I am fortunate enough to have a wife that knew I wanted a scope for my 220 Swift. I had removed the scope from the Swift to put on a Cooper LVT 17HMR and wanted to replace it with a Leupold VX III 6.5-20 50mm LR with the new varmint reticle. For my birthday she gives me the same exact scope in 8.5-25. Pretty good I think. What are the opinions of this power range as compared to the 6.5-20?

Thanks, arn223

arn, I have 2 of the 8.5 x 25's LRT o my Pdog rfles and wouldn't have it any other way. The extra resolution for defining small targets at long range is very helpful. You can always turn them down in a mirage condition, but you can't crank it up if it isn't there! Enjoy the better optics. So far my longest is 1247 yards w/6.5/284 and 140 Bergers.

arn223

Man you're lucky you have one of those really great wifes. The range of power you have depends a great deal on what rifle you have and how you use it. On my VSSF that I use mostly off hand for Rockchucks I have a VX III 4.5-14X 50mm. However on my PD rifle I went with the VX III 6.5-20X 40mm Matte EFR. Like the lower power and closer focusing ability. When it gets hotter on those PD fields your looking for less power. The 6.5 X 20 I'm using will focus down to a lot closer.

But regardless of what you do hang on to that gal ok.