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Required Scope Magnification

257Roberts

I have been contemplating what magnification is required to take quality shots at big game at say 3-500 yards. I have never been out west for rifle hunting, my long range shooting has been strictly targets. Wondering what most people are using for these shots? Is 8X enough? 12X? 14? 20+?

The trade off is simple, if 8X is enough magnification, a lighter more compact score is attainable. The higher the mag, the bigger the unit. I guess I am wondering what the point of a sleek, trim, super accurate 6.5 pound sporter rifle is if you have to plop a 6-20X on top.

Thanks for your advice and opinions.
 
8X should be all you need, my favorite big game hunting scope for longer range,300yards) is a fixed 6 power swarovski. The best thing to do is practice with it and see if it works for you. If you already have one try it, if not swap one from another gun. The very common 3x9 power scopes can be found from any manufacturer in whatever price range you can afford. I will take better optical quality over higher magnification for big game hunting any day.
 
257, Since you stated big game and a limit of 500 yds. I personally feel that 8X is more than enough power. Any quality scope from the little leupy 2.5X8, or the standard 3X9 will work fine. I personally use a Zeiss Conquest 3.5X10 but of the dozen or so Muley's, Whitetails and Elk that I have taken at ranges between 200 and 500yds. Most all of the shots have been made with my scope power set to either 6 or 8X. Than being said the new Bushnell Elite6500's with a power range of 2.5X16 would give you the extra magnification should you require it and also allow you to hunt in close cover. It would also double a an excellent scope for Pd's, should you get the urge to try your hand at something like that. We just mounted one on a 300 Win Mag. I've never been a Bushnell guy but from what I've seen, I think they have a winner with this scope. It's crystal clear and stays right with my Conquest when the light fades. Hope this helps some.
 
Well, a lot of guys don't use anything as light as a 6.5 pound rifle in the first place...

But yes, a 2.5-8x Leupold has got to be one of the best all-around hunting scopes ever!

These days I use a straight 6x Leupold on my .25-06 and am quite confident with it to 400 yards. My long-range rig though wears a 4.5-14x Leupold with target turrets. My son uses a 3.5-10x that he borrowed from me a couple of years ago. The 10x & 14.5x scopes are good for off-season varmint shooting and range work too. Seldom get dialed up to that power level for hunting. Even "out west" most of my shots on game have been under 200 yards, but 300 - 500 yard shots are certainly possible.

If I had a slim, trim, super-accurate 6.5 pound custom sporter with a 2.5-8x Leupold, I wouldn't change a thing, I'd just bring it out and hunt with it. Do a little longish-range practice first and all should be well.

Regards, Guy
 
Doller for doller a good fixed power will cost almost or as much as a good variable-Leupold!! And the selection of power will allow you to hunt in open range or brush/thick cover. The Leupold 2.5-8X is my choice Steve-Share your sport:)
 
I would go with a good 3-9 or 3-12 myself. The little bit more weight that a higher power scope would add would be a moot point if you are in shape. If you are not in good shape then you are not going to be able to do much walking and climbing over hill and valley even without the extra weight of a rifle. The biggest problem I have seen with people planing a big out west hunt is the last thing they think of is getting in shape before they go. It takes the average person a year of daily exercise and walking or running to really get into the shape they need to be in to really feel good and be able to hump the land. The altitude difference should be taken into account also. If you live east of the Mississippi where the altitude is less than 6500 feet and you go to where you start out at over 6000 feet it will tell on you real fast.
 
Posts like this just make me crazy. I rode horses and mules hunting out West looking for trophy animals beyond where the city slickers could walk. Have you ever contemplated deer hunting and shooting a big deer to walk up on the deer to find that it only has half a rack? That is what compact 2-7's and compact 3-9's will get you.

Have you ever considered the ill effects of shooting what you think is a trophy deer to find out that it has tines broken off its rack from fighting? Surprise....big deer fight a lot!

What good is a trophy rack that is half there or broken all to heck?

Use enough power to see what you are looking at what ever the distance!

It's a real bitch to kill a POS animal to have to pack the POS head out, then pay big money to have the POS head mounted, to look at it day in and day out reminding yourself that you should have had enough glass to see that it was a POS to begin with!

You can not tell if tines are broke off the rack with a 3-9 compact at 300 yards, must less 500!

I know that you are wanting a compact rifle with a compact look, but bottom line, you have to be able to evaluate what you are about to shoot...4-16 is bare minimum at 500 yards, and 6-24 is even better. I know that this may be a little off balance for someone that wants a Neat package, but I have packed out a few animals that should have been left for the bears and lions to eat!

A Bushnell 4-16 model 4200 with a 40mm should be your minimum scope, and you may make mistakes on rack damage at 400 yards, and this is one heck of a scope! The 6-24 is really what you need, but will throw the "look" of your package way off balance. "Look" is probably more important to you than the once in a life time trip out West for a trophy animal.

Think that I am cynical? I was taught to be this way by arm chair hunters listening to them blame me because they made a shot they should not have took in the first place. Sure you can hit a deer at 500 yards with a 3-9, but you really have no idea of the quality of his rack! Always get more glass than you think you need.
 
Personally I prefer 3-9x for big game. If I require more magnification to judge racks I generally get out a spotting scope. I don't know what kind of hunting you are doing but if you get into heavy brush the 3x is priceless and the same in wide open spaces for 9x. If you are shooting varmints high power scopes are a must for sight indexing. But if you go too high in power your error in parallax and mirage on a hot day can be greater than the smallest feature in the lower power reticle.

Just my opinion....

GOOD LUCK on this great debate!!!
 
Great call Keith.

I use a 8x32 Nightforce on a 300 win mag.
The biggest benefit of the high power scope is the ability to PRECISELY place your shot.
I have passed up several real nice trophy Blacktail bucks due to brush or some other obstruction in the way. I would not want to take a shot on a buck of a lifetime and wound him. Three years ago I passed on a shot at 360 yards on a 27"+ 4x4 Blacktail because I was using a 3x9 scope and was not sure I could make the shot.
It is a big scope and it's heavy but I will pack it many miles to get a shot at another monster.
If you have one of the real high quality high power scopes you don't really need the spotting scope for evaluating the victim. If the 3x9 scope was good enough for the 300 to 500 yard shots why don't the BR guys use them?
Good luck with your decision but for a once in a lifetime hunt I want my 300 and my monster scope. Not made for the whitetail woods I hunt in Wisconsin but my 3x9 Leupold works great for that.
 
keithcandler said:
It's a real bitch to kill a POS animal to have to pack the POS head out, then pay big money to have the POS head mounted, to look at it day in and day out reminding yourself that you should have had enough glass to see that it was a POS to begin with!
Click to expand...

Was someone holding a gun to your head, forcing you to have that POS head mounted?

Sorry, I couldn't resist.
 
i agree i want at least 6-24 power scope on my hunting rifle so i can really examine the animals rack and make a precise shot. you cant hit a fly with a 3 to 9 power scope at 500 yds let alone, count how thick and long and wide of a rack the deer has. i shot a deer once with a low powered scope and thought the rack was much nicer and bigger until i walked up on him and wanted to literally kick my own ass. now if i had my 6-24 i would have seen his rack really well and would have never fired the shot, so im my own opinion i like a high mag scope, but use what ever your comfortable with.
 
Have some respect for the deer !

If you behaved as a GENTLEMAN, you would get off your fat burger filled rear-end to stalk to within an easy shot's distance of the beast.

The skill is in the stalking.

Sika.
 
"Have some respect for the deer !

If you behaved as a GENTLEMAN, you would get off your fat burger filled rear-end to stalk to within an easy shot's distance of the beast.

The skill is in the stalking."

Sounds like you are a whitetail hunter.

I just returned from a pronghorn antelope trip with my
Dad and his hunting buddy. My Dad has been waiting 14 years to get drawn for a California antelope hunt. Day two we stalked to within 362 yards of a nice buck. He shoots a 270 with a 3x9 Leupold scope that has taken more deer than I could count and shoots 3/4" or better at 100 yards. The buck was uphill in the other side of a grass meadow that if you are larger than a field mouse you could not get across. I set up on a pack and took his first shot and missed. He then got excited and would have been lucky to hit a barn.

My point of this is two parts. If you have waited a long time to get the shot of the lifetime do you want to take it with a marginal piece of equipment?

Day three same basic situation - stalked to withing 388 yards no possibility of getting closer. Different equipment 300 win mag with 8x32 Nightforce turned up to 26 power clicked in for range. Told Dad put the cross hair on the top corner of the white behind the shoulder and touch the trigger. He did and the antelope took two steps sideways and tipped over.

The original question was for a western big game hunt what magnification do you want. In my opinion get the biggest baddest scope you can afford. It removes the spotting scope from the mix for evaluating the victim.

There is no comparison between a sniper and a hunter. Most sniper shots are under 300 yards. Very few are in the woods and none are in the brush.
 
Without getting into to much BS. I preferr a 4.5x14,nikon makes a rear nice scope that works for my hunting.
Ollie
 
after years of hunting western states, distances between 200-625 accounting for all game taken, i settled on the Leupold 4.5-14, same size/weight as the 3.5-10 just higher power.

reason, on paper i can use the 14x and on 2-400 in the 10x area, when looking at racks, or longer distance it is nice to be able to crank up to 14x evaluate, then if desirable back off to 10x and shoot. I have swarksi 10x binocs and the extrea power of the 4.5-14x is important in determing to or not to stalk closer as oftern deer are out of "my range" and i dont want to waste the energe/time stalking unless it looks really good.

dont limit yourself with a 6x or 8x scope -
Bob
 
This is an "excellent" thread to read. Thanks to all the contributors for this great information.
I'm new to LRS, and subjects such as these (optics) can get confusing.

I believe that Im thinking much "clearer" now about scopes.

**I'm currently looking at .243 Win for first rifle, there are 300 and a 600yd range in area**

I'll be shooting range only (for awhile anyway) so weight may not be a concern for now.

Thanks for this great thread, excellent information !!!
 
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