Setting one of these up for someone, caliber is 30-30. I have a choice between a Leupold M8 3x or a VX3 1.5x5, both on pristine condition.
The old guy in me tends towards to the 3x, but I am a luddite.
Please share your opinion.

My opinion is an FXII 4x. Its light, great in low light, simple, and it tends to look balanced and not back heavy.

I have used your other options and the 4x just works well with a 94

The 3X seems about right. I have a 2.5X on a Marlin 336

I’d like to be able to go down to 1.5x

I'd go with the 1.5-5x no question.

I’ve done all of those. Even with the twilight coating on that 20mm VX3I, its just not as bright at the FXII 4x

The Leupold Big Bore 3x20 ain’t really any better than the 2.5x

At close range that 4x is actually more usable to me than the 1.5x on the VX3i. Now for some reason the sight picture looks really great on the lowly Freedom 1-4x

If you are hell bent on a 20mm, don’t waste your money on the 3x nor the Vx3i, get the Freedom. It has better sealing and twilight...its a great sight picture.

Don’t waste the money like I have.

I’ve used all of these options extensively but everyone has a favorite.

If Leupold would just make a 4.75x38mm FX3

I've got a 1-4x20 vx II on my Marlin .30-30 and love it. It is plenty bright for all legal hunting hours here. At 1x I can bust a can of beans thrown into the air 8 times out of 10, which is great for shooting runners at close range on a deer drive. On the other hand, at 4x it's plenty to bust a deer 250 yards down a power line cut.

And the Freedom is better than the VX2. It is brighter at dusk and dawn, and the picture looks larger and crisp

I have a Marlin 1895 in 45-70 and Mod. 94 Big Bore AE in .356 Win. Both wear peep sights as they are used for hikes and fishing salmon streams, camping and ATV rides and are easier to carry then my scoped bolt guns. I also never warmed up to putting a scope on a lever gun centerfire that had a tubular magazine and an exposed hammer.

I don't shoot as good at 100 yards and beyond with peeps as I used to when younger. So this summer I put my Leupold VX3 1.5-5x20 with a German #4 reticle on the .356 Win. and did some shooting at the range. As I suspected, I am a better shot with the scope and could hit a moose or bear at ranges I would not trust the little .356 Win. to give quick and reliable kills. But for Alaska, where most first shots on moose and bears and most other critters are taken at around 150 yards, I would be smart to scope it and probably would for actual hunting use.

That little scope is about as light as they come, has about the best eyes relief I have seen and the German # 4 reticle aids in low light shooting. I have made killing first shot hits out to 350 yards with that scope on a bolt gun, so it should offer plenty of magnification for most lever gun loads. On 1.5 power it is really fast, so for me it is about perfect for these types of lever guns. The scope has also proven to hold it's zero and I have no intention or need to ever twist it's elevation turret.

Other posters are singing praises about the Freedom and FXII, which I have never looked through. Lots of options and it really depends on your intended use and your priorities.

If I'm not mistaken the OP has 3x and 1.5-5x Leupolds on hand and intends to use one or the other of those. I didn't read it as he was looking for recommendations on what scope to buy. Seeing as how my vx-11 has proven completely satisfactory, I'm not presently in the market for a replacement either. Should that change, I'll certainly take your recommendation into consideration and have a look at the Freedom.

Thanks for the thoughts! Blackheart, you're correct, gonna use one already on hand.
There is one more in inventory, a pristine M7 3x with a post & crosshair reticle, but it is going into well earned retirement. Or maybe it will end up on a 22.

I put a Weaver[Japan] 1-3x20mm on my Win 94 AE 30-30. Works perfect. But, those m8's are nice.