I have a M700 SPS Tactical and yes the Hogue stock sucks. I was shooting a 1.5 inch MOA and 100 yds using a harris bipod. I then went to placing the stock across my ruck sack up close to the action and it immediately improved to a .6 MOA.
Not counting the shooter or the ammo, the stock has a greater effect on a rifles consistency than anything else.
Since you are looking for a 10x scope I assume you are planning on shooting out past 500 yds. I would also recommend a 20 MOA base for your scope. Placing a round on a steel plate at 1000yds is an awesome feeling.
As for the scope, for recreational target shooting (ie. non competition/combat/hunting) you should spend at least half of what you pay for the rifle new. For hunting the price of the scope will equal the value of the rifle. For combat then it will be the most expensive thing you own, lol.
The reason for this generic price range is more related to the durability and longevity of a scope in harsh environments. From a recreational shooting POV most scopes, if quality controls are in place, are accurate enough to start with.
However, once your skill in shooting your rifle bypasses the quality of your equipment you will start to see clearly its limitations. Then you will require better equipment and pawn off your newly realized "crap" to the next new shooter. In summary, the cheaper the scope the sooner you will realize that is sucks.
