Josh the Aetec is a decent little scope for the money (the $119 price is certainly cheap enough, sounds like a clearance price to make room for the new Simmons this fall). But the Simmons and Elite both suffer from what I call "amberness". When you take them outside under bright conditions they seem to have almost a yellowish or amber haze in their glass. Nothing to worry about but IMHO for the money there are better options out there. Personally I would recommend you take a look at the Nikon Buckmasters series. The VX 1 series from Leupold is likewise a clearer line of optics than either the Simmons or the Bushnell.

Mount wise, stick with the existing Weaver style setup that came with your rifle. Loctite everything down and you should be ok. If I was gonna change anything I might put Weaver Grand Slam rings on your existing bases. The GS series is steel instead of aluminum, but you will still have aluminum bases so it's all superficial anyway. Leupold makes bases for the 710 as well, but I would go with what you had already in all honesty. I simply don't trust the windage screw rear setup of the standard Leupold base/ring anymore!


Good luck and let us know what you decided on!
RA