AR-15 Scope for Coyote

I just picked up a new gun and am looking to be doing mostly coyote hunting with it with a little bit of time at the range. Where I'm at is pretty open, so I'd like something that will leave me comfortable shooting out to 300 yards. I'm looking for something in the $300 range and don't have any mounts right now. I know nice mounts approach this range, so I know I'm going to have to make some compromises  

With my 1:7 twist I'm planning on shooting some heavier loads, but I know I'll be shooting some 55gr. when I'm at the range. For hunting I'll be shooting handloads (probably 62 or 75gr.).

From what I've seen, the Leopold Mark AR looks nice, and love their VX-3 on my .308!

This is local, and looks like a pretty decent deal, although I'm not sure if the 9x magnification is as high as I'd like:

 

I would also look into the Nikon Coyote and possibly the Vortex Diamondback 3.5-10x50 BDC.

 

 

 

I tend to think the 3-9 version would be a better choice because you really could work at 9x and still have the balistic reticle accurately represent known distances as marked.  What I find in actual use is guys buy a second focal plane scope like these the reticle always appears the same size they dial the power down and the field of view side to side gets wider with lower power but they fail to realize that what the marks on the balistic reticle represent changes radically with changes in magnification. Once a guy understands that it takes some work to determine what the marks represent at each known power.  Example if you have a 14x scope and zero at 100 and line 3 represents 300 then you dial down to half the magnification at 7x that line 3 is now a 600 yd mark not a 300 yd mark.  May be its just me but the circles drive me nuts. I guess if you set zero with a round target you could be more precise.  I'd like it a lot better if they had continued fine crosshairs through the huge center circle to be able to get a precise zero.  

Hard to beat this one in actual field use.

Zero at 200 next mark down 300 next mark 400  and 500 wher the heavy part of the reticle starts.

6x low enough power to hand hold it and get onto a moving target.

 

Trijicon 3-9x40 Accu-Point Rifle Scope Stock # - TR202G Matte Mil-Dot Crosshair w/ Green Dot 1"

$764.95

Illumination for night and  mil dots for hold over just run a balistic chart with drop in mils. 2nd focal plane so half the power double what the hold over marks represent.

 

 

I shoot 50g Vmaxs at 3450 fps so I limit my range to about 400 yards because those things slow down like pepper in the wind and I don't like crippling coyotes. I do shoot 75g Hornadys very accurately out to 600 yards. They have enough energy to kill coyotes dead at that range but they are too slow for me @2800 fps for every day coyote hunting. When the coyotes are 200 yards and running I have to lead them too much with those bullets. I have transitioned to speed and think I will stay with that. I used to hunt them with a 3-9x40 but didn't feel too comfortable hitting one between the eyes beyond 300 yards. The cross hair covered their whole face or more and at times I couldn't see them in the brush.

 

I use the same magnification on my longer range coyote rifle; a 25-06 Sendero with a 4200 Elite. It taps them just fine out to 600 yards real well and that rifle has plenty of energy to plant them at that range. The only difference is that I use an illuminated reticle on that one so I can hunt at night.

Sightron 3-9x40 SI Riflescope Stock # - SI39X40MD Matte Mil-Dot 1"

$137

This is what i am after. Im gonna do a lil research but I think I may have found my new ar scope. 

Thanks