OP, given you're in AK, and that this might double as a dangerous game gun for you, here's a couple of points to consider, and my best scope recommendation:
1) With dimmer light, a second focal plane scope will benefit you, as they're generally brighter, all else being equal.
2) A 1-8, as you note, would be a very good idea - you obviously get the faster target acquisition with the 1 power, and 8 power is surprisingly plenty for anything a .223 or .375 Ruger can do.
3) Illumination, IMO, is indispensable on anything you want to get crosshairs on fast, in any lighting condition - especially if there's the slightest chance of dim light or dark targets. Even more so if you might be in camp in bear country, where a shot at night without a weapon-mounted light (ie, hunting gun, rather than tactical gun) is a real possibility. Quality glass in an LPVO can be surprisingly better at night in gatherling light than the naked eye, if you have it on low-power, but it matters little if you can't find the cross hairs.
The best scope I can recommend for you, given all this, would be a Swarovski Z8i 1-8 power. They're bulletproof, comparatively lightweight, they're surprisingly bright when you first mess around with them at dusk or at night, the glass is amazing, and the eyebox is very forgiving and easy to get into at odd angles and expedient positions. This is what I run on my all-around AR, and is exactly what I'd have on a dangerous game bolt gun.
Something I've come to particularly value with the Swaro, is the illumination switch. It's just above the rear lens - centered it's off, switch left is goes to your low-light brightness, switch right and it goes to your daylight brighness setting. You can adjust either by pressing the up or down buttons right in front of that switch, but frankly, once I figured out what works best for me at dusk/night, and daylight, I've probably only adjusted those settings once or twice. It's extremely fast, and by far the quickest and best illumination system I've ever used.
These Swaros often get overlooked by guys wanting an LPVO, because most of the LPVO crowd doing reviews and writing on them is looking for tactical application, including use as passive aiming for night vision, and are well-versed in using First Focal Plane ranging reticles. Virtually none of this benefits a hunting gun as much as the clarity of SFP and a laser rangefinder. But unless we're talking a dedicated night-fighting gun, I've never had a LPVO as useful or as effective as the Z8i 1-8.
All that said, you also won't go wrong with the NX8 you mention, Leupold, Trijicon, etc. Above a certain price point, it's definitely an issue of diminishing returns, but you still do get advantages in almost all cases, the higher in price you go.