MJY65 is correct, Leupold glass quality basically ranks from low to high: VX-1, VX-2, VX-R, VX-3, VX-6. And yep, the VX-2 is a little better than the VX-1, due to better coatings.
There are tons of great Hunting scopes for $200-300, with Leupold in the lower end of the pack as far as what your money gets you.
Look at the:
Redfield Revolution (made by Leupold now, basically a VX-1 for cheaper)
Vortex Diamondback
Weaver Grand Slam
Burris Fullfield II and E1
Leupold Mark AR
Leupold VX-2
Bushnell Elite
Nikon Buckmaster
Sightron SII
And, my personal Favorite, Minox ZA3 3-9x50. Samplelist has some left, and maybe CameralandNY. You can find my review here:
Minox ZA 3-9x50 review and comparison... - The Optics Talk Forums
It has been ranked by several people as being very close to a Zeiss Conquest and can't be beat optically under $450, IMO. You may be able to find one of the 40mm versions, the ZA3 is being discontinued for the ZA5, but most say the ZA3 is better.