I own higher mag scopes for target/varmit hunting but when it comes to biggame above 10x I see no need. My hunting situations offer everything from tight cover of the forest/trees to wide open plains. My hunting range from in position/situations is 0 -500ish yards. I've take a lot of animals past 200 yards with no more then 9 or 10x, ie last fall antelope buck 438. For me high mag is great in a more controlled situation where you have a solid rest,etc. For me personally this doesn't equate to my big game hunting "real world". I am definately of the opinion less mag better glass is the way to go. When you think about when opportunities arise low light better glass will pay dividents in full and higher mag isn't always an option in poor light making one power down. Ie: big buck cruising along the treeline in the last few minutes of legal...no skyline, you want as much light as possible.

I'm sorry the thought of hunters using their scopes to field judge animals gives my the willy's. I had an experience where a shot rang by me from a guy who didn't know his target and beyond, nor adhered to always assume your gun is loaded. Used his scope as binos and accidentally touched one off!!! I thank god he missed! Guys/Gals please use binos or spotting scopes for assessing and not your rifle!!!

In terms of the scope all 3 have good followings. Pick the one that looks the best to your eyes.

Good Luck

For the guys saying "10x tops", take note that they ALL have said "I'd rather have lower mag in a better scope, than have a high mag". The arguement isn't about a Ferarri being better than a Ford, the arguement I'm making is that an F-350 Diesel can out pull a F-150, which is a simple fact.

There is no arguing that having a HIGH QUALITY glass is better than having a HIGH MAG piece of junk, but my point is that the average shooter would be MUCH better served by a HIGH QUALITY, HIGH MAG scope than by an entry level magnification scope.

Granted, I've been shooting high mag scopes once or twice a week for about 10yrs, and I use a "switch focus" sighting method, so maybe I'm a special case. I shoot both eyes open, watch the target in my left eye, bring the cross hairs in my right eye onto the target in my left eye, then switch my focus over to the right eye, and the cross hairs are on the target. It takes a bit of practice, but it's an easily attainable skill.

If you live in an area where you literally could NEVER take a shot beyond 50yrds, then a low mag scope (or open sights) is king. But very few of us honestly live in such dense areas. If, like 99% of the country, you live in an area that COULD have shots beyond 100yrds, then the higher the mag, the better potential placement of your shot. In my experience 9x zoom on a deer at 100yrds is about the same as a 24x zoom at 225-250yrds. So in terms of shot placement precision, a 9x shot at 100yrds is about the same as a 24x shot at 250. So if we're playing a game where inches matter (not that hunting requires extreme accuracy though), magnification is king.

A big buck is about 3-3.5ft high at the shoulder, 5-5.5ft high at the tip of the rack, and around 6-7ft long. FOV for a 3-9x on 9x at 500yrds is around 60ft, so the buck will make up only 1/10th of the frame. FOV for a 24x is about 25ft, making the deer about 25% of the frame. The ENTIRE DEER in the 9x frame will appear about the same size as the VITAL AREA in the 24x. Magnification shaves Minutes (MOA) off a group. The more precisely you can AIM at something, the more precisely you can HIT something.

At the other end of the spectrum, FOV for a typical 6-24x40mm glass is around 20ft at 100yrds at 6x, and 6ft wide at 24x. The buck will still fit inside the glass at 20x, and be swimming in the glass at 6x. Even at 50yrds, the FOV is around 10ft, plenty of room to fit the buck inside the frame.

At the end of the day, I'd much rather shoot a 4x or 6x (bottom end of a 4-16x or 6-24x) at 30yrds than take a 7-9x shot (top end of a 2.5-7x or 3-9x) at 500yrds. It's MUCH easier to miss at 500yrds than at 30yrds.

I have a Nikon Buckmaster 4.5-14 X 40 on my .308 and absolutely love it. Low light transmission is very good as is clarity. I also have a Buckmaster 3-9x40 on my .243 that is also a great scope.