Scopes that are made in Japan are held to a higher standard than other Asian countries. The weaver grand slam line are examples of scopes in your price range that are made in Japan. You can get a 3.5-10x40 for 200.00 on eBay right now, they are closing them out. Excellent glass, repeatable turrets.
If your one of the people that like to hunt with a fixed power you might want to look at Swfa. They make a fixed 6x that is extremely tough for 300.00. Those scopes have been through several tests and come up with excel the reviews. That glass is clear, turrets are nice and crisp. I've used their 10x and own 4 of their variables and they are very repeatable. They compare with scopes that cost 3x what they do. Their warranty is solid.
The best deals on qaulity are used scopes. You can realize huge saving if you shop a bit. The forums here and other site often have used optics that have been used little. I'd recommend you buy brands that have solid warranties, leupold doesn't ask questions when you send them, they fix them and return them. I bought a vari x 3 used that wouldn't hold point of aim. I sent it in and received it back three weeks later, they replaced several parts after going through the scope, it was probably abused, cost to me was shipping. Not all companies have such a easy warranty system. I know Leupold, Burris and swfa do from personal experience. eBay has a surplus of used Leupolds.
Hope this helps.
