Dawno,
Dave375 gave good advice. You are going to need at least $100 or close to it to get something workable. Natchez shooter has a Hunter wicked optics 3-9x40 on sale for $99. Not many people know much about them, but I have two and they compare favorably to Mueller, Burris, and Bushnell with I also own. A lot of folks are really liking the Pentax gameseeker 3-9x40 for about the same money.
You could up the money 4 or 5 times and get a Leupold, but IMHO you won't get a 5x's greater scope.
Rev