I already have a strong idea of what I want. It's going to be mounted on a Savage 11 chambered in .243AI for use against deer primarily and woodchucks/coyotes/vermin secondarily. Low light capability is a
major factor.
I have done considerable research but I want to make sure I haven't missed anything. The current favorite is the
Sightron SII Big Sky 4-16x42 HHR.
Requirements (essentially non-negotiable) are:
Minimum power
no higher than 4x
Maximum power
no lower than 16x
Budget absolute cap of $650 (within a few dollars, I'm not going to refuse to spend $655), preferably closer to the Sightron's ~$450