Having just bought a scope this fall for my daughter's deer rifle, I strongly suggest you go to a big store like Cabela's and actually look through the glass. Leopold in my opinion is grossly behind the times in glass quality unless you shell out some serious money and their reticle are fat and brown. I ended up buying a Vortex Strikefire 4-16x50 on clearance for about $300, their current production models would be around $600 for a similar optic. The magnification was more than what I needed, but the glass is crystal clear and the reticle razor sharp. There are others worth considering, but look though the glass for yourself.

When looking through scopesights and evaluating the reticles, keep in mind that for maximum sharpness it’s necessary to focus the image for the individual. I have a friend whose distant vision isn’t quite as good as mine and when I bought a Leupold scope from him I had to adjust the reticle focus for myself. It was usable when I got it, but not completely sharp.

Plus when looking through a scope take it outside!!!!! Indoor lighting and outdoor light are totally different. A scope that looks good indoors may very well look crappy outdoors.