I'm looking to do some 100-300yard shooting and am looking for a decent value scope.  I'm not much of an accomplished shooter yet, so I'm not looking to spend much more than $80-100.  Can a decent 3-9x scope be had for this price?  Any help or input appreciated.  Thanks!

Slater1601, lots of newbie threads here re scopes...you should read them, as there is lots of stuff I'm too lazy to type now lol.

This guys LOVES the Millett Silver Buck 3x9x40, for about $70.  
www.chuckhawks.com/scoping_out.htm

I have no experience with this scope, and I dont' know who Randy Wakemen is...maybe the brother of the keyboard player for Yes?

I have a Sightron 3x9x40 mildot that is available around the web for about $110.  I like is so far, but I've only scoped out the guy's house down the road hehe...the glass looks clear and reasonably bright.  How it will hold up is anyone's guess.  

If you want to go for a lower power variable, say 1.5x5, several folks here have had good luck with the Simmons Pro Diamond scopes in that range.  A used Simmons Aetec would be great, if you can find one someplace.  

$100 is about the lowest you should spend on a 3x9 in my book, but it might be worth you taking a chance on that Millett.  

If you're willing to go to $200, you can get several good scopes that you won't really be gambling on, in terms of good experiences by folks here.  

if you want to go cheaper than the above mentioned scopes, try any of the BSA brand scopes from sportsmansguide.com.   anywhere from 29.00 to 80.00 bucks for newbie scopes.  no bad experiences here with them.  hel, i still use them, been shooting for a while.