Re: Scope power Mirage
muleman,
Open range hunting and LR shooting over 1K+ yds.
Hunting really tops out at around 700-800 yds. There are some exceptional shots that can stretch that to 1K, but they are among the very few. With respect to game shooting, scope power and target size should be compatible.
For LR shooting in respect to scope power, two things need to be considered target size and precision.
Benchrest shooting requires precision, hence the need for high scope powers 30x and above. But long range shooting does not require such precision, because hitting your target is what counts, not how small your group may be.
Given a 1 moa target @ 1500 yds, that target will appear to be through the scope:
@ 20x 75 yds away
@ 25x 60 yds away
@ 32x 47 yds away
Since anyone of normal vision can see a 15"+ target at any of those distances with their naked eye, really any scope 20x or larger will more than fill the bill.
When you consider that mirage, exit pupil, eye relief, and eye box size, all get worse as scope power goes up from 20x to 32x. And hunting and LR shooting at times requires low light capability, all these factors mitigate against going much above 20-25x.
Certainly a 5-22 NF can handle such chores easily. But a 32x NF is a very specialized instrument, and I'm not sure much is gained in visual acuity power, compared to what is lost in other areas.
32x is really designed for benchrest use, not for hunting nor shooting at relatively large targets at longish range. Your description does not seem to warrant such a scope.
YMMV,
Bob