I think for one it's hard to get a scope to go down that low and to get a scope to go up that High and still keep it dependable and keep the clarity. So I have to think it has to do with costs.


Swarovski and Kahles both make a 2.5x10x42 mm. They are the finest scopes I have ever owned.

I have to,disageee that there is not much difference between a 2.5 and a 3.5. When you start getting down below 3x you really start to gain in light clarity and field of view. All things being equal that is.

10x seems to me the highest that anyone needs in a big game scope IMHO. It's strong enough to see and low enough to track on a moving animal.

People tend to bite off more power than they really need. I think some of the gun rags and sniper forums may have contributed to this . A snipers role is much different than a big game hunters. Higher magnifications may be needed for a sniper for suspect identification where as a big game Hunter usually relies on binos and or spotting scopes for game identification. once game is spotted and identified..the scope becomes a sighting device moreso than a optic for identification.