The reason why I decided to go with the wooden stock and the leather sling was to give the rifle a little more familiar look to someone who probably hasn't ever handled a synthetic rifle. I know that a lot of people would go with a more powerful scope, or a scope with a larger objective lens, but I didn't for a few reasons. The 2.5-8x scope gives plenty of magnification for deer hunting, and the smaller objective lens is a good choice (in my opinion) for a few reasons. I've read that the human eye can only process as much light as a 40mm objective lens can provide, and between 36mm and 40mm I'm not going to nit pick. Also the smaller objective lens will allow me to mount the scope using lower mounts, getting the bell close to barrel for added accuracy. The smaller scope will also be nicer for carrying and look more proportionate on the rifle.