I am pretty new to hunting and have recently been looking for rifles. There are several reasons to choose one rifle over another based on personal preference. However, I am confused as to what makes one scope better than another? You see scopes at sporting goods stores for $50 and they are well known names. On the flip side you could spend $500 for what "appears" to be the same thing. Notice I say appears to be the same....What is the difference? Will a hunter that rifle hunts 5 or 6 days per yearrecognize the difference?

Quality of glass and coatings as well as craft in assembly. Like you say same name but higher price sounds good, but Ford makes ******s as well as Lincolns. 5 or 6 days may not sound like much, but if at dusk you have a nice buck in your shooting area and the scope is too poor to see through you have wasted a lot of time and money. There are a number of good scopes that you can get for about $250, like the Bushnell 4200 Elite 3x9x40.

As timbercruiser mentioned quality and coating of glass is very important but I also find, size, weight, eye relief, outside finish of scope, water proof, guaranty, also play a big factor on price. The day might come for the opportunity for that trophy buck and you just might have to pass because your scope can’t make him out on account of a poor quality of scope...

Durability,brightness and precise tracking are characteristics that cost more money to produce and are very important.

Ability to take in light in low-light conditions,clarity of crosshairs,durability, and additional features, like an illuminated reticle, are all parts of a scope, that can push up the price and also the quality.

one to watch out for that i've learned from firsthand experience is not to go too large on the objective. i currently have 50mm objective on my .270, and i can't stand it. sure, it allows a lot of light in at dawn and dusk however i find the large field of view to be too distracting. some others may feel differently.

A $50 scope may work on a plinker .22 rimfire, but you need something decent for a centerfire rifle for the reasons already stated. The big factor is durability, as many cheap scopes, like the Simmons I have, just don't hold together.

Most optics comapnies have thier own coatings that they developed. I bleieve Zeiss was the first in the 40's with a magnesium flouride coating that let more light through the glass instead of reflecting it off. Swarovski's is called Swarobright. Sightrons if Rev Coat. The more coatings the more light is allowed through the glass. And also the more expensive it is. And it is worth every penny. The beast scopes have just about reached the theoretical limit for light transfer nowadays.
The better scopes have more forgiving and longer eye relief. This is really important esp if you wear glasses or have a really heavey recoiling rifle.
The precision and repeatability of the scope adjustments is crucial. Some cheaper scopes lack precision. If you zero a cheap scope at 3 power, then crank it up to 9 power, the point of impact may wander. Also the adjustment clicks are supposed to be 1/4" but may not be on cheaper scopes.
Some cheap scopes aren't as water tight as some better ones.
Cheap scopes often do not handle recoil as well as better ones. This means that with repeated shooting, the point of impact can wander, the reticle can shift, glass can fall out, watertightness can be affected, etc.
In my opinion, the beat cheap scope is the Bushnell Banner scope. About 70 bucks or so. But it is not fully multicoated. Still for 70 bucks you can hardly go wrong.
Bushnell, Burris, Sightron, Simmons, weaver, Nikon, Pentax, and Leupold all make decent (and sometimes excellent) scopes for under 200 bucks. Probably the best deal is the Burris Fullfield II 3-9x40 which can be had on ebay new for 150 bucks or so. It is fully multi coated, lifetime guaranteed, and enjoys and excellent rep for image quality, durability, precision, and customer service.
I believe it is better to skimp on the rifle and spend more on the scope. You can go get a 50 dollor scope but you will just end up moving up in quality, either in increments or all at once.
Generally European scopes are the best, Followed by US and Japanese, then Korean, Then Chinese. Most Chinese scopes are crap but the new Simmons master series is pretty good.
Leupold is by far the most popular scope for U.S. hunters and for good reason.
There is a company called CDNN that is selling the Smith and Wesson Scopes and the Redfield 5 star scope (both Japanese) for 100 bucks. These are great scopes for the money. I have a smith and wesson.Send me a personal message if you want the web adress of CDNN
Good luck

You need to buy a scope based on specs and what is actually reported or confirmable by yourself.

<$50 - I'm not sure I would call these scopes. Some can mount on a 22 and be ok for a kid with other far greater accuracy problem. Definately 0 - 100 yd, low recoil material here.

$50 - $150 - Fully coated optics, hit and miss turrets, usually require some shooting to be sure the zero is done moving. Some decent scopes are available in this range. I was fond of the 6.5 - 20 Simmons, Japan model 44 Mag that I looked at in this range. Other's I would pass on.

$200 - $300 - Mostly multi-coated optics, but some fully multi-coated optics. Star performers here seem to be Leupold VX II or the Super Sniper 10x. IMHO, if one can handle the 10x, the Super Sniper is by far the best.

$300 - $500 - There are many great single zero hunting scopes in this range from Leupold and others. Definately get fully multicoated optics and pretty good glass. Also, here turrets should be absolutely precise for getting to a zero or keeping a zero. Zeiss Conquest is a favorite here.

$600 - $800 - Along with fully multicoated optics, one can have pretty darn good glass and multizero turrets. Target or tactical turrets are great for varminting, long range hunting, etc. These full featured scopes are starting to get heavy.

$800 - $1100 - Full feature specialty scopes for long range tactical or hunting work. Great glass is standard. IOR and Leupold make pretty great long range hunting gear here.

$1100 - $1800 - The best grade of standard scopes with all the features one can imagine. Glass goes from great to super. Europeon hunting scopes are in this range.

$2000 - + - you had better get everything you want here. The standard here is US Optics. Swarovski and Schmidt and Bender maker stuff here too. The glass, turrets and everything should be perfect and even be able to hold their own shooting well after dark due to their ability to manage stray light, illuminated reticles that don't flare, the best of the best glass and coatings. Reticles should be exactly what you want.

If you have to go <$250, look for a fixed power 4x or 6x scope. Your dollar will go much farther. You will be happier with what you get in a fixed power here.

In my opinion, a great medium weight single zero hunting scope can be had for $250 - $500. Avoid Chinese made stuff and compare to the best scopes to determine what is best in your budget.

For multizero, long range hunting, I would look from $500 - $1000. There are lots of good scopes here. They will usually be heavy.

For cost is no object. . .US Optics SN-3 built like you want.