Simple is good. Often, a more basic optic of good quality will be the best choice for your customers.

by Robert Kolesar

The KISS formula (“keep it simple, stupid”) is important in hunting equipment, especially guns and scopes. As I’ve grown older I’ve gone back to traditional calibers and fixed power optics. My choice for an upcoming hunt now is usually a .270 or .30-06 with a 4x or 6x on top in low-mounted rings. A good case can be made that low-powered hunting scopes are better for most shooters than what’s new and exciting. Jack O’Connor did quite well with his .270s and 4x scopes; a 4-16x50mm with side focus looks out of place on a deer rifle.

A couple of generations ago the 4x was the best-selling scope in America. Hunters went afield with a .30-06, a 4x scope, and killed stuff. Most shots at game in the U.S. are probably less than 150 yards; a 4x (or even a 2.5 or 3x) still works quite well. And you can reach out easily to 2-300 yards with a lower powered scope. Glass quality, a good zero, and your own shooting ability are far more important than magnification and the reticle.

Read more in the June 2019 issue.

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