At the cost of magnum ammo, if he does have any hassles with a cheap scope it will very quickly cost the man more in ammo than spending $350-$450 for a reliable scope in the first place..... If I am low on cash after a new rifle acquisition, then it gets one of my Weaver K series fixed magnification scopes. Those are as tough as nails and about $150 each if I recall. 6x magnification is not ideal, but it sure beats an unreliable scope any day. With the fixed magnification you can learn the reticle subtentions for bullet drop (on my slug gun) and weaver has a spreadsheet with all the reticle subtentions of every scope they make.