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I'm starting to wonder if I'm one of a few or indeed the only silly bugger who prefers a relatively low power, fixed scope over vari power scopes on a hunting rifle? I recently bought a new fixed 4 power Schmidt & Bender for my newest hunting rifle.
One would expect that purchasing such a scope would be a relatively routine matter, but it wasn't. I found that I only had a choice of 2 manufactures from which to choose if I was after 4 power. Kahles, and Schmidt & Bender. Well I already own and am very happy with a total of 3, 4x Kahles scopes so decided on the Schmidt & Bender, And It is a wonderful piece of kit as well. But what I can't understand is that I couldn't find anything in advertising or indeed on ( there is no mention of 4x fixed scopes on the Schmidt & Bender web site)manufactures web sites to indicate that they still manufacture 4 power fixed scopes. None of the gun shops that I enquired with had any low power fixed scopes in stock, and without exception it was obvious from their responses that they recieve very few if any calls for such scopes.
Now I'm not knocking vari power scopes out of hand. I do own a few, a Zeiss 1.5 - 6, 2 x Kahles 1.5 - 6, and a Leopold VXIII 1.5 - 5. All very good scopes. However I find that all my vari power are usualy set and left on either 3 or 4 power. With this in mind and when you also take into account the extra weight, & the extra cost, why would you want to fit a vari power to all or most hunting rifles?
I've been advised by some dealers and shooters that vari powers, especially those with a higher power setting which equals or exceeds 9x magnification allow for accurate long range shooting? I do not think so! Unless of course your trying to head shoot small critters at long, very long range or shooting targets on the range. I feel and it has been my experience that if you are HUNTING medium or large game than a 3 or 4 power scope is more than adequate. If you need more than that then I feel that something is definately wrong.
If I can find one? I even hope to place a "European" 2.5 power scope onto my 458. (the eyes are slowly getting a bit blurry and the iron sghts are not always easily seen these days) Hell, surely 2.5 power is more than enough magnification on a 458 Win.Mag. where a long shot has got to be about 100 meters?
Alway I'm just interested to see if I'm really out of step with other shooters and hunters? And if not then why the hell aren't the Manufactures making the stuff and the Aussie Importers bring the stuff in?