Is there such a thing as, "too much scope"?

[Koda_]

It depends on situation and where you are hunting. Having a wide field of view for quick target acquisition is critical where I do most of my hunting. I may also set up on a clear cut where 500-700 yard shots are a possibility. Finding that critter in the scope and zooming in for a clear precise shot needs 15X or more on top for my old eyes. I hunted with a 3-9 for decades and harvested more animals than any of more expensive scopes I have today.

I hunt in a similar environment and find this is where the perfect scope gets way more expensive....

 

[parshal]

I ran a 5-25 ATACR in NRL22 matches. When run at lower magnifications the subtensions were very hard to see due to FFP reticle. I changed to 4-16 and I can more easily see subtensions at lower mags. Other than weight, being able to see subtensions at lower mags about the only reason to use a lower mag scope.

 

[memtb]

Absolutely!

Obviously, a proper magnifying range is essential, example…. A 5-25 is near useless in "dog hair" thick timber/brush. Or perhaps a 1-4 may not be the best option for small targets @ 1000 yards!

Great glass, large adjust (moa) range, adjustment repeatability all very (VERY) important at longer ranges…..not so much at "point blank range"!

Get the scope best applicable for the task! memtb

 

[VinceMule]

In my opinion too much magnification can distort image quality and when on max magnification can create eye box issues...great when shooting off a bench, but difficult in field situations.

Rick, adjust your scope on max magnification. By "adjust" I mean stand up, with the scope loose in the rings, then pull it back till you get a full view, and continue pulling back till the scope starts to turn black. Then you have discovered how much play you have in your "eye box", I will put it in the middle.

Adjusting your scope for full view may be different for some people from sitting on the bench vs standing due to head position on the stock.

Scopes that distort at total magnification are usually poor-quality scopes or they are not adjusted properly, to begin with. I will not mention brands, but some that are popular, are not good at all at high power, indicating poor lens quality and poor lens coating. Most of us live on a budget and have to learn to adapt to our budget.

When we hunted in Kansas, they had a 10-day rifle season, that was it. Bucks were large with 200 lbs being the smaller versions we saw. Bucks were fighting all the time, and they were breaking off their brow tines. You do not want to shoot a buck with broke-off brow tines if you are wanting a trophy.

So, we wanted to rattle in and use bleat calls to get bucks in the best we could, but those large bucks would often hang up at 500 or more yards. We learned in a hurry that you need enough scope power to see if the brow tines had been broken off...I made that mistake once on a 280 lb buck. Brother shot an old buck at 550 yards that weighed 360 lbs that did not have brow tines from age, but his spread is tremendous, a fully mature buck, past his prime.
6x to 24x is my favorite for this kind of open country hunting, and my longest shot would be in the 600 yard range. We did practice out to 600 yards to know our equipment, where 7 Rem Mags rock.

 

[436]

For most of my hunting needs, especially many years back, the 6X and 10X fixed scopes overall served me well. For some reason, the straight-powered scopes always seemed to have more clarity than the variables at the time.
Later, of course, I started looking and buying the 3x9s, 3.5x10 4.5x14, 6.5x20 and 5.5x25 and so on, the 5.5x25 NF which I really like but seldom use settings any higher than 15x even at 1k works great.

I still think some of my old Leupold 6X42mm M8s are some of the best glass I've ever owned, the 'best" glass hands down, again fixed power was my very early Leuplod "Untra" scope in 6xM3a, 10xM1a, and 16xM1a these eventually got too expensive to build at that time, originally I believe they were a Navy first then Army contract scope, the Navy knows its glass. Later Leupold brought out the Mk seires and Tactical models. Ok.. that's just my 0.2 Cheers

 

[IllinoisBurt]

Limited field of view can be a serious issue when hunting. Most optics now offer good low power to compliment higher magnification so it's not as limiting as in the past. I have to concur with the weight/size issue though -- 2 feet long by 4 pound optics may be fine driving around in a truck and setting up on a bench, but that doesn't work too well carrying all day on a sling. Of course terrain and transport have a lot of influence on that, so what's okay for someone else may be completely unusable for others.

 

[C-130 Dude]

With adjustment ranges of 6,8 & 10x magnification adjustment, I say no. There is nothing saying you have to turn it all the way up.

Many times I will zoom to max power to look and analyze the animal and turn back down to shoot.

So you think the adjustments are key?

 

[C-130 Dude]

Too much scope IMO could mean 2 things, bulk, or too high of a low magnification setting.
Hunting in some areas, I think you can encounter too much magnification, and added length-weights may not be conducive to efficient hunting.
Now LR hunting in open areas, not sure this is possible. If a 15-60 power scope was made, may be a little much.
Target shooting, not PRS type, I cannot see too much, ever.

Most all 15-60 were spotting scopes. Have you seen one on a rifle?

 

[Hugnot]

Depends - I am real olde but like to see things real close. Most of my scopes are 18X and more. With hi quality glass & coatings performance in bad light is not a problem. Field of view can be changed and increasing the exit pupil size by reducing the magnification to fit most situations but not all. Add a sunshade for reducing glare & the scope gets bigger. Focus & parallax can be adjusted to fit the situation - range & field of view.

Where a "too much scope" happens when a heavy scope is mounted on a real hard kicking rifle that is intended to be toted around where close-range shots are expected. Best to go with a low power & light scope better suited for withstanding recoil force having less mass & less inertia on internals. 6-24X not common on 10 lb. .375's.

Favorite scopes are 6.5-20X or 4-20X with 50 mm objective & 30mm tubes.

I am a fan of fixed power scopes. I could do most everything with a 16X50 with a 30mm tube & side focus. No concern with front or rear focal plane, reticle size change. Less weight, fewer internals, & hopefully less cost.

 

[milo-2]

Most all 15-60 were spotting scopes. Have you seen one on a rifle?

Lol, I don't think so, I'm close, but not quite there yet.
I know March makes a 10-60x56, so not quite there yet unless there are others who offer more. IMO, 10-60 limits its usage.

 

[memtb]

Rick, adjust your scope on max magnification. By "adjust" I mean stand up, with the scope loose in the rings, then pull it back till you get a full view, and continue pulling back till the scope starts to turn black. Then you have discovered how much play you have in your "eye box", I will put it in the middle.

Adjusting your scope for full view may be different for some people from sitting on the bench vs standing due to head position on the stock.

Scopes that distort at total magnification are usually poor-quality scopes or they are not adjusted properly, to begin with. I will not mention brands, but some that are popular, are not good at all at high power, indicating poor lens quality and poor lens coating. Most of us live on a budget and have to learn to adapt to our budget.

When we hunted in Kansas, they had a 10-day rifle season, that was it. Bucks were large with 200 lbs being the smaller versions we saw. Bucks were fighting all the time, and they were breaking off their brow tines. You do not want to shoot a buck with broke-off brow tines if you are wanting a trophy.

So, we wanted to rattle in and use bleat calls to get bucks in the best we could, but those large bucks would often hang up at 500 or more yards. We learned in a hurry that you need enough scope power to see if the brow tines had been broken off...I made that mistake once on a 280 lb buck. Brother shot an old buck at 550 yards that weighed 360 lbs that did not have brow tines from age, but his spread is tremendous, a fully mature buck, past his prime.
6x to 24x is my favorite for this kind of open country hunting, and my longest shot would be in the 600 yard range. We did practice out to 600 yards to know our equipment, where 7 Rem Mags rock.

Prexactly the method I use when mounting scopes for self or anyone else! memtb

 

[C-130 Dude]

In my opinion too much magnification can distort image quality and when on max magnification can create eye box issues...great when shooting off a bench, but difficult in field situations.

You make a good point!

 

[C-130 Dude]

I hunt with fixed power but that's not the discussion.

I think too much scope is an erector ratio that's too high. In most cases anything over 5 is too much for our current technology to give a good view on both ends of the spectrum. A 5-25 or 7-35 or 4-20 almost always does a good job without people using words like "tunneling" etc. there are some 6x-8x erectors that do ok, just not that many.

I doubt I answered your question but I think when people want too much from one scope is when it becomes too much. A 3-15 is almost always better glass than a 3-18, etc.

Yeah and the cost goes up exponentially very quick!

 

[C-130 Dude]

Heavy optic sitting on top of a heavy recoiling rifle.....what could possibly go wrong?

Can we assert that the functions of a muzzle brake also includes reducing recoil stress on our optics?

.

Hhhmmm......