I think you can pursue a few different schools of thought as it relates to your use either hunting, tactical/match, and/or shooting paper. But I'll add my $0.02 as it relates to you limiting use to hunting and target shooting,
Hunting in and of itself is such a broad term, given the terrain, species, and access you have to what it is you're hunting. But for all intents and purposes, let's assume you're hunting anything from small varmint to med/large game within 500 yards. I generally like to have a zoom range of no less than 4x but no more than 20x for hunting, for the following reasons. If your lucky day comes that you're calling in a bull and it crosses your path at 50 yards, I wouldn't want to be bottomed out at 8x-10x as my minimum magnification, as it's easy to lose focus and establish a precise point-of-aim on a close-range object under high magnification; thus 4x being a good bottom-end. Also considering the higher end of that range; I like to have the ability to take a long shot with a decent amount of magnification, but without losing focus if hunting off-hand, given the lack of forend support. As such, 16x is a high-end that has worked great for me in the past. Additionally, I generally like to stay around the 40-44mm objective diameter range, as it provides decent light transmission and field of view, as compared to smaller objective sizes. Additionally, going beyond that range is going to affect weight, if you're conscious to that while hunting; so a 50mm might be a little much. Also, a 40-44mm objective is going to allow you to use shorter rings, allowing you to maintain proper cheek weld to a hunting-style rifle stock, if you're running something without an adjustable comb. Finally, you could ask yourself about the importance of capped turrets. I generally opt for scopes with zero-stop features and enjoy using my turrets while hunting rather than relying solely on BDC reticles. As such, I generally hunt with optics with exposed "target/tactical"-style turrets.
As for target shooting, you're generally shooting prone or on a bench under a much more stable condition than when you're hunting, so stability may not be as problematic when compared to hunting. Additionally, most people on a bench are going to start at the 100yd mark and work their way out to a maximum desired distance. While a 20x-plus magnification is nice for those long shots past 600 yards, you could still be effective on paper with a 16-20x optic out to that range. 40-50mm objective diameter ranges become less problematic from a weight perspective on the bench and help with clarity, light transmission, and field of view. Exposed non-capped "target/tactical" turrets could be argued as a must, given the frequency of making adjustments while engaging targets at various ranges.
In summary, I think you'd be happy with something like a 4-16x44. Depending on your budget, Vortex makes a few options in that range that have a zero-stop feature, moa and mil selections, lifetime warranty, fair price tag, and good tracking. I know there's TONS of other options out there above and below the quality of a Vortex Viper, but again, just my $0.02 for a starting point based on your criteria. Good luck!
