How much magnification is needed

[257PhilBob]

In complete agreement, 22 years ago shot a white tail deer at over 300 yds with 4.5-14x Burris, and this year shot a whitetail at 375 w/ 5-25x vortex, and had it dialed to around 15x. Your best off using what you are comfortable with.

 

[Sealesniper]

5x25 is all you will ever need, and even with 25X many times I shoot long distance at a lower power.

 

[bamban]

Timely discussion, last Sunday while we were in a Quitaque, TX ranch glassing from the back porch, we spotted a Coyote lasered at 910. I dialed the elevation and handed my rifle to a friend to take the shot, gave him one Coyote length hold at 3.

Bang, miss over the back, enough for the critter to jump and run. The 215 Berger coming out 3035 must have impacted pretty loud plus the sonic crack over him.

I got the rifle back, checked the scope, I had it at 5X. Forgot to reset it from dawn setting while I was watching the 300 yard feeder for hogs.

Who knows why the miss. I never characterized this scope at different power for POI difference. Lasered distance might not be correct.

 

[coop2564]

I like to shoot at game at some what lower powers. @ 300 like 7x. @600 like 12x. I will crank higher for identifying the target. But don't like reduce light and shake in higher powers for shooting.

 

[Mike Matteson]

i use a 2x8 duplex and I am good for 500yds. I find that high powder scope cut down the field of view. Or lose sight of traget being shot at. I never did workout what it would take for a 600yds shot with that 2x8. I use the duplex as my range finder. It work very well. At the time I didn't use a rangefinder, they were poor at best then. Higher powers just show how much you are moving around. On very smal target that a god thing. I have scopes up to 25 power. The only time I really them is on ground squirrels or P. dogs. I did get a 3x18x50mm last year with a 34mm tube. I am looking at 400 to 800 yds shots. Still not really for deer or that size animal.

 

[del2les]

Hello all….I wanted to pick some of these big brains on this platform and see how different folks felt about something.
I'm a bow hunter at heart but love to rifle hunt too. Living and doing the majority of my hunting in Virginia typically means a "long shot" is anything over 100yds….seriously.
Within the last 10yrs or so I've gotten bit by the custom rifle bug. I have a few nice ones and am in the process of buying another.
I've also gotten some land that enables me to shoot out to 500yds, maybe a touch further.
I've practiced at that distance but the longest shot I've taken (and made) on an animal is 389yds.
I'm wondering for folks that shoot those distances, 400-600yds, how much magnification do they prefer??
My scopes vary from 2.3-18x56 to 3-21x50.
I use a tripod and ball head mostly and have noticed once I dial it up to the max or close to max, the movement is too pronounced.
I know it's the same amount movement at 10x as 18x, just more magnified at the higher range…but I've found myself settling at about 13-14x to get the best circumstances as far as seeing the target and psychologically feeling steady. This means I'm leaving something on the table…..and I'm wondering if others do the same.
I'm not talking about shooting a mile or even 1200yds….I'm referring to more like 400-600yds.
After experiencing this I can honestly say that a 15 or 16x upper range is all I should buy.
What's everyone's opinion??

If I assume you are talking deer hunting at those ranges, then I think you are on the right path. Much game has been taken in the 4-600yd range with 3-9x scopes or similar, and even today, I find myself shooting 6" and similar kill area size gongs at 5-600yd with my higher variables set only to 10-12x.

For many years, I set many of my variable scopes at 6x for hunting more open country and 2-4x for those closer potentials. I have shot a fair amount of game with the scope still remaining on 6x.

 

[Upsidedownjack]

Just an " old guy" that shoots A Buragara HMR-PRO in 300 WM. Bought a 2nd hand 4.5x14x50 Luppy that was build around 1998? Or so. Last time out for Elk, Aprox 800 yds, one shot using this setup at 10 power. Plenty of clarity at that. Shoot at normal times 200+ yds at just the 4.5. Up the power alittle more per 100 yds. Good luck, Aim Small, Shoot Small. Remember it's not Moa, it's MOK! Min of Kill!

 

[BrentM]

3-18 for me is plenty. The concept of aim small and miss small is true. Buy the beat glass you can and don't crank up for close shots. I killed a couple yotes today at 652 and 674. They are small targets. 18x was plenty. I've killed a few 800-1125 with that scope. It works fine.

 

[cajun]

One thing, you can always crank a scope down. You cant dial a 3x9 to 20x.

 

[FrogFire7]

As some have mentioned, a 3-9 would likely be enough to shoot an animal at that range. However, many 3-9 scopes don't have either the reticles I personally prefer, or the dialing (and return to zero reliability I want - nothing to do with the magnification range, just that this type of scope isn't often built for long range) I require.

However, personally I find magnification to be more valuable for determining antler points, etc. than to be able to shoot the animal.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

I have been running scopes in the high 20x range for a while now. I really like the near 30x when dialing in a rifle at long range. With that said I recently grabbed a 1-6x and put it on a rifle. After shooting this out to nearly 900y on .5 moa targets I am wondering why I have been messing with these huge high magnification scopes that are heavy. I think optical clarity is more important than power. A reticle that is thin enough at long range not to cover the target and you are good to go. I am moving away from high power for hunting. Other than designated long range rifles for 1000y application.

 

[Rich Coyle]

Bullmark,

You asked the wrong question. The correct one is, What do you guys like?

 

[waveslayer]

Scope magnification is like Horse Power... it's there when you need it and when you don't.

 

[BEEMAN]

As others have said, my eyes aren't what they used to be. I like lots of magnification. Most scopes I have are 25-32 on the top magnification. When you guys zero a rifle at 100 yds, do you use a 2-3 power setting? I use 25 or 32 power in order to lock onto a small aim point to try and shoot the tightest group possible.