Like most everybody else here who doesn't dial for hunting, all my lightweight hunting rifles have Leupold 2.5-8's. And I have every generation of them. Yes, the older Vari-X Leupold's do seem to be more likely to adjust accurately. I like the magnification range of the 2.5-8's--they seem to be the most useful for hunting in the country I find myself hunting in. I killed this year's bull at 50 yds, but there was a chance I might break out on the side of a canyon and see an eligible critter at 400 across the way. And like Jorge, I've been transitioning all my scopes to a ballistic reticle as I can afford it or if they are eligible according to Leupold. I'm not ever going to shoot at big game beyond 500 yds and even then conditions have to be very much in my favor.
Also, the lighter weight and probably more importantly the smaller size of the 2.5-8 makes the rifle so much easier to carry and better handling--especially when crawling through thick-azz timber trying to jump shoot elk........
