Grey,
You are going to get all kind of suggestions. Deciding on a scope really depends on the amount of money you would like to spend on the scope and what the intended purpose you are planning on use the scope for. For big game situation, I would stick with a non-adjustable objective. This is a feature that is not needed with big game and can be a nuisense at time. So that would put you in the 3-9x40 or 3-9x50 range with is well adquete for big game out to 500 yards. Now if you are planning on using it for varmint hunting or such a higher power scope is nice and these scopes have an adjustable objective scope, which is a must.
As for price, good scopes in the $175-$250 range are scopes like the Bushnell Elite 3200, Nikon Buckmaster and Leupold VX-I's. Now if you would like to step up in quality vs price, than I would recommend the Bushnell Elite 4200 or the Nikon Monarch, which I think are the 2 best in the bunch in the $300.00 range. Now if you would like to step up again, then I would recommend the Zeiss Conquest. Fabulous scope. Biggest things is to narrow down your price range and decide what the scope is going to be used for. Than you decisions become much easier.
