$600.00 budget.

I suggest posting this on opticstalk.

Leupold vx3 2.5-8 with a custom shop tmr reticle would be very useful for this type of rifle.

Vortex has some really nice glass in your price range. That is where my search would start, and most likely end. Go with a 3-9 or similar variable power but stay under about 12 max power for a hunting gun.

You can a very good scope for the job when you find a motivated seller. Looking up the latest and greatest scope in a catalog and paying 10% off is not giving your money much leverage. I could get a very nice hunting scope with half that money.

I got my shotgun scope here. A Nikon 2-7x32 BDC prostaff for $120. If you are only going to use the scope on one gun BDC is a nice feature. Using Hornady 300 gr SST sabots I only need to use the first hold over dot to make a 240 yard shot.
http://www.opticsplanet.com/riflescopes.html

Check out the ......Natchez web site.

Excellent customer service, they will give you a new one no questions asked and pay shipping ! The glass is as good as a Zeiss Conquest low end on IMHO and maybe better than Leupold VX3. This one does not have side focus, you have to go 4-16 and $100 more to get that. I'd stay with a 2,5 bottom end tho for hunting. You can get Warne Maxi bases and Lever rings and still be under $600.
http://www.amazon.com/Vortex-Optics..._sbs_sg_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1TPZ4D5MD1X8K4H2W657

I have 4x fixed power weaver scope on my 270. The scope is outdated, it is over 20 years old. I haven't bought a new scope because I can hit a self healing ball at 250 yards with the old scope. The truth be known people kill thousands of deer with cheap simmons and centerpoint scopes every year. I killed two deer at about 150 yards with my 91/30 equipped with iron sights. I have a Simmons masterpiece scope on my 22 mag. My friend has a high end Leupold on his 300 mag. The truth be known, if you spray painted the labels on the scopes you could not tell the difference. Get a scope you can easily afford. They all have the same issues. The Leupold on a my friends rifle needs adjusting all the time. He spent more on mounts than I spent on the whole rig, plus he took it to a gunsmith to have the scope installed. I just use an inch pound wrench to install my scopes and put my rifles back together, I get way better results at 1/10 the price.

leupold VX-R lighted dot at middle of crosshair when you need it for low light deer and varmint hunting. I put the 3-9 40mm on my 7mm-08.Many configuerations available. 499 bucks at oticsplanet plus 5 % off for being a member of this site.I like the firedot 4 reticle personally.

2.5x8 vx3 leupold and spend the rest on good mounts and rings. You chose a good scope but in my opinion its a tad large and heavy for a lightweight compact rifle.

The kill is the satisfying, indeed essential, conclusion to a successful hunt. But, I take no pleasure in the act itself. One does not hunt in order to kill, but kills in order to have hunted. Then why do I hunt? I hunt for the same reason my well-fed cat hunts...because I must, because it is in the blood, because I am the decendent of a thousand generations of hunters. I hunt because I am a hunter.- Finn Aagard

Good hunting....Don

I hunt to eat. I like deer meat. There is only one way to get fresh tasty deer meat, kill a deer. I made a big pot of deer stew yesterday. I feel a lot better today.

One week to go for deer hunting in NJ. Im leaving at 1230 to go to my spot.

That's a lot more glass than I would've put on that rifle and parallax adjustment is completely unnecessary.

Years ago, I tried the one rifle for all bit. The scope was the Vari X III 4.5-14x. As long as the game was not real close, it worked great. Kinda like turkeys with a turkey choke, sometimes you just gotta let them wander off a little before you shoot. And sometimes you just don't shoot.

I will say that I felt like parallax adjustment was handy for shooting through holes in cover and also for taking head shots.