A good lens shade often does more good than most people imagine.
There are a lot of good scopes out there, and Leupold makes some very nice ones.
The Nikon Monarch is an excellent choice, too, from what I have heard.
I own a Burris Fullfield II, and I think I like that even better than my Leupold. I don't have enough miles on it to give you any reading on reliability, but the optics are quite good. You can get those, with either a pair of free binocs, or a free spotting scope, for around $200 in 3-9x40, or $300 for 4.5-14x42. SWFA has the combo deals.
My own favorite "cheap" scope is the Simmons AETEC. AT $150, it delivers a very nice image. I have a couple of those. The only think I don't like about them is that the reticle is a little fat. But it's a good scope.
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