I'm thinking about getting a 3-9x in a VERY compact model, there's one at a shooting sports store near me, for only like $45. I think that most people use 4x's is because they are the most widely made compacts, and the sks isn't accurate enough to need more than that. MY BIGGEST QUALM WITH A HIGH POWER SCOPE ON MY SKS IS THAT THE MUZZLE HOP IS SO GREAT, THAT RESIGHTING WOULD BE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE WITH MORE MAGNIFICATION THAN 4X.