All I can say is, you've got a pretty dang nice elk rifle now. Remingtion rifles are great. My dad has had his for thirty years now, and it is still an awesome rifle. He has the same bushnell 4x scope he got when he bought the gun, and hes killed too many animals to count with his rifle. More than 20 of those have been elk. If anything else, his Remington has just gotten better over time from being used & broken in. As for your scope, I wouldnt even question its quality. Leupold has made a real name for itself because they make such nice, durable scopes. And the VX-III is almos their top of the line. So I wouldnt even have a second thought about my elk rifle if I were you.