CoalCracker: I own and use variables but did not grow up on them,so don't spend a lot of time worrying about whether I have one on my rifle or not....
I have shot a lot of game with them, but until last year never turned one up to max setting to shoot anything,and only occaisionally have I turned one down.Mostly I put them on 4X and forget about them.
I have jumped bucks,and elk and bears, in heavy cover from Maine to the Rockies and killed them with a fixed 4X at spitting distance.I've also used them to kill elk, antelope and mule deer,and whitetails at distances as far as 500 yards,mostlt less,and while they may not have been ideal for the purpose, they were always good enough to get the job done.
I am one of those who still believes a fixed power scope is a more rugged hunting sight for BG than just about any variable,simply because I have had far more variables let me down and break mechanically than any fixed powers,and really never experienced scope problems until the late 80's and early 90's,when I started using variables more frequently.
I did recently have some issues with a fixed power scope and this would make a total of two fixed powers that gave me problems in about 35 years of hunting and shooting;I don't know how many variables I have had crap out but it has been far more than two.
A fixed 4X is old school and a compromise for sure, but will give you sufficient FOV in heavy cover and sufficient definition in the open for most shots presented. I do like a bit more power in the open than I used to which is why I still use variables and fixed 6X scopes, but if I grab a rifle mounted with a fixed 4X I don't worry about it at all because I will kill with it as well at 400 yards as I will at 20 in the woods.
