I guess what you started with has a big influence on your preferences. I started shooting .22’s with open sights as a kid. Got pretty good at it. My first deer rifle had a peep sight. Most beginners now start with a scope and have no idea how well it is possible to shoot with a peep sight. I was a very experienced shooter and hunter before I got my first scope. By today’s standards it was low powered. As I got more financially mature, I hunted more widely and internationally. I’m not a long range shooter, but I have killed a lot of game between 200-300 yards with a fixed six. My longest shot was an Ibex in Kyrgyzstan at 305 yards. Five years ago I killed a Kudu in Africa at 240 yards with a Leupold 3X. I have never felt I needed more magnification. And I love the relative mechanical simplicity and aesthetics of fixed power scopes on my classic rifles.

Al

Spend your life wisely.