Best magnification for a scope

[Backcountry sports]

is there such thing as a best magnification for long range hunting / shooting

Phone changed the number vx5 is clearer than vx6 look at the edges are shaded towards the bell

 

[Craveman85]

I like 3-9 and 4-12 or 16 scopes. I have no problem getting on target sub 30 yards with a 3 or 4x lower magnification. My first scope on a rifle was a Weaver k8 (8x) on a 243 Remington 700. My first buck was at 15 yards and it was difficult to find where I was aiming at.

 

[blueprairiedog]

Shoot a silhouette match fee handed with a 10x40x50 then hunt with 2.5 at 50-200 yards and you should be able to hit a deer if repeat and shoot at a cardboard deer until you can shoot with confidence. You can not practice enough

Should say if not

 

[Methow Packer]

All of my hunting rifles are fitted with 3X18X44mm. TMOA. It's easier to have them all the same. I rarely go to 18X though. 15X would be fine. All mine are scabbard rifles. Thats why I stay with 44mm. Plenty of light gathering for me. 3X for in tight cover

 

[blueprairiedog]

All of my hunting rifles are fitted with 3X18X44mm. TMOA. It's easier to have them all the same. I rarely go to 18X though. 15X would be fine. All mine are scabbard rifles. Thats why I stay with 44mm. Plenty of light gathering for me. 3X for in tight cover

44 is plenty for me I wish we had more choices in the 44 objectives

 

[nksmfamjp]

IMO, I want to see the animal and the grass around it....maybe even some grass heading up to it, but in an ffp the reticle gets small at low magnificatio.....so, in my 5-25x, 10-15x is about min to see the crosshairs well....could turn illumination on.

on deer, I like:
4-6x at 100
6-8x at 200
8-10x at 300
10-12x at 400

These are ball park.....my tendency is to turn it up too much. On targets, I tend to use max.

 

[thwatson2]

I use 5-25 and 6-24x56 S&B and Zeiss scopes for my long stuff(over 600 out to 1000) I find when I'm done shooting that the scopes always seem to be on around 12 power. Anything over the 20 power mark just seems to be touchy and FOV gets lost. But that's my story and my eye sight. You may have a different picture. My shooting partner agrees that he always ends up having power around 12 to 16 when we shoot out to 1000

 

[wilkup]

I like the 4.5-14 and 3-15 for variable options personally, but for fixed power - my old FX3 6x42 was tough to beat inside 500 yards. If I ever put together a true lightweight Mountain rifle, I'll get another one of these and add a custom reticle for Windhold and a m1 turret for windage. Never owned anything higher in a fixed power.

 

[Greyfox]

Lots of factors play into the individuals preferred magnification for a hunting scope. Eyesight quality, expected range(s), type of terrain, game hunted, and the characteristics of the particular scope being chosen. In my case, I primarily hunt deer(both whitetail and mule deer), antelope, and coyotes in "generally" open terrain out west, but shots can be taken from 100 yards to as far as 1000+ yards in varied lighting conditions. My scope of choice over the last dozen years or so has been variable in the 5-20(or 25) range, that is carried with the power set at 10-12x. I prefer a simple MOA or MIL reticle, and place strong emphasis on turret accuracy/precision, and optical quality. The high end power is used primarily to discern interfering brush or other game in the sight picture, particularly at the longer ranges, low light performance is important, particularly with the frequency of whitetail activity in low light conditions. I will use the power ring extensively for FOV, and getting a quick fix on game spotted at long range. My favorite scope of late is the updated F2, NF ATAC-R 5x25,MOAR.

 

[Wolf76]

Its always tough to answer "best" type questions. My first thought was "what about first or last light?". On variable scopes, I always turn them down to gather light, but add power as light conditions improve. For this reason
I wouldn't consider a fixed scope (I know that wasn't the question), but isn't any variable power scope a fixed scope if you never make a power adjustment in the practical sense?
I did inherit a 35 remington with a fixed 4 power bushnell and that seams about right for the gun/cartridge.

 

[Lefty G-gear]

is there such thing as a best magnification for long range hunting / shooting

I live in Wyoming.
I've shot 5 big game animals in my life:
3 deer
1 antelope
1 elk

All within 250-yards.

A 1-4x scope can handle that, but for the possible longer shots:
I've had the 3x9, 2x7, 2x10, 3x12, 4x12, 4.5x14, and a fixed 4x and 6x.
(Some with AOs or Side-Focus.)
Plinking, practice and hunting.

I'd advise a 2-10x50. or 3-12x42 with an adjustable objective, or side-focus, and keep it at low power - till you need more. - If 12x ain't powerful enough - GET CLOSER!

Now, I'm working with this MK1-MOA reticle $299 at https://www.eurooptic.com/Nikon-M-TACTICAL-Riflescope-3-12X42SF-Matte-MK1-MOA-16519.aspx

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[Forcedoutage]

I like a lot of scope. That's just my preference. True long range I want 24-25x top end. 500 in 10-12x is ok for me. Don't want anything less for sure.

 

[SavageHunter11]

is there such thing as a best magnification for long range hunting / shooting

I wouldn't say there is a "best" magnification but there are magnification ranges that are better than others. I wouldn't be taking a 8-40x60mm scope out long range hunting just the same as I wouldn't take a 1-4x24mm scope either for long range hunting. I currently run a Leupold VX-3i LRP FFP in the 4.5-14x50mm scope. I really wish my bottom magnification was a little less (around 2.5-3x) but the glass is definitely good enough to shoot the 280A.I. it's on out past 1000 yards. If I could build a perfect long range hunting scope, I would have something like a 2.5-18x50mm FFP scope. I would say as long as your bottom magnification isn't higher than 4x and your top magnification isn't higher than 20x you're going to be sitting pretty good for a long range hunting scope.

Obviously take all this with a grain of salt as this is just my opinion. Others will disagree with me. A lot of it depends on what/how your hunting. What scope I want to shoot prairie dogs at 1000 yards will be vastly different than what I'll want to shoot a Muley at a 1000 yards.

 

[MontanaJack]

I'm going to depart from the general range of opinion here. As long as we're talking high end optics, more is better. That said, of the dozens of wild game that ended up in my freezer, most were taken with 60's vintage B&L 2 1/2 - 8 or Redfield 3 - 9x. My old man weapons now sport Huskemaw 5-20's, NightForce 5-20's & 5.5-22's, or Bushnell Elite Series with upper magnification between 20x-30x. Recently shot a friends's NightForce ATACR 7-35 using 35x on a 6mm Creedmoor on targets out to 800 yards. Amazing!! Hunting in the timber..... use as low a power as available.... when I was a young able body brush hunter, my scope was always carried on 2 1/2x or 3x. Shooting long range, one usually has time, you have to have time to use a rangefinder and windmeter. Field of View usually isn't critical because you've spotted the game and they're typically meandering rather than running. My second focal plane scopes generally have to be shot using 20x for the reticle gradations to be valid and 20x has been adequate out to 1400 yards. Can't wait to put the 7-35 ATACR or IOR on my new 6.5-06 AI. It's going to be great!!