Scope for a 22-250 Varmit

You might be in luck. Zeiss has a new line of scopes out. It's their Conquest line. The 3-9X40 (adjustable magnification from 3X to 9X and a 40mm objective) has a price tag of $399.99

Other scopes I reccomend in your price range for such a rifle are:
Leupold Rifleman 4-12X40 - $250 (american made, lifetime guarantee)
Nikon Monarch 3-9X40 - $300 (lifetime guarantee)
Leupold Vari X-II 4-12X40 AO (AO= Adjustable Objectove) - $400

Just remember, resale value on a good scope with a lifetime guarantee like a Zeiss, Leupold or Nikon will help you if you ever decide to upgrade.

personally i would recommend you to take a look at weaver scopes. i have a 3x10x40 grand slam on my ruger .223 heavy barrel and i love it. i think they run right around $300.
next i would say look at any of the leupolds. both brands are high quality scopes. head over to cabelas.com and see what they have to offer.

later, dave

I absolutely agree that you need more than a 3x10 variable on that bull-barreled varminter. If you shoot prairie dogs you could well be shooting over 400 yards. First--Call Cabela's at 800-237-4444 to have them send you a shooting catalog or go to their website at www.cabelas.com Their scope prices are a good barometer of prices and are hard for most stores to beat. You may be able to beat them on ebay or gunbroker.com. I suggest a scope with an adjustable objective so you can avoid parallax at long ranges. Cabelas sells the following scopes in your price range that I would recommend to you:
1. A Bushnell Elite 3200 5x15AOx40 for $309.00
2. A Bushnell Trophy 6x18AOx40 for $224.99 (with fast focus)
I have one of these on my .17 Rem and love it--
3.Weaver Classic 4x16AOx42 for $289.99
4. Weaver Classic 6x24AOx42 for $319.99
5. Cabelas Alaskan Guide 4.5x14AOx44 for 249.99
6. Cabelas Alaskan Guide 6.5x20AOx44 for 289.99
Any one of those will work well for you and come with good warranties. The fellow who said your gun will retain more value if you put a high priced Leupold or Burrus or Zeiss on it is right--but, I own two Leupolds, three Burris', and three Bushnells and they all shoot great on the guns they are matched to. Just don't use the bottom of the line Bushnell scopes as they are more suited to rimfires.
Good luck and no hard feelings if you don't pick one of these, but I tried to let the certificate do the job for you without picking your pocket.

Thanks all, One more question. I looked through all the catalogs with a buddy last night, and Leupold, Burris, Weaver, and Nikon all have 4-12x40 or 4-14x40 scopes within $50 of each other. Then, in roughly the same price range, I can move to the 6-20x40's. My qustion is, is 6x gonna be to magnified for anything under say 70yards? Max range would be good, but I dont want something that I cant use under 100yds.

Well, I went at lunch and looked at the Burris Fulfield II 4.5-14PA 42mm, the Nikon Monarch UCC 4-12AO 40mm, and the Leupold V II 4-12AO 40mm. I was not super impressed with the Leupold. The Burris and Nikon were both extremly clear, but I was looking under 50yds. I really kind of liked the Nikon more over all. Does anyone have particular experiance with these? The one other scope I wanted to look at was the Weaver Grand Slam 4.5-14AO 40mm, but they didnt have that one there. My only concern was that the Nikon didnt appear to be threaded for a sun shade, as I would want to know I could get one if going out west or whatever. I'll have to do some research. This is so much presure.....

If you really need the sunshade, just wrap some black construction paper around the objective and tape it into a cylinder. You can just slip it on and off as you need to, tape it in place if the recoil jars it around. The paper is essentially weightless and should not cause any problems.

Threaded is better, but get the scope you really want to see through.

Don't forget the Bargain Cave at Cabelas - they had some pretty excellent prices on used but near perfect high end scopes including Leupold, etc. You could get a $500 scope for $300 there.