Hunting scopes-how much magnification

[Lennie]

I totally agree with the author of this article.

Big, Bright, Sharp, Flat and Clean — A Proper Sight Picture

A scope should deliver a big, bright, sharp image as soon as you cheek the rifle. It’s painfully true any hunter whose sight picture doesn’t measure up is l

gunsmagazine.com

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[Mike_M57]

So do I.

Except for the use of Kleenex on the lenses.

 

[thorborg]

Having hunted most my life, (five decades ) all over Oregon, in all conditions, with a Leupold 2.5 X 8, on a M77 .270,...
I cannot remember the dial ever leaving the four setting, but 300 yards was a mighty long shot for me and might have been different if longer shots were to have been tried.
And as above, I have never used any form of paper to clean a lens

 

[Lennie]

So do I.

Except for the use of Kleenex on the lenses.

He emphasized dabbing with tissue not moistened with lens cleaning solution. However, I also feel kleenix should be a very last resort for a dirty lens. I normally carry lens cleaning packets with me when hunting or shooting. A lens cleaning brush designed for cleaning riflescope's lens and is a small easily carried item.

 

[Nosferatu]

I used to be an iron sight only guy until I hit ~40 and my eyes started to diminish.

My Tikka carries a Trijicon 3-9x40 that never really moves from 4x. I just put a fixed 4x on my vintage Marlin 336. I just bought a Howa Mini-Action in 6.5 Grendel and am wrestling with the optic choice. A 1-6x seems to make a lot of sense.

I got into bow hunting shortly after learning to hunt. That really made me a better in the field. Learning how to close the distance with your feet really takes the need for mega magnification out of the equation.

I think a lot of new hunters these days expect the equipment to do the work for them.

 

[TTSX]

I think I used 5x when I shot mine this year at 90. Probably would have been fine at 3x. I admit having 9x is nice when sighting in and sometimes I'd like more but with the purchase of a 60x spotting scope it became a moot point in a hurry

 

[osprey]

Skimmed article and mostly agree with his points but everybody's situation may be a bit different as far as eyesight and type of terrain hunted. I love variables that go below 4x for quick target acquisition but also enjoy higher magnification for the open country I hunt. My two favorite scopes for hunting are a burris 2-12x and a swaro 3.5 -18x. Also something to keep in mind is if you have a sfp scope with a bdc reticle of some type, the stated drops for the reticle are only accurate at full power.

 

[bionic knees]

all my "hunting" rifles carry 3x9x40 glass, mostly Leupold's. works well for me. generally, carry on 4x.

 

[tac]

I have a 1950's-era Weaver K4 on my Swiss K31 carbine. In the absence of my usual load of N150, I was forced to try N140 - the stuff I use for my couple of .308s, figuring that the 7.5 Swiss round is only a kinda .308 after all.

After getting less than impressive results on our 100m range with 39.5gr and 40gr, this is what happened at 40.5gr................six shot - five in a clump and a flyer. I called the flyer, as anybody standing next to me would testificate. Bullets were 175gr SMK. The off-set is due to the, uh, offset scope. At 600m it's a never no-mind, being exactly the same amount of offset - the scope mount is co-axial with the bore, right?

Here's the set-up -

This is our little range, BTW -

 

[Hueco]

He emphasized dabbing with tissue not moistened with lens cleaning solution. However, I also feel kleenix should be a very last resort for a dirty lens. I normally carry lens cleaning packets with me when hunting or shooting. A lens cleaning brush designed for cleaning riflescope's lens and is a small easily carried item.

Absolutely this.

The coatings on modern lenses (scope and camera) and the glass are actually much tougher than you'd think. Still, no reason to flirt with scratches if you don't have to.

If I'm in a pinch and have a gross lens, some breath fog and my undershirt will do. But, rarely is that ever a necessity. It's too easy to pack a scrap of microfiber cloth and a lens pen like this one: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenspen-ultrapro-lens-cleaner/3325029.p

 

[bbbass]

As much magnification as you need to see WTF you are shooting at...

 

[Certaindeaf]

If you're hunting reds, Simo Häyhä went all irons.

Lol, I love aperture sights but a good 1.5x5 or 3x9+is nice.

 

[Ruger Rich]

Four years ago I drew my last Oregon antelope tag as did another guy I hunted with. Second day I got mine running at a
measured 225 yard distance. Scope was on 6X. He shot at antelope all day 'till he ran outta ammo. On the way back to
camp we saw a nice buck at about 150 yards. I handed him my 270 and he dropped it. I looked at his scope. It had been
set the whole time on 18X. The last two scopes I've mounted (both in this last year) have been fixed 6 power Leupold
scopes. I sight in at 6 and hunt at 6. It's worked great for me.

 

[Gunner3456]

Having hunted most my life, (five decades ) all over Oregon, in all conditions, with a Leupold 2.5 X 8, on a M77 .270,...
I cannot remember the dial ever leaving the four setting, but 300 yards was a mighty long shot for me and might have been different if longer shots were to have been tried.
And as above, I have never used any form of paper to clean a lens

I have to comment. Small world. Around 1970 I bought an M77 in .270 and outfitted it with a Leupold Gold Ring 2x7. Spendy for me back then but I've never been sorry. It's still the go-to hunting rifle.

Cheers

 

[Ura-Ki]

There is good reason the 3X9x40ish scopes have dominated over the years. I have a few, but prefer the 2X6 or the 4X12 Most are Redfields, and no reason to change them!

Like others here, mine are usually set on 6 and left there for the most part! The .338 win's run the lower powered glass, and the .30/06 and .300 run the higher power, with a 2X7 on the Holland & Holland and back up irons!
The Varmint Wackers are at or under 18X at the high end, most being a 6X18, with the only exception being the 6X5X55 Swede having a 8X24x50 on top!
Never use any thing not specifically intended for optics, I use a camera lense pen most of the time, and Zeiss lense wipes when needed!

 

[Mike_M57]

Absolutely this.

The coatings on modern lenses (scope and camera) and the glass are actually much tougher than you'd think. Still, no reason to flirt with scratches if you don't have to.

If I'm in a pinch and have a gross lens, some breath fog and my undershirt will do. But, rarely is that ever a necessity. It's too easy to pack a scrap of microfiber cloth and a lens pen like this one: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenspen-ultrapro-lens-cleaner/3325029.p

I also have a lens pen (came free with a pistol scope I bought years ago), and microfiber cloths that I use all the time.

Another item I use quite often is retractable brush that I found in mom's collection of stuff. I think it was made for applying makeup. It has a brass case and cover, and the brush extends/retracts by twisting the bottom. It had never been used and has very soft natural hair bristles that are perfect for brushing the dust off a lens without scratching. Only about 2 inches long when retracted, perfect for the gear bag.

 

[DLS]

I have to comment. Small world. Around 1970 I bought an M77 in .270 and outfitted it with a Leupold Gold Ring 2x7. Spendy for me back then but I've never been sorry. It's still the go-to hunting rifle.

Cheers

I too have an M77 in .270, but topped with a Leupold Vari-X III, 3.5 - 10x.

I hunted mulies and pronghorn all over Utah, Wyoming and Idaho with this rifle and never had an issue with the scopes power range.

The same goes for a M70 in .257 Roberts sporting a Leupold Vari-X II, 2 - 7X.

 

[DLS]

Oh yes, dedicated equipment for cleaning camera lenses is inexperienced, lightweight, and takes up very little space. In my estimation there is no reason to use anything else of optics.

 

[FourTeeFive]

I top out at 10X on a .308 rifle. Hard have much field of view with anything great in power.

 

[Mike_M57]

Of the 5 scopes (4 rifle, 1 pistol) I have mounted on my guns, only two are variable-power.

I put a Vortex 4-12x50mm AO on the Ruger American in .22-250 for coyote, and a Burris Eliminator III 4-16x50mm on the Tikka T3 build (.308 WSM) for bigger critters.

I have another variable scope that used to ride on a T/C Contender Carbine in 7-30 Waters, a Tasco 3-12x40 that I think I paid $29.99 for at K-Mart 30+ years ago. If I ever get another barrel in that caliber, that scope is going back on.

Here's the little brush I was talking about that I keep in the gear bag. Bristles retract completely into the base. 10/22 mag for scale.