Good morning all,
I am looking for real world experiences as I am in the market for the best low light scope under $1k. For almost 10 years my favorite go to scope for this application is my Trijicon Accupoint 2.5-10x56 TR22-2 amber mildot reticle. I am ready to buy another one unless there is a better scope in terms of light gathering, image quality for extreme low light(dawn/dusk) and size/weight for hunting. Please post your "go to" scopes and reasons why here. Thank you in advance

OK... I'll start. IME the only good way to measure how effective a scope is in low light is to take a bunch of scopes outside, give your eyes time to fully adjust to the decreasing light. Pick out a few objects at distance and keep switching scopes to compare. I like to come out at dusk (pretty dark rural neighborhood) and start comparing. As it gets darker and darker scopes will "fall off the edge" and all you get is darkness. It's common to have 3 scopes in the running and all of a sudden one can see the objects when the others just black out. Bring a chair and table as this takes a while. In the end you can judge each scope by its ability to see in the dark.

This is certainly not needed for typical hunting (though you can make a case for overcast at dusk in the deep woods) but I love hunting hogs at night. So every little bit is good. The absolute best scope I have tested/used in very low light (natural/led) is the Primary Arms 5X prism scope. Not the micro but the 18oz one with the 35mm objective lens. Their 3X32 is a close second but still second. LPVO's are not in the running for this severe test.

This test is extreme and very telling. It is probably overkill but it's an honest test of low light viewing through scopes. YMMV

If you’re NOT dialing that scope regularly the VX-5 has excellent low light performance as a set and forget I still recommend it. Firedot only make it better when shooting black pigs in low light.

This isn't what you are asking for, but thought maybe you hadn't fully considered all your options and so I will throw this out...

Any of a variety of the current digital optics will outperform day optics in low light. Plus, they will work great in daylight as well. With the addition of IR illuminators, they work well as night vision, although most are on par with Gen I-II technology at best (which means you need an IR illuminator to see most nights).

For example, scopes like a DNT Optics Zulus 3-12x will set you back $600 plus you get a lrf and a ballistic calculator as well for the long range shots. . You could see and identify critters much farther, but most of us don't shoot much farther, LOL.

You could go with a Sightmark Wraith (I would choose the Mini, but that's me).

I am huge Zeiss fan. Any in the Conquest series are fantastic low light scopes. I own 4-5.

Thank y’all for the replies so far.
I have several Trijicon accupoint scopes that I love for hunting, sub 300 yards, I am asking for traditional type(3-9, 2-10, etc) scopes, no lpvo or digital, I do not dial yardage either. Looking for best image for money in very low light first/last minute legal hunting time.

FYI, there's a new
DNT ZULUS HD 3-12X Digital Night Vision Scope without the LRF for only $399.99

I think it will be hard to find a better scope than a accupoint in its price range. I've got 3 of them and they work best for my eyes for low light performance. I much prefer it over the vx5hd.

I have been very impressed with my wife’s Leupold freedom. It really hangs well with my other scopes. Very good clarity and color rendition as well for the money. Long eye relief.

Which Freedom model is she using?

3-9x50

Trijicon Accupoint 2.5-10x56 illuminated duplex/green dot, street price in the $775. range

Yes. I didn't like mine having to be so high to clear properly so I switched to the 2.5-12X42 and looking through them side by side in low light, I couldn't see any difference. I know it's there, I just couldn't see the difference.

Even the 3-9x40 Accupoint does well in low light and it only weights 13oz, personally I hate heavy scopes and don't use any on a hunting rifle that weight over 16oz

One thing you really need to take into consideration for a low light hunting scope. We've had hunters out at the ranch with first focal plane scopes hunting til dusk or at night for hogs under our lit feeders. Even with an illuminated reticle they get frustrated in low light and dark conditions. I just picked up a GPO 3-18X44mm second focal plane with illuminated MOA reticle. I picked it up new for $525.00. GPO was formed by the former CEO of Zeiss.

I went out one evening a couple weeks back with my Leupold 3-18X44mm SFP scope. I had them side-by-side. Now my eyes aren't what they used to be, though I only use 1.25 readers. I could tell zero difference is brightness, color, clarity and low light . They both performed outstanding. At 3X both got me the same amount of time way into dusk. I wish I had known about GPO a year ago when I bought my Leupold. I could have saved a grand. The GPO is a prenominal scope.

Folks will argue with me on FFP scopes in low light. I hear all you need is an illuminated reticle. Turn that scope down to the lowest level at dusk and you've see what I mean. I've seen it first hand as well as our hunters that come out. Punching paper in low light and hunting in low light are two totally different things.

Best of luck to you in your quest!

FFP suks for hunting

GPO Scopes and their Passion HD binoculars are undiscovered gems. We feel they are starting to get the recognition they very much deserve

Not the Maven r1.2 SHR Mil

I have zero use for a FFP scope for any purpose !!!

I totally agree. My days of ranging with mil-dots was over twenty six years ago. I have a laser range finder now for anything I need to range. I don't need a busy reticle in my scope, though my new GPO scope has an MOA reticle.

I was at the range last spring. The guy next to me had a new Arkin 5-25 FFP scope. I was impressed with the optics and the scope. We shot into dusk. He started packing up early. I said are you done? He said I can't use my scope on the lower powers. I turned his scope down to 5X the entire MOA type reticle was so small. He turned on the illumination. Yes you had an aiming point to use. However, the tiny reticle obstructed the target.

Sorry folks you just can't hunt with a FFP scope. I'm betting scope manufactures will start offering more scopes with SFP, or at least I hope they will.

Is this a joke, or what?

No, it’s not.

You can’t find the reticle in lowlight with. FFP.

Ranging with the reticle is a parlor trick, ever since good lasers have been available. That's the last thing the reticle is there for.

The reticle covers the target the same percentage at any magnification. That's the whole point.

I've put hundreds of pounds of wild meat in the freezer with FFP scopes. A whole lot of dead animals would strongly disagree with you.

Keep them with the magnification turned down as low as it will go. Bring the scope to your eye, get the animal in the scope, turn up magnification to wherever you need it, make a hold, squeeze the trigger. Get the knives out.

There's this new thing called an illuminated reticle........