Glass gurus I need optics advice

[BigMike]

Meh. Do I need 25x to hit something at 1k? No. Buy it's nice to have available. Giving up 2 on the low end to pick up 10 on the high end.

Most people spend most of their time in the mid to high end of the magnification spectrum. Very few actually use the very low end. And that's mainly in hunting scenarios. The difference between 3 and 5x fov in mid to long range scenario is negligible and never really realized as no one is spending much, if any, time on that low end.

Even shooting comps with stages of various diflstamces and target sets, I rarely drop below 8-10x. Spend most time around 12-18. Bet your ass if I have the position and time that I'm craking that bad boy to full mag.

I spend waaaaay more time north of 20x than I do sub 10x.

I guess I'm not quite there yet. I'm usually between 5 and 15. Sometimes 20.

 

[Twitch2120]

Can't believe I missed this thread for 2 months.

On the subject of minimum mag, make sure to compare FOV numbers of whatever scopes. Just because 1 scope has a lower minimum does NOT mean it will give you more image. The schmidty 5-25 is the standard by which all tactical scopes are judged but it has a weakness. It tunnels under 7x. You quit getting a wider image so there is zero reason to go below 7x.

Another consideration is how usable is the reticle on the low end. Since FFP reticles grow or shrink with magnification, a wide mag range may have a great reticle at 30x, usable at 20x and invisible at 10x.

As a final note, I have a SWFA 5-20 with aadmount and caps for sale if that one was on your radar. $900. Good luck