My handgun scope experience goes back to 1978. I have used Leupold, Burris, Bushnell, Weaver, Redfield, and scopes marketed by T/C, as well as several red dots, mostly the Ultra Dot. I have a few comments.
I prefer the Leupold 4X for squirrel hunting. However, depending upon the woods you hunt and your marksmanship skills, the 2X may be adequate or even superior for you.
You don't say what your targets are at 200 yds. or more. If they are prairie dogs, or even groundhogs, I recommend the Burris 3-12X with the Ballistic Plex reticle. Few can use more than 9X, or perhaps 10X, and because of eye relief limitations, they work best on center- grip XP's but are certainly quite useable on T/C's also, with slight elbow bending. I use them on a .223 XP, and an SSK .225 Win. Contender, to my satisfaction.
If your centerfire targets are big game, with only occasional small targets, I have found both the Burris 2-7X, and Bushnell 3200 2-6X to be very satisfactory. I have 4 or 5 of the Burris 2-7's and 8 2-6X 3200's in service. My favorite, by a wide margin is the Bushnell 3200. More about this in a minute.
If your big game hunting is limited to deer, hogs, black bear etc., perhaps some exotics, with shots mostly from 50 to 150 yards, my recommendation once again is the Leupold 4X. If the likely range is 25 to 100 yds. or so, I'd usually go with a 2X Leupold.
Others have and will mention the Leupold 2-8X. I have tried this scope on friends' handguns, but have never bought one, because they are large, heavy, and offer an inferior field of view in my opinion, because although the bell is large, the goofy black ring inside restricts the field of view. Others will disagree, but that's my opinion. I don't want one.
You have mentioned rimfire target shooting at 50 and 100 yards. This requires a change in sight settings, and brings me to what I consider an important consideration when selecting target scopes: Ease of adjustment and accuracy of repeatability. Some of my Leupold 4X's and even a few of the 2X's were retro-fitted with target elevation turrets some years ago. They are excellent in every way, but tall and perhaps ungainly for some hunting uses. The Burris adjustments are frequently a bit indistinct and not well suited to frequent changes (on a separate note, do NOT get a goofy Posi-Lock, which can change adjustment when tightened). Once the standard Burris is zeroed, it's fine.
The newer Leupold 2X and 4X scopes made in the last couple of years offer repeatable adjustments, rather than the earlier friction adjustments. However, the easiest and best adjustments in my opinion are those found on the Bushnells. Many, many, of these are in use in the "any sight" categories of Silhouette competitions, to the satisfaction of their shooters. Mine have been excellent.
Another attribute to consider is eye relief range, and consistency between powers, on the variable scopes. Like it or not, the Bushnell 3200 is superior. Period.
In summary, I have been a Leupold 4X and 2X proponent for handguns. They're shorter, lighter, tougher, and have an excellent warranty. I'm using about 10 or more of each, some for more than 20 years. So far, ( 8 scopes, 7 years on several ) my choice on the variables, with the exceptions noted above, is the Bushnell 3200 2-6X. There is one caveat: I don't know what to expect of Bushnell's Warranty service, if I ever need it. It may be fine, but I recently had occasion to return an inexpensive pair of Bushnell binoculars for repair or replacement. They denied liability. I felt they should have honored their warranty and feel they violated it. It has left an unsatisfactory taste in my mouth.
