Is Leupold Mark 5 HD 7-35x56 too much for hunting?

I've read some of the complaints on leupolds not dialing well but I thought this issue was resolved with the Mark 5 from reviews I read. The Nightforce NX8 is a great optic and I'll certainly put it in the lineup. Back when I shot competitively Nightforce was the standard for LR optics. I'm still active and they offer a discount but not as strong as Leupold. I'm not letting price dictate my direction but it sure helps.
I have a mark 5 that dials up and down with no zero issues.
 
Personally I don't like to go above 4x on the low end in a hunting scope but that's just me ... a 3-15x or even better, 3-18x is about perfect but 4-20x is also a solid choice. I was spotting coyotes for a buddy once and had one standing still at 80y for about 30 seconds one time and he was never able to find him in his 6x low end scope. Easiest chip shot we've ever had off his back porch but he had too much scope.
Sounds like your buddy needs to spend some time practicing. 6x @80 yds for someone that's used their gun shouldn't be an issue. My guess is a 3x wouldn't have been any better.

I have this scope and will be using it to hunt. I look at it this way: FOV @ 100 is the same on the vx5 7-35 as a nightforce nxs 5-22

It comes down to whether you think the FOV is acceptable. Magnification isn't as a much of a consideration as FOV at close distance.
 
I run the HD5 5-25 as my scope and spotting scope on my 300 PRC. I have never had a problem. Full outfit weighs 10.36 lbs. Spotting scope and bipod 6-7 lbs alone. Leave them at home and use the bigger scope for multiple uses in the field.
 

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Sounds like your buddy needs to spend some time practicing. 6x @80 yds for someone that's used their gun shouldn't be an issue. My guess is a 3x wouldn't have been any better.
I don't disagree, but it still happened and the scope was the limiting factor.
 
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