re: Which $500 or less .270 rifle?

not always true, quality of glass matters too. when I was getting a scope for my Rem700 SPS .308 the 50mm (dont remember brand) was no where near as good of a picture in low light as the Nikon Buckmark 40mm I ended up buying.

as far as magnification goes keep in mind that if you get a 8-24x40 scope and a deer walks in your plot at 75 yards or under, its going to be hard to find him in your scope. i went with 4.5-14x40 and its perfect for all ranges a deer hunter would encounter, and a distance shooter too for that matter.

also you want a scope that holds its zero and where a click is 1/4 inch always. precision is key.