Best Rifle Scopes by Budget (2026)

Price ladder: scopes you can buy today

Street prices on a log scale, colored by tier. Prices change; tap through for today's price.

Hunting (whitetail, hogs)
For deer and hogs, a simple 3–9× or 3–10× scope is plenty. Get a second-focal-plane reticle: the crosshair stays the same size as you zoom, so it never gets too thin or too thick to see. A standard 1-inch tube fits common, affordable rings. Start with the Crossfire II. Step up to the VX-3HD when you want brighter glass and a turret dial set to your load.

AR rifles (close and mid range)
Most AR owners use a low-power variable scope that zooms from 1× to 6× or 8×. At 1× it works like a red dot, with both eyes open, up close. Zoom in when you need to reach farther. Start with the Tango-MSR. Step up to the Strike Eagle for more zoom and a clearer view.

Western hunting and long range
Choose a first-focal-plane scope. The reticle grows and shrinks with the zoom, so its holdover marks stay accurate at any magnification. 5–25× lets you see small targets far away. A wide tube (34mm or more) gives the turrets more room to adjust for long shots. A zero stop lets you spin the dial back to your starting zero without counting clicks. Start with the Venom, move up to the Viper PST, and go to the Mark 5HD for competition-grade glass.

Under $300

Deer rifles, first scopes, truck guns · 2 with buy links · 2 scopes

Vortex Crossfire II 3-9x40

3-9x40mmSFP1 in tubeDead-Hold BDC/V-Plex

Amazon's best-selling rifle scope, rated 4.7 stars across about 14,000 reviews. Vortex's lifetime warranty covers it no matter what happens. This is the default pick for a deer rifle.

$119Check price at Amazon →

Vortex Crossfire HD 3-9x40

3-9x40mmSFP1 in tube

Same idea as the Crossfire II, but with clearer, sharper glass for a little more money. The linked version has a plain crosshair with no extra hash marks.

$159Check price at OpticsPlanet →

$300 – $900

Serious hunters & AR builds · 7 with buy links · 9 scopes

Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8x24

1-8x24mmSFP30mmAR-BDC3

A good first low-power zoom scope for an AR-15. At 1x it works almost like a red dot for close shots, and you can zoom to 8x for farther targets. About 9% of AR builds we tracked use it.

$349Check price at OpticsPlanet → Check price on Amazon

Sig Sauer Tango-MSR 1-6x24

1-6x24mmSFP30mmilluminated

The most popular AR-15 scope on GunPartPicker, on about 17% of builds. Like the Strike Eagle, it works like a red dot at 1x and zooms to 6x, and it costs less.

$249Check price at Amazon →

Vortex Diamondback Tactical FFP

4-16x44mmFFP30mmEBR-2C

The cheapest first-focal-plane scope from a major brand. In a first-focal-plane scope, the aiming marks grow and shrink as you zoom, so the holdover marks stay accurate at any zoom setting.

$399Check price at Amazon →

Vortex Venom 5-25x56 FFP

5-25x56mmFFP34mm

Vortex's best-value long-range scope. It has a lot of up-and-down adjustment, enough to dial for very long shots, and its aiming marks stay accurate at any zoom.

$499Check price at Amazon →

Athlon Ares BTR Gen 2 4.5-27x50

4.5-27x50mmFFP30mm

It zooms from 4.5x to 27x, its aiming marks stay accurate at every zoom setting, and the reticle lights up for low light. All that for under $500.

$499Check price at Amazon →

Leupold VX-3HD 3.5-10x40 CDS-ZL

3.5-10x40mmSFP1 inCDS-ZL dial

Our best overall hunting scope. It's light, the glass is bright at dawn and dusk, and it's made in the USA. The custom dial lets you turn the knob to a marked yardage instead of guessing holdover.

$499Check price at Amazon →

Vortex Viper PST Gen II 5-25x50

5-25x50mmFFP30mmEBR-7C

Our best overall long-range pick under $1,000. It's built to dial for distance and return to zero reliably, shot after shot.

$899Check price at Amazon →

Bushnell Match Pro ED 5-30x56

5-30x56mmFFPED glass

The best budget long-range scope whose aiming marks stay accurate at any zoom. It usually sells for about $659, which puts it in this tier.

Specs only · check stock with your dealer. No buy link.

Primary Arms GLx 3-18x44

3-18x44mmFFP

It uses Primary Arms' ACSS Athena reticle, a crosshair with built-in marks for holding over at distance and leading moving targets.

Specs only · check stock with your dealer. No buy link.

$900+

Long range & precision competition · 1 with buy links · 2 scopes

Leupold Mark 5HD 5-25x56

5-25x56mmFFP35mmM5C3

Our best overall scope for long-range precision rifle competition. The 2025 Precision Rifle Series champion, Morgun King, used one.

$2,299Check price at Amazon →

Vortex Razor HD Gen III 6-36x56

6-36x56mmFFP34mm

Vortex's top-of-the-line alternative to the Mark 5HD. It had the clearest glass in GunsAmerica's testing.

Specs only · check stock with your dealer. No buy link.