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We’ve all been there: You tried to save a few bucks on a new scope, but it breaks after only a few trips to the range. Or worse, you got a busted sight right out of the box and had to deal with a company that wouldn’t honor its warranty.
All that is why we took the time to review the best budget reflex sights out there.
If you don’t know what you’re looking for, we created a comprehensive buyer’s guide to walk you through everything that you need to know before making your decision.
You don’t need to spend a ton of money to get an excellent reflex sight.
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Best Overall | CVLIFE 1X22X33 Red Dot Reflex Sight |
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Adjustable Reticle | Feyachi Reflex Sight |
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Field Sport Red Reflex Sight |
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Pinty Red Green Reflex Rifle Scope |
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Predator V2 Reflex Sight |
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When you’re looking to get a low-priced reflex sight that does it all, the CVLIFE red dot sight is the way to go. For starters, it has four different reticle options to choose from and two different reticle colors (red and green).
As another perk, it utilizes an anti-glare reflective coating for optimal clarity and has multiple brightness levels to choose from for your reticle.
It fits a wide array of rifles and handguns — in fact, anything with a Picatinny, weaver, or RIS rail system. Finally, while the 30-day warranty isn’t ideal, for the low price, it gives you plenty of time to get out and use your sight before making your final decision. Overall, this is the best budget reflex sight we have tested.
An excellent budget reflex sight is the Feyachi reflex sight. It comes with four different reticle styles and two different illumination colors for you to choose from. Additionally, you get five different brightness settings, giving this reflex sight one of the most adjustable reticles on the market.
It fits a Picatinny rail system and comes with a 1-year warranty. While that’s not the longest warranty on the market, it’s enough considering the price point.
Our only real complaint with this sight is that it doesn’t have an on/off switch. Instead, it turns on when you change the brightness settings and auto turns off at a predetermined time. This drains your battery life but otherwise, isn’t a huge deal.
The Field Sport reflex sight is another affordable option that delivers quality results. There are four different reticle patterns to choose from, and you can mount it to any Picatinny rail design. It has two different reticle colors to choose from: red and green.
While the 6-month warranty isn’t anything exceptional, for the price point, it’s among one of the better options. One problem with this sight is that it only has two brightness settings. This makes it difficult to see in brighter conditions and saps your battery life when you’re shooting in dim lighting.
But the biggest concern is that it can’t handle weapons with large recoils. If you need a sight for a smaller caliber weapon, it’s excellent, but if you’re looking for a shotgun reflex sight, keep looking.
The Pinty reflex rifle scope is an incredible red dot sight for shooting close-range targets. While there are four different reticle patterns to choose from, the MOA single dot sight is close to 10 MOA in size, making it impossible to hit more distant targets. But it’s easy to spot, so if you’re looking for quicker target acquisition, it’s a great choice.
You can mount this scope to any weapon with a Picatinny rail, and there are two reticle colors to choose from: red and green. This makes it easier to spot your reticle no matter what you’re shooting at. However, the reticle itself doesn’t get extremely bright despite the variable brightness controls.
While this isn’t usually a concern, if you’re shooting in extremely bright conditions, you might struggle to find your reticle, which defeats the purpose of having a reflex sight to begin with.
The Predator V2 reflex sight might be more expensive than some other options, but by spending this amount of money now, you won’t have to worry about spending more later. That’s because this sight comes with a hassle-free lifetime warranty, which means that this is the last reflex sight that you’ll ever need to buy. Even better, it always holds zero, has four different reticle patterns to choose from, and has both red and green reticle options.
The only reason we didn’t move this sight further up this list is because of the price. But if you can afford it, this is an excellent reflex sight that you’ll have for years.
If you’re looking for one of the lowest-priced reflex sights out there, this sight by Ohuhu is an outstanding choice. It’s extremely low priced, but you still get multiple options to choose from.
For starters, there are two different color styles for the sight itself, which allows you to get one that matches your weapon.
Additionally, you get four reticle patterns and both red and green reticles, which is a huge perk. While many sights only fit Picatinny mounts, this one fits dovetail mounts, adding to its overall versatility.
However, for the low price, there are a few drawbacks. First, it’s not parallax-free, which is a huge deal. Moreover, if you plan to mount this sight onto a weapon with a larger recoil, it’s only a matter of time until it breaks.
While the Ozark Armament Rhino scope is somewhat more expensive than some other scopes, it’s still on the lower end of the overall spectrum.
Additionally, it comes with a lifetime warranty, so you won’t have to worry about it breaking at any point down the road. It mounts to any weapon with a Picatinny rail, which makes it an extremely versatile scope. As another perk, it has five different brightness levels, so it’s easy to use in any weather condition.
Finally, while there are plenty of things to like about this scope, it’s not perfect. Not only is it slightly more expensive, but it’s also a little bulkier and doesn’t have the extra features to justify the additional cost.
The Ade Advanced Optics scope squeaked its way onto this list despite its slightly higher price, though it doesn’t come with a ton of features to justify the extra cost.
You only get one reticle pattern, but the 3 MOA red dot is an excellent choice. That said, you don’t get a green dot option, and it only comes with a 1-year warranty. While that’s a good warranty, for a sight that costs so much, we would like a little more protection.
Finally, this sight does fit both dovetail and Picatinny rails, making this a versatile choice no matter what you’re looking for.
A slightly more expensive option is the DD Dagger Defense reflex sight. While it’s a decent sight, we couldn’t place it any higher on this list due to the higher price tag and lack of features. First, it only comes with a 1-year warranty, and for the higher price, we expect more.
It also often has a blurry reticle, which is flat-out unacceptable for any sight, let alone a more expensive one. However, if you do get a clear sight, there are four different reticle patterns to choose from and two different reticle colors.
Finally, the two different color styles on the sight itself allow you to add a touch of flair to your weapon.
While there are things to like about the AT3 tactical reflex sight, it is the most expensive on this list. However, it does offer a lifetime warranty, which means it will be the last reflex sight that you need to buy.
Furthermore, the ultra-long battery life will save you even more money when you take your sight out to the range. There are 11 different brightness settings that allow you to see your reticle in any condition and save your battery life when you don’t need the extra power.
But there are drawbacks. First, there is only one reticle to choose from and only one reticle color. It’s a 2 MOA red dot, which is great for precision shots but can be hard to find at times. For the price, we simply expect more.
We know that when you’re picking out a reflex sight, you’re bound to have a ton of questions. There are so many specs and features thrown at you, and if you don’t know what you’re looking for, it can be a little overwhelming.
That’s why we created this comprehensive buyer’s guide to walk you through everything that you need to know when picking out a reflex sight.
If you’re looking for a surefire way to upgrade your weapon, a red dot sight is a great choice. While you won’t get magnification with any of the sights on this list, you will get quicker target acquisition, unlimited eye relief, and a wide field of view.
Red dot sights make it easier and faster to lock in your target, and they don’t have any tradeoffs compared to a traditional iron sight. If you’re not looking for magnification, a red dot sight is the clear way to go, no matter what you’re shooting.
One term that gets thrown around with red dot sights is the reticle’s MOA size. This refers to the actual size of the dot on the reticle. The larger the dot, the easier it will be to spot, but if you’re looking at hitting smaller targets at farther distances, you’ll need a smaller reticle.
In the end, it comes down to personal preference, but we recommend a 3 to 5 MOA reticle for most applications. If you plan on trying to bullseye distant targets, you can opt for a 1 or 2 MOA reticle instead.
Finally, you don’t need anything larger than a 5 MOA reticle — it’s plenty easy to see, and anything bigger will start to obscure your view.
The Predator, Ozark, and AT3 reflex sights all have lifetime warranties and are relatively affordable scopes compared to many other options out there.
While they might be more expensive up front, you’ll likely save money in the long run. That’s because while you’ll probably be replacing the cheaper options in a few years, while these three options will last forever.
It doesn’t matter what features your new scope has if you can’t mount it to your weapon. Before you make a purchase, take the time to see what kind of mount is on your weapon. While Picatinny, Weaver, and Dovetail mounts are the most common, they aren’t the only ones out there.
Once you’ve verified what’s on your weapon, verify that the sight you’re about to purchase fits. This will save you the frustration of getting your sight and realizing that it won’t fit. The good news is that each sight we reviewed highlights the exact mount that it fits. Now you’ll know if it will work for you before you make a purchase.
It doesn’t matter what kind of scope you get; you need to take the time to sight it in. While the exact adjustments you need to make might vary depending on the weapon that you mount it to, the basic principles stay the same. Sighting your scope is a critical part of the process.
When it comes to parallax and red dot sights, it’s about whether the dot “moves” as you change your angle. Good quality scopes are parallax-free, meaning that it doesn’t matter where you’re looking through the scope, the dot always stays in the same place.
However, not every lower-priced reflex sight is completely parallax-free. Just know that if you’re shooting through a sight that’s not, you’ll need to pay special attention to your shooting position to make sure you’re going to hit your target.
One of the biggest problems that people have with their red dot sights is actually seeing the sight. But unlike many scopes that need tons of light, the more light you have with a red dot, the harder it is to see. That’s why it’s so important to get a red dot sight with adjustable brightness settings. Without enough illumination, you won’t be able to see the reticle in ultra-bright situations.
Also, keep in mind that as your battery wears down, your reticle won’t be able to maintain the same brightness levels. So, if you find that your red dot sight isn’t getting as bright as it used to, you probably need a new battery to get things working the way that they should.
We know the difference that a high-quality reflex sight can make. We also understand that you don’t always have a ton of money to drop on new gun parts. That’s why we took the time to create reviews of the best budget reflex sights on the market, like the CVLIFE 1X22X33 Red Dot Reflex Sight.
Hopefully, this guide walked you through everything that you need to know to get a top-notch reflex sight for your weapon without breaking the bank.
The next time that you head out to the range, do it with a top-notch reflex sight — you’ll find it far easier to hit your target every time!
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Robert’s obsession with all things optical started early in life, when his optician father would bring home prototypes for Robert to play with. Nowadays, Robert is dedicated to helping others find the right optics for their needs. His hobbies include astronomy, astrophysics, and model building. Originally from Newark, NJ, he resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the nighttime skies are filled with glittering stars.
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