Cost ratio for rifle : scope for beginner

I never buy cheap scopes, so that "rule" doesn't bother me. Mainly because a good scope will stay with you for life, it can move from rifle to rifle, and then to the next owner. I still use Zeiss scopes my dad bought. OTOH, $400 now buys you a Zeiss Conquest 3-9, and that's a good starting scope that will live on a 30-30 for years to come after you upgraded your current gun to a Nightforce, then sold the gun to get something worthy of a Nightforce etc.
 
That's the first I've ever heard that rule. The "rule" I usually hear is 1:1, which I find silly. Only half as silly as spending 2x as much but still silly.

No one has ever been able to explain to me why the $400 scope that's perfectly adequate on the $400 Savage is suddenly dismally inadequate on the $700 Savage, or Remington, or why the $800 scope that would be fabulous on the $400 Savage is insufficient on the $2,700 Cooper.

The cost of the two is completely unrelated. Buy the best scope you can afford or that matches your requirements. Comparing it to the cost of the rifle is like saying a guy with a $50 hat should pay twice as much for a haircut as a guy with a $25 hat.
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I 100% agree with you,

but I feel like the 'old rule of thumb', came from a time when rifles were a lot cheaper and making proper glass was more expensive (relatively). The technology of optics has excelled far more than the technology in firearms recently.
 
I will pay around $1800 for the weapon and am looking at scopes around $400 - $600 range.
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My first choice would be a Vortex Viper, several models in that price range. The SWFA and Bushnell fixed 10X are both very nice. The Bushnell is mil/mil, a very nice option. Another good low cost scope is the Alpen Apex XP. I rate mine right with my Vortex and it's 40% less money.
 
There's a lot of sound advice here. The 2x rifle rule you usually hear tacticool elitists. There are many options under 600 that will perform well. Just remember its all diminishing returns (same goes for the rifle).

I own Hensoldts, S&B, and Nightforce. While *some* are indeed very nice, most of them don't deliver that much over a good less expensive FFP scope
 
I don't think I've ever paid more than $100 for any scope, and I've never been disappointed. Just like today's entry-level rifles costing under $400 deliver accuracy and reliability once found only in rifles costing many times that amount, today's entry-level (low cost) optics are also better than ever. Any scope that reliably and repeatedly gives me the accuracy I want is a good scope, regardless of its price.
 
I was a Leupold snob until...

As a kid, my first scope was a Weaver K4. As I got more experience & could afford more I discovered Leupold. I was hooked! For years & years I only bought Leupolds. Fixed powers, low variables, big variables, they have all been and are great! But a few years back I strayed from my conviction & to saved a few dollars, for a very un-special rifle, I bought another brand. To my surprise it was slightly better than the Leupold - in all respects! That scope is now on my favorite long range rifle. Yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks! LOL

But to be fair, I have never even looked through a Nightforce or Swarovski or considered paying over a $1,000 for a scope.

JIMHO...

...bug

BTW: My favorite scope, edging out Leupold, is a 6x-24x Pentax Lightseeker. Superb! If you look at Pentax & it's not a "Lightseeker", its junk!
 
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