The variables are the best of both worlds. I like the general use of 6x for the field of view/target acquisition, but it’s also very nice to crank it on up to 12-14x once you’re on the animal if you have the time to do so.

I honestly feel 4x-6x is much too limiting in many shot situations. Certainly no need to limit oneself to that with all the great variable scopes available these days. It ain’t 1972 anymore.

I assume you believe the human mind and body works much differently today than it did in 1972?

(in line with most of Dan's posts as of late)

As a Learning and Development professional, I get paid to help organizations uncover why their people are not performing as they should. Sometimes that means having to introduce them to new technology and methods that have proven to be successful for others. And yet, there are other times when it's because they have gotten away from "best practices" that have withstood the test of time. In either case, if he means challenging the status quo, there will always be those who will see it as stirring the pot.

My wife is a retired school teacher who now works as a substitute. She commented recently how kids today are lagging their peers in other countries in their ability to read and write. It's nothing new to most teachers because they've been seeing it for some time now. We both agreed it was because some administrator somewhere, looking to make a name for themselves, decided the old way no longer worked and decided to create a new approach. And when teachers recognized the failure of the new approach in the classroom, the last thing they felt comfortable doing was to stir the pot.

Variable power scopes offer hunters more features and versatility no doubt. However, they have not changed how the mind and body works when trying to take aim. I would make the suggestion to anyone to try experimenting at the range by taking multiple shots with only a front rest (or no rest at all) at different scope settings and compare the results. It could offer them a very eye-opening (pun intended) experience.

I keep my scope on 3x when walking to stand or sitting in stand. I crank it up to 9x for anything 100 yds or further. My old eyes need all the help they can get.

... Like most 'absolutes', less is more does not always hold true.

Honestly, if your job is to optimize personnel performance your arguments here and elsewhere cause me to wonder about your effectiveness in that job. Very often your ideas seem as if they were cemented in place sometime back in the '50s.

The saying "less is more" is true in so many ways, including the magnification you choose when hunting with a deer rifle.

I don't think I've ever started a thread that created more debate than one that focused on the need to turn the magnification down on your scope when taking shots. I know it sounds backwards to say that not making the deer appear closer is going to make for a better shot but the best shooters know it's true. You don't have to count the hairs to get off your best shot, as much as some try so hard to believe. In fact, some of the best shooters use fixed, 2X and 4X scopes because they're reliable and provide all the magnification needed to make shots that others would only make with the scopes set to it highest magnification.

It all has to do with how the mind, eyes, and muscles work together when taking aim at a target. I like to equate it to trying to stay centered in the lane when driving down the highway. Focusing on a more distant point keeps the mind and muscles from reacting to slight variances seen with the eyes in the same manner as using a higher scope magnification creates shakiness in the sight picture. Simply put, a higher magnification causes your mind and muscles to "chase" a point of steadiness the body cannot achieve. By turning the magnification down, you create a sight picture where the target appears more steady to the mind and eyes, yet still plenty good enough to know where the rifle is pointed. AND THIS TRUE WITH OR WITHOUT A SHOOTING REST.

I never hunt with my rifle's magnification set to anything higher than 6X, and will set it lower, sometimes much lower when hunting in closer quarters. In fact, the only time I'll turn it to it's highest setting is when checking targets at the range. Also, there are those who would religiously recommend only using a spotting scope at the range, and a good pair of binoculars in the field so there is no need to change the magnification to get a better or closer view of a deer. They don't want to find themselves having to play with the scope when it becomes time to make the shot.

Anyone who has actually shot a rifle with their scope magnification above 6x knows that there are many situations when the advantages dwarf the disadvantages. The long usage and popularity of scopes with higher magnifications across the world proves their utility.

Only those that either don’t know this from experience or simply want to start an argument would say otherwise.