Arms rifle scope is part of the SLx optics line. SLx optics have built a reputation for innovation, reliability, and value. All SLx optics undergo rigorous field-testing during development to best serve you in any environment.The Primary Arms SLx 1-10x28 Rifle Scope takes...

www.primaryarms.com

 

[db2000]

So Midas TAC G2 and Ares BTR g2 should be better, right? since they are 1 and 2 steps higher in the Athlon gamma:

Helos BTR<Midas HMR<Midas BTR< Midas TAC<Ares BTR

Theoretically. I haven’t compared all those but I’ve read some posts from those who have owed many of that line up. Real Athlon fans. A couple people really liked the Helos G2 over those others, including the Ares BTR.
I decided to give them a shot and really like them. I got a great deal through OpticsPlanet. My understanding was newer coating tech maybe and glass selection in the newer design (than the other models) Helos G2. I’m not in the know and certainly not an expert so don’t take this as Gospel.
Frankly, I like Arken EP5 for $350-$400 range in PX. If you get one with any issue they’re quick to make it right on their shipping dime. Hard to beat that. We are talking sub $500 scopes after all.

 

[Abelmartinez90]

If that Ares BTR works good for your eyes then that's great. Just check to see if at your diopter setting it focuses well at any distance.
If both are yes then don't give it another thought and enjoy your scope.
But for sure the ETR line stands out above the rest of the chinese made scopes. These are great scopes for the money.

The SFP HMR is more of a Argos tier scope, and Midas a SFP also a older scope design as far as I know and might not be eqaul to the Midas TAC line, not sure.
Otherwise for FFP the tiers are, Heras FFP, Helos G2, Midas TAC, Ares BTR, ETR, and Cronus.

I have one coming, I have free returns, let see how it looks like

 

[Abelmartinez90]

Theoretically. I haven’t compared all those but I’ve read some posts from those who have owed many of that line up. Real Athlon fans. A couple people really liked the Helos G2 over those others, including the Ares BTR.
I decided to give them a shot and really like them. I got a great deal through OpticsPlanet. My understanding was newer coating tech maybe and glass selection in the newer design (than the other models) Helos G2. I’m not in the know and certainly not an expert so don’t take this as Gospel.
Frankly, I like Arken EP5 for $350-$400 range in PX. If you get one with any issue they’re quick to make it right on their shipping dime. Hard to beat that. We are talking sub $500 scopes after all.

That makes sense, maybe lower in gamma but newer designs. I have an Ares BTR coming, maybe I could get and Hellos as well and compare. Either way, I was already told that a scope with that magnification is not a good idea for my HK SL8 so probably I will have to look at model with less.

 

[steve123]

It's a semi-auto 5.56 rifle, I wouldn't expect true LR precision and performance out of it. This would be more than enough scope, and within your budget, and would fit easier on top of it... I have 2 of these, and for the money, they are solid.

Home

DetailsThis Primary Arms rifle scope is part of the SLx optics line. SLx optics have built a reputation for innovation, reliability, and value. All SLx optics undergo rigorous field-testing during development to best serve you in any environment.The Primary Arms SLx 1-10x28 Rifle Scope takes...

www.primaryarms.com

I have a March DFP 1-10 on a shorty AR and find two things, #1 is 1x is only for the .00001% chance I should ever need it for CQC, so as soon as I use this upper the scope goes to a higher magnification. #2 is 10x isn't cutting it for longer distances. I used it a few weeks ago at 1143Y and nope not great visually.

On that SL8 my money would be going for the Athlon Helos G2 DMR 2-12x42 in mil because I love that bigger center dot and 12x rather than 10x. Or the HG2 4-20 depending on priorities.
I meant to eventually put that HG2 4-20 on my 6mmFatRat which is a fantastic long ranger but I was quite pleased with the performance of the DMR 2-12 so I left it on that upper anyway.

 

[JohnCarter17]

Hello all, I got an HK SL8

Now I have to get a scope for it. The scopes I had on my other guns are not really expensive but i think my budget for the SL8 scope would be 600$max. I do not mind to get used scopes if they work perfectly.

I made a thread about it https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/scope-for-a-hk-sl8-6-under-600.7204505/

My purpose with that rifle is mainly target shooting as far as possible and as precise as possible given that rifle and my budget.

After going thru all the comments here and some research, I decided I need a FFP with at least 20x, so I think my options are:

Vortex:

Viper PST 6-24x50
Venom 5-25x56

Bushnell:

Match Pro 6-24x50
Nitro 6-24x50

Athlon

ARES BTR 4.5-27x 50

I went ahead and ordered the Athlon and the Match Pro, since I have free returns so I can take a closer look to them. Any thoughts or recommendations?

Thank you in advance

Was it from PSA at that $999 clearance price?

Tempting... But I thought their triggers suck.

 

[Abelmartinez90]

Was it from PSA at that $999 clearance price?

Tempting...

Yes, I saw the offer 2 more times, but they go fast.

 

[FuhQ]

Was it from PSA at that $999 clearance price?

Tempting... But I thought their triggers suck.

If it was threaded I'd buy it for that $999 price, but it's not.

 

[Abelmartinez90]

I picked it up yesterday. It looks REALLY cool. The trigger does not feel as bad.

I received the Athlon Ares BTR and the Bushnell Match Pro. I think you are right, they are too much scope for this rifle. I got 5 Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8 x 24 for my friends and one of them did not buy the rifle for it yet (LOL) so he told me to mount it and try it on my rifle. I think I will do that.

But I am still considering something FFP up to 16x maybe:

Vortex Viper PST Gen II 3-15x44mm​

Athlon Midas TAC 4-16x44mm DD SF 30mm APRS2 FFP​

Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR II 3-15x50​

Thoughts??