For my 'long range' (250yd +)shooting, I think the AO is needed.
My Savage .204 carries a 2.5-10x AEtek that is non-AO and I would have no qualms about taking an occasional 300yd shot at a coyote size target with it, if all conditions were perfect.
Since I keep it set on 2.5x, I would spend enough time resetting it to 10x without getting busted, that I don't need to be worrying about the objective.
