* Must be variable such as 3-9x40 (40 is about max)
* AO is very much preferred
* prefers anything but china but ... minor issue
* uncluttered reticles
* Budget as close to $100
Late to the party but didn't see whether a selection was made ... Bushnell Dusk & Dawn 4-12x40 AO for $99 shipped (Made in Korea?) may be the scope that meets all of the criteria requested -
https://www.amazon.com/Bushnell-614124-Adjustable-Objective-Riflescope/dp/B00J2RGEXE/ref=sr_1_4?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1539740862&sr=1-4&keywords=bushnell+dusk+and+dawn+scope&th=1&psc=1
Not sure whether the scope is made in Korea but Bushnell scopes come with lifetime warranty and members posted Bushnell has been fulfilling warranty with new or upgraded scopes in recent years.
Both Bushnell Trophy and Banner Dusk & Dawn scopes I have are made in Korea. When I did low light 100 yard comparison with Bushnell Trophy 3-9x40, Leupold American Marksman 3-9x40, Bushnell D&D 6-18x50, both Trophy and D&D scopes did well -
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...mendation-for-308.842282/page-2#post-10944780
Bushnell Trophy remains my primary scope for various ARs and PCCs I have and D&D 6-18x50 is reference scope I use for testing (along with Burris 6.5-20x50 which is made in Philippines) and I have been happy with both Bushnell scopes -
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...izing-22lr-on-the-cheap.898035/#post-12124035