Are high powered scopes really necessary for hunting?

[JemezDave]

10X is superior to 25-30X in almost every long range condition. Light level, sun angle, mirage and parallax adjustment only complicate getting accurate hits.
I wouldn't trade my SWFA 10X42 for any zoom optic.

I'm actually going to put one of those on my PCP, but in 12x. Heard great things about them

 

[JemezDave]

Until I started shooting custom made rifles I used Leopold VX-3 scopes on all my rifles and still use a few today however, when Nightforce came out manufactured close to where I live part of the year, my direction changed immediately and NXS' started on my next 5 rifles all with 50mm objective lens in 5.5x22x50. My preference would have been a 4x20x50 back then because ffp scopes reticles are diminished at lower powers. I have recently purchased a 7x35x56 ATACR to join the 2 mile club but it is too much scope for casual big game hunting. The finite crosshairs are perfect for shooting 1K yds plus but I don't recommend it for anything less. I also have (2) 6.5 Creedmoors with one sporting a NXS-R1 and the other Vortex Viper 4x16x50 which I carry most often in the field. I have taken all North American big game with this combination but I now have a medical condition that has resulted in partial paralysis of my lower extremities and will have to hunt from a stationary setting so will probably be moving to the higher powered Nightforce. I must admit it is a hell of a dilemma to be in. Far better than the older days when I was deciding between a Bushnell Banner and a Tasco Trophy Hunter!

Crap sorry to hear that, kudos for staying in the game! Never know what life will throw at you

 

[JemezDave]

In response to the OP, why does a dog lick his privates? Because he can. We don't need high powered scopes, but my 22oz 3-24 is convenient to have and provides options for many more situations than my original 20oz 3-9 from 40 years ago did. Do i feel i need it? Nope, but it sure is fun to have. Like my dog, it gives me great pleasure. In the land of the free, why question that? Who cares what others choose, even the world's budget constrained military snipers (whose choice was made for them by a bureaucratic purchasing process) ?

Having something because l can is a stupid idea to me. You can buy a Ferrari to haul firewood because you can but not very sensible no? For fun? I can relate to that and that's more what I was looking for, not a silly analysis

 

[FIGJAM]

My reason for wanting to be able to shoot at long distance is for those times when I can't get closer. I'm not going to deliberately shoot at long ranges just to do it if I can get closer, but I do want myself and my rifle to be capable of it if the situation calls for it. The important thing as I see it is to have an accurate view of your capabilities and stay within them. If I don't have the scope magnification necessary for a long shot then I won't take it; if my scope doesn't have the field of view for a close running shot, then I won't take that either. Find a sighting system that you are comfortable with, can use well, works for the majority, if not all, of the conditions you expect to encounter, and then stay within your capabilities.
What works for me may or may not work for you. Reading through this thread I see a lot of good discussion about the pros and cons of different systems, with lots of good information to guide the choices of those still trying to figure out what works for them.

I'll admit I take long shots just because I want to and have the skill and equipment to do it. I don't think its too hard to get within 500 yards of a deer or an elk. Anytime my shot is longer than that it is because I want it to be. A big determining factor for me is wind - if its a calm day, I set up for a long shot. If its windy I'll get within 500 yards.

 

[wbm]

Are high powered scopes really necessary for hunting?

No.

 

[KyCarl]

Reading the OP you answered yourself in the first few lines!
And the answer is NO you do not "need" a high power scope to hunt!
Where I learned to deer hunt a 250 yard shot was a long one!
25-27 power at that range is about worthless. 8-10 is a whole lot better!

 

[waveslayer]

I love these kinds of questions and comments. To be frank, get the higher power scope. If you are out hunting and feel that you are a 10 power warrior, then set the magnification on 10 power and leave it! The day you want to see a little bit better, then simply turn the magnification to 25 power or 35 power, on whatever scope you have. I never understood why people complain they have too much magnification, maybe on a fixed scope in some thick woods. In my truck, is 450 HP necessary, no, but I sure like it when I need it.

 

[Savage 22-243 AI]

1.5 x 5 is what I have used out to 600 yds on large game. 4 x 16 is great or 3 x 15. Varmints I use 6 x 24 to 10 x 50.
We have shot Prairie Dogs with 8 x 32 sightron scopes set at only 16x out to 1580 yds.............scope quality means more than power available.

 

[FIGJAM]

I love these kinds of questions and comments. To be frank, get the higher power scope. If you are out hunting and feel that you are a 10 power warrior, then set the magnification on 10 power and leave it! The day you want to see a little bit better, then simply turn the magnification to 25 power or 35 power, on whatever scope you have. I never understood why people complain they have too much magnification, maybe on a fixed scope in some thick woods. In my truck, is 450 HP necessary, no, but I sure like it when I need it.

For a long time it seemed that there was a trade off with 3x and 4x optical zoom ranges. Meaning if you wanted something that was 24x, you had to accept 6x on the low end. That concession wasn't worth it to me at the time. Now where you can buy a scope with a 4-24 or 3-24 mag range, I agree - why not have it?

 

[waveslayer]

For a long time it seemed that there was a trade off with 3x and 4x optical zoom ranges. Meaning if you wanted something that was 24x, you had to accept 6x on the low end. That concession wasn't worth it to me at the time. Now where you can buy a scope with a 4-24 or 3-24 mag range, I agree - why not have it?

Amen brother

 

[Canhunter35]

There's something to be said about having the optics to be able to identify an animal where it's hard to see or shadowed and not expected.
Me and a buddy were looking for elk, I spied three on a side hill about 2 miles away in shadows of some tree with my Steiner binos. He was using Nikon's and after I pointed them out he looks at me and says, how the hell did you see them? He has 20/20 vision, I have 20/75 vision in my right eye and 20/25 in my left. Optics can be the game changer. I like having 20x on my scopes so I can dial up and examine.

 

[FIGJAM]

There's something to be said about having the optics to be able to identify an animal where it's hard to see or shadowed and not expected.
Me and a buddy were looking for elk, I spied three on a side hill about 2 miles away in shadows of some tree with my Steiner binos. He was using Nikon's and after I pointed them out he looks at me and says, how the hell did you see them? He has 20/20 vision, I have 20/75 vision in my right eye and 20/25 in my left. Optics can be the game changer. I like having 20x on my scopes so I can dial up and examine.

Or even being able to tell if there is another animal behind the one you are going to shoot - the difference between good and great glass is really noticed the first or last few mintutes of light or when you are trying to pick out something in the shadows.

 

[Bravo 4]

For a long time it seemed that there was a trade off with 3x and 4x optical zoom ranges. Meaning if you wanted something that was 24x, you had to accept 6x on the low end. That concession wasn't worth it to me at the time. Now where you can buy a scope with a 4-24 or 3-24 mag range, I agree - why not have it?

This is exactly what most of us think of about higher mag scopes. A higher top end means a higher low end, but today the zoom range can cover about anything you want. Problem is you have to buy a new scope. But if I were to buy a new scope, I would look at some with the 5-6x zoom.

Waveslayer,
I use the truck analogy to explain some of my rifles. I don't always need 500 hp and 900 ftlbs of torque, but the few times I did it was worth having. I tend to think worse case, and up until recent years the worse case (to me) was having too much on the low end. Times are a changing, time to change with it.

 

[memtb]

Please grow up. No one here has mentioned using a rifle scope for searching. Give it a rest.

While that may not have been the intent of the statement, it was interpreted that way! memtb