Scope quality and cost are all over the place, So you really have to shop for what you NEED and Not what you want unless you have an unlimited budget.
I have a rule of thumb that might help that has served me well over the past 15 years (When scopes started going crazy.
I consider cheep scopes to be less than $350.00 and end up being more expensive in the long run.
Next are the scopes that run $400.00 to $800.00 these are considered good quality in most brands
and normally have the features needed (Power range and reticle type).
Starting around $1000.00 and going up are the top of the line but many times you pay much more for a few extra features that may not be necessary for your needs.
So to sum it up, if you decide what you need to do the job and don't get caught up in the frills and gadgets, you should be able to find A/the scope for less than $1000.00 dollars that is top quality, has all the features that you need and a good warranty and service department if needed.
If you are active military, Leupold gives our service people up to 40% off on two scopes a year. this can put you in the premium scope range for less than $1,000.00 dollars.
Like one poster said, tell your wife that it is a $500.00 dollar scope and hope she never sells anything for what you told her you paid for it. Ha Ha
PS: you can buy some very good "used" scopes on line sometimes for a good price and some manufacture,s warranty them no matter who bought them, so it will keep you out of trouble.
J E CUSTOM