Best Flip Up Scope Covers

As a firearms enthusiast and expert, I’ve handled a lot of scopes, and with that, I’ve handled a lot of lens covers. Flip-up lens covers, in particular, are my favorites.

In this guide, we’ll go over the best flip-up lens covers currently on the market. Then we’ll go over how to choose a good flip-up lens cover before finishing up with some frequently asked questions.

Also Read: 8 Best Red Dot Magnifiers for the Money

Now let’s dive right in with my top pick:

Best Flip Up Scope Covers

1. Monstrum Tactical Rubberized Flip-Up Rifle Scope Lens Covers

These rubberized lens covers from Monstrum Tactical are probably my overall favorite flip-up lens covers. 

The main part of the lens cover is made from durable polymer, which is a great material for protecting lenses. 

Then there’s a durable rubber collar that allows a single lens cover to fit a range of lens diameters while also protecting the finish of your scope. This also gives a nice, tight fit that helps keep out dirt and debris and even keeps the lens cover in position. No worries about these lens covers turning or slipping off while you shoot. 

On the other hand, it can make installation tricky, especially if your scope is on the larger end of the lens cover’s range. Fortunately, once it’s on, you shouldn’t have to mess with it too much.

The cover itself is spring-loaded, so it easily pops open and closed with just a nudge from your finger. You should never have to fumble or fidget with these lens covers to get them into position.

The Monstrum Tactical Rubberized Flip-Up Rifle scope lenses Cover is available in sizes for both eyepieces and objective lenses. It comes in six sizes, covering lens diameters from 26mm (1.02 inches) to 62mm (2.16) inches. 

You can also buy these lens covers either individually or in sets that contain covers for both the eyepiece and objective lens. The set only saves you about a dollar, but that’s one more dollar to stay in your wallet, plus the convenience of buying together. 

2. Butler Creek Flip-Open Scope Covers

Butler Creek is well-known for its firearm and optics accessories. Their scope and lens covers, in fact, are particularly notable. This makes sense considering that scope lens covers were the very first products they made back in the 1930s. Since then, Butler Creek’s lens covers have only improved. 

Flip-Open Scope Covers are their basic model, with options available in tons of different sizes and in distinct versions for both the objective lens and the eyepiece. The objective lens version comes in sizes to fit scopes with diameters from 25.4mm (1 inch) to 65.4mm (2.575 inches). Meanwhile, the eyepiece version comes in sizes to fit eyepiece diameters from 31.1mm (1.225 inches) to 45.1mm (1.775 inches).

These lens covers are easy to flip open with just a touch of the thumb of either hand. The eyepiece version even has a button for opening the cover. It’s red for maximum visibility. The hinges are designed to open silently to avoid alerting the game to your presence. 

These flip-up lens covers are made from a rugged, durable polymer that stands up to rough conditions like heavy rain and extreme temperatures, even down to -40 degrees Fahrenheit. The lens covers have a semi-oring to keep out dust and are water-tight. They use a friction mount to stay in place. 

Each cover weighs less than an ounce to add minimal weight to your hunting rifle. In addition to rifle scopes, these flip-up lens covers can also be used on spotting scopes.

3. Butler Creek Blizzard See Thru Rifle Scope Cover

Our next flip-up lens cover recommendation is another option from Butler Creek, the Blizzard See-Thru Rifle Scope Cover. 

These scopes are an upgrade from the standard Butler Creek Flip-Open Scope Covers in that they are see-through. That means you don’t even have to flip them open to shoot, allowing you to shoot even faster and protecting your scope’s lenses 100% of the time. 

Blizzard Rifle Scope Covers have many of the same benefits as Butler Creek’s standard model. That includes the same durable construction that stands up to extreme weather and the same silent, spring-loaded hinges. It also includes the same ambidextrous opening and closing system. 

Also, like the standard version, Blizzard Rifle Scope Covers are made in a ton of different sizes to fit the objective lens and eyepiece of virtually any scope, from 25.4mm (1 inch) to 63.5mm (2.5 inches).

The lens of the cover itself is made from optical grade polymer. In fact, according to Butler Creek, these lenses provide the best clarity and light transmission of any see-through cover. 

Whether that’s true or not, we can say for certain that these lens covers will ensure you the fastest possible response time when you spot the game while still ensuring that your favorite scope’s lenses are completely protected. And if they do become damaged, the budget-friendly cost of these lens covers (less than $10!) is a lot cheaper than replacing even the most affordable rifle scope.

4. Vortex Optics Defender Flip Cap

Vortex Optics is one of the most popular scope manufacturers out there right now, so it’s no surprise that they also make one of the best, most popular flip-up lens covers. 

The Vortex Optic Defender Flip Cap is a little pricier than other options, but that’s a reflection of the quality. And even with the higher price tag, the Defender still isn’t exactly expensive. You can buy a single lens cover for about $20 and the set for less than $40.

It has a spring-loaded hinge to make it fast and easy to open, as well as ensure that the cap stays out of your line of sight while open so you don’t have to worry about obstructed views while in the field. 

The hinge actually holds the cap in three different stop positions (vertical, 45 degrees, and 90 degrees) so you can position it in the way that best fits your needs. The 90-degree position in particular is ideal for use with a dope disk (not included with the lens cover), giving you quick access to your ballistic data on the fly.

One downside: Defender Flip Caps are designed for use specifically with Vortex scopes, so they may not properly fit other scopes. In particular, the eyepiece version only comes in one size.

Like all Vortex Optics products, the Defender Flip Cap comes with a lifetime warranty and is made in the United States. 

5. Leupold Alumina Flip-Back Lens Covers

If you’re looking for an even more high-end option for your flip-up lens covers, then the Leupold Alumina Flip Back Lens Cover has you (and your scope) covered. Pun fully intended.

But with a price of upwards of $100, Leupold certainly thinks a lot of these lens covers. Is that opinion deserved? Well, the Alumina Flip Back Lens Covers certainly give you some features you won’t get from other flip-up lens covers.

One is hinted at by the name. These lens covers are precision machined from 6061-T6 aircraft-grade aluminum. This makes them highly durable, but lightweight at the same time. It also allows them to have a much lower profile than most other flip-up lens covers, so these ones add very little bulk to your scope. 

In addition, Aluminum Flip Back Lens Covers utilize neodymium magnets, which ensure that the lenses stay closed when you need them for better and high protection. A triple o-ring seal ensures that debris and moisture stay outside of the lens cover.

The covers can even be rotated so that they can open in whatever direction you choose.

However, like the Vortex Optics Defender, these are manufacturer-specific lens covers. They’re designed specifically for use with post-2004 Leupold rifle scopes (though they’re not compatible with the VX-L or VX-3L). Like other flip-up lens covers, you can purchase these lens covers individually or in sets. 

Buying Guide

When selecting flip-up lens covers, there are a few things you’ll want to be sure to consider. 

Size

Scopes come in all sorts of lens sizes, so you’ll need to make sure that the scope covers you choose are in the right sizes for your lenses. This sounds simple, but lens covers usually are sold in sizes with assigned letters or numbers, not with a direct diameter measurement, so you’ll need to check a size chart to figure out what size corresponds with the diameter that you need. 

In addition, the external diameter needed for the scope cover is not the diameter of the lens itself, but of the entire outside scope diameter, so make sure you’re measuring from edge to edge, not just the lenses.

Also Read: 7 Best Scope for M&P 15-22 Rifle [For All Purposes]

Ease of Operation 

You also want your lens covers to be easy to use. They should smoothly flip open without you having to fumble around. After all, the point of flip-up lens covers over traditional-style lens covers is that they’re faster and easier to use since you don’t have to completely remove them from your scope. If your lens covers are tricky to flip open, that nullifies the whole point.

Value

Fortunately, flip-up lens covers tend to be very affordable, less than $10 a piece. However, many come in sets including both an objective lens cover and an eyepiece lens cover. These are usually a bit cheaper than buying the two lens covers separately. 

It doesn’t save you a ton of money, but if you’re on a really tight budget or just like to save money wherever you can, it’s definitely worth checking out if your flip-up lens cover of choice is available in a set. 

Effectiveness

Obviously, you also need the lens covers to actually do their job. That means they need to do a few things. 

First of all, they need to be durable themselves in order to effectively protect the scope cover. They need to absorb shock so that it’s not transferred to the lenses and they need to not fall apart when dropped or hit. They also need to stay on securely. 

Last, and perhaps most importantly (and obviously), they need to keep dust and debris out. 

FAQs

Also Read: How To Use A Red Dot Scope

Final Thoughts

That about brings us to a close on the best flip-up lens covers. Each of the lens covers we’ve reviewed here is a great choice, but it’s probably clear that each has its own particular strengths.

The Monstrum Tactical lens covers are our overall top pick because they balance value, durability, and effectiveness, while also providing versatile sizing thanks to the rubberized collar. 

For a basic flip-up lens cover from the experts in lens covers, the Butler Creek Flip-Open Scope Covers are another great option. Meanwhile, the Butler Creek Blizzard is our favorite see-through flip-up lens cap. For those with Vortex or Leupold scopes, we highly recommend opting for the manufacturer’s scopes, the Vortex Optics Defender and Leupold Alumina. They cost more, but they also give you a more guaranteed fit and offer some features that you want to get from the more generic lens covers offered by Monstrum and Butler Creek.