First consider where you intend to use the scope most of the time. That should be your most important criteria in narrowing down your choices.

If you are going to be in more wooded areas, you would might want to go with a large diameter red dot with no magnification or very little for getting on target quickly.

If your going to be hunting over fields, meadows, etc. you might want something like a2X or 4XX atleast 40mm lenses.

I personally don't care for adjustable power shotgun scopes. Make sure you buy a shotgun scope. Rifle scopes, no matter what anyone says, are not up to the punishment a shotgun hands out. Two different animals.

I've used a Simmons 4X Pro-Diamond on my 12 gauge H&R Ultra Slug Hunter since1995, mostly shooting heavy 2-3/4" & 3-inch mag loads (lots of them) and have never had a problem with it. (I don't think you can pound a scope much harder, considering it is mounted directly on the barrel rail.) It has great lightgathering and the Pro-Diamond acts as a "range finder". I think I paid about $75.00 for it in 1995, when I bought the gun.

A few years back we bought a 20 gauge H&R Ultra for my oldest boy. Went right to another Simmons 4X and haven't looked back.

By the way, if we ain't bow hunting deer in IL - it's shotguns only for me and my boys.