What scope power magnification/diameter for western big game up to 500 yard shots?

[kgarrett]

I think 3-18/4-16 is the most useful mag range out there.

I could do literally everything I do including eastern tree stand and prs with a 4-16.

Yes, the Leupold VX5/6HD 3-15/3-18 with firedot, windplex, or TMOA reticles are very useful. I just put a VX6 3-18 on my varmint gun, if it was for big game only I probably would have saved the bucks and gone with the 3-15.

The Nightforce NX8 2.5-20 and Leupold Mark 5 2-10 would both be good FFP options as well.

 

[RichCoyle]

Well you're in the minority here.

That's okay. I hunt alone.
I use the 15X on an equally heavy try pod when hunting rock chucks. Other wise they are at home.

 

[xsn10s]

That's okay. I hunt alone.
I use the 15X on an equally heavy try pod when hunting rock chucks. Other wise they are at home.

I hunt mostly alone also. But I have a great core group of friends that I'd love to go hunting with. In any case Rich I doubt you're the type of person that would want to cover someone with a loaded/ unloaded firearm. I don't think anyone here would want to. Which is why I scan and identify things I'm going to shoot with my binos, and if needed with a spotting scope. That pretty much nullifies covering someone/ something I don't want to with my muzzle.

 

[wilehunting]

As a single scope for the yardage stated. Something with low power not higher than 4x and max not more than 20 objective at least 44 and not more than 50. Tube whatever with 30 mm min as a standard. The obj limit has more to do with weight than anything.

For me a 3-18x44 is enough for me.

If you have not I recommend trying to get behind a big power scope with proper sight pic and formmin some of those awkward positions you end up shooting from when hunting. For me it's not worth it and at a point in increasing magnification I really would need to be prone inline to really feel comfortable with a sight pic etc. Big power scopes and large 56 obj are bulky and heavy.

Hopping on out of curiosity, I'm old and the 30mm seems so big. Almost too big for a 7lb bolt action rifle. I'd be concerned that the windage cap could block the ejection of the shell but I never tried one either.

 

[BigDon]

Hopping on out of curiosity, I'm old and the 30mm seems so big. Almost too big for a 7lb bolt action rifle. I'd be concerned that the windage cap could block the ejection of the shell but I never tried one either.

I don't have any 1" scopes anymore. They are all 30mm or larger. Never have had an ejection problem with any of them. I'm talking about 100+ units of experience.

 

[lancetkenyon]

Lance, I know that you're a much younger and in much better shape than many of us……but, how far do you carry that set-up on a daily basis when hunting?

Even when I was young and in good shape……that's a lot to carry and put miles on during a hunt. memtb

Not sure how "young" I am...53.
I am in pretty decent shape, however. Especially "for an old guy" as my 27 year old nephew commented on his elk hunt. We averaged 7.2 miles and 4000' elevation change a day on the boots for 7 days straight.
Not many family members want to hunt with me...
Going in heavy is hard on the hips/legs/shoulders all day long. Coming out even heavier is brutal, but good for the soul and the dinner table. I take what I need to get the job done when the time comes.

This was a bit extreme though. This was an all-day hike when my daughter was 11. I didn't want to overload her, so I carried all the layers on the way out...

 

[zr600]

With the exception of my new AR Pistol truck gun for coyotes running a 1-8x24, which will be limited to about 350-400max (and realistically more like 250 max), here is a list of my scope magnifications on hunting rifles that ALL easily shoot to 1K and beyond, and most of them are shot monthly out to 1400. To me, 15x is plenty for a hunting scope out to 1K. But, QUALITY of that scope is paramount for a hunting scope. Durability, tracking/RTZ, and glass quality/light transmission.

2 @ 2.5-20x50
7 @ 3-15x50
1 @ 3-18x50
1 @ 3-20x50
2 @ 4-20x50
1 @ 4.5-28x52 Wide Angle
1 @ 5-20x50
1 @ 5-25x56

What 3-18x50 scope do you have?

 

[lancetkenyon]

What 3-18x50 scope do you have?

Kahles K318i.

 

[RichCoyle]

I hunt mostly alone also. But I have a great core group of friends that I'd love to go hunting with. In any case Rich I doubt you're the type of person that would want to cover someone with a loaded/ unloaded firearm. I don't think anyone here would want to. Which is why I scan and identify things I'm going to shoot with my binos, and if needed with a spotting scope. That pretty much nullifies covering someone/ something I don't want to with my muzzle.

Once I find game with the binoculars I don't need to use a spotting scope to verify it's not a person. I already identified it as a game animal that I may want to shoot. What I need to do is verify. Does it have the number of points on his horns I'm looking for? I can do that with my rifle scope.

In 2013 I wanted to trophy hunt. I wanted a black tail deer with horns wider than the ears and four points on each side. I found a nice looking book with horns wider than ears, but I could not make out the points with my eight power binoculars so I brought up my scope and kept watching the deer as it was walking and I'm turning up the scope. At 12X I could see four points on both sides and fired. If I had taken time to get out a spotting scope and try to find it. I would have missed the opportunity. As it was, I shot right in front of the right back leg exiting by the left front leg as it disappeared into the brush. There wasn't even a chance for a follow-up shot.

 

[COBrad]

I used a Nightforce 2.5-10x42 for many years. It worked on marmots out to 800 yards.