Hey All,

Wanting to get into a budget LPVO in the $200-$300 range.

Will be going in a 10.5 pistol or M4 Carbine.

Any insight would be appreciated regarding a 1-4 or 1-6 for no more than 300 yards. Been looking into Bushnell AR optics but truly dont know.

Thanks in advance,

Vortex strike eagle.

Much better reticle than the viper IMO

Almost bought the Vortex Strike Eagle, but decided to go with red dot-magnifier combo...did much DD, but for that price range, it was the Strike Eagle.

The Vortex StrikeEagle 1-6x was my first foray into LPVO.  It fit the budget @ $329.  I had zero experience looking through scopes.  I thought it was great.  Worked well for my range toy.  

After some time behind better (and worse) glass, I wouldn’t buy the Strike Eagle again.  I just picked up a Vortex Ranger 1-4x (identical to discontinued PST gen 1) for $300 and was pleasantly surprised.  The glass is clearer than than the SE and the Eye Box feels more forgiving.  

But for a first time LPVO, it does fit the bill at that price range.  

I would took for a Burris RT6. Significantly better than the Vortex and can be found under $300 if you look around.

The 1-6 AR Optics Bushnell is pretty decent (1-4 is FFP & reticle borderline useless IMO).

As stated the RT-6 is probably the best in that price range.  I’ve seen them at $349 w/ a Burris PEPR mount.

Eurooptic.com  Nikon M-Tactical 1-4x24 Matte Mk1-MOA

Supply Sergeant through Amazon  Nikon M-TACTICAL 1-4x24 Mk1-MOA
If you go to Amazon, select the Supply Sergeant for the best deal.

I was in the same boat and purchased a discontinued Nikon M-TACTICAL 1-4x24 Matte Mk1-MOA for $220 after tax& s+h. Quality glass and turrets and a good reticle all from a great company. These are new/remaining stock since Nikon no longer manufacturers scopes but still have the lifetime warranty. They were made in the Philippines and have  beautifuly clear glass and quality turrets.

They are not illuminated and because they're discontinued 2018 New Stock, you save huge. I didn't need the illumination. I ended up buying 2 of them.
Attached File

Another vote for the Burris RT6. At the top of your budget but it’s best to save a couple pennies and buy something worthwhile like the Burris.

RT-6, the Strike Eagles I've personally shot with were underwhelming and would be traded out for something better. The RT-6 is a budget option that can serve long term.

RT6 in that price range.

If you can save another $100, I got my Leupold VX Freedom Illuminated for $400. Better glass than anything $500 and below with daytime bright illumination. (Daylight bright makes a huge difference in speed).

Many people start with low end LPVO's like the Strike Eagle or ACSS, then write them off entirely. You don't judge a Corvette based on a Chevy Cruze, so keep in mind the lower end models are not going to be as good.

All great points everyone. B&H Photo has RT6 for $339.

Personally I'd go with the Bushnell AR Optics 1-4 unless you've got more money to burn.

Vortex Strike Eagle 1-6 is great for the price point though the Burris RT6 does look pretty sweet with a cleaner reticle.

I just picked up a Burris RT6.  No experience with 1-6x.  I have not mounted it but seems very nice for the price.

I’ll push back on the RT-6 narrative for a moment. I was in the same position as you.

A number of months back I wanted to try out a LPVO. I posted here and on other communities to get input. There was a ton of people that said, “you’ll be disappointed in the SE or ACSS, get the Vortex Viper Gen 1. PST 1-4x since it has better glass and eye box” for the money in the $250-300 range.

I did what the hive told me and when the scope arrived well... I was disappointed. My first issue was the turrets weren’t capped so you can make adjustments on the fly, which isn’t really needed IMO for a low power optic. Second and most important I realized I wanted more magnification.

I traded the scope for a Huey to put on my other build and then had to go through the LPVO selection process again. This time I knew that I needed 1-6 at a minimum and capped turrets. At that point the deciding factor for me was the ACSS reticle. I’ve had it for a number of weeks now and it has more than met my expectations. People will still try to say that the RT-6 is “better” but everyone has different aspects they weight.

I would rather have marginally less clear glass (and by that I mean very marginal)  and have a world-renowned reticle that is extremely usable.

At the end of the day you need to go through some trial and error or really hone in on what you want. I went with what the hive wanted the first time instead of thinking for myself and no surprise I wasn’t satisfied.

That would be my takeaway for you.

What manufacturer did you go with for ACSS. PA??

The RT6 recommendations are good. It's a solid scope with good glass and a great warrantee.

Primary Arms acss

Primary Arms 100% ...

My buddy has the Vortex and i have a PA 1x6 and we both agree the Primary Arms is superior.
The PA and Vortex are probably the "best" 1x6's at the $300 price point... I am not aware of anything else that really competes or compares.
Hilghly recommend the PA 1x6... love the reticle on it!

Another to consider is the Burris Tac-30 1-4x. Can be found new for under $200 and it quality.

There are so many options in this space that it's really hard to make a generalized recommendation.  As stated above, the Burris RT-6 is the overall pick since it combines some really nice features with good quality.  I've also had good luck with my SWFA SS 1-4x, but they're a little overpriced ($400) unless there's a sale dropping it around $300 or pairing it with a free mount.  The Primary Arms 1-6x are good options with the ACSS reticles that are simple for novices to understand.  If you are interested in Vortex, I'd recommend the Viper PST Gen 1 or Ranger 1-4x (for quality control reasons) over the Strike Eagle 1-6x.  

If you want to stick below the $200 range, you ought to just get a red dot or consider the Bushnell Prime 1-4x.  It's made in Korea and was sold in Europe as a hunting scope, and now they're offering it here.  I picked up one for my wife's lightweight carbine, and it's very good for the price.  It has a simple illuminated dot (daylight visible, not red dot bright) in the center of the classic German #4 reticle, which is great for shooting silhouettes from 10~300 yards.

I ran one of these for about 5 years before upgrading.  They are a solid optic for $200.

Lots of options, OP.  Have you considered a quality mount for your new optic?

With coupon code MRGUNSNGEAR he will get a free deluxe mount if he buys the PA 1-6x LPVO. Or any scope for that matter. It’s heavy but it’ll hold zero.

For QD, it’s hard to beat the LaRue LT204 CAN Mount at $130.

Another vote for the RT6. I was in a similar position as the OP and went with the RT6 and have no regrets. I wasn't crazy about the glass on the strike eagles. The Primary Arms offerings would be my 2nd pick just due to reticles.

That looks interesting but this is confusing. The specs say MOA but the turrets are in CM?

"Note: This optic was built for the European market, but we're now bringing it to you here in the States. As a result, the turrets are in CM."

The Burris RT6 pretty much has this category locked up far as quality/$ in this price range.  It really doesn't have any competition.  The only downside is that it is at your max budget on a good deal.

The gold standard entry level LPVO is the Burris RT6.

No votes for the SF Arrowhead 1-6?  I have been looking hard at trying one of these out for a up close to mid range battle rifle.

There's a Burris M-Tac 1-4 in the EE. I should probably buy it.

Not a bad inexpensive scope, also look at the MTAC 1.5-6.

As a Strike Eagle 1-8 owner, I would recommend something else.   Mine is one the worst scopes I have ever owned and I have owned well over 100 scopes.  The glass on mine,  while not good to begin with,  is awful above 5 power.  Mine will not hold poi or track.   Sent it to Vortex and they told me nothing wrong with it and that I likely over torqued the rings.  Before sending it to Vortex and  eliminate the gun or the mount as being the culprit, I mounted a Burris 1-4 and it worked as it should.   Has to be the scope but not according to Vortex.   They returned it without doing anything, included a target purportedly shot with my scope that does nothing to prove tracking.  Of course, the problems still exist.  Eventually after continual pressure they reluctantly agreed to replace it.

I bought NOS Mark AR MOD-1 Rifle Scope - 1.5-4x20mm Illuminated Firedot-G SPR Reticle for $280 last year and an EE used Leupold VX•R Patrol 1.25-4x20mm Firedot for $400.

Leupold are usually lighter than Burris or Vortex if that matters. There is a big difference in mount weights also.