What's your variable scope power range?

[comfisherman]

We kinda have two distinct conversations rolling here in two distinct planes. Just the nature of the internet and varied perspectives and lived out experienxes.

One group is discussing the minimal difference in image presentation between 2 and 3k scopes. The other the perceived minimal differences between scopes at the opposite end of the budgetary spectrum.

These are not the same conversations, to some degree not the same language even.

 

[Mark37082]

I have always struggled to fairly compare rifle scopes. You can read all the specs, but until you compare them side by side with your eyes, it really is a crap shoot. I can go to a local Bass Pro or smaller LGS, but selection and the environment is not good. I went to a show this week in Sevierville TN and found they have two huge Gun Stores (Buds and Smokey Mountain Knife) right across the street from each other. They were stocked with just about every scope you can think of. I have to go back on Tuesday. My wallet is in danger. Sorry for continuing the derail.

 

[PlumberEd]

I have always struggled to fairly compare rifle scopes. You can read all the specs, but until you compare them side by side with your eyes, it really is a crap shoot. I can go to a local Bass Pro or smaller LGS, but selection and the environment is not good. I went to a show this week in Sevierville TN and found they have two huge Gun Stores (Buds and Smokey Mountain Knife) right across the street from each other. They were stocked with just about every scope you can think of. I have to go back on Tuesday. My wallet is in danger. Sorry for continuing the derail.

I "found" Buds last year (2022) when we went to the Smoky Mountains. I got off relatively easy with an eight pound jug of H4350. Unfortunately, I didn't check out the knife stove.

PlumberEd

 

[Chokoloskee Joe]

I'm surprised so many have commented that they need a fairly high magnification scope for hunting. To me, a good hunting scope is totally different than a target scope where I prefer lots of extras and a minimum magnification of 24X. I prefer hunting scopes that can crank down to 2-3X on the low side and up to10-12X on the high side. I like a basic duplex reticle or a simple BDC reticle. I use the higher magnification to spot mostly and the lower magnification to shoot. I mostly hunt at a maximum range of 500 yards so that may influence my choices. My top requirement is the low light performance of the glass, as a lot of my hunting happens near dusk or dawn. I find there is great "bang for the buck" with the mid-range Vortex scopes on the newer scopes I have looked through.

 

[emp1953]

My first rifle had a 6x Weaver on it. The gun shop put it on my '06 when I bought it in 1969. 20 years later it fogged up and I had to change. I hunted north central Pennsylvania and it was absolutely perfect for those conditions. It took me 10 years of scope buying to find a scope that did the job the weaver did. Leupold 3x-9x, usually set on 6x. I went through a number of scopes that would not track over their entire range of adjustment. My advice, do not skip verifying that the scope tracks. Hold the crosshairs dead center of your fresh target at 100yds. Fire once. Adjust scope 4 clicks right, Hold the crosshairs dead center of your target like the first shot. adjust scope 4 clicks up. Hold the crosshairs dead center of your target like the first shot. adjust scope 4 clicks left then do the same and then adjust 4 clicks down. You should end up with a box with a shot in each corner about 1 inch apart. Not done yet. Do the same process but instead of adjusting the windage and elevation now change magnification for 4 to 6 shots. It's better to find out if there's a problem at the range, then it is to miss a buck after cranking up the scope, then spend years wondering why. I had a Redfield (widefield) 4x-12x that had a poi change of 3" over its magnification adjustment range. It went back to the manufacturer and after a few months of them finding nothing wrong, they replaced the scope.

 

[Rabid Fish]

Having lived in the western US many years and having spent time in family hunting camps as early as the late 1960's, I am always interested when I'm at a gun store/shop listening to people discuss scopes. Most of my family members used either fixed 4 power scopes or 3-9 variables. I naturally went with 3-9 when I bought my first scope because that's what my dad had on his rifle.
Over the past several years, and zoom ranges have increased, I have purchased a variety of different variables. One such was a Zeiss 6-24. I mounted it, hunted with it, but found myself in a situation where I was trying to get a follow-up shot (didn't need it) and couldn't because of the field of view at 6 power. I sold the scope not long after that and now most of my scopes are either 3x or 4x at the low end (I don't shoot competitions, only shoot targets for load development and dial up work).
When I was in Germany, I found most of my scopes bottom end was 1-3 power with one rifle wearing an aimpoint for driven hunts: most of the shots we had were less than 100yards.
So, the question is, what is your scope zoom range and why do you like that range?
I'm curious as to what the community thinks and what your experiences are.

I bought a second hand Leupold Vari-X II 3-9 x 40 AFTER 1984 Deer Season. At that time, it was esoteric ! Mounted it on a Ruger M77 30-06. It was my first scope purchase and took a bit to get used to. (Both using a scope and the feel of the rifle / scope package).
I keep it at 4 power because I like the field of view and the recticle appears steady. We get a lot of running shots but if something shows up distant, there is usually time to zoom up.
I have numerous Leupolds now and my preference for magnification range and size is 4-12 x 40 but I prefer the glass in the VX III HD's.
Now I'll nit-pick a bit ; The 3.5-10 x 40 set at 4X gives me the field of view and set at 10x the image just seems sharper than the 4.5-14 also set at 10x. Also, when set at 4.5 power, the field of view is SLIGHTLY smaller than MY personal preference.
I hunt small 80 to 120 acre farms in Michigan.
Good Luck everyone, stay safe and enjoy the outdoors.

 

[6.5x300 WBY]

I go against the majority here and love power...
Muzzleloader 7x35x56 NF ATACR
30-06 AI will have NF ATACR 5x25x56
Anschutz 22wmr 4.5x30x56 Delta Stryker
22 LR. 6x36x56 Razor
6mm creedmoor 8x40 Sightron SVIII.

I never EVER been hindered by 5 or 6 power at close range of 25 yards when a buck comes out so close. Been easy for me. And even at 100 yards I routinely go up to 25 x. All the time. Target at 100 ill be into the 30's easily.

 

[comfisherman]

Still gonna say this will be a regional difference. If I was stand hunting over a field or food plot, magnification would probably win over fov. Same is true for ground squirrel hunting, setup is established and shooting position is solid. At no point will the rifle be rapidly unshouldered quickly to on an improvised or offhand position in either instance.

Conversely we scouted an area a week ago for a tag we were planning on putting in for. Each saddle we glassed from was separated by heavy brush at the edge of Alpine. We kicked up some animals in the thick we didn't even see from the saddles, but also saw a lot of options for some 4-500 yard windy canyon shots. Reality is the 60/40 chance of a rapid shot keeps the need for a good low end fov, almost as much as decent wind holds and enough on the top end to make the longer shot.

It starts getting complicated when we start trying to get a scope that can fill both roles. March's 10x erector and the 8x erector from other folks are getting close, but it certainly comes at a cost in both dollars and optical ease of use.

Makes the market interesting, I yawn every January when the new (but not really) cartridges come out at shot. But the world of optics the last decade has been exciting to watch. Going back to when the sport started for me, current generation scopes are light-years ahead.

 

[Varmiter71]

I rarely turn a scope lower than 10 power even when I am stalking or pushing out a draw
Occasionally I will get down to 6-8 power.
On the high end my scopes are between 16-40 power.
I hunt in southwest Nebraska and probably will never be able to afford to hunt in the mountains.
So I'm am not as concerned about the weight since most of my stands are less than a mile from where I park, and if I have to go on an extended walk I will take a different rifle.
Rifles are like golf clubs, each has a different purpose. Scopes just help you fine tune the rifle

 

[geocodyrgia]

To answer your question directly: hunting scopes - red dot or 3-9x except a 25-06 with a 5-25x (peanut field gun). Anything else in my safe with more scope is for "gun games".

Worth noting I'm in N. GA, so the WMA land I usually hunt is generally hilly forest and 100 yards would be a very rare shot.

 

[Snowboy]

Having lived in the western US many years and having spent time in family hunting camps as early as the late 1960's, I am always interested when I'm at a gun store/shop listening to people discuss scopes. Most of my family members used either fixed 4 power scopes or 3-9 variables. I naturally went with 3-9 when I bought my first scope because that's what my dad had on his rifle.
Over the past several years, and zoom ranges have increased, I have purchased a variety of different variables. One such was a Zeiss 6-24. I mounted it, hunted with it, but found myself in a situation where I was trying to get a follow-up shot (didn't need it) and couldn't because of the field of view at 6 power. I sold the scope not long after that and now most of my scopes are either 3x or 4x at the low end (I don't shoot competitions, only shoot targets for load development and dial up work).
When I was in Germany, I found most of my scopes bottom end was 1-3 power with one rifle wearing an aimpoint for driven hunts: most of the shots we had were less than 100yards.
So, the question is, what is your scope zoom range and why do you like that range?
I'm curious as to what the community thinks and what your experiences are.

I am first and foremost a hunter from eastern Canada. The scopes used for big game that work best for me are lower in power with my favorite being a 1-6X with illuminated cross hair. For more open areas I opt for a 2.5-10X with an illuminated cross hair of 1/2 moa. I tend to still hunt alot and need quick target acquisition. In my area there is limited long range shots even on varmints so even on those rifles I only use a 2-16X variable scope.

 

[sierrastalker]

Grew up back east and rarely even saw a rifle with anything but 3-9x. That still works for almost all of the pig hunting I do, but for the couple of rifles that can 'do it all' for me - I run 3-15x or 3-18x. They work at the range for longer stuff and I keep em at 3x when I'm on the move hunting, in case I jump something. I would like to get something a little more powerful on a rifle strictly for the range, but for hunting I doubt I'd move beyond the 18x, particularly if I had to sacrifice the lower end.

 

[jjmp]

Meopta 3x18 x50 Optika 6 ,Dichro BDC retical

 

[khmplus]

I was hunting deer in the Dakotas 5 years ago, equipped with a 270 WSM topped with a Zeiss 2.5-10 x 50 Victory scope. My buddy and I decided to put on a 2-man drive, where I sat in a meadow overlooking some scrub brush around 400 yards away. I had a 3-legged chair and trigger stick bipod and got set up, got comfortable, and ranged different landmarks, expecting a longish shot. I'm pretty sure I would have had my scope set to at least 6 or 8 power, but can't really remember. Anyway, my buddy started in to the brush, crunching a plastic water bottle to make a little noise. All of a sudden from my right, in a direction unrelated to the drive, around 70 yards away, a big 12-point whitetail came trotting into view. He saw me about the same time I saw him. I jumped up and the trigger sticks went flying, right around the time the deer shifted from second directly to fifth. Fortunately there was about 50 yard or so of clear area before a small ravine. I don't recall having much trouble acquiring the deer in the scope. I followed it for a bit and got one shot off before it disappeared into the ravine. Having a low confidence level of hitting the deer, I waited for my buddy to finish his drive. He showed up and we went to the spot where I last saw the buck. I didn't see any blood. I went up out of the back side of the ravine and decided to make a small circle to try to find a blood trail. I took a couple steps, looked to my right, and there it was, piled up in a thicket. It was a very exciting and lucky day for me. The scope setting didn't cause me any problems at that distance, but I can definitely see that a lower power setting would have been better. One thing to do though is to practice bringing up a scoped rifle to instantly acquire a target. Being comfortable with your rifle is probably as important than having a 2 power or 6 power bottom end.