I have owned few scopes over the years, but until last year, none with large magnification. Early on they were low power fixed Redfields or Bushnells, then in 1988 I splurged on a Leupold 2.5 X 8 for my 338 Win Mag. What a revelation that scope was compared to what came before. That scope moved from gun to gun until I quit hunting in the early 2000's and sold it on a whim at a garage sale. Last year I bought my present Arken SH-4 and have been very pleased with it, but had a nagging feeling that I was missing something that a high end scope might provide. Then I found out that Leupold had a discount program for veterans, law enforcement, first responders and a few other categories. It's called the VIP program, and it offers pretty decent discounts on their gear. That tipped me over the edge and I ordered a 5HD 7 X 35 X 56 for almost $500 off of list price. The discount was over $100 more than I paid for the Arken! It should be here next Tuesday and I can't wait to put it on the 6.5 Creedmoor and try it out at 1000 yards.