When you say “not a fortune”, what does that mean?
In your place, I’d go down this list as far as you can afford. Yes there’s a giant gap between the Razor Gen II and the ATACR; I don’t think there’s anything in the middle worth the cost over the Razor. You might get lucky with a used Schmidt and Bender, though, which would be worth it.
Priorities:
- Hold zero through recoil
- Useful zoom range
- Usable reticle choices
- Glass clarity
$300 - SWFA SS 12x42
$700 - Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25
$850 - Athlon Midas TAC 5-25
$1100 - Athlon Ares ETR 4.5-30
$1300 - Athlon Cronus B
$1800 - Vortex Razor Gen II 4.5-27
$3000 - Nightforce ATACR 7-35 - elevation for days and excellent glass
$3600 - Zero Compromise ZC527 - secondish best scope in the world, more dialable elevation than the Tangent
$4700 - Tangent Theta TT525P - best scope in the world