Very few people should be shooting anything but paper or steel out at 600 yards because most will not have practiced and shot the hundreds of shots needed to be doing it. I would rather have too much magnification in a scope than not enough for the one time you might need it. All mine have been 3x9, but I just bought a Leupold VXI on sale at Cabelas and I went with the 4-12 for my Sako .243 as I'm well into my 60s and am needing all the help I can get for these poor old eyes of mine! The OP lives in Kansas and he may find the higher magnification handy for some of the longer shots he might get out there.