3x9 vs 4x12

[Billy74]

I was gonna pick up a new scope (leupold for my 30.06) for this season and thought about going from 3x9 to 4x12.  I wanted a little extra magnification for small targets at the range out past 200.  Was wondering what effect that bump up has when dialed down for shots under 200 while hunting.  Loss of clarity/light etc.  Also, going from the cheaper scope that came with the riffle to a nicer scope,  should i expect noticeable improvements in clarity and light.  Anything at 200+ yds seems like it should be more clear than it is with what i have now.  Maybe a higher quality scope instead of hight power might be all I’m looking for.


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[Billy74]

Or the short version: what are the pros and cons of a 4-12 power scope vs 4-9


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[northwesthunter84]

3x9 is plenty all the way out to 600 IMO, I'm not sure what glass you have right now.  But between those 2 magnifications higher quality glass will be the true difference at that distance.

[Stein]

I would go with quality over magnification for sure.  That said, I do like more power especially as my eyes get older.


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[Bob33]

I would use 12x far more often than 3x.

[Randonee]

For target shooting I definitely prefer more power than 9x.  I think it also depends on how good your eye sight is.  As I’ve gotten older I’ve increased the power of my scopes and I’ve really appreciated that.  I think a good all around zoom range is 3 or 4 on the low end and 15 or 16 on the high end.