no expert but heres my take on it. a 1000 yards isn't 10x territory and not even 4x12 territory. You can buy a decent 4x12 for 500 bucks or so but to buy something that has good resolution at over 20x (and that's what you need) you are going to pay good money for it. If you cant afford it stick with a 4x12 and the handicap it brings. Some just don't understand that a 1000 yards is A LONG WAYS AWAY and isn't like shooting deer sized game at 300 yards. It takes specialized equipment (ie expensive) if you want to actually score out that far.