Scope option/ power help

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Amcskid

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Looking at a vortex strike egale 3-18×44 fully multi coated glass. now I'll be using scope on my 30-06 for hunting and range days/ target practice. I'm looking to spend around 6 to 7 hundred on a scope if there is something better I'd appreciate your opinions.
Help with the power is I dont know which power to go with I've read less is more as to why I wouldn't go with a 6-24×50 as it's a little over powered at 100yards and wont have much for fov when hunting. It seems many people go with 3-9x but I figure on the top end it would be more worth going wit 3-18×44 or maybe 4-24x50.
What is a good scope and what is a good magnification?
 
If by "hunting" you mean deer or elk size animals, they have an 8 to 10 inch diameter "killed 'em dead" target area. If you mean gophers, maybe 1.5". So, if you can hit a gopher at 50 yards with a 4 power scope, you can hit a deer or elk in the vitals at 250 to 325 yards with that same power scope. Higher magnification won't make you a better shot - mostly practice will. Once out much past 350 yards, then bullet drop and wind drift cause impact point to become several feet from your point of aim with your 30-06 - scope magnification is not going to help you deal with that. A good scope? Almost all my hunting rifles wear Leupolds. A good magnification? - I have fixed 2 1/2, 3, 4 and 6 on my various hunting rifles; 2-7, 3-9 and 4.5-14 on .22's; and a 2.5 - 10 on a heavier barrel thumbhole stock .243. I personally don't do any type of hunting were objectives larger than 40 mm are useful.
 
Yeah, I did a 6-16 or whatever power scope on a hunting rifle once, never again.

I kinda find 4 power a bit much sometimes, just a matter of quick target acquisition in thick bush, my hunting rig now sports a 2.5-10, but...
I'm also building more of a sheep/antelope rifle with a 4-24 strike eagle at the moment. For a dedicated hunting rig, I like the range of the sightron stac 2.5-17. or the athlon midas 2.5-15 would be a good compromise as well for a single hunting rifle.
 
In the vortex line, I’d be buying the viper 6-20 or whatever it is. It’s been on sale everywhere for months. Quite a bit better than the strike eagle/diamondback/crossfire lineups. In your price range too. 6X at 100 isn’t ideal, but either is lower quality glass.
 
Thank you for your replies. I agree having better glass is a must but at what cost I mean I only have so much money at the moment. Not that I'm in a huge rush to go out and buy so I may have more to spend.
I would like to say as well I haven't much experience shooting and I do understand that even the best scope wont make me a better shot but being able to see what your hitting sure helps. I do like that most of you are kind of in agreement that lower power is probably a little better.
 
Personally, get something in the 2.5-4x on the low end... unless you expect all of your hunting to be 150 yds+. 6x on the low end sucks for trying to pick up a yote who is on the move along the edge of the bush at 70yds.
 
Spend the money on better glass, over more magnification. With good glass you don;t need the higher power, and the sight picture is much better.
 
3-9×40 is a popular scope for hunting. Generally game moves at first and last light. A low power scope works best in those conditions. As for the 40, I'm disappointed with the
Nikon Slug Hunter on my shotgun. I think a 50mm lens would gather more light in low light conditions.
On my target rifle I have a 3-18×50 like I said the 3-9×40 just seems inadequate.
 
What is better glass and how do you really tell? I mean to look through a scope most look good but obviously there are more factors.
 
I believe there is some simple math involved - Objective diameter in mm divided by magnification gives exit pupil diameter. So, 42mm objective set at 6 power gives 7mm diameter exit pupil. 28 mm objective set at 4 power also gives 7mm exit pupil. Young eyes can open that wide and use it, older eyes can only open to 6mm or less, so larger exit pupil diameter isn't going to help. Most better scope makers list "light transmission" ratio or factor - of 100% of light coming into scope, how much gets passed through? - for example, from a Leupold chart, early Vari-X scopes (pre-1962) were rated 82%; much later VX-3 (after 2009) rated at 98%.
Another poster on a similar thread mentioned best time/place to compare optics is dusk or poor light, outdoors. Inside a store under fluorescent or whatever lighting is not terribly helpful.
I have found that high detail viewing is not the same as high magnification. Leica 10x binoculars will easily "out spot" detail that Bushnell 20 power spotting scope can not resolve - like counting tines on an elk in the bush, across a valley, 1/2 mile away, where 6 points needed to be legal and 5 points are not.
 
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