Re: IF YOU HAD $1,000 TO SPEND? WHAT WOULD YOU BUY?
I would personally hold out for a quality, used Nightforce scope for the $1200 or less budget. There have been several very nice scopes for sale here in the PX for what you've set aside for your optics budget...both 3.5-15 and 5.5-22 models.
Aside from going with a quality used NF, it might help to know what specific features (incl. magnification range, reticle, FFP/SFP, etc., etc., etc.) that you want/need on your scope before people go off randomly recommending things that don't necessarily work for you.