Best illuminated scope for low light and short range hunting

[albuds]

I currently have a Vortex Optics Viper HS 2.5-10x44 Riflescope w/ Dead-Hold BDC Reticle on my AR10. Works great except in very low light conditions. Plan to move this to my Winchester .270wsm which is my backup gun.

So I'm looking for something in the 2.5-10 range with superior low light capability. Like the idea of an illuminated reticle. Prefer to spend $500 or less. Hunting with most opportunities in to 100-200 yard range.

I see options under $500 in 40,44 and 50 objectives. How important in the higher objective as I see conflicting comments about this?
Opitons I like currently are:
Meopta MeoPro 3.5-10x44RD-BDC2 $499

Athlon Midas HMR 2.5-15x50-BDC $440.99
Would appreciate recommendations.
Thanks

 

[Scrumbag]

If you can, see if you can get a 1.5-6x42 from one of the German makes or Meopta.

Scrummy

 

[msinc]

Unfortunately, $500 and "low light performance" is like jumbo shrimp, or military intelligence......you might just as well keep what you got and your money in your pocket.....unless we don't reckon low light performance the same.

 

[SEGARE]

I will disagree- there are some surprisingly good glass

I have a Optika6 3-18x50 and a VX6 in the same configuration, and while the VX might not be at the top of the top-tier scopes, it certainly is a top-tier scope. I put them on a ladder, side by side, at last light and compared them closely on several evenings. Other than the VX6 having a very slight advantage in transmission around the very periphery, I couldn't really see any appreciable difference the degree of detail I could make out up close or at several hundred yards. The difference bw the two certainly isn't worth the 2.5x's price difference. Again, the difference was so minor as to require side by side comparison to be if note, and both will easily get you past the 30 minutes before/after sunrise/sunset regulation in my state. As for the Viper mentioned in the OP, I had one and found the low-light transmission to be lacking some and the eye box to be finicky at higher magnification. It wasn't a terrible scope, actually it was pretty good, it's just that the Meopta is in a different class.

 

[Ares]

For low light performance in that price bracket a simple 50-56 mm scope, skip the japanese tacticool models where that's what you pay for.
For a fair price Meopta is a good choice, Docter/Noblex, and possibly some of the lower end models from Minox, and Zeiss, IOR also do decent.

I got a 20+ years old Meopta Aretmis 3-9x42 (used to be in the 4-500$ range)
And it easily outperforms the top of the line Vortex Razor HD2 4,5-27x56 for low light performance..
I'd take a Meopta any day over the Athlons, if it is specifically for low light use.
And yeah i live in a place there is pitch dark already at 3 pm this time of year, so i actually use the scopes for low light conditions when hunting or shooting in autumn/winter time.

In short buy a scope in your price bracket that is made to work for the purpose, ie has quality lenses over fancy reticles and target knobs that serves no purpose for shooting at up to 200 yards.

 

[KY_Windage]

My favorite for such things is the Trijicon Accupoint 2.5-12.5x42. Great glass and the illumination is battery-free. You usually have to pay $700 even for a used one, though.

Here is one you can probably get for $1,100. https://www.gunbroker.com/item/885895021

They pop up on eBay now and then for a few hundred less, if you don't mind waiting a month or three.