Minimum scope power

[Lucascole76]

I'm fairly new at long range shooting for hunting application . Im trying to figure out if I should upgrade my scope . I'm currently shooting a 7mm rem mag outfitted with a 4-16-44 leupold vx6. I guess my question would be is this scope have enough magnification/power to be accurate at longer ranges ?

 

[Barrelnut]

In a nutshell, yes.
Glass quality can trump magnification. Good glass with a lower magnification will give a bigger field of view. The extra FOV is a big plus when shooting game because it's much easier to spot your own hits AND get back on target quickly for a follow up. Your Leupold has quality glass and so the magnification should easily take you and the 7mm Rem Mag to the practical limits of the cartridge capabilities.
Heard a rule of thumb, that I feel is quite accurate - You need 1x magnification for each 100 yards.

 

[whirlwindjml]

My sfwa fixed 10 power is enough scope for me to hit the going at 1800 yards with the lapua.
I used my 4-16 vortex to hit @ 1400 yards with a creedmoor practicing. Each one's eyes may play a role in how comfortable lower power scopes work.
Like barrelnut said though.... quality is probably the biggest factor.

 

[Deleted member 115654]

JOC killed most everything with a 2.5X Alaskan with a 5" dot. --- jus sayin

 

[Tiny Tim]

You have a quality optic, and as others have pointed out, it should serve you to the capabilities of the cartridge. Also your eyesight plays into this as well. Everyone seems to want 56x magnification, but mirage at higher power levels is often debilitating. For most of us in a hunting scenario, 15-18x is enough top end.

 

[Lucascole76]

Thanks for all input greatly appreciated !
nice to have a resource to help a rookie

 

[FEENIX]

I'm fairly new at long range shooting for hunting application . Im trying to figure out if I should upgrade my scope . I'm currently shooting a 7mm rem mag outfitted with a 4-16-44 leupold vx6. I guess my question would be is this scope have enough magnification/power to be accurate at longer ranges ?

That depends on the quality of your scope and your actual vision. For example, my son shot a target with 8X at 966 yards, I had to be in 14X. The scope was 4-20.

 

[Hugnot]

For years I used a Leupold 12X40 FX3 with Burris Sig rings for shooting tiny rodents, some times, across 1/2 section (880) yards then I got into higher power variable power scopes and my score increased somewhat. The biggest advantage for me, is the ability to spot .22 bullet holes in the white at 300 yards and with good glass & coatings this is possible with a variable set at 20X, 24X is better. The higher power scopes are bulky and weigh more. The discontinued Leupold 12X40 FX3 is one of my favorite scopes.

 

[Shane Lindsey]

I have found as mentioned above, glass quality can make a big difference.

I have a Z3 3.5-10x Swaro and it is amazing the difference at even 100 yards over my older Leupys.

I know nothing of the VX6 but believe it's glass is up there as well.

I am a believer if shooting long mo is betta.

 

[Deleted member 115654]

Simple rule: Spend + - 2X on glass as rifle cost.

$1400 rifle, $2500 scope.

 

[memtb]

Simple rule: Spend + - 2X on glass as rifle cost.

$1400 rifle, $2500 scope.

View attachment 226681

My uncle was telling me essentially the same thing back in the '60's! He told me then, " the scopes always cost more than the rifle"......I guess that things haven't changed much over the years! memtb

 

[TheBoctor]

Once you get up past 16-18x, the mirage is going to blow out the image out past 7-800 yds anyway. I've got a good number of high dollar 20-35x max magnification scopes and the majority live set at 15-16x almost all of the time. The only time when it's nice having super high magnification is zeroing and group shooting at 100 yds.

 

[Rifleman97]

4-16-44 leupold vx6.

Is that a typo? I thought all of the VX6's had 6x magnification range (4-24, 7-42, 3-18, 1-6)
Aside from that 16x (assuming the turrets track accurately and the glass is good) is plenty for 1000 yard and beyond shooting. It's nice to have more but not necessary.

 

[BallisticsGuy]

I don't find it super hard to make a mile shot at 7.5x. 4-16x is enough for anything you can see with the naked eye.