Author Topic: WHAT POWER (Read 583 times)

kudzu · « **on:** August 18, 2005, 04:33:58 PM »

On most of my hunting rifles I have 4x12's 4.5x14's, or 3.8x12's. On my 7mmRUM Ihave a 6.5x20x52. Just got a 300RUM.
My question is to be able to shoot deer size animals out to 500 yds., how much is enough. I thought about going with another6.5x20 or will a 4x16 be sufficent. I have left out manufactors on purpose. For now this is strictly a magnafication question. the 7mmRUM and 300RUM are my only ''500yd. guns.'' My 270wsm seems to be fine with the 4.5x14x50.

myarmor · « **Reply #1 on:** August 18, 2005, 07:55:28 PM »

Well, what magnification do YOU feel comfortable shooting that far?
For target shooting I have shot open sighted at 500+ and scoped with powers only up to 20 that far...sorry not much to brag about there, it's all I had. I have had some fun with my 243 shooting at 500 yards with a humble 3-9x40, not to say that was the best choice, but fun non the less.
I believe that a lot of it depends on your comfort zone, and the faith in your rifle and cartridge loads.

Atomic Chicken · « **Reply #2 on:** August 18, 2005, 08:13:09 PM »

Greetings!

I am a fan of fixed-power scopes, typically mounting a 4X to anything .22 or smaller caliber, and 6X or 10X for long range rifles. My current long range performer, a Ruger M77 MKII in .243 Win, is topped with a 10X fixed power scope which I find to be more than adequate for anything up to 500 yds. I think it would probably be just fine for anything up to 800+ yards, but I don't currently have access to a shooting range of that distance like I once did.

I did quite a bit of shooting at 700 yard range with a .308 Win. rifle 8-10 years ago which had a 3.5-10X scope that I kept at 10X all the time, and 10X was very adequate for 700 yard shots with that rifle. Like the previous posting says, whatever you are comfortable with... I have taken dozens of shots through open sights with a .30-06 at ranges up to 300 yards and haven't felt "undermagnified"... although I generally prefer at least 6X for high-power rifles.

Best wishes,
Bawko

pastorp · « **Reply #3 on:** August 19, 2005, 09:45:57 AM »

Dancoman, It's not just the opits. At what range can you keep your shots in a 8" kill zone. Most can't do that under field conditions at 500 yds with any rifle optic combination. If you intend to shoot at live game I would sugest that you learn to get closer. If shooting at targets :grin: have fun.

Regards, Byron

Jimi · « **Reply #4 on:** August 19, 2005, 10:25:34 AM »

My favorite scope is a 2.5-10x. Most of my hunting is under 500 yards, but I have made a few kills at that range and felt very comfortable. None of the animals went any farther than the few feet it took to fall... and that is with a .300 Wby Mag. Judging by your caliber choices I would guess you're talking about some decent sized game and not just prairie dog shooting, so a consideration I've always had is the weight of the higher powered scopes. I don't really want to risk a shot on something I can't get a bead on at 10x.

And that is no diss on anyone who uses higher powered scopes... just sharing personal opinions is all. As was already said... to each their own.

kudzu · « **Reply #5 on:** August 19, 2005, 05:31:32 PM »

Most of all my hunting is less than 250 yds allso. I do have a couple of places that a 4 or 5 hundred shot is in play. This is mainly by choice. I like the 6.5x20 for longer range shooting, this is mainly targets, but for hunting I like the upper end but not the lower end due to low light situations. Very seldom shoot at an animal using over 10 or 12 power.

For my new 300RUM, I believe my scope of choice will be the Bushnell Elite 4200 4x16x50. This will, in my mind, serve the overall purposes of this gun. Will not hunt with this gun a great deal for southern whitetails. Mainlly got it for out west hunts for larger than deer game.

Any pros and cons with my choice, and is there a better deal in the 4x16 other than tha 4200.

thanks, dm

Thebear_78 · « **Reply #6 on:** August 19, 2005, 06:31:09 PM »

I have found the 4-16 range to be great for all around long range big game hunting, 2-7 for most general hunting, and occaionally 5.5-20 for long range varmint hunting. A great all around scope that I have on my 375 is a burris 3-12x50 euro black diamond. It has the burris ballistic plex and that tends to be a great help with long range shooting. It eliminates guesswork with hold over.

Bart Solo · « **Reply #7 on:** August 20, 2005, 04:15:09 AM »

The power you select all depends on were and what you are hunting. Most of the folks I know hunt deer in Missouri. A lot of Missouri folks hunt over bean fields and need a higher magnification. A lot of others hunt edge woods and benefit from a lower magnification. My two step sons hunt the woods with their dad and all three are happy with open sights on their 30/30s. Another guy I know hunts from a stand over two or three soybean fields and loves a high magnificaiton. One of my buddies (a retired mathematics professor) named Bill has a 4 X fixed Weaver and he loves it. He says it takes all the decision work out of things. After a lot of thought I decided a 2 - 7 X 32 Elite was perfect for where and how I hunt. If I am hunting the woods I dial down to 2 X and improve my field of view. If I am hunting from a stand I dial up and see better longer. The classic 3-9 X 40 is a classic because it enhances your hunt in a wide range of conditions. My son Brad has a 3-9X40 on his 30.06. Brad and I often hunt with Bil who happens to be Brad's father in lawl. He has asked how often we dial the power when we are actually hunting. He might have a point. I would say though, I dial before the hunt depending where I am going to be hunting.

Now if I were hunting prairie dogs my 2-7 would be grossly underpowered. So would a 3-9. Of course I wouldn't be using my deer rifle to hunt prairie dogs. I would be using a really fast, flat shooting 22 of some sort {.222, .223, 22-250 or something like that.) In that case there is no reason not to top the rifle with a higher magnification scope starting at maybe 8 power and going up to 16 or higher.

I guess the point of all this is that there is no right answer to the question, what power.

PS--I just realized that every adult male in my family living in Missouri, including my step-sons, their dad (a great guy by the way) and my son's father-in-law is a deer hunter. Amazing.

Bart Solo · « **Reply #8 on:** August 20, 2005, 04:28:50 AM »

O my gosh, I just realized that just about every male in my family living in Missouri is a deer hunter. I hadn't thought about that before. Amazing.

The reason that realization is important is that nobody would think the men in my family are rabid hunters. We don't talk hunting except as part of preparation in the months leading up to the season. None of us has an NRA sign on our car or truck. We don't show off our fire arms. We don't go as a group to gun shows. In fact I don't know when any of us went to a gun show. Maybe I did about 10 years ago? (We go to car shows instead.) Our rifles and shotguns stay hidden away in safes until needed. Those safes aren't stuffed to overflowing. Just the rifles and shotguns we use. Nothing wasted. Accuracy is more important than pretty. We don't fix on it at all. In fact a stranger would be hard pressed to gather the information necessary to conclude that we hunt at all. On the other hand we don't hide or sneak around. Around here it is expected that a lot of folks are going deer hunting when the season starts. We do talk to each other about how the hunt went and what equipment we are using. We go to the range and practice in the late summer and early fall.

Anyway that is just a random observation of interest to nobody but me. Except you might want to think about your family. Are you rabid hunters or is hunting just part of the air you breath?