I felt that I could never go wrong with a 3x9.I just keep it on 3x all the time.If game is spotted at longer distances then I have time to adjust.My Dad,on the other hand, was a firm believer in a fixed 4x and at 100 yards,his 30-30 was no slouch because of the low power,often getting very small groups.In Army sniper school,in 67',I qualified at 1000 meters with a M-14 and a 2-1/2 power scope,so scope power really should not be an issue with young eyes but with old eyes,like mine today,oh brother! I'll take all the power I can.Seriously though,a good 4x will do it all.