$500 rifle scope. Best bang for your buck?

[Blakerhoades]

What scope gives me the most for my money? Im fine with used or new scopes.
Must be able to dial for elevation. I would prefer my lowest magnification to be atleast 3 but will consider 4. I would prefer a max magnification of 10 or more but will consider 9. I would also prefer a 40mm + objective lens. Can be sfp or ffp. Any recommendations?

 

[hunting1]

Athlon BTR 2-12 all day!

Helos BTR GEN2 2-12x42 FFP IR MIL | DMR Scope

A wide range field of view with ample magnification. A DMR scope ideally suited for riflemen preferring a MIL based reticle option.

athlonoptics.com

 

[gr8fuldoug]

• ¼" MOA click turrets
• SFP MOAi illuminated ballistic reticle
• Micro-Dot I-Control illumination
• Zero Stop Lock Ballistic reset turrets
• Turret rotation indicator
• GPObright lens coating technology
• PASSIONdrop hydrophobic lens coatings
• DOUBLE HD objective lens technology
• Magnification throw lever

Demo GPO CENTURI 4-16x44i MOAi #RC440

 

[Q_Sertorius]

A used SWFA 3-9x40 should be around your price point (new it is $600).

 

[6mm Remington]

4.5-14x40mm Leupold with the B&C reticle is an awesome scope. I have one on my 280AI and my son has one on his 6mm Remington. It works great for shooting from 100-500 yards.

6x42mm Leupold fixed power scope. Nothing wrong with a fixed power scope either. Near or far the 6x seems to work for me. You can contact Leupold and provide them with your ballistics on the bullet and load you use and they can put dots for different yardages on the fixed power from 100-500 yards.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

any swfa, trijicon credo 3-9.

 

[Pronghunter]

Saying the word vortex about makes me vomit, but the Viper HD is actually pretty darn nice. I bought 2 and intentionally beat the heck out of the one. Still holding zero, dials perfectly and the glass is actually quite good.

 

[keystone112]

Another vote for the SWFA 3-9x42.

I got one new for $550 with a coupon. Go for used if you can’t stretch your budget.

 

[AntelopeEater]

https://www.eurooptic.com/trijicon-accupoint-2.5-10x56

You'll have to find a good sale or used one or spend a bit a bit more though.

Trijicon Accupoint 2.5-10x56mm.

Big objective (56mm) allows a lot of light through, especially nice when hunting around sunrise or sunset.

Plus there is a glowing no battery needed point in the middle of the reticle.

I liked the first one I got of these of these so much, I now have three, one each on my two favorite centerfire hunting rifles, and I also put one on my souped up .22lr Ruger 10/22 that I can shoot out to 300 yards with match ammo.

Never lost zero, even when carrying the rifle on multiple mile hikes, and when crawling on the ground with it doing an antelope hunt.

 

[Blakerhoades]

Saying the word vortex about makes me vomit, but the Viper HD is actually pretty darn nice. I bought 2 and intentionally beat the heck out of the one. Still holding zero, dials perfectly and the glass is actually quite good.

Ive got a friend that swears by the vortex diamondback tactical. He uses them in competition and wins

 

[DoubleDown]

Bushnell elite 4500

 

[eric1115]

Another vote for the SWFA 3-9. You'll save $100 in ammo cost vs buying a Leupold or Vortex and chasing a wandering zero in the first year, so it practically pays for itself.

 

[BLJ]

Recently bought (2) Arken EPL 4-16 and they’ve been really good so far.
No issues for me.
Had a little over $300 shipped to me.

 

[Blakerhoades]

https://www.eurooptic.com/trijicon-accupoint-2.5-10x56

You'll have to find a good sale or used one or spend a bit a bit more though.

Trijicon Accupoint 2.5-10x56mm.

Big objective (56mm) allows a lot of light through, especially nice when hunting around sunrise or sunset.

Plus there is a glowing no battery needed point in the middle of the reticle.

I liked the first one I got of these of these so much, I now have three, one each on my two favorite centerfire hunting rifles, and I also put one on my souped up .22lr Ruger 10/22 that I can shoot out to 300 yards with match ammo.

Never lost zero, even when carrying the rifle on multiple mile hikes, and when crawling on the ground with it doing an antelope hunt.

I have a trijicon huron and really like it on another rifle. I really would like to find something I can dial with though.

 

[kkp005]

That’s easy . Find a used 3x9 Swfa or go slightly over budget and buy a new one

 

[rdramsey8]

I just picked up a new Burris XTR II 5-25, FFP/MIL from Eurooptic for $499

I realize that it’s a little different than your magnification preference, but it’s a lot of scope for the money.

 

[rdramsey8]

Ive got a friend that swears by the vortex diamondback tactical. He uses them in competition and wins

That’s wild, I bought one for my 10 year old daughters .22 and honestly it’s so bad that I feel bad that I bought it. I need to get rid of it and replace it with something that actually functions. The dialing is not even close to accurate and it needs to constantly be zeroed.

 

[Kyguy]

4.5-14x40mm Leupold with the B&C reticle is an awesome scope. I have one on my 280AI and my son has one on his 6mm Remington. It works great for shooting from 100-500 yards.

6x42mm Leupold fixed power scope. Nothing wrong with a fixed power scope either. Near or far the 6x seems to work for me. You can contact Leupold and provide them with your ballistics on the bullet and load you use and they can put dots for different yardages on the fixed power from 100-500 yards.

He's wants a dialing scope. Not a hold over reticle. Leupold doesn't do any custom work on scopes since the Custom Shop closed during Covid. No custom reticles and no CDS retrofits for older models.

Honestly you can dial elevation with any scope. In the $500 range, I'd say Trijicon is the answer. Huron, Accu-Point, Ascent, Credo...

 

[GOninety]

Vortex Viper HS-T 4-16x44 or 2.5-10x44, You can frequently find these used in the $400-$500 range on forums.

 

[Johnwell]

I’d definitely recommend the swfa 3-9 for your criteria. Either get one used, or wait until they run their sale (if they do one this year). For a dialing scope, I don’t think there’s a better buy on the market.