Jordan Smith,
I typically don't even turn up my high-mag scopes past about 10-12x until I get beyond 1000. Like DS, I like FOV too much.
On 9x...
Here's what I think you might be experiencing in your life without knowing it. You have eyes like a hawk. I hunted with two guys over the years who could see points on a buck at least 3/4 miles away. They couldn't understand why I needed 7X binoculars to see the same thing.
When I used to shoot squeeks in Central Oregon I always had my Burris Signature 8-32X on 20X for shooting between 250 and 350 yards. I could see what was going on with that setting. The second focal plane scope allowed me to see squirrel on both sides of the reticle.