Optics, optics, optics. I read somewhere that most hunter are "Over magnified and under scoped".
I agree with this up to a point. I do believe that many people are over magnified. I collect and shoot military surplus rifles. Hunt with them at times also. And it's pretty amazing how far out you can keep a bullet inside a circle the size of deers vitals using just open sights. With practice 200 yards is no major feet. That being the case I don't really see the need for more than a 3x9 power scope on a rifle. I can shoot very accurately way out there with a straight 6 power scope.
Where do I disagree? I don't think you need to go all the way up to a Swarovski to get all the scope the average person needs to fill their needs. In fact I think that out around the 500 dollar mark you start to hit a point of seriously diminishing return on your investment. Is a Swarovski a better scope than others in the 500 to 550 dollar range? Yep, but there really isn't anything I can do with it from a hunting standpoint here that I can't do with a 500 dollar Leupold or Zeiss. I can see to shoot well past legal shooting light with these scopes. They don't fog up. They are clear. They hold zero. That being the case I just can't justify making the jump in price up to a Swarovski. But if anyone wanted to give me one to prove me wrong I am an open minded soul. LOL!