Rick, your set up is about perfect IMO. Can't understand why anyone thinks they need 12x magnification for deer hunting with a lever action 7-08. To each his own, but opinions were asked for...
I wish the Warne rings were a bit lower, and I wish the rings didn't have the tab at the top. Small niggly things. Other than that, it works. Particularly for my wife, who basically confiscated the rifle for her own years ago...
When the early variables came out, I went from a very early Weaver K4 to a Leupold 3x9. Still have that scope, and wish I could still get them without the duplex reticles that I have no use for...
Then I went through my "bigger is better" phase and and some 4x12's. Nothing wrong with them, and you don't HAVE to turn them up to 12x but it is always there, and 4X at the low end is what I had been hunting with since I was a little kid and graduated from peep sights (which in later years I started using a lot more... go figger).
But the 4x12's were a bit heavier, definitely a bit bulkier, and I felt the 3x9's looked a little classier on my Sakos and Husqvarnas anyways.
So the high powered variables went, with the exception of the 6.5x24 which isn't a big game scope anyways. They were replaced by two of the full size early 3x9 Vari-X II's, and three 3x9 Compacts and two 2x9 Compacts. The compacts were all bought through Premier Reticule when they first came out, and the very nice gentleman there put in plain crosshair reticules to my specifications before shipping them to me.
I've really never looked at anything other than the Leupolds (except for the Falcon Menace that just arrived in the mail here five minutes ago). I'm sure there is optically superior glass out there, etc and so forth. But you don't use a scope on a hunting rifle for spotting, etc. It's basically up to the aim, get your sight picture, and shoot. In my opinion you don't need uber high end glass beyond the Leupold level for that. My Leupolds hold their point of aim, they're tough, and the one I did manage to make N/S was fixed by Leupold without question and in a very short time.
Looks... repeatable accuracy... dependable... tough... lifetime guarantee... can't beat that with a stick.
3 of my rifles wear the 4x12x40, but they're 308s and i only got them when the 3x9 wasn't doing it anymore- old age at 300 yards ain't pretty-
I'm going through the "why can't I see anymore" stage as well. I'm not an optometrist, but changing prescription as you age shouldn't be an issue for most people, I don't think. The magnification is still the same, clarity of the image is what I would expect to be the problem, just like the front sight now shooting with irons.
I have had to adjust the ocular lenses on my scopes to compensate for my eyes betraying me, as well as the diopter settings on my DSLRs, etc and so forth. It might be worth it for you to give that a try as well on those older scopes.
