I bought my first one in 1986, have three mounted on rifles now, with another on standby waiting for the right gun to come along. One on a Savage 99 .308, another on a Rem 700 Classic 350 RemMag, and the third on a Ruger Mini 14. They're all Vari-X III of some vintage, oldest is back from era of friction adjustment turret dials.
Then again, my other most used scopes are Vari-X II and VX II 2-7 models. Currently have those on a Kimber Montana .308, a Rem 700 Classic 250 Savage, and a Rem 700 Classic 300 Savage.
I don't go up to a 3-9X scope until I get to my .280.
Never felt over or under scoped with any of them. They spend most of their time on lowest magnification, unless I'm sitting still in a spot with good views.
