if the spotting scope is going to be used for bench rest shooting, may I suggest the Celestron C90 90mm Maksutov-Casssegrain. this is what I use:
http://www.celestron.com/sports_outdoors/celestron-c90-mak-spotting-scope.html
scope runs you about $250 or so. I would recommend you get a decent 8mm - 24mm zoom eyepiece from a telescope shop (usually around $80...don't buy the cheap $40 or $50 one, you'll regret it later).
nice thing about this scope is it's got a very long focal length, so it's easy to get high power magnification to see your shots when you're reaching out to 300 yards. I use this at the Mission Range...and if you want to get one of these, just talk to Nick or Rodrigo at Vancouver Telescope on Burrard and 10th in Vancouver. they don't stock the item, so it may take a week or two to bring in for you, but it's awesome on the range.
that said, Nick will likely also recommend this scope:
http://ca.skywatcher.com/_english/04_spotting/02_detail.php?sid=27
it's the stores most selling spotting scope (I used to work there), extreme value for the performance it gives at it's price point. they'll even have a floor model for you to test. the tripod 4 you can get it with is not worth the $100 it costs. I would take the remainder of your budget and buy the best tripod you can. It may be more than the scope, in the end, but you don't want any wobble or shimmy. In my case, this is the mount/tripod I went with:
http://ca.skywatcher.com/_english/02_mounts/02_detail.php?sid=49
those knobs on the cables allow you slow motion control for side to side and up/down movement, so you can tweak what you're looking at with excellent accuracy.
bonus about that C90 Mak...it will perform amazingly on the moon and on the planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, for instance) from within the city. the planets are so bright, you don't need to be in a dark sky (though it helps!).
PM me if you have any questions
