Under £800 you can buy a genuinely good rifle scope for almost any UK job: traditional hunting scopes from Burris, and 1-6x to 1-10x LPVOs from SIG Sauer, Primary Arms, Burris and EOTech. More than half of the rifle scopes we list sit below £800, and above that line the range thins sharply before it jumps to premium precision and FFP glass from £1,000.
This guide is built on the actual price spread of the rifle scopes we list, not on a round number picked from the air. It shows where the value clusters, what each band buys, and what you only get by spending more.
Prices correct at the time of writing; check the product page for the current price.
Key takeaways
- 48 of the 93 rifle scopes we list are under £800, and only 3 sit between £800 and £1,000.
- Under £500 buys a complete 3-9x40 hunting scope or a true 1x LPVO such as the Primary Arms SLx 1-6x24 or SIG TANGO-MSR 1-6x24.
- £500 to £800 adds side-focus parallax, locking turrets, compact LPVOs and 1-10x magnification.
- Illumination and adjustable parallax are both available under £800; exposed zero-stop turrets and high-magnification FFP glass mostly are not.
- SIG TANGO-MSR scopes include a cantilever mount; for everything else, budget for rings, which we do not stock.
What the price spread looks like
These counts cover every active rifle scope and LPVO listing on 23 September 2026. Handgun scopes, prism sights and mounts are not included.
| Price band | Rifle scopes listed |
|---|---|
| Under £300 | 10 |
| £300 to £500 | 23 |
| £500 to £600 | 4 |
| £600 to £700 | 7 |
| £700 to £800 | 4 |
| £800 to £1,000 | 3 |
| £1,000 to £1,500 | 18 |
| £1,500 and above | 24 |
Why £800 is the line
The spread is not a smooth curve. There is a large cluster under £500, a steady run to £800, then almost nothing until the premium ranges start just above £1,000. That thin patch is the reason for putting the ceiling at £800. It also marks a change in what you are buying. Below £800 the range is traditional hunting scopes and LPVOs. Above it you move into EOTech Vudu and Burris Veracity and XTR glass, first focal plane precision reticles and long magnification ranges.
An earlier version of this guide said Trijicon's Huron and Ascent ranges filled this gap. They are not currently in our active range, so they have been removed. The spread moves as ranges come and go, so check it again when you set a budget.
Under £300: the working hunting scopes
A more capable group than the price suggests.
- The classic 3-9x40. The Burris Droptine 3-9x40 is the least expensive rifle scope we list. Burris gives it a 1 inch tube, capped turrets with 1/4 MOA clicks and a Ballistic Plex reticle. The Droptine 3-9x40 Rimfire has its parallax set at 50 yards, which suits .22LR ranges. The Fullfield E1 3-9x40 is the step up, also on a 1 inch tube with 1/4 MOA clicks.
- More range or illumination. The Droptine 4.5-14x42 adds reach for foxing, and the Fullfield 2.5-10x42 with illuminated Ballistic E3 reticle puts an illuminated reticle into this band.
A 3-9x40 remains one of the most sensible specifications ever drawn for British woodland ranges, as our guide to choosing a rifle scope explains.
£300 to £500: LPVOs and bigger hunting scopes
This is the busiest band, and it is where the real value in LPVOs sits.
- True 1x LPVOs. The Primary Arms SLx 1-6x24 with ACSS Nova, the SLx 1-6x24 with ACSS Aurora 5.56 Meter and the SLx 1-10x28 with ACSS Griffin M10S all sit here, as do the SIG Sauer TANGO-MSR 1-6x24, its FFP version and the TANGO-MSR 1-8x24. The SIG scopes come with SIG's ALPHA-MSR cantilever mount.
- The Burris RT-6. The RT-6 1-6x24 is a 30 mm SFP LPVO with an illuminated Ballistic 5X reticle for 5.56/.223 and 11 brightness settings.
- Bigger hunting scopes. The Burris Fullfield 3-12x42, 3-12x56 and 4-16x50 give more magnification or a bigger objective for dusk and foxing.
- Scout scope. The Burris Scout 2.75x20 has 8.5 to 14 in (216 to 356 mm) of eye relief, according to Burris, for mounting forward of the action on a rifle that will not take a conventional scope.
The ACSS Aurora 5.56 Meter reticle deserves a mention on a British site: its holds are laid out in metres rather than yards, which is what you are actually shooting at on a UK range.
£500 to £800: better turrets, compact LPVOs and 1-10x
Specifications below are from each maker's website.
| Scope | Tube | Focal plane | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burris Scout 2-7x32 | 1 in | SFP | Variable scout scope, 9.2–12 in eye relief, 1/4 MOA clicks |
| Burris Signature HD 3-15x44 | 1 in | SFP | Side focus from 25 yd, push-pull locking turrets; illuminated Ballistic E3 option |
| Burris Fullfield 6-24x50 | 30 mm | SFP | Side focus from 25 yd, exposed turrets, 1/4 MOA clicks |
| SIG TANGO-MSR 1-10x28 | 34 mm | SFP | 1-10x LPVO with ALPHA-MSR mount |
| SIG TANGO-MSR 1-10x26 | 34 mm | FFP | 1-10x with holds true at every power |
| SIG TANGO-MSR Compact 1-6x24 | 30 mm | SFP | 8.4 in long, factory-fitted mount |
| SIG TANGO-MSR Compact 1-8x24 | 30 mm | SFP | Compact 1-8x with factory-fitted mount |
| SIG TANGO-MSR Compact 1-10x24 SFP / FFP | 30 mm | SFP or FFP | Compact 1-10x in either focal plane |
| Burris RT-6 Tactical Kit | 30 mm | SFP | RT-6 with FastFire 3 red dot and P.E.P.R. mount |
| EOTech Vudu X 1-6x24 | 30 mm | SFP | Daylight-bright illuminated DP1 duplex or BD1 ballistic reticle |
The Burris RT-6 Tactical Kit includes a red dot and a mount, which saves buying them separately if an offset or backup dot was on your list anyway.
Choosing between them
- Straight-pull or gallery rifle inside 300 m? A 1-6x or 1-8x LPVO is the right tool, and the £300 to £500 group covers it fully. See our best LPVO guide.
- Stalking? Start low, not high. Our deer stalking scopes guide explains why the bottom of the magnification range matters more than the top, and the deer stalking scopes collection is filtered for it. The Signature HD 3-15x44 with illuminated Ballistic E3 is the stand-out stalking scope under £800.
- Rimfire? Check the mounting before the glass: many British rimfires and air rifles have an 11 mm dovetail rather than a Picatinny rail. Choose a scope set for 50 yards, or one with side focus.
- First or second focal plane? Only a few scopes in this band are FFP, all of them SIG LPVOs. If you hold over at mid powers, that matters; if you dial or shoot at full power, it does not.
What this band does not buy you
It is fairer to name the differences than to imply the premium tier is only branding.
- High-magnification FFP precision glass. Under £800, FFP is limited to LPVOs. An FFP 5-25x for long-range steel or F-Class starts just above this band.
- Exposed turrets with a zero stop. The Fullfield 6-24x50 has exposed turrets, but most scopes here are built for holding on a BDC reticle rather than dialling and returning to a hard stop. That is a legitimate way to shoot inside 300 m and a limitation beyond it.
- Premium low-light resolution. Illumination and side-focus parallax are both available under £800, as the Signature HD and Fullfield models show. What you give up is the extra contrast and sharpness of premium glass in the last minutes of legal light.
None of that makes a sub-£800 scope the wrong purchase. It makes it the right purchase for a defined job, which is the only sensible way to buy glass.
Budget for rings or a mount
Apart from the SIG TANGO-MSR range, which comes with an ALPHA-MSR cantilever mount, and the Burris RT-6 Tactical Kit, which includes a P.E.P.R. mount, these scopes are supplied without rings. We do not stock scope rings or scope mounts, only red dot mounts, so buy rings of the right diameter (1 inch, 30 mm or 34 mm) from a specialist, and budget a meaningful share of the scope's price for them. Get the height right: the lowest ring that still clears the objective gives the firmest cheek weld. Our guide to mount height and eye relief explains how.
UK note
A rifle scope is not one of the component parts that the Firearms Act 1968, s.57 treats as a firearm; that list covers barrels, chambers, cylinders, frames, bodies, receivers and breech mechanisms. Confirm anything about your own certificate with your firearms licensing department.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest rifle scope you sell?
The Burris Droptine 3-9x40, in standard and rimfire (50 yard parallax) versions. Both are proper 1 inch hunting scopes with 1/4 MOA clicks, not cut-down budget optics.
Is there a gap in prices between £800 and £1,000?
Almost. Only 3 of the 93 rifle scopes we list sit in that band: two EOTech Vudu X 2-12x40 versions and the Burris Signature HD 5-25x50 FFP. Most premium scopes start just above £1,000.
Is a sub-£500 LPVO a real 1x?
Yes, on the models listed here: they are true 1x at the bottom of the range, which is what makes both-eyes-open shooting work. What you give up against the premium tier is edge clarity and a more forgiving eyebox at full power.
What is the best budget scope for deer stalking?
In this price range, the Burris Signature HD 3-15x44 with the illuminated Ballistic E3 reticle, for its side focus, locking turrets and illumination. On a tighter budget, a Fullfield 2.5-10x42 or 3-12x42 covers woodland stalking well.
MOA or MRAD turrets?
Whichever matches your reticle. Consistency between turret and reticle matters far more than the choice itself.
Shop this guide
- Rifle Scopes — the full range, sortable by price.
- Burris Rifle Scopes — Droptine, Fullfield, Scout and Signature HD.
- LPVO Rifle Scopes — SIG, Primary Arms, Burris and EOTech LPVOs.
- SIG Sauer Rifle Scopes — TANGO-MSR scopes with mount included.
