This budget/mid-priced bushnell is well worth a look! - Bushnell Banner 3-9x40 Matte IR Rifle Scope 713949I Rifle scope

I bought this scope to mount atop a Winchester 9422M (22 Magnum Lever Action) that gets used for foxes and other smallish varmints. This magnification range I find to be well suited to this calibre.

The scope was very easy to mount - I used a pair of Leapers Space Age low mounts, and whilst they work just fine, their finish detracts a little from the Bushnell scope, which is finished very well.

After carefully mounting the bottom half of the rings on the rifle's 3/8" dovetails, and moderately tightened them, I checked them with some Wheelers scope alignment bars - all good there!

The scope was then secured in place and levelled, eye relief adjusted, and all the screws tightened.

I used a laser boresight to get the reticle positioned over the laser dot - this was accomplished with minimal windage and elevation clicks being required.

So how does it perform?

I elected to zero at 75 metres (82 yards), and was not disappointed when my less than 3/4" three-shot group was just off the top-left edge of the 5 1/2" orange peel target I was using. Some clicks right, and down, and I was punching nice groups over centre - and it stayed that way all afternoon! I also took the same target to the same location several weeks later when testing some Hornady ballistic tip 22 Mag. rounds, and although the groups were about 4 inches off-centre with the new ammo, as soon as I switched back to the Winchester hollow points that I'd used to do the initial sighting-in...back on centre the groups went.

This is a great budget scope, I say budget as, at $87 when I bought it, it's WELL below what you could spend on a scope with these specs.

The optical clarity is more than adequate for most situations. The illuminated reticle is an advantage, but in hindsight, not critical - for the extra money this feature costs, is probably worth having than not.

In summary, I don't think you'll be disappointed by selected this scope - I'm not - I would gladly put this scope on a better/bigger calibre rifle without hesitation, especially if you're more inclined to shoot/hunt, rather than stand around talking brand names/specs etc. The only thing I would do different is give it a pair of mounts/rings that are a little more up-market, I don't think it'll perform any better than what I selected, however better finished rings will make the whole package look a little more in-keeping with the well-finished scope.
Pros: Optical clarity for price; illuminted reticle for dark targets.
Cons: Scope magnification ring is quite stiff to rotate.

This review was written in the old system and had content requirements that are different than reviews written today.