If you go with a BSA don't get the Platinum or contender series, go with the slighty more expensive Catseye or Panther line. They have better optics and build quality.

And you don't have to spend 2 grand on a ziess, you can get a conquest for under $600 and it's an awsome scope.

There are some decent scopes for under and around 200 bucks, but not in that power range. You can get a nice 3-9 hunting scope for a decent price. If you get a scope for 150 bucks with that much magnification and all the bells and whistles it is lacking something. If other scopes like that cost twice as much they had to cut costs somewhere. And most likely it will be in the optics and quality control. If you are looking at a 6-20X scope I would start looking at the $200 range and work you way up.

I went to Cabela's and tried several scopes when getting one for my .17HMR. I mean I took them home and mounted them and used them for a few days, not just looked thru them in the store. I went thru 4 scopes before finding one I liked and ended up spending around $400 on an alaskan guide model scope in 6.5-20x44 with mildots and A/O. I started with a 18X platinum BSA and there is no comparison between the two.

You normally get what you pay for in optics. Not that a cheaper model will not work, 40 dollar binoculars will work. That doesn't mean 400 dollar ones will not be more pleasant to look thru and yeild more detail.

Paul