joshco84 ...
good post and another discussion coming out of this one ... I always say, to each his own. Personally, I feel like northjdr about scopes. I am under the opinion it would be like buying a new car and buying $20 (ea) tires for it. It is something I just cannot allow myself to do. I have a brother who has a lot of nice AR's, bolt actions, etc and not one ... not one quality scope on any of them. To me, quality means waterproof, fogproof, shockproof, good light transmission, clear to my eyesight (this is a variable for all of us), and a solid warranty. My brother kept saying how good of a shooter I was until I proved him wrong last year. I had him go the range with me and my rifles only. Guess what he did? The groups he shot that day were better in two of my bolt actions than I have ever shot. I keep good records both for reloading and an album of targets for different rifles and loads. He shot a 3 shot group with MY Savage 10FP .223 that measured (by our friend the gunshop owner) .227". It made me sick.
With all the competition between optic manufacturers, very good scopes can be had for less money than most think. The Nikon Monarch 3-9x40 (BDC reticle) can be bought for $218.00. I know some of you will say that is a lot of money and you won't do it. I understand ... believe me I do. I am looking to buy a new 7mm-08 and the scope I think I will get for it is priced at less than $200. I have scopes that cost more than $400 each and I have never regretted spending that kind of money. But I think very good, lower powered scopes can be bought for half as much.
Good shooting with your new .204 ...