Optics setup opinions

I have a Hawke 8.5X25X42 on my Edgun .22 R3M. I’m not sure where you live but for me 16X is the maximum practical magnification for field when shooting long range. The three most contributing factors to this are mirage and field of view and mil-dot holdover problems. I personally think that massive magnification is a false sense of performance when hunting Many shooters think that the 25 or more magnification will allow them to see more detail on smaller targets. Whereas that is true at moderate ranges but when shooting long range targets high magnification removes many of the mil-dots that could be used for holdover. For long range 10X is very practical. This is why Eduard uses one on his edgun and why the USMC uses 10X fixed scopes for sniper rifles. So what’s my point? I don’t remember…oh yeah you don’t need the high magnification for long range shooting. Now that whole paragraph makes me seem like a hypocrite because I just stated that I have a large scope on my R3M .22. I do have a reason for that. I think at moderate ranges where I need to put a precise shot on a critter I feel more comfortable doing that with more magnification. The high power scope allows me to see details and properly place a humane shot on the quarry. The .22 sometimes needs to be used like a laser for head shots. So I would put the 6-24 Hawke on the .22 for that reason not for long range field use. The .30 is going to be a lot more forgiving and I think the 4-16 should suit that gun just fine.

The one exception to this is if you were planning on target shooting. A high magnification with a thin reticle is a nice combo for shooting tight groups.