I think you should start out by saying "Being a bit frugal, unlike our members of congress who seem to think that paying $25,000 for pork is O.K.".........................
On my last hunt out west, I noticed that every one of the guides, to a man, had a Leupold scope on his rifle; the rifles were of different makes and calibers, but all the scopes were Leupold. That ought to tell you something right there. I looked through one and was amazed at how clear things were....much clearer than through my top of the line Bushnell. I came home and started investing in scopes, and Leupolds now reside on my big game rifles.
I noticed the local pawn shop had a sale on the vari-X (or whatever the model was called) brand new in the box, and it was almost at half price. When I asked the clerk why the price was cut so steeply, I was told that it was because they needed to get rid of their current inventory before Leupold would ship them anything from the newer line. Take that for what it's worth, but it could truly mean you are getting a bargain......