Whether it’s your first time hunting or you are a pro, choosing the best rifle scope under 200 may be a time-consuming experience especially with the many options available. For you to take a great shot, you need a scope in order to aim and shoot accurately.
Scopes help zoom in targets when shooting at long ranges. They give accuracy when you go hunting or defending yourself. To make your shopping easy, we have discussed some of the things you need to consider when choosing best affordable rifle scope.
The first thing is your budget. Riflescopes are available in different price ranges. You are assured there is a rifle scope that will fit your budget. Secondly, what do you need the rifle scope for? You may need the rifle scope for varmint control, long range shooting or deer hunting.
Smart shopping means getting the best value for your money despite your budget. Everyone’s ideal price range is different. Therefore, we have reviewed the best rifle scope under 200 to make the process easy.
Who Needs Best Rifle Scope Under 200 and Why?
Even the person with the sharpest eyesight can find it complex to aim accurately. It gets even worse if you are old to focus between different objects that are near or far away from you. This is why you need a telescopic sight like a rifle scope to help you aim and shoot at your targets accurately. When you are hunting, every moment is important and making accurate shots when you aim at your targets is humane.
A rifle scope is a vital device that is designed with telescopic lenses that allow you to shot your target from a distance. They provide hunters and shooters with a wide range of benefits which include the following:
- Achieve perfect results
- Make shooting an enjoyable experience
- Great when the situation is dangerous and you don’t need physical presence
- Gives you a better vision
Best Rifle Scope under 200 - Comparison Table
There are quite remarkable rifle scope choices available at this cost. Today, what qualifies a rifle scope is not the price but the capacity to withstand environmental diversity, solve focal errors and correct parallax mistakes. We have compared top rifle scope brands to give you a quick glance of some of the features.
Image | Name | Product Dimensions | Shipment Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 13.6 x 3.4 x 2.4 inches | 12 Oz | ||
 | 15.7 x 3.2 x 3.2 inches | 2.5 lb | ||
 | 13.8 x 2.1 x 2.1 inches | 1.8 lb | ||
 | 14 x 3 x 3 inches | 1.4 lb | ||
 | 5 x 5 x 5 inches | 1.2 lb |
Best Rifle Scope under 200 Review
The following is a review of the top brands in the market today. These rifle scopes will help you fulfil all your hunting and shooting needs. You can compare their top features and benefits so that you can choose the one that suits your needs.
Best-Rifle Scope under 200
1. Vortex Optics Diamondback Second Focal Plane Riflescopes
Vortex diamondback is a high-performance rifle that provides a full range of features appreciated by discerning hunters. The 1.75-5x32 rifle scope is perfect for big game, slug shotgun, muzzleloader and bush shooting. It’s the best rifle scope under 200 with these features.
The dead hold BDC reticle is useful for chasing or shooting at different ranges where it would be a problem estimating the hold-over. The custom dot design eliminates guesswork and windage corrections.
The reticles of the second focal plane (SPF) are situated behind the image erecting and magnifying lenses close to the eyepiece of the scope. This reticle style does not alter the size when you change magnification keeping the same appearance.
Metal accuracy turrets provide the ability to reset to zero after sight-in. A precise elector glide system ensures accurate monitoring and repeat ability. For crystal clear, bright images from dusk till dawn, the lenses are fully multi-coated. The quick focus eyepiece allows fast and easy reticle focusing.
A strong one-piece pipe with a tough anodized surface produces a shockproof and durable scope while assisting to camouflage the location of the shooter. The argon and O-ring sealed scope will provide waterproof and fog proof result for a lifetime.
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2. UTG 3-9x50 1 “Hunter Scope, AO, 36-color Mil-dot
Whether you are into target shooting or hunting, there are high chances of missing your target if you do not have a rifle scope. This device helps you get a better vision and correct shooting when you are aiming at your targets. If you need a high performance hunting scope, get the UTG 3-9x50 1 for the best experience.
This hunter scope is built on a true strength platform that is fully sealed and nitrogen filled making it waterproof, shockproof and fog proof. This scope brand is designed for varmint and predator hunting. The zero locking and zero target turrets provide the highest consistency and accuracy of ¼ MOA per click.
Hunter scope reticle has a windage adjustment Mil-dot range that estimates the most optimal target and shooting performance, 5 Yds parallax adjustable to infinity. The hunter rifle scope has fully multi-coated anti-reflective lenses that provide maximum light transmission to give desired clarity.
The reticle uses illumination enhancing system with dual-color mode and 36 colors in a multi-color mode for use in all lighting and weather conditions. Even when you are hunting in low light conditions, you can be sure to see your targets easily with this rifle scope.
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3. Mueller APV AO Rifle Scope, black, 4.5-14x40mm
The Mueller APV (All-Purpose Variable) is designed for the shooter to fill in the void left by other rifle scopes that are inexpensive. This Mueller scope has an extremely wide view combined with the edge to edge clarity superior to all scopes at this price range. Featuring an objective lens of 40mm, you can be sure of effective light transmission for better quality images.
The camera- quality crystal lenses is fully multicoated to provide you with superior brightness and contrast. Also, it has a large diameter ocular lens for a wider field of view. To minimize glare, the ¼ inch windage and elevation adjustments plus full target turrets overall length plays a good role.
The material used to make this rifle scope is nitrogen filled to provide waterproof, fog proof and shockproof qualities up to a minimum parallax setting of 10 yards. This is a good hunting rifle scope that is affordable.
When it comes to the durability, you will be impressed with this rifle scope. It features a strong construction so it can withstand outdoor weather. The rifle scope is also nitrogen filled, shockproof and fog proof so you can use it regardless of the weather condition out there.
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4. Vortex Optics Crossfire II Second Focal Plane, 1-Inch Tube Riflescopes
The vortex optics crossfire II is a 2-7x32 scout riflescope that is known for all types of hunting applications. The material used to make vortex crossfire II to a single tube is the aircraft grade aluminium that ensures strength and shockproof abilities.
Also, its nitrogen purged to make it waterproof and fog proof. With an eye relief of 9.45” and an ultra forgiving eye box, you can quickly get a visual image and obtain your target. The fast focus eyepiece enables fast and simple reticle focusing. The Crossfire II is fitted with anti-reflective fully multi-coated lenses that provide you with clear and bright views by increasing light transmissions on all air-to-glass surfaces. On top of that, this rifle scope provides a comfortable and long aye relief to get fast target acquisition.
The reset turrets are capped and finger adjustable with MOA clicks which can be reset to zero after sighting in. customized hashmark design helps to eliminate guesswork on holdover and windage corrections. Vortex Crossfire rifle scope is suitable for hunting or shooting at wide ranges where estimating holdover is not easy because of the Dead-Hold BDC reticle.
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5. Leupold VX-1 3-9x40mm compact waterproof fogproof riflescope
Looking for a rifle scope to assist you to get your target easier? This Leupold VX scope brand guarantees you a life time help. The longer eye relief of the scope and big eye box can provide amazing flexibility for your head.
The edge to edge visibility and a fully clear picture that entirely fills your eyepiece are features to be appreciated. A versatile zoom ratio of 3:1 erector system is precise for any situation.
Leupold scope is made with nitrogen sealing process which the industry’s standard is making the scope completely waterproof. It comes with ¼ MOA precise finger click adjustment accuracy. For long and intense use, these will offer you repeatability and reliability.
This scope brand has the classic and conventional fast focus eyepiece with a low profile ring. This ensures that achieving and maintaining a reticle is simple.
This is Leupold’s most affordable rifle scope because it comes with a multicoat 4 lens system that is capable of delivering extreme clarity from edge to edge ensuring vivid image even when working in low light conditions.
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Best Rifle Scope Under 200 - Buying Guide
Getting the best rifle scope is not something you do without proper consideration. You must make a wise decision since the scope will be used for a long time. Here are a few things you need to put into consideration before buying a rifle scope.
Field Of View (FOV)
The field of view is the circular image you see when looking into the scope of what’s in front of your line of sight. When your range of magnification increases, your rifle’s FOV decreases which leaves you with a reduced rate of guesswork. If you want to see the larger image of the adjacent region, consider your preference when shooting.
Minutes of The Angle
Minutes of the angle (MOA) is the unit of measurement of the circle at a particular range. An inch is usually 100 yards, so conversion is fairly simple to do.
Milliradian
Milliradian (mil) is somewhat related to the MOA. This is also related to geometry and circles and is typically 3.6 inches per 100 yards.
Unit Conversion
When converting between the MOA and the mill, you don’t want to be confused as a shooter. Therefore, a conversion tool is essential for an enthusiastic and skilled shooter.
Magnification
Magnification is an important consideration since you need to adjust your scope based on your target. Some scopes have only one magnification scope. Be sure to choose a scope with adjustable magnification. Additionally, remember to look at the first digits of the scope you want t buy to find out if it’s a single or multi-setting scope.
Windage Adjustment
Windage adjustment or horizontal adjustment helps to modify the scope in order to position the shot better. However, this may be a secondary factor for qualified shooters but it’s a nice thing for those ready to learn.
Focal Plane Reticle Position
Decide the location of your focal plane and which one is more convenient to use between the front focal plane (FFP) and the secondary focal plane (SFP). Some conversions may exist for the secondary user so this depends on the choice of the shooter.
Objective Lenses
The size of the objective lenses really matters because your scope would use only one size. Select the scope that would enable you the most amount of light. In poor lighting conditions, a bigger set of objective lenses is best while in well-lit conditions, a smaller objective lens would do.
Eye Relief
Eye relief of a scope is the shortest distance the scope lens and your eye which allows you to see with clarity through the scope. To maintain your focus in place, you need a scope with consistent eye relief and one that provides excellent light transmission.
An Adjustment Turret
Usually, an adjustment turret is installed on the side or the top of each riflescope you choose. You may need more modification to operate depending on the rifle you are using. Most people think it’s enough to adjust the 50 MOA or MIL. However, this does not help at longer distances. Some resort to the manual route which is not the finest choice especially if its windy.
Zoom Ranges
Zoom capacity is a critical consideration in a rifle scope. A good scope can range from as low as 4x to as high as 50x.
Weight of the Scope
It's essential to consider the weight of the scope. When a scope has too much weight, it can affect the rifle's equilibrium. At this affordable price, there are a number of scopes that are lightweight. For long distance shooting, a heavier scope is best.
The BDC
The BDC stands for Bullet Drop Compensation. The BDC reticle is basically an altered crosshair or duplex style reticle with some markings or dots below the middle.
Good Glass Quality
Low-quality glass is fragile, affects clarity and mirage calculation. It can get cloudy, let liquid in and even crack under pressure. A 30mm glass and above is the best quality.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is a rifle scope used for?
A: Rifle scope is used to bring close images of objects closer by using magnification. Most people use it for home defense and game stalking. Hunters prefer to use rifle scopes to hunt large game in thick forests and mountains or in open landscapes like in the desert.
Q: What magnification should I use?
A: Various scopes come with different magnification abilities that are perfect for different items. Scopes may also have varying zoom functions that enable you to change magnification power. The magnification power you use depends on the distance, whether your target is moving or still and the size of your target.
Q: What is parallax in regards to rifle scopes?
A: Parallax is when your reticle seems to be moving slightly when you look at long-range targets through the scope. This occurs when the reticle is not completely aligned with the reticle. Parallax generally occurs when targeting objects more than 100 yards away.
Q: Can objective lenses be adjusted?
A: Some objective lenses can be modified by a rotating ring on the front objective bell or with a button beside the windage button. These adjustments help to compensate for parallax. Larger objective lenses allow a broader field of view.
Q: What are fiber optics used for?
A: Scopes using fiber optics use some kind of glowing material to make sights more visible especially the reticle. They are perfect for low-light shooting and night time situations. Some scopes have fiber optics at the back or in front.
Q: What type of reticle is acceptable?
A: The reticle in a rifle scope is the indicator in the middle of the scope which includes the aiming point and is placed on the inner lenses. Different operations will involve different reticle types. Crosshair reticles are great for precise shooting of a target but not for hunting. The duplex reticle is the most commonly used for hunting.
Q: Does my scope need rings?
A: You need different rings for your scope depending on the size of your rifle. You can get low, medium, high or extra high rings for various scope sizes. Your scope should be as low as possible to the rifle without touching it.
Final Verdict
It is not always easy to find the best rifle scopes for the money. Most of the cheap scopes you will find on the market have low quality features and the performance is also not satisfactory. We have made your work simpler by providing you detailed reviews of top scope brands you can find when you are on a budget.
We hope this review of the best rifle scope under 200 will give you the confidence to choose a perfect scope for your needs. The quality should be unquestionable and should provide good performance and rigidity. We believe your shooting experience will be better and you will be able to take precise shots. The belief that high priced scopes are best is not true. Expensive scopes give you professional and tactical features but at this price range, the scopes are perfect for hunting game and self-defense.