What gun and caliber are you shooting? If you are shooting a bigger caliber you will want a scope with good eye relief so it doesn't leave you with stitches and a hospital bill. With that said, I don't recommend buying a scope withless than 3.5 inches of eye relief for anything bigger than 30/06.
The Bushnell Elite 3200 3-9 is a great scope for the money and can sometimes be found as low as $150, but I have mostly seen them around the $200 mark. If you want the Firefly reticle you can get them around $225.
Maine Vue Optics has a 3-12x40 for around $140, a 3-12x50AO for around $250, or a 3-9x40 for $110. I've got their 3-12x50AO and think its every bit as good as a leupold.
Their site is here www.mvoptics.com they've also got some links to product reviews on their scope pages.
scope hunting
