Do you have a Cabelas in your area? Periodically they will have this Leupold American Marksman on sale for $150.00, which is a bargin for a 3 X 9.
https://www.cabelas.com/product/LEUPOLD-AMERICAN-MARKSMAN-IN-RIFLESCOPE/2582141.uts They have Nikon prostaff's on sale, one 3X9 is at $150.
Last year I purchased three of the American Marksman scopes, optically they are great, I much prefer these reticles with MOA graduations, especially on the windage, than the old standard duplex reticle. With the graduations, I can hold off without having to touch the knobs. Even with expensive target scopes, you never know if they will track each time, every time. Last year I purchased a Vortex 4 X 12 which was on sale, there are differences in the graduations, the Luepold is a straight MOA distance, Vortex had attempted a bullet drop version on the vertical staff of the reticle. Based on my decades of target shooting, I think in terms of clicks and MOA, so I prefer the MOA.
Something I liked about both of the scopes are the click adjustable knobs, and knobs that can be adjusted for a zero distance. I am used to having 100 yards as my rifle zero's, and then clicking up, typically 2 MOA for 200 yards, then 3 MOA for 300 yards, then 12 MOA for 600 yards. On older scopes I have to use white fingernail polish to establish the base line zero. You can see that on the 70's 6X Burris scope in this picture:
Even with modern scopes I will mark out zero's on turrets or scopes for zero's at 200, 300 yards, with the base line load. I much prefer knobs that movable, typically have an allen head screw that allows moving the knob to a sight zero. While I have a number of 1970's Luepold scopes, I don't like the coin slotted elevation or windage adjustments. I want to take the cap off and click (older hunting scopes seldom click) without having to find a screwdriver, a coin, or a washer. Incidentally the image you see through a good quality scope from the 1970's won't be different than a modern scope. As long as the lenses were fully multicoated, the better scopes are as good optically as lenses are today. Cheap vintage scopes were not fully multicoated nor was the glass as good. Today, they can't make a profit sorting out bad glass, bad coatings, and having production runs with sub standard components, so pretty much the quality of lenses is much more uniform over a wider price range. I remember that a 1970's $100 Tasco spotting scope would not see 22 caliber bullets at 100 yards. A modern cheap $100 spotting scope will. It surprising how lens quality has improved even for cheap scopes. If a teenager can't see differences in details through a scope, neither will you. Take a teenage with you and use him as your test instrument. At some point, you have to get an optical interferometer out to sort lens quality, because of the limitations of human eye. I think the internal components are better on the higher priced equipment, but I have not taken a scope apart to find out!.
I will say, my cheap $100 Barisak spotting scope could see the difference between the color of pasters on a target face at 500 yards, paster and paster edges were fuzzy but I could tell there were pasters by the color change. My $1000 Pentax could see white on the edges of the black pasters. Pasters were much clearer. Zoomed up, the Barisaka image was green outside of the middle, the Pentax was clear and even colored throughout the field of view at all zoom levels. A $200 dollar spotting scope, I think I will need a teenager to tell the difference.Two hundred dollar spotting scopes are pretty good.
With my eyes, image clarity is the same, between a $200 spotting scope and a $700 spotting scope.You do get better lens covers with a more expensive scope, and you don't have to buy an expensive scope cover.
It is surprising how tight you can hold with even a 4X scope at distance. I installed a vintage El Paso Weaver on this rifle and took it to the CMP.
It took a bunch of shots to get it in the middle, just a little movement on the elevation and windage, and it might move the group a bit, might not, and it might jump the group. I had to shoot enough to settle the erector tube and make sure it was not moving. But, once in the middle, I could quarter the bull, and shoot a decent group, if you ignore cracked case necks.
You go shoot a 17 round 5 3/4" group at 300 yards with a hunting rifle.
But, this cheap scope, and it was a low priced scope at the time, I doubt the lenses were fully multi coated, the image was a little grey, and not as clear as a modern scope.
Because the rifle was very accurate and I wanted to play with it, I purchased a clearer scope
These 4 X 12's are longer, so if you are a stock crawler, such as I am, you might be getting an eye piece in the eyeball during recoil. Shorter scopes have their advantages. These 40mm scopes don't put the scope so high up that your face needs an adjustable cheek piece to see through the center. A consistent stock weld is critically important to consistent shooting. If your face is hovering above the cheekpiece, because your scope is so high, your groups will move around. I prefer a stock and scope arrangement where I press my face against the cheekpiece, that will consistently locate the eye ball. It makes a difference on target.
