NX8 4-32x50 with the Mil-C or Mil-XT reticle is what I like. I think I have four of them.
The 2.5-20 makes no sense to me, since it's almost the same weight, and 4x is plenty low for any hunting I've ever personally encountered.
Now, the reason I recommend a scope with a max magnification above 10x is based on an actual scenario from last season. I had just crawled through tall grass with my best friend and his 8-year-old son so we could get him a shot at his first buck. I had seven bucks all bedded on the hill across from us, and even though they were only 300 yards away, you couldn't tell exactly which buck was which due to the color of their antlers and the color of the grass. Because we were so close, I wouldn't dare pull my spotter out of my pack, but I could verify exactly which buck was which by simply twisting my magnification ring on the NX8.
Since I'm not culling does or cow elk, I need to be able to verify exactly what I'm shooting at (especially in states with antler restrictions), and the 32x NX8 is perfect for that.
The Shoot 2 Hunt scope will also be a great choice based on what I've seen so far but you may not be able to wait for one of those.
Also, I have used the NX8 very successfully at quite a few NRL Hunter matches, and I'm the only competitor (that I'm aware of) who doesn't check zero before the matches.
