Title is pretty self explanitory, I was just wondering for about $250 what is the best bang for my buck in the shotgun/directional mic field?

Here is a good review of a few in or near that price range. I have the Sennheiser me66 but I haven't tried the others.
http://www.lafcpug.org/reviews/review_shotgun_mic.html

Many experienced hands here would not hesitate to say that the best bang for the buck in your range for a shotgun mic is easliy Audio Technica's AT897, $279 at B&H. You would have to spend upwards of $500 to beat it.

If, like me, you were shooting mainly indoors, a shotgun would not be the best choice. For covering an auditorium interior with the mic positioned near the rear or a corner, or for coverage of a stage grouping I use an AT3031 cardioid, a really excellent mic that costs only about $170.