Finding the best deer rifle scope under $400 can be very challenging, especially when you are a beginner. In today’s guide, we will share the important features of the top recommended scopes in this category. The main aim of this guide is to help you find the right scope that will deliver value for each buck you spend.
Deer hunting is a popular sport in the United States. It is worth mentioning that deer are exceptionally smart. If you come too close or make the slightest movement, they will sprint away.
Deer have impressive speed and are always on guard. This is why deer hunting is one of the favorite challenges among hunters.
Deer hunting has been passed down to many generations because venison meat has been a popular meal from the time of Native Americans and pygmies.
It is important to note that you need to find a scope that is compatible with your hunting rifle to improve your accuracy and precision skills. This is why it is important to first define your shooting requirements before buying any scope. This ensures that you do not make the expensive mistake of buying a scope that is not compatible with your rifle.
However, it can be very challenging to find the best deer hunting scope under $400 that provides a good combination of dependable performance and affordability. This is because there are many options available and this may overwhelm some enthusiasts.
Best Deer Rifle Scope Under $400
The best deer rifle scope under $400 should be made from durable materials to ensure it lasts for a long time. In addition, it should be able to withstand powerful recoil and impact.
The best scope for this price should come with high-quality glass to provide you with the best vision across all the magnification levels. You should also consider other factors like magnification, eye relief, lens coatings, and the objective lens. Read on, as we will discuss these factors towards the end.
Let us look at the top recommended scopes for deer hunting under $400
1Vortex Optics Diamondback Tactical 6-24×50 FFP Riflescope
The Vortex Optics Diamondback Tactical 6-24×50 is the best scope for seer hunting under $400. This scope is packed with many features that will take your shooting game to the next level.
The unique feature of this scope is the precision glide erector system. It ensures that the components in the zoom lens mechanism glide smoothly and cleanly through all magnification ranges.
In addition, this scope comes with a fast-focus eyepiece that allows you to concentrate on targets quickly. It will offer you the best resolution, even at high magnification levels. It has an exceptionally crisp vision of up to 24x.
The single-piece center tube design is constructed from aircraft-grade aluminum. This will ensure that it will last for a very long time. It also features a matte finish, which will help to conceal your shooting position. It also helps to protect the scope from scratches.
This scope also features a raised rib on the magnification ring that facilitates fast magnification changes. This feature is perfect because coyotes are very fast.
We highly recommend this scope because it comes with an excellent warranty compared to other scopes within the same price range.
Features
- The single-piece tube maximizes alignment for improved accuracy and optimum visual performance
- It is made from a solid block of aircraft-grade aluminum for strength and rigidity
- The O-ring seals prevent moisture, dust, and debris from penetrating the scope
Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10x40mm Rifle Scope
The Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10x40mm is a beginner friendly scope that does not have any complicated reticle markings. This allows you to focus on any moving target.
We highly recommend this scope because of the generous amount of eye relief. This is very important because it helps to protect your eye from recoil bumps. It is worth mentioning that eye relief is sufficient, even at higher magnification levels.
This scope comes with high quality glass compared to other scopes within the same price range. The clear glass provides you with edge-to-edge crispness and good image quality.
The exceptional feature of this scope is Leupold’s signature Twilight Max coating. This coating helps to gather light, allowing you to use your rifle effectively in low lighting conditions. It helps to reduce glare and ensures you have an unobstructed field of view.
The sturdy construction of this scope ensures that it can withstand heavy recoil and impact. It also ensures that the scope lasts for a long time, even after continuous use.
Features
- It comes with an excellent lifetime warranty
- It is very lightweight
- It offers good eye relief to protect you from recoil
Vortex Optics Strike Eagle 3-18×44 SFP Riflescope
The Vortex Optics Strike Eagle 3-18×44 SFP is an excellent scope that is available at a low price but comes with many outstanding features. It is made from premium quality materials to ensure it lasts for a long time.
It is important to note that this scope is fitted with high quality glass to provide you with the best vision across all the magnification levels. The extra-low dispersion (XD) glass helps to increase the resolution and the color of the images. This makes the image very sharp, ensuring that you do not miss any target.
The lens is fully multi coated to increase light transmission. It also includes several anti reflective coatings on all air to glass surfaces.
The exceptional feature of this scope is the illuminated reticle. It allows you to use your rifle effectively in low light conditions. In addition, the reticle utilizes an EVR-4 MOA, which is suitable for long range shooting applications.
It is also important to note that the reticle can be used to determine the ranges, windage corrections, and holdovers effectively. It is very easy to make these adjustments, to eliminate any guesswork in your shooting applications.
Your purchase comes with removable lens covers, CR2032 battery, lens cloth, and a sunshade. However, it is quite a challenge to maintain perfect and consistent eye relief, especially at the highest magnification levels.
Features
- It is constructed from high quality materials
- It comes with different accessories
- It comes with an excellent warranty
Athlon Optics Argos BTR 8-34×56 FFP Riflescope
The Athlon Optics Argos BTR 8-34×56 FFP Riflescope is one of the best deer rifle scopes under $400. This first focal plane scope comes with a reticle specifically designed to shrink or grow along with your target as you zoom in or out.
It is important to note that the reticle is illuminated. This allows you to use your rifle effectively, even in low lighting conditions.
This scope is made with 6061T6 aircraft grade aluminum for strength and rigidity. It also ensures a heavy-duty performance that can deal with unique and tough conditions.
This scope is a smart investment because of its thermal stability and waterproof design. This means that you can use this scope in the harshest weather conditions or accidental under water submerging.
The shockproof construction ensures it can withstand heavy recoil generated from hunting rifles. The reticle is etched on the glass to provide additional support for recoil resistance.
However, the adjustments on this scope are not user friendly.
Features
- It features a shockproof and waterproof construction
- It features a sturdy construction that can withstand heavy recoil
- It comes with an illuminated reticle
Monstrum G3 6-24×50 AO FFP Rifle Scope
The Monstrum G3 6-24×50 AO FFP Rifle Scope is a sturdy scope that allows you to effectively hit targets that are beyond 1000 yards. The durable construction ensures that it lasts for a long time, even after continuous use.
The adjustable objective lens allows for parallax adjustment, optimal focus, and range estimation. This ensures that you get crisp images and an unobstructed field of view, at each magnification level.
The exceptional feature of this scope is the illuminated MOA reticle. This functional illumination offers you a laser sight that can be used in any lighting condition. You can easily control the illumination depending on your shooting requirements.
The other exceptional feature of this scope is the windage and elevation turrets. They help you to make frequent adjustments depending on your shooting application. This eliminates any guesswork when aiming targets at extended ranges.
This scope features a high magnification power, making it ideal for a wide range of tactical shooting and hunting applications. The images are very clear across all the magnification levels.
We recommend this scope because it is very easy to use and has a zero-reset feature that comes in handy.
Features
- It features windage and elevation turrets
- It comes with an adjustable objective lens
- It is made from durable materials to ensure it lasts for a long time
Factors to Consider When Buying the Best Deer Rifle Scope Under $400
If you are a serious hunter, you know that it is important for you to have a reliable scope to help you make consistent shots. You need a scope with high quality optics to ensure that you do not miss any target because deer have impressive speed.
In this section, we will help you narrow down your search if you are still having a hard time. We have prepared a list of the important features factors you need to consider when buying the best deer rifle scope under $400.
Here are the important factors:
- Durability – The best scope for deer hunting should be constructed from high quality materials to ensure it lasts for a long time. It is also worth mentioning that some deer hunting rifles produce high recoil. You need to invest in a scope that can withstand such recoil and impact as well. In addition, it should also have a waterproof, fog proof, and shockproof construction.
- Quick focus eyepiece – We highly recommend buying a scope with a fast focus eyepiece that allows you to acquire moving targets. This is very important if you will use the scope for long range hunting applications.
- Objective Lens – The objective lens size affects the amount of light that passes through the scope. This is very important because it further relates to the brightness of the images produced. Therefore, we recommend buying a scope with a large objective lens size that offers clear images that are color accurate.
- Easily adjustable turrets – It is important to buy a scope with windage and elevation turrets that can be finger adjusted. This allows you to take full advantage of any situation by eliminating any guesswork. In addition, it helps you to hone your accuracy and precision skills.
- Magnification range – It is important to buy a scope that provides you with ample magnification for deer hunting applications. In addition, it should provide you with better flexibility in shooting at different ranges. This is why we recommend buying a scope with a variable magnification power.
- Warranty – We highly recommend investing in a scope that comes with an outstanding warranty. This ensures that your scope is fixed or replaced when damaged.
- Versatility – If you own a large arsenal, it is important to buy a scope that can be used for a wide range of shooting applications.
Conclusion
In this post, you have seen that there are many deer hunting scopes available for less than $400. The scopes we have shared are compatible with many hunting rifles available in the market today.
As mentioned earlier, it is important to first define your shooting requirements to make the selection process easy. However, you should not settle for anything less if you feel like the scope can’t cater to your shooting applications.
If you are still not sure which scope to buy, we recommend the Vortex Optics Diamondback Tactical 6-24×50 FFP Riflescope. It will provide you with accuracy, precision, and the stability you need for deer hunting.
We hope that this guide helped you to make a well informed purchase.