Hunters are serious about their guns and gear, which can make shopping for the hunter in your life difficult. How does Santa know what they’ll really appreciate? Bank on this: every hardcore hunter benefits from quality glass. 

From riflescopes to shotgun and handgun red dots, budget scopes, and high-end optics, here’s an overview of the best options out there in 2025, all tested at length by our GDC team. 
 

Best Hunting Optics of 2025

Affordable Gems
Dress Your Shotgun
Specialty Scopes
Serious Upgrades
Seek the Heat
Red Dots for More than Pistols

Affordable Gems

Buying the cheapest optics you come across will likely lead to disappointment down the line. Instead of randomly grabbing a sale item sans research, here are a handful of proven, affordable riflescopes that will serve your hunter well for years to come. Plus, each is backed by an impressive warranty.

Burris Fullfield: Burris revamped the Fullfield family in early 2025, and these scopes hit well above their price point. The lineup offers magnifications, builds, and reticle styles for every type of hunting. Those dedicated to Burris but wanting to pay less will find the company’s Droptine scopes on clearance at the time of this writing, and Burris offers a stellar warranty. 

Vortex Diamondback: Vortex Optics is known for its exceptional VIP Warranty, so there’s no fear even with the company’s less expensive glass. The Diamondback represents a step above the entry-level glass, and for the price, we find it worthwhile. If you want to save more and don’t mind going more basic, the company’s Crossfire II (and now for late 2025, the Crossfire HD) offers the same impressive warranty at the most affordable hit. 
 

Leupold VX Freedom: This family of scopes leaves the door wide open for buyers. Leupold’s VX Freedom offers caliber-specific centerfire scopes, rimfire scopes, LVPOs, muzzleloader, CDS custom turret systems, and more for every hunter and all-around shooter. You can’t go wrong with any of them, all backed by Leupold’s Lifetime Guarantee. 
 

Dress Your Shotgun

Many hunters are already well set on hunting riflescopes, but what about shotgun optics? As more turkey hunters and even waterfowlers move away from scopes and into micro red dots, now is a fine time to upgrade that scattergun sighting system for the most natural line of sight. 

Holosun 407K X2: Holosun has been a go-to for years on the defense and LE markets, but hunters are reaping the benefits as well. The 50,000-hour battery life, shake awake, 12 brightness settings, and low profile are all welcome features at home on a turkey gun. In fact, this optic proved itself on a Florida gobbler hunt earlier this year.

Vortex Viper Shotgun Enclosed Micro Dot: This newbie is one of the more interesting and easy shotgun dots you’ll find. The mounting footprint is built into the sight, and with ample adjustment, it will fit most any drilled and tapped shotgun. A 3-MOA red dot runs 50,000 hours on its CR2032 battery. Because it’s an enclosed design, there’s more protection from the elements and wayward brush. 

Burris FastFire E: The FastFire E is a fully enclosed red dot built for pistols, carbines, and you guessed it – shotguns. This multi-purpose piece offers a red or green dot and 60,000 hours of battery life on the CR2032. If your shotgun isn’t factory machined for direct optics mounting or prepared with a drilled and tapped receiver or existing rail, grab a Burris SpeedBead mount. They’re available in either a ventilated rib mount or a handy shim type that attaches between the stock and receiver. 
 

Specialty Scopes

Inventory on riflescopes is packed, but hunters seeking more specialized optics are often overlooked. Though the options for handgun hunters and those wishing for intermediate glass are limited, here are several gems that fly under the radar. 

Burris Handgun Scope: Though handgun hunters continually pine for more glass offerings, few companies oblige. Burris, though, continues to impress for that demographic. We have multiple revolvers and hunting single-shot pistols topped with Burris glass. Its 3-12x32 is top notch in variable powers. The 2-7x32 is also sweet, especially the nickel silver variant, which is a knockout on stainless firearms. 

Vortex Scout Scope: We’ve been enjoying a budget gem in the Crossfire II Scout in 2-7x32, but just in time for holiday shopping, Vortex is showing off a newer Crossfire HD 1.5-5x32 Illuminated Scout. The newbie is even more compact and impressive than the original. Both offer extended eye relief, rapid acquisition, and are ideal for snap shooting and closer-range hunting. 

Leupold Ultimate Slam Muzzleloader: Most quality riflescopes work fine on black powder guns, but those seeking a dedicated optic will be pleased with this one from Leupold. It has served us well on a T/C Encore Pro Hunter for several years. The reticle uses a 100-yard zero and offers aiming points out to 300 yards. Plus, it does double duty on shotguns with that triangular ultimate slam reticle. 
 

Serious Upgrades

If the hunter in your life is operating on a decades-old scope, and they continually mention wanting to upgrade, here’s where you need to look. These are more costly options, but buy once, and love for a long time. 

Trijicon Credo: On the list of “wow” optics, Trijicon’s Credo stands tall. From dangerous game to mid-range hunting, these high-quality optics impress. We worked extensively with the 1-6x24 Credo HX and hated to give it up. The glass is so clear that it’s like not looking through glass at all. The Credo acquires quickly, offers untouched clarity, and is a rock-solid build. 

Vortex Viper HD: In the latest revamp of the Viper HD world, we’re infatuated with the 3-15x44 model with its illuminated reticle. That magnification range will cover most any type of hunting, and the illumination is helpful without being overbearing. The quality, clarity, and features –including dusk/dawn performance – are ideal for hunters. 

Leupold VX-5HD: Leupold’s VX-3HD is a seriously overlooked riflescope family. It’s one of our all-around favorites, but those wanting to amp up to another level should look through the VX-5HD. The lineup covers everything from a 1-5x24 to 4-20x52. If you want to take another step up, Leupold launched the VX-5HD Gen 2, and though we’ve yet to spend time with the upgrade, it looks promising. 
 

Seek the Heat

Unless the hunter on your holiday shopping list truly has it all, odds are they'd jump for joy upon finding a thermal optic on Christmas morning. Whether legal for hunting in your area, or used exclusively for scouting and game recovery, thermals have a real place in the hunter’s arsenal. Here’s a look at few we’ve played around with lately. 

Pulsar Helion: Pulsar thermal scopes and monocular are impressive all around. We’ve found the monoculars especially handy when scanning the terrain for game, as well as for game recovery and tracking. 

X-Vision Optics Flex: X-Vision flies under the radar in both the thermal and night vision markets. The Flex 1 Reflex Sight offers a relatively compact sight screen with multiple thermal styles. It mounts on the Picatinny rail of any firearm, and a handle is also available, which makes the optic useful for spotting and tracking missions. 

ATN Thor: This series of thermal riflescopes marks one of the most accessible and affordable entries into the space. They’re relatively easy to use, and while without the features and performance of some higher-dollar thermals, it’s a good way to get in the game. 

EOTech MonoNV: Though higher end thermal units will hit your pocketbook pretty hard, some are worth the swing. The MonoNV does it all, functioning as a handheld monocular, helmet-mounted defense tool, or more traditional rifle-mounted optic. 
 

Red Dots for More than Pistols

The micro red dot space is hotter now than ever, as these compact optics find their way from defense pistols onto hunting firearms. We’ve used them for turkey shotguns, big game revolvers, single-shot pistols, and thumpy semi-automatics. Here are our favorites.

Leupold DeltaPoint Pro: This is the RMR we’ve used the longest, and it has been on at least a half-dozen guns and as many hunts. It’s not cheap, but beyond durable, reliable, and a go-to optic. The 2.5-MOA dot is small enough to not obscure game targets where others fail. This is a plain no-brainer. Step up to the DeltaPoint Pro NV if you intend to pair the piece with night vision. 

Vortex Defender ST: The micro green dot is useful, and that 3-MOA green dot stands out on game. It’s compact, handy, and easy to operate. Though we’ve yet to get in a full review, the newest Defender variant is an enclosed solar powered number that runs up to 150,000 hours. Both are night-vision-compatible on their lower settings. 
 

TruGlo Nexus: This is the most affordable you’ll find, and despite our concerns, it has proven trustworthy even when we dared it to fail under heavy recoil. Our test Nexus has worked through a 12-gauge magnum and a .44 magnum pistol, both with the stoutest loads, without a hiccup. It has motion-sensing wake, a 3-MOA dot, and a limited lifetime warranty.
 

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re shopping for a $200 or $2,000 riflescope, a shotgun optic, thermal, or some other specialty glass, this shopping list has you covered. Every one of these has proven itself in one way or another, and the vast majority carry impressive warranties. Trust us. The recipient of any one of these optics will be tickled to unwrap the package this holiday season.