Best Budget Rifle Scope

Though costly scopes come with high-quality features, everyone cannot afford them. Besides this, most new shooters find it difficult to shoot on high-end scopes due to their complex features. But buying the best budget rifle scope solves the budget issues and is very easy to handle primary shooting tasks.

However, many low-budget rifle scopes have a limited warranty. But, if you choose them carefully, they offer accurate hunting facilities. Keeping budget, sturdiness, lens quality, optical performance, weight, good warranty, and shooting accuracy in mind, I bought some scopes and tested them. Below, I will describe reviews of the top 9 best budget rifle scopes in 2022. Have a look!

Our Top Picks

 

List of Best Budget Rifle Scopes

1. CVLIFE Hunting Rifle Scope with Free Mount

CVLIFE is not a new name for scopes, rifle bipods, and other hunting products. I bought a CVLIFE hunting rifle scope on a very good budget, and it offers a great sight for buck hunting. From good budget to high-quality performance and satisfactory services, I found it good, that’s why it’s my top choice.

The black CVLIFE scope comes in 17 x 3.1 x 3.1 inches dimensions, 630 grams weight, and aluminium material, making it long-lasting and worth buying. An illuminated rangefinder reticle in the rifle scope comes with red and green illumination. You can adjust 5 levels on each color and find the exact brightness according to weather conditions or in low lighting.

An adjustable eyepiece with a dioptric lens removes image aberration. While adjustable ocular offers a crystal clear image for nearsighted or farsighted shooters, they can even see clearly without glasses. And the magnification of the scope ranges from 6-24x.

The turrets are well-designed and perfectly constructed, letting for consistent, crisp, and accurate elevation and windage adjustments. The turrets are fast to adjust, and you can remove the caps to reset turrets to zero. You can aim perfectly at any time more than 100 Yards.

Suppose you want high contrast and color-accurate picture. In that case, nothing is better than this CVLIFE hunting rifle scope for this budget because it comes with a fully multi-coated lens that delivers 95% more light transmission compared to common scopes. 

The bonded coating on the lens protects it from wear and tear, so the scope lasts for years. At the end of the scope, you can move the adjustable objective (AO) lens by the parallax dial. It helps you to remove parallax and acquire a sharper target image, but the lack of holding zero is not good.

2. Vortex Optics Crossfire II Second Focal Plane Riflescopes

The simple and slim Vortex Optics Crossfire II is specially designed for mid-level hunters and shooters. With eye relief, sharp images, and perfect vision, Crossfire II has no compromising features. It provides me with the highest levels of performance and reliability that are the same even after months of use.

The black Vortex scope is designed compactly with 14 x 3 x 3 inches dimensions and 1.4 pounds weight. The minimum magnification of the scope is 2 x, and the maximum magnification is 7 x. The scope is designed from aircraft-grade aluminum to offer shockproof performance and strength. the Crossfire II consists of a single-piece tube with an O-ring sealed and nitrogen purged to ensure waterproof and fog-proof performance.

An ultra-forgiving eye box and long eye relief help you to view the picture clearly and quickly acquire your target. Besides this, The fast focus eyepiece helps you to focus reticle easily and quickly. Its dead-hold BDC reticle is helpful at various ranges where estimating holdover is difficult, so it would be perfect for long-range hunting and shooting; however, I think reticle focus needs improvement.

The high-quality lenses are anti-reflective and fully multi-coated, helping the shooter to look at bright and clear images. The max elevation adjustment of lenses is 60 MOA. You can adjust the capped reset turrets with MOA clicks. Such features make it an ideal choice for a 22lr rifle.

3. Bushnell Banner Dusk & Dawn Multi-X Reticle Riflescope

Since 1948, Bushnell has been the market leader, and its top-class products are well known. I like the Bushnell Banner riflescope due to its cutting-edge design, and buy it after checking it multiple times, its performance impresses me and helps me a lot during shooting, so I will review it.

Black Bushnell rifle scope comes with 16.3 x 2.5 x 3.12 inches dimensions and 0.81 pounds weight. The objective lens has a 40-millimetre diameter, while the low light rifle scope magnifies from 3 to 9x. The design is beautiful, while most parts of the scope are durable plastic built to last. The scope, reticle, and lens material have 100% pure quality. 

The scope has a waterproof construction, and fully multi-coated (FMC) optics prevent fogging and helps you to get a crisp, clear image. Its name shows dusk and dawn scope, so it comes with dusk & dawn brightness (DDB) lenses. The multi-coated lenses help to see clearly in the low-light conditions of dusk and dawn. Besides this, 3.3 inches of eye relief helps you to shoot perfectly without struggling with vision.

The Bushnell Banner scope comes with a multi-X reticle that helps acquire a classic sight picture and easy target acquisition. The second focal plane reticle helps you to see in low light and shoot perfectly. Such features make it the best powerful low-light scope in 2022.

The fast-focus eyepiece features 12 inches long measurements and helps you quickly adjust the reticle to your eye so your target will be in front of your eyes with clarity. Elevation turrets and resettable windage are capped to protect from bumps and hard use, but turrets are thin as compared to other scopes at this budget.

4. Beileshi AOEG Optics Hunting Rifle Scope

Though Beileshi AOEG was a less familiar brand, its great features grabbed my attention. I decided to try it, bought Beileshi AOEG Optics Hunting Rifle Scope, and found it perfect for airsoft hunting and shooting. Its decent design impresses me, and best of all, it included flip-up scope covers at a very good rate. Below is my more experience with this best budget rifle scope 2022.

The black Beileshi scope is made of aluminum, making it long-lasting, shockproof, waterproof, and fog-proof; in contrast, 640 Grams weight, 17.2 x 3.03 x 2.99 inches dimensions, and 50 millimeters objective lens diameter are also impressive. The magnification is 6-24X, making it ideal for mid to long-range shooting.

You can move the adjustable objective lens at the end of the scope with the help of a parallax dial. This adjustment helps in range estimation, a sharper target image, and eliminates parallax. The reticles will not fall apart due to the etched reticle on the glass(EG). Hard anodizing multi-coated lenses ensure no scratching and a good hand feeling.

The feature that impresses me is the rangefinder reticle with green and red colors and 5 levels of illumination. In contrast, a diopter adjustable fast-focus eyepiece provides an accurate vision for shooters with different eyesight.

The turrets are well designed, allowing consistent, crisp, and precise elevation and windage adjustments. You can quickly adjust the turrets and remove the caps to reset turrets to zero. The free mount scopes fit weaver rail and common 20mm Picatinny. You can enjoy shooting on sunny days but not in dim light due to the lack of a night vision feature.

5. Pinty Rifle Scope AO with Flip-Open Covers, Sunshade Tube

Pinty riflescope comes with uncompromising mechanical performance, unsurpassed light transmission, and amazing optical clarity as I tested it. My opinion about Pinty rifle scope AO is good due to flip-open covers, sunshade tubes, and much more.

The mechanical-styled black pinty scope impresses at first look. Its ‎17.17 x 3.27 x 3.23 inches dimensions, 669 grams weight, and its magnification range from 4 x to 16 x. the premium quality scope has a strong, one-piece body tube, and the scope is easily mountable to any 20mm rails.

Fully multi-coated lenses are lasting and offer perfect vision, while the water, fog, and shockproof structure of lenses help you enjoy precise shooting in any weather. This best budget scope includes zero locking function, elevation adjustments, and hand-turn 1/2 MOA windage.

Pinty rifle scope comes accurate for mid to long-range shooting because it comes with red, green, and mild blue reticles. While its achromatic eyepiece eliminates image aberrations, a sunshade tube ensures accurate shooting without light distraction on sunny days. Three-level brightness adjustments of red, green, and blue are available if you want to achieve ultimate reticle accuracy and clarity. The feature I dislike is holding zero is not good as I was expecting.

6. OMMO Rifle Scope with Red Green Blue Illuminated Starburst Reticle

I ordered a 3-9X40 Rifle Scope by OMMO, and the best thing that impressed me was the great customer service. Black OMMO scope comes with ‎13.78 x 3.15 x 2.95 inches dimensions, ‎0.64 Kilograms weight, and 3X up to 9X magnification. Its aviation-grade aluminum scope body is much lasting, while glass is also lasting. The O-ring sealing and nitrogen-filled reticle provide waterproof and fog-proof performance, so the scope is perfect for hunting.

OMMO scopes come with a fully multi-coated 40 mm object lens that offers HD performance. All air-to-glass surfaces and multiple anti-reflective coatings on lenses increase light transmission much better than common scopes.

 This best scope for beginners comes with green and red illuminations, and each illumination is adjustable with 5 brightness levels. The charity scope level is awesome at long-range shooting due to superior eyepiece. The field of view is 14′-25’,100 yards, windage & elevation click value is 1/4 MOA while eye relief of OMO rifle scope is 2.7” -3.3”.

The OMMO rifle scope is perfect for Weaver mount rails, and 20mm Picatinny, and its mounting is also easy due to high-quality two 1” complementary scope rings. It comes with an adjustable and locking diopter that ensures quick, accurate, and simple aiming points for different shot distances. Optics clarity is good but could be improved for long-range shooting.

7. Monstrum AO Rifle Scope with Offset Scope Mount

Next on my list is a rifle scope from Monstrum. The Monstrum Guardian Series is the best-selling line of SFP rifle scopes, and here is my selection of Monstrum AO Rifle Scope with Offset Scope Mount that is perfect for target shooting, hunting, and tactical use.

The high-quality scope comes with ‎a 15.79 x 3.5 x 3.07 inches dimension and 15 ounces weight with a two-year warranty. It is made of precision machined 6061-grade aluminum, making it more rigid and lightweight than the common scope. A 1-inch diameter tube is sealed and nitrogen-charged that resists fog and water.

The total scope length is 12 inches, and 1-inch diameter scope rings are needed for mounting. In contrast, 3 -9 times magnification is adjustable and allows estimate targets up to 500 yards and beyond. Its integrated throw lever offers smooth and easy settings of the magnification dial.

The adjustable objective lens comes with a 50 millimeters diameter, which helps get a sharper focus of the target image, estimated abut range and removal of parallax. The fully illuminated reticles come with MOA hash marks, which help range information. The inline offers controlled brightness adjustments while turrets offer 1/4 MOA and elevation adjustments. There are minor flaws, such as holding zero is not easy but good at this price.

8. SNIPER MT AOL Hunting Rifle Scope

This rifle scope was recommended to me by my friend, who was a big bore air gunner. At this budget, I was not expecting high-end features, but it far exceeded my expectations, and now I am successfully shooting sub-MOA more than 100 yards.

The hunting scope comes with an attractive design, green, and red color, 19.4 x 4 x 3.5 inches dimensions, and 24.55 ounces weight. The nitrogen purged scope body is sealed with an o-ring and ensures waterproof and fog-proof performance.

I use the scope for a .338 Lapua Mag, which works pretty. It comes with a long-range, mil-dot reticle that can illuminate with blue, green, red, and standard black colors. This feature helps me a lot to ring the gong 700+ meters out. While turrets for windage and elevation truly hold recoil, I recommend them if you want to enjoy long-distance target shooting. The turret adjustments are pretty easy.

Especially, the lighted color reticle helps in various lighting and hunting situations. The turret adjustments are pretty easy, while the glass is really clear. A fully multi-coated lens ensures crispy images and that all metrics are easy to use. The sunshade ensures the best amount of light enters the lens, and the image will not become blurry. However, I dislike the lack of night vision.

9. Sig Sauer SOW33202 Whiskey3 Riflescope SFP

If you want a scope for recreational shooting across a wide range of calibers or a short to medium range engagements scope, Sig Sauer SOW33202 Whiskey3 Riflescope Sfp will be a perfect choice. This scope is also suitable for dangerous game hunting, hunting, airsoft, tactical and military shooting.

The black Sig Sauer scope comes with 5.91 x 18.5 x 4.33 inches dimensions and 2.2 pounds weight. The Sig Sauer scope magnification is 3 to 9 x, While the objective lens diameter is 40 millimeters. The strong construction ensures waterproof and fog-proof performance. 

Reticle comes with second focal plane (SFP) optics and 3x optical zoom. It has a European-style eyepiece that offers quick, smooth, and precise reticle adjustment. Low dispersion (LD) glass offers perfect optical clarity regardless of the weather condition.

 Overall, I found this scope best for the budget; it offers a clear optic, Clear glass, and no-frills. There are no rings, but lens covers protect the glass from wear and tear. When you install the scope, It’s even already zeroed.

Best Budget Rifle Scope Buying Guide

Following key factors, you need to understand when choosing a rifle scope

Eye relief 

It means a comfortable distance from which a shooter can easily hold a scope and see the entire image, and eye relief depends upon magnification. With the large eye relief, the shooter can spot the target easily, and there will be less chance of the rifle scope injuring the eye if the rifle recoils.

Waterproofing

Though many best budget scopes do not come waterproof, now many brands offer waterproof material on a low budget. You should check the preferred scope that protects you from any unexpected downpours or not. In this regard, I will recommend aluminum, which is water, fog proof, and lasting.

Light Transmission

It means the amount of usable light entering the riflescope, represented by a percentage. A good scope comes with 94 percent or better light transmission. The factors determining light transmission are lenses in the scope, the glass used in the lenses, and anti-reflective lens coating.

Lens coatings 

The extra light transmitted through the riflescope to your eye can distract you from shooting. A decent riflescope comes with special coatings on its lenses that manages the amount of light and reduces the reflection of light and scattering. It ensures enough light is reaching your eyes and the image is sharp. Simply coated, fully multi-coated, and multi-coated, all lenses are available for riflescopes according to price.

Objective Lens

An objective lens is present on the front of the riflescope, and the size of a lens affects the light amount entering in scope. If the objective lens is bigger, more light enters in scope, and you can easily see the images at dusk and dawn or during cloudy seasons.

Best budget rifle scope FAQs

Conclusion

I hope you like my reviews and guide about the best budget rifle scope. I used and compared these scopes with costly scopes. At a very good budget, I find these scopes that come with light transmission, great magnification, nitrogen-filled reticles, sunshade for proper light, sealed with o-ring, outstanding accuracy, free mount, HD performance multi-coated lenses, reliable windage, objective lens, and much more according to price. 

Best overall

My overall choice is CVLIFE Hunting Rifle Scope with Free Mount, listed at number one in my choice, featuring 95% more light transmission, 6-24x magnification, reliable windage, and free mount.

Premium choice 

I think the premium choice is Vortex Optics Crossfire II Second Focal Plane Riflescopes that come with easy reticle focusing, aircraft-grade aluminum, fully multi-coated lenses, and much more.

Best budget scopes

The best budget scope in my list is Sig Sauer SOW33202 Whiskey3 Riflescope Sfp, which comes with lens covers that protect glass, pretty precise vision, and is best for a 100-yard range.