1000 yard magnification req.

[citrusbr]

Hello
I am searching for a variable power bench-rest/long-range varmint hunting. My options seem to be the Nightforce 8x32or the12x42. I want to shoot 1000 yards with my custom 300 wsm and I am wondering what is the minimum magnification needed to accomplish this with great success. the 12-42 is more pricey. Can I get away with the 8-32?
Any thoughts would be great thanks.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Get the 12-42. I keep mine on 42 and would go even higher if I could. Of course you didn't state the kind of shooting your gonna do. If your just plinking and shooting steel the 32 would be fine.

 

[mr45man]

I Have both, the 8x32 is on a 300 wsm now and works fine.
For a part time hunting rig the 8x32 is a good choice.
But for 1000 yards the 12x42 is a little better
John H.

 

[Erik Cortina]

You will never use 8X at 1,000 yards, and the 12-42X also has 32X in it. So, with the 12-42X you can shoot at 32X if you want, but you can't shoot at 42X with a 8-32X.

Get the 12-42X and don't look back.

 

[1shot]

+1 to what Eric said. I have a 8-32x on my mid-range rifle, but for last year, I bit the bullet and put on a 10-60x on my 1,000 rifle. You can always dial down, but you dial up to what you don't have. I hope this helps,
Lloyd

 

[Raythemanroe]

What is the price difference? If you went 32x you would be thinking maybe I should have tried 42x! Then eventually it will cost you much more.

 

[CaptainMal]

By -the-way...welcome.

You are getting good answers all. Now just look at the current ones for sale right here. The difference in price is "chump change" but the satisfaction is everlasting.

 

[jpretle]

You didn't say what kind of shooting you will be doing, but keep in mind the increase in magnification, also gives you the magnification of motion. In my view you can get too much, in some cases---magnification, that is.

 

[citrusbr]

thanks for all the informative replies. the purpose of this gun is my introduction to bench-rest. i have 1000 yard shooting in my backyard and i want to start on my own, learning as i go, this will be in an unsanctioned setting at first. also, i cant justify spending $4,000 (current investment, its a bad gun, details later) on a tack driver and only use it for bench-rest. in that right, i also want to take the occasional coy at 500+ yards. this is why i want the variable power scope.
i guess my next step is to scour the classified pages.
p.s is anyone has a nightforce br scope they don't want let me know. ha ha
thanks Mitchell

 

[rogn]

A lot of people are using the Sightron SIII in 8 X 32 or 10 X 60. They are clear and have good repeatable adjustments. They 8X32 can be had for around 750$, down from the 900 Id paid. Mines the 8X32 and its good at 600; no 1K ranges closer than 1/2 day drive.

 

[savageshooter86]

you only option is not the NF. Could get a 36x Weaver T36 or the Sightron SIII model scope is real good. I have the 10-50x version and keep mine on 45x.

 

[1shot]

To jpretle and all else that it applies to. If you are one of those shooters that shy away from high magnification scopes because "I can see I'm wobbling all over the place" type of shooter, let me give you some advice that I have known long before computers became the standard of communication. I've talked to dozens of shooters that prefer irons as opposed to scopes. When asked why, I get either the phrase above or an at least an acceptable one "just one more thing to break, and it makes my rife heavier". I can relate with reason #2 but the first excuse means that they are surprised to be able to see their wobble area. Now that they actually see it, they freak out. The wobble area is there for all of us, just some more than others. The point of my rambling is that if you're are shooting for score or group, the higher magnification helps you read and analyze the wind or your own errors if you are honest with yourself. For the 1st group of shooters, as soon as you become honest with yourself as in "did I break the shot in the center, or was it favoring the 3 o'clock side, and it comes up exactly that, you have taken great strides to improving your shooting. I shoot sling/prone but the same principals apply regardless of the discipline you pursue. Optics also allow a precise hold off when getting coached during a team match instead of always clicking during switchie wind conditions.
I hope all of this is of some help,
Lloyd

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

you only option is not the NF. Could get a 36x Weaver T36 or the Sightron SIII model scope is real good. I have the 10-50x version and keep mine on 45x.

A lot of people have made comments in the past about having to dial down in heavy mirage when using high-mag riflescopes. However, several people have dismissed that impression as being incorrect or overblown.

I happen to be in the latter camp, but only since I acquired a high quality high magnification riflescope.

I used a Weaver T-36 for several years before breaking down and getting an NF NXS 12-42X56.

I remember when shooting with my Weaver that when the mirage was heavy the aiming black at 1000 yards looked more like a crazed amoeba than a circle. Also the T-36 has a 40mm objective lens so on overcast days or early mornings/late afternoon, the picture in the eyepiece was downright dark. With advancing age it was getting very difficult for this shooter to see the reticle on the black amoeba. On bright sunny days, it's a fine scope, don't get me wrong, and the adjustments are top-notch and repeatable.

That said, when I started shooting with my NXS, the amoeba calmed down a great deal and now almost 2 years and about 30 matches later, I can tell you that you want to keep it on the high end all the time. The shortest I've ever used it was 600 yards and most of the time, I'm shooting 1000 yard matches, year round. I will also say that I use the illuminated reticle to help me get a better contrast for the reticle on the aiming black.

As I have stated in another thread, higher quality glass, with better resolution, diminishes the effects of the mirage; or put another way, lower quality glass intensifies the effects of mirage in the picture.

As for 1shot's theory, I'm not quite sure where he was going with it, but I can assure him that in F-class (and I suspect Benchrest also,) if you detect wobbling in your scope you have bigger issues than you think; you had better be stone cold solid in your aim and be able to freeze the reticle on the target or you're just shooting for fun.

 

[Bob Sebold]

I shot a prairie dog at 1212 yrds with an 8-32 nightforce. They work great, I have 2, never thought I needed more till I got a 12-42. That was better. Last scope I bought was a Schmidt Bender that goes to 50 power. That is better. And Eric, You never shoot at Winnequah. We have invented something up hear you desert shooters know nothing of. It is called humidity! I have had my scope down to 8 power in a match. When humidity and temp are both 90+ at 20 power you have a hard time finding the right number board. This is very rare, I grant you. One way to beat these conditions is to sit in air conditioning and drink your favorite adult beverage. For those of us dumb enough to shoot in it, lower power is the only way to go. I would still favor higher power as this 90+ condition does not happen that often. You can also shoot at 12X very effectively. I do not think I ever get to shoot in conditions good enough to get up much past 60X even in the AM.

 

[fdshuster]

Another advantage of a higher magnification rifle scope is simply that you will be less likely to need a spotting scope to find your shot holes.

With a Nightforce with a 56mm objective and at 42X I never bother to setup my Nikon 82mm spotting scope. Naturally it all depends on the severity of mirage, but if it's bad enough to wipe out the rifle scope, it will do the same to the spotting scope.

Bought a NF Benchrest 8-32x and it was quickly sold. Same weight and size as the 12-42x, so why not buy the 12-42x and be done with it? As the old saying goes: Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

 

[Steve Blair]

As for 1shot's theory, I'm not quite sure where he was going with it, but I can assure him that in F-class (and I suspect Benchrest also,) if you detect wobbling in your scope you have bigger issues than you think; you had better be stone cold solid in your aim and be able to freeze the reticle on the target or you're just shooting for fun.

[br]
Denys is absolutely right about this. Where I disagree is that I cannot see any fun resulting from shooting a wobbling target.

 

[Erik Cortina]

Bob Sebold, I shoot in Houston most of the time. What is this humidity thing you talk about, Houston has never had it.

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

Bad choice of words. I should have said: you're just expending ammunition to no purpose.

 

[1shot]

To Bayou Shooter and Steve Blair. I'm sorry that I didn't state that I'm a sling/prone shooter. We haven't the luxury of front rests and sand bags. Yes, I know your target is smaller as opposed to us sling shooters. That said, the wobble area is the movement that is generated by one or more of several of the following conditions. You are on uneven ground, thus forcing you to adjust for the terrain using your muscles. Your sling is to tight, or to loose, your hand stop not adjusted correctly for your shooting position and then there is plain old fatigue. Oh yeah, lets not forget your sling not setting on the pulse pad just right on your coat and you "see" every pulse beat in your scope being transmitted through the sling to the rifle. These are just some of the factors that create/increase your wobble area. And BTW, these aren't theories but facts. Lose the artificial support and put on a sling, you will see what I mean.
Lloyd

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

I knew that you were a sling shooter but you elected to share your observations about the use of hi - mag riflescope in a thread started by a benchrest shooter like they applied to his questions. Since benchresters LR varmint shooters and F-classers all use artificial front rests, I decided to set proper expectations with respect to hi-mag scopes at long range.