Best magnification for a scope

[redleg1013]

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

no.
there is no absolute answer to a subjective question.
What is "best" for one will not be "best" for another.
What has worked "best" for me across all applications has been a 3-18x50

 

[Lee Goodwin]

I often wondered what the best option for a fixed power scope would be.
Hunting.? 7 power.? 6 to 8.?
Long, out to 800 yards...I think a 20 power.
Beyond that I have never attempted.
It gets hard to hold still in the upper 20s power settings.

 

[6.5x300 WBY]

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.

I agree, for me i feel the same way. It's like a self defense weapon. I rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I just use more scope than most out there it seems and works great for me. I won't put anything less than a 4x20 on one of my rifles from here on out.

 

[Huntz]

I think having an Adjustable objective is way more important than a scopes power rating .A 2-10X42 with AO will do almost anything I want to do,but will go up to a 4-16 for PD shooting.JMHO,Huntz

 

[Ninering62]

It depends on the distance, type of target, type of shooting (benchrest), and your actual vision. For instance, I have a 4-20x50 on my . 270 AI, I shot at a target (rock) at 966 yards on 12X and my son had to take it down to 8X. For most, 3-18/4-20 variable is plenty for a 1K yard, 10X fixed used to be the norm for snipers.

Great post. I was going to chime in almost verbatim with you. My 1st " long range scope I got used from an ex Army Sniper bc he said its what they use to use in LR comp & real world " center mass shots ". It was a Shepherd 10X. **** good scope. I've had 3 more shepherd scopes since. I know of guys shooting out to over 600yds with a 6X Acog with 556. The 3-18 IMHO is the catsazz in versatity for any hunting terrain & conditions to LR cnop bench rest shooting. The 4-16x & 4-20x are really great " bridge scopes " that can do anything as well as the hands its in are capable of. NOw that being said, I'm 58 & eyes are goin bad fast, without glasses & couldnt shoot open sights on anything. I never thought I'd see the day where I'd be tellin ppl I put a Viper PST gen2 5-25 x 50 IRMOA scope on my long range muzzleloader ( heck, I could never imagine what the evolution in muzzleloaders would develope to ). Though when I'm hunting, mostly in hard woods ow pinetree rown down here in the south. Some fields or cut/cleared pinetree areas, or a powerline & some swamp hunting ( ue to lots of swamp hunting when I was yooung ) my scope is usually on 5-6x but its nice to have quality optics to seel farther distances even outside your range with.
A good 3-9x or 4-12x will more than cover whatever you would need. I put a 4-16x44 on my Browning A-Bolt ll 7mm Rem Mag & a 3-18x50 on my 300 Win Mag

 

[Marc Gauthier]

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

4-12 is correct

 

[SavageHunter11]

i guess i should have added my looking at a fixed power

If you are looking for a fixed power to hunt at long ranges I would look no further than an SWFA 10x42HD. Seriously the best $600 I've ever spent on a scope. Mine lives on my 338 Lapua. I originally put the SWFA on the Lapua just as a placeholder until I got a better scope so I could shoot it but I liked it so much for that gun it's still there 3 years later and I've been out to 1200 with it too so it can go the distance.

 

[Deleted member 115374]

Great question ! one that I was pondering just last night. My son is looking into a 300 prc, my first thought was a 5X-15X. because this is going to be a hunting rifle vs bench I like the idea of going a little lower than the

5X due to the fact that we are hunting elk in the thick timber sometimes and shots can be as close as 15 yds. I like the idea of the 3X-18X or the 3X-15X.

 

[gator378]

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

I like the 3.5 to 10. but I do not shoot 1000 yards

 

[Hugnot]

Aim small, miss small.

A 12X fixed will do nicely for most hunting use. I have a 12X40 FX3 Leupold but they don't make them now, simple, tough and light. I have shot down silhouette chickens at 1,000 with a 10X.

A good all around, do most of everything is a 4.5-14. For small varmints and long range hunting, 6-18, 6.5-20 or more..

High magnification scopes can be big, heavy and bulky. I have never felt under-scoped with a 4.5-14X unless spotting bullet holes on paper beyond 200.

 

[southern]

From my experience after trying lots of scopes my walk around rifle has a Swarovski Z5 3.5-18 which is an outstanding all round lightweight scope with very clear optics, for my long range varmint rifle in 6.5cm i have just put on a Sig Sauer
tango 6 5-30 x 56 and its outstanding the electronic level system inside the scope is unbelievably good to counteract rifle/scope cant at long range on small targets its accurate to 0.5 degree and is visible in the scope so you keep your eye on target and the optics are the best Ive looked through in 45 years of hunting, its all about what suits your eyes and needs.

 

[MTtimberline]

16x target, 6x hunting, 10x all around. The original Weaver T-series had the fixed powers figured out.

 

[Deleted member 48126]

Ok here's my serious post. I love this video. Shows you what you can do with a reliable, basic set up. He's using a SWFA 10X, Remington 700 5R in .308.

 

[Dr. Richard Gray]

What ever you prefer. I have a 35x fixed on my WBY .340 and i like it at 100-1000 yds. My suggestion is to get a QUALITY scope!