Scopes

[nekwah]

i was just reading the thread about magnification vs range. My grandpa always told me to keep the power of the scope low and it seems to work better but why is that? I have a buddy who thinks he should keep it on the highest power thinking he will be more accurate and i cant support my side of the arguement. Can some one explain Plzz and thank you

 

[lipadj46]

Well lower power can be better for the following reasons:

- The lower the setting the larger the exit pupil so the scope will be brighter. Check it out next time you are out with a 3-9x or any variable scope, set on 3x will be noticeably brighter than when set on 9x.

- Lower magnification will give a wider field of view for easier target acquisition. This is important for hunters. During deer season my 3-9x rarely gets turned above 3x.

- The lower the magnification the less noticeable shakes are. You can shoot standing with a 3x scope but try that on 9x.

Some F-class and bench shooters love the high magnification scopes like 50x and 60x. They also use shooting rests that pretty much clamp the rifle in and hold it steady. The benefits of high magnification are obvious so I won't go over them.

 

[ken22250]

i, personally like to match my magnification with my cartridge/game, on my .222rem's i use 6x, to me, a 222 is a 225yard woodchuck cartridge, and a 6x is good to arround to 225-250 yards, my .222mag and .223 wear leupold 7 1/2x scopes, both increase range about 50 yards, for my highish wind varminting, i like the .257 roberts, mine wears an 8x leupold scope, my longrange/ bull barrel guns have either 10x or 12x target scopes, like the leupold FX-III and weaver T-10, i have 2 15x scopes, one on a .22-06, and the other on a 6mm improved, both are for VERY long range, for big game, where i hunt, long shots do happen, but not often, my .30-30 and .32 win spl wear a lyman 1-A tang sights, my go-to rifle, a .30-06 wears a weaver K2.5, my .270 and .280 wear 4x scopes, which is my standard for big game, my long range deer rifle, a .257 wby, wears a 6x leupold, i like fixed power scopes, but if you like varible scopes, i agree, stay on the lowest magnification, that way, if a buck kicks up, 25 yards in front of you, you will find him more quickly.
ken

 

[jakelly]

In older variable scopes there could be a change in zero from one magnification to another, however newer scopes rarely suffer inconsistency. The clarity of the picture depends on exit pupil of the scope matching the pupil of your eye at any given point in the day. Our pupils vary in size generally from 2(midday)-6(dawn/dusk), you can find the exit pupil size of your scope by dividing the objective diameter by the magnification; so a 3.5-10x40 set on 3.5 has an exit pupil of 11.4 mm and should yield clearest picture in low light, at 10 setting produces a 4 mm exit pupil and would give a clearer picture in high light. Higher power settings do not magnify movement they reveal it, lower settings increase intrinsic accuracy from a poor rest (offhand/hunting). The other posts give you all the information you need to go and win that argument.

 

[WardenWolf]

Newer scopes also have better optics. Truth be told, you can buy a scope these days for $70 that has better optics than even expensive scopes from the 60's and 70's. Don't believe me? Look at what they've done with eyeglass lenses, making them thinner, lighter, and more clear for less money. Technology has advanced to the point where newer scopes can overcome many of the limitations of older ones. The old reason for keeping the power of the scope low was clarity degraded with higher magnifications. Today's scopes can achieve much higher zooms with good optical clarity.

For 100 yard shooting, I prefer an 8 or 9 power magnification. At that magnification, I can see my individual holes in a paper target. If I were shooting something moving, however, I might zoom out to 6 power. Variable zoom is definitely the way to go. It will let you easily adjust to your target.

 

[jester_s1]

It's because more power amplifies your shakes in field shooting. With a lower magnification, it's easier mentally to deal with movement and still make accurate shots. With higher, you get focused on the movement and fatigue yourself trying to eliminate it. Not to mention that in hunting, there's always the chance for last minute movement and a lower magnification makes it easier to swing a shot in.

 

[Clipper]

I like to use the high magnification at the bench, when I'm dialing in the rifle, and shake isn't an issue. It allows me to really make sure I'm targeting the exact center of that dot. Then I dial it down to 3-4x in the field. There's no bullseye on a deer anyway, so you're shooting at the center of a target 'area' and too much magnification is detrimental. Now on a varmint gun, all bets are off. I use high magnification in the field, because I'm playing accuracy games here, and when I put some birdseed at 100 yards to shoot mice with my .22, I don't just shoot for the mouse, I wanna shoot the mouse's eye. That's how I roll...