Dad's having a hard time seeing and wants to upgrade beyond the 3-9 he has now. What's a decent no frills variable that's at least 12x on the top end? Prefer standard reticle with an objective in the 40-46mm range. Are there any better scopes than a VX-1 for the money? Would prefer to spend $300 or less.

Look at Cameraland they had minox on clearance a while back.

Couple of years ago I bought a Bushnell 4-12 for about $150, and it held up really well. Later, I sold it to a friend who has it on a deer rifle. It still works just fine.

And I'll mention that Burris Fullfield II in 4.5-14 that cost me $300. That's a lot of scope for the money. I highly recommend the Burris.

I'm going to be selling off three or four Leupolds soon to finance a long range scope. I will be a little higher than $300 though.

Another vote for the Burris. I have an E1 on an AR - I think I paid around $225 for it. A lot of scope for the money... etched reticle, glass that is plenty clear, and a good warranty should you need it.

leupold vx-1 or Redfield. Burris is good too but I think heavy?

nice of you to help your dad by the way

Thanks! At 76 he's still physically capable and mentally strong, but is technologically challenged and doesn't shop much or know what good deals are on many things. And while I build fence and work stock every so often, I get to hunt for free, so it works out pretty well for both of us.

I have a bushnell 4.5-18x40 for sale, pm if interested. it is the ar 223 with bdc reticle.

Get a 50 mm leupold with a firedot electric reticle

My brother recently got a Vortex Diamondback 4-12x40 and I was surprised by the good eye relief and how clear it was for the price. He's probably only shot about 20-30 rounds out of his 700 and 7mag but all seems well so far and holding in place.

This or the hp version seems to fit your bill. Apparently aborted has excellent custom service from what I hear on here. Just a suggestion.
Good luck.

I'm not sure about going all the way to 50mm on the objective, they just seem so big and this is going on a Rem 788 in .243. If I go bigger, would a 30mm tube have much advantage over the 1"?

The Nikon prostaff 4-12 x40 seems to be pretty darn clear glass. Has good light transmission in low light and I was very surprised with the great eye relief.

I recently bought one of these to try on a 22-250 just because I couldn't pass up the price. Haven't shot it in the field yet but the view is great looking through it and it has long eye relief which I like. Definitely not a high end scope but for the money worth a try.

Cabela's Alpha Series 3-12

Way more than you probably want to spend and I see no need for a 50mm objective.

You asked about a 30mm tube. They are stronger than a 1" tube but I believe that is the only real advantage. Contrary to what a lot of people think I don't believe a 30mm tube brings in more light. Many 30mm tube scopes have 1" internals to save money.

It's just slightly over your budget, but Cameraland NY has been running a great deal on a Meopta 3.5-10x44. Since you won't pay tax or shipping, it won't actually cost you much more than a $300 scope in Texas. Doug will treat you right and he posts here on the THF. Link:
http://www.cameralandny.com/optics2/meopta.pl?page=meopta541800

I could have bought the VX3 4.5-14x40 Cabelas had on Black Friday, but it was $487 OTD and wait-wait-wait for the $100 rebate to come, and that was just too stiff at the time. He's just about done hunting for this year so it can wait for a while. I'll keep my eyes peeled and see if any good deals come along. Thanks for all the information, gents, and good luck to you the rest of the year!

this
also eurooptics has Zeiss conquest 3-9x40 for 299. either of these would work great and offer the very most bang for buck. I own both and cant find an issue with either.

I have a Vortex Crossfire II in a 4x12 44mm that I bought from Cabelas. Paid less than $200 for it and there is a lifetime guarantee from Vortex on the scope. I think the glass is very clear and have been very happy with it.