Some good advice I have heard is spend as much money on the scope as you do on the rifle. This is interesting advice because it makes you think. What good a super accurate rifle if you can't target your prey well? The advice is directed, I think, at people who spend $1000 on a rifle and $100 on the scope. Doesn't make much sense. I think about $500 on a scope is enough and beyond that point there are diminishing rewards in performance. To be more specific, I would have my doubts that there is North American game taken with a $1500 Swarovski scope that couldn't as reliably be taken with a $500 Leupold scope during legal shooting hours. Not trying to start an argument, just provide a limit on the "spend as much on the scope as the rifle" adage.

If you are also picking up a rifle, you might think about spending less on the rifle and paying more for the scope.