To much scope on my 30.06 for my hunting area.

Did an afternoon sit up at my buddies place yesterday afternoon about 150 yards from where I filled an antlerless tag Sat. Nov. 27th with the .30-30 and its scope at 3x. Got to thinking about this thread while I was sitting up there with a Savage Mod. 10 in 300 WSM with a 3.5x-10x Leupold on it. Only took the 300 WSM cause it was next up in the "rifle zone rotation" for me and not as if I were expecting any long range shots. About 2 p.m. I played with scanning the woods at different scope magnifications and decided that anything over 3.5x was a waste of time in an environment like this.....

To thine own be true, as the night the day, then thou canst be false to any man. -- Shakespeare
Only you can decide what you need on your rifle and where you decide to hunt. I have a new Freedom Leupold 3x9 (great for low light mornings) and my brother has a very old 2x7 Gold Ring. Lately we have been hunting the same area. My eyes like the newer scope and I can't figure out why my bro likes that antique.

It’s 2-7x or 3-9x, not 2x7 or 3x9. Seems like a lot of folks get that wrong. For example, a 2-7x24 is a variable power scope with a magnification that ranges from 2 power on the low end to 7 power on the high end (2 to 7 times greater magnification than what the human eye sees), and has a 24mm objective lens.

I think it's also important to consider "how" you're hunting the woods.

Just as all woods are not created equal, sitting a stand is different than still hunting, and that's different from driving and blocking. Stand hunting I can get away with higher magnification because I've got lanes, and more importantly the game generally isn't pressured. I've got at least a little time and can often utilize higher magnification to do those "thread the needle" type shots.

While I like my 1.25-4X, 1-8x and 2.5-8x a friend of mine's minimum is a 4-16X. He primarily hunts a farm from box blinds with cleared shooting lanes overwatching feeders and food plots. I hunt a farm, where even from stands you're farthest shot is going to be well under 100yds, I'm overwatching trails. He's using a 22" .270 and I'm either using my .260 Rem or .350 Rem, both with 20" barrels.

Drives and still hunts generally require more rapid target acquisition, ranges are shorter, and game usually moving. So a much lower magnification bordering on an RDS type setup.

Because everyone's terrain and methods vary so much I don't think there really is a "RIGHT way", everybody has "A way" that works for them.

.30-06 has a 4x16 on it.
It stays in 4x, unless I see a coyote out yonder.
.223 has a 6.5x20. The 6.5 has never been too much. They 20x has made me wish for a little for, a couple of times.

Seedy Character said:

.30-06 has a 4x16 on it.
It stays in 4x, unless I see a coyote out yonder.
.223 has a 6.5x20. The 6.5 has never been too much. They 20x has made me wish for a little for, a couple of times.

Click to expand...

You mean a 4-16x and 6.5-20x...

My stand-by Deer rifle is a custom Remington 700 in 308 and wears a West German Zeiss 3-9 scope. I carry it on 3X and seldom move it to 9X. Its worked well for nearly 40 years in 3 Countries and several states. Both at close in shots and at longer distances. I'm building another rifle that will have a 2.5-10X on it.

If we still hunted with dogs and if I could still work the dogs I would carry something with a 1.5-5 on it or maybe even with iron sights. I have shot several Deer on jump that I would never have scored on with even a lower powered scope.

I could make a 6x work.
I shot this 8pt at an estimated 24yds! I later checked my scope, a Nikon 3-9 ProHunter (older one before they went “clam shell packed”) I found scope on 6x.
It was shortly after sunset when I first saw deer. I knew there were a couple of 6pts in area (not legal!) so I cranked up the magnification to be sure he had 4pts on one side. He did!

Used a 2x Leupold (1.75 actually) on my Xp 100 and shot tiny groups at a lazered 200 yards. No need for a Hubble telescope on a short range deer getter.

My two deer rifles have 1.75-6 and a 1.5-5 , Both Leupold. Leave em on low settings until I Need to dial em up. Open fields, 2.5-8… same-leave it low until I need it higher.
Unless I’m shooting to hundreds of yards, my 6.5-20 on my 300 win mag… it stays at 6.5x.