Last Sunday, I visited on the SlavGuns livestream and the conversation turned to QC issues with riflescopes and on what people should get if they are on a budget.

This all started when it turned out that out of the several Arken scopes SlavGuns received, half had problems.

Despite that, he tried to make an argument that these scopes offer a lot for the money IF you get a good one, especially if you are not shooting all that far away or for newer shooters that might not have the skills to see the flaws come out, etc. He was making a case that all the features you get for comparatively little money make it worth it (if I misinterpreted what he said, I'll post a correction).

I disagree with that profoundly. If the fundamentals of a riflescope are compromised, it does not matter how feature-rich it is. The scope has to stay zeroed. It has to have a reasonable reticle. Turrets have to track.

Twenty years ago, if you were starting out with precision shooting, you got a 308Win boltgun of some sort (Remington was still OK; Savage was pretty decent), a single piece picatinny rail, a pair of TPS rings and a SWFA SS 10x42 scope for $300. The optic did not have a lot of frills, but it held and it tracked. The image quality is good enough and it is still $300 https://swfa.com/swfa-10x42-ss-mil-quad-reticle-30mm-1-mil-clicks-rear-focus/
I still have one of these, for what it is worth, along with the more expensive 10x42HD that sits on an inexpensive 308Win boltgun (a Yugo Mauser action with ER Shaw barrel).

That setup could get you pretty damn far. After some amount of practice, you could easily figure out if it was holding you back and upgrade accordingly. That general concept still holds true, but we have other reliable options.

In the modern market, if a fixed power scope is not your thing, we have several options that are rather tried and true. At the bottom of this post are links to a bunch of reasonably well worked out designs that have developed a reputation for holding up.

They are, mostly, made in China by experienced OEMs and I listed options from $450 to around $1k. It is not an exhaustive list, but from what I have seen, all of these have fairly solid fundamentals and a varying feature set.

If you are a new shooter and this is your first foray into precision shooting, you should be looking for a design that has a reputation for reasonable durability. The minimum feature set is pretty simple: FFP reticle, exposed turrets that track for at least 10mrad or so, side focus, magnification range that tops out somewhere in the 15x to 30x range.

Reticle preferences are in the eye of the beholder, but going for something super complex is usually a bad idea.

You want a reasonable eyebox. Illumination is nice to have, but not critical at this stage. Zero stop is a good idea, but not strictly speaking critical if you are trying to stay on budget.

The SWFA at $300 is still the cheapest option. However, Element Helix FFP 6-24x50 and Vortex Venom 5-25x56 are around $500 along with a few others.

They are supported by good companies. They have been made for different brands (same OEM) in large quantities. They generally hold up.

If one fails, the company will support you. If this is more than you can afford, look for a used one. With solid companies backing the product, it is a pretty safe bet.

Does that mean noone should be buying from brands like Arken and Discovery? not at all. I wish them well and as their improve, I hope they will force everyone else to compete in lower prices. However, if you are new at this, go for the tried and true. You should be spending your time and money on developing skills and experience, not on test driving riflescopes.

If you have been at it for a while, know what you are doing and are trying to scope a dozen or so rifles, Arken is worth a look. At this stage, you can probably diagnose problems. You are likely not looking to spend Tangent Theta money on every one of your rifles. If you are just playing with one of your rifles go nuts on Arken or something along those lines. It is not a ton of money. If it goes down, you are not left high and dry without a rifle. If you get a good one, you'll have a blast with it. If you get a bad one, you have other options.

What would I do if I were starting out again?
It is very hard to argue against Vortex Venom 5-25x56 on a Tikka T3x of some sort chambered for 6.5Creed.
If I wanted a more crossover design, a 3-18x44 Strike Eagle is a good choice.

In all truthfulness, I would probably look for a discounted Burris XTR3i 3.3-18x50 and use it for everything.

If money truly is tight, SWFA fixed power is still king.

Vortex Venom 5-25x56 https://bit.ly/4769sYq
Element Helix 6-24x50 https://bit.ly/46H3ZYD
Vortex Diamondback Tactical 4-16x44 https://bit.ly/3rZ71bB
SwampFox Warhawk 4-20x50 https://bit.ly/3FuFXUL
Vortex Strike Eagle 3-18x44 https://bit.ly/3tOI03l
Athlon Helos BTR Gen2 2-12x42 https://bit.ly/40i1ABe
Primary Arms GLx 3-18x44 https://bit.ly/3kkmtLk
Burris RT-25 5-25x56 https://bit.ly/3Sf56dx
Burris XTR3i 3.3-18x50 https://bit.ly/3XVF8Ld
Meopta Optika6 5-30x56 for $799 https://bit.ly/3Fwlj6t
Meopta Optika5 3-18x50 https://bit.ly/3DFXXe4