Focus Range finding with 32x vs 50x?

Ive been shooting my sightron SIII 10-50 on my FT rig for a while now. Great scope, does what I need. My only (legimate) complaint is the reticle... still have to "guess" some of the hold-offs, as the reticle doesnt have a discreet aim point for a lot of holds from the ballistics card

few weeks back I recieved a new to me NightForce NX8 4-32x50 scope with the MIL-XT reticle. That reitcle has a much larger number of discreet aim points for "holding off" , and seems to have _slightly_ better glass. Informal testing also seems to indicate that it ranges better too.

Sooo I guess my question is, am I better off giving up 18x mag in exchange for the better reticle and focus ranging?

 Im having to re-setup my scope on my FT rig anyway, having added a different sidewheel. So stick with the Sightron (which TBH has been rock solid) or swap on the Nightforce?

TIA

dan

Dan,

At great distances ( Typical powder gun ) or in Airguns at low power ( WFTF ) there will be a lot of projectile motion due to wind at there respected distances shot.

Now personally in my short time of a couple years owning a similar SIGHTRON playing in OPEN and WFTF my biggest gripe was hold point references ( Lack Of )

Second gripe at high x mag was the super shallow FOV. Sure KZ looks like a dinner plate, but lacking FOV one is challenged to see and get a read on environmental conditions etc ...

SO said, at 55 yards you find a scope that range finds at lower X as well at the Sightron does at higher X .... WINNER winner Chicken Dinner !!!!

I really am comfortable at 28-35X or lower quite honestly.

Now on a personal note / journey in optics ... As you know JIM C passed away a few months ago. As his FT partner these last 10 years or so, some of his gear came back to me via Inheritance.

In that was his SCHMITT * BENDER 5-25x50 PMII

This scope range finds so well at just 16X the challenges of 40-55Y ranging are thing of the past.  Crank it to 25X as i did a few weeks ago, was looking at LARGE power transmission tower out @ 600 yards from my back porch. IT WOULD range differently on the closest wire to the furthest wire very definitively !!!  Wire difference perhaps 20 feet & this at @ 600 yards !!

Moral i guess ... is that Great Glass does not need high magnification to be very useful in parallax type ranging application.  YES use the lower X optics and benefit with better ranging, more hold off points and broader FOV.  WINNER IMO.

Scott S 

Thanx Scott!