Nikon and Zeiss are the only two scope companies that make their own glass, I heard....
For $200, Nikon, Burris, Leopold, Bushell Elite 3200, Swift, are all in the same quality group....
The best way to check out a scope, I heard, is to go in the store, and look through them and try to read signs, and see how bright, clear and distortion free they are, in the middle of the lense and toword the outside of it, and buy that one. Make sure you look at the one you buy, and not the display model, in your final decision, the one you take out of the store might have defects....
The nice thing about scopes, is you can try them out in the store, by looking through them....
Now, if you can scrape up another $200, the Zeiss Conquest, is my choice....
Want to go inexpensive, the Tasco World Class, much improved since Meade (The new owners that also own Busnell, Redfield), which I bought for $30 a year ago, with a rebate.
With scopes, you get what you pay for them, there bargains out there, in price, but you have to decide if it worth it to upgrade to a better scope or not. The major brands have their lower quality scopes at around $200, and they are good scopes, but not the best. I have seen Nikon's at $129, and the new Leopold's 3x9 and 2x7 at $179, but their top of the line ones, will be brighter and clearer, costing 2 to 3 times as much. For a extra 5 minutes of hunting, is it worth it, maybe, but I don't like to shoot in the dark. For target, go with a 4x12, or 4x16, hunting 2x7, or 3x9, or see what you can get in 1.5x 5 or 6....a good brush scope.
The 308 is a good choice for a rifle, you will never have problems finding ammo, and the price will be reasonable, plus it has less kick than most in it's class.
