Rifle Scopes question about scope being too powerfull??

[*greenhorn*]

I called a sponcer of the hides disusing scopes i was looking at ordering a 24 power scope and he said for a 308 1000 yrd gun he would recommend the 16 power, of course these are variable power but the top power and these are ffp, i didn't get a good understandable explication, is their a way i could get help with that??

Respectfully

 

[kentactic]

Re: question about scope being too powerfull??

its just more power then youll need. ive got no complaints shooting beyond 800 yards with a fixed 10 power. more knowledgable people will chime in shortly.

 

[slothlacrosse]

Re: question about scope being too powerfull??

glass quality is a big factor when you're shooting long distances/high magnification.

what scopes are you looking at?

 

[SRSDriver]

Re: question about scope being too powerfull??

I never find myself much above 10x-12x on my 3-15 out to 1000. Any higher than 10-12 and usually mirage is an issue, and finding and moving quickly from target to target is an issue.

 

[timelinex]

Re: question about scope being too powerfull??

Last outing, I used 14x for 700 and in and 20x for 800+. In my opinion, unless your shooting big targets that you can quarter, I'm very happy to have higher mag and would gladly take even more. Sure I was shooting at 1 mile target using 6.5x (needed it that low for enough holdover) so it can be done, but if I could I would use 20x+

 

[victorz]

Re: question about scope being too powerfull??

Yes, glass quality is the most important factor. high quality 16x may give you better picture than average 20x for sure (maybe 24x but I am not sure). I have both 6-20 and 4-16 on my 308s and I never gotta a chance to shoot 1000 yards. Even though I have the 20x but most of the times I only use 10 or 12 out to 500 yards(that's because it's 2nd focal and 10x is the magic number). There are always pros and cons such as size, weight, lowest power available(which is fov)etc... If you are going to shoot 1000 yards all the time, 24x is good enough. If you are shooting from 100 to 1000, then you may need to think about fov at 100. BTW it is personal preference. Choose the best that suit your shooting habit. But don't go cheep on glass quality.

 

[Silver_Bullet_00]

Re: question about scope being too powerfull??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Cowboy1978</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I called a sponcer of the hides disusing scopes i was looking at ordering a 24 power scope and he said for a 308 1000 yrd gun he would recommend the 16 power, of course these are variable power but the top power and these are ffp, i didn't get a good understandable explication, is their a way i could get help with that??

Respectfully </div></div>

I'm no expert, but I do some star gazing, and the same would apply with a gun-scope as a telescope . Higher Mag is not always best. Higher mag = need for bigger and better aperture.

A reason for keeping the magnification low has to do with image brightness. Laws of physics says that when the magnification is doubled, the image can get up to four times dimmer, thus making it blurry or hard to see. That's why the aperture is important to draw in light to get a clear image.

 

[*greenhorn*]

Re: question about scope being too powerfull??

was looking at viper pst

 

[anthony1]

Re: question about scope being too powerfull??

Honestly you just gotta try for yourself and see what you prefer, there is no magic number thats right or wrong. I prefer more than 16x mag when shooting out far, mirage can make using more mag hard sometimes though.

As long as mirage isnt an issue and the glass is good a high mag scope is always better for shooting small groups/target shooting but also is almost useless for most hunting situations.

It really just depends on what you want to do with the scope, benchrest guys have 32, 42, even 50x scopes. Most tactical shooters or hunters have 24x or less because they need the low end more than the high end for getting on target quicker and more feild of view.

 

[scotharr]

Re: question about scope being too powerfull??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Cowboy1978</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I called a sponcer of the hides disusing scopes i was looking at ordering a 24 power scope and he said for a 308 1000 yrd gun he would recommend the 16 power, of course these are variable power but the top power and these are ffp, i didn't get a good understandable explication, is their a way i could get help with that??

Respectfully </div></div>

I think 24X top end is perfect for 1K target shooting, but a lot of people prefer 36X. 16X is probably the lowest you'd want, it depends on what size targets and a bunch of other factors....

In the end, it totally depends on what activities you will be participating in and to a less degree your personal preferences. In other words,each activity has a "perfect scope" with a range for personal preference. The more precise you can be on the activity, the better recommendations you will get. If you don't know what activity you will do, then definitely get a variable scope and favor the lower powers as being more flexible. You might have thought you were being specific by stating "1k with 308" but that is still pretty general. What size targets? What range of distances? Stationary or mobile with your rifle? Shooting moving targets? Shooting competitions at paper?

 

[VKC]

Re: question about scope being too powerfull??

For target shooting from 100 to 1000 yds, go for a variable mag with range of about 5-25x. For moving targets and steel, 3-15x may be a better choice, especially if most of your shooting will be inside 200 yards. For benchrest at 1000 yards, go for around 32x variable, but realize that mirage can be an issue.

 

[ColoWyo]

Re: question about scope being too powerfull??

FWIW, I just sold my Nightforce 22X to buy a 15X.

Too much mirage and too small a FOV for timed competitions.

I should have done it a long time ago.

 

[wtopace]

Re: question about scope being too powerfull??

I used to think higher mag was always better (even considering same glass quality). You benefit a lot from shooting at a lower magnification: steadier hold, better FOV, more of your reticle in FFP, less mirage and a smaller point of aim... the list goes on and on.

I once heard someone say "you should only have enough magnification to be able to see your target, not zoom in on a spot of your target". I thought about it and tried it out and now I am a convert for sure. Normally I shoot 1/2" orange stickies at my 100 yard range - so I can crank the mag up a little bit.

I would recommend you shoot a friends rifle with a high-power scope at multiple distances at both high zoom and low zoom and see if you agree. I place my money on the fact you'll have better groups at lower power.

 

[1957pistol]

Re: question about scope being too powerfull??

I started with the same understanding. anything past 12x is worthless. I've since realized it couldn't be further from the truth. If you are using the rifle for hunting your minimum should be in the 3-5x range for walking or stands. Otherwise your reaction time in finding the critter in your crosshairs is A. too slow
B. if your mag is too high you are just going to see hair within 100 yards
Unless you are plains/mountain hunting where you know your going to be shooting to much further ranges.
Target shooting is completely different. I now shoot 1k with a 8-32. mirage does happen but not always at 12x sometimes is 28x and its nice to have that option. Its also nice to see what you are shooting at w/o having to switch to a spotting scope.
So...hunting (go lower) target (go higher) to me anyways.
A lot of the quality glass like USO S&B and IOR are now making much lower mins with high maxs like 3.5-25x54.

 

[pawprint]

Re: question about scope being too powerfull??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Cowboy1978</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I called a sponcer of the hides disusing scopes i was looking at ordering a 24 power scope and he said for a 308 1000 yrd gun he would recommend the 16 power, of course these are variable power but the top power and these are ffp, i didn't get a good understandable explication, is their a way i could get help with that??

Respectfully </div></div>
If you are setting up a rifle for 1000 yard shooting (if I read you right) 24x is better than 16x with all things being equal. Check with F class shooters. If on the other hand you plan on shooting all distances up to and including 1000 yards, I agree with the other posters. I am assuming same quality glass- enough MOA (internal and exteral-20MOA base for example etc.). Again my opinion is for a 1000 yard gun, set up for 1000 yard shooting only. Remember, F-class targets are 1/2 the size of HP- the better you see it, the better you'll hit it.

 

[Boomholzer]

Re: question about scope being too powerfull??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I called a sponcer of the hides disusing scopes i was looking at ordering a 24 power scope and he said for a 308 1000 yrd gun he would recommend the 16 power, of course these are variable power but the top power <span style="font-weight: bold">and these are ffp</span>, i didn't get a good understandable explication, is their a way i could get help with that??
</div></div>

I've done more shooting at 1k with a 14x FFP than any other scope. It's not that inhibititive. It's also by choice not necessity, I have other optics.

Most FFPs I've seen do not lend themselves well to large magnification ranges. The MFG tries to maintain a visable reticle/stadia at min power, the result is a thick reticle/stadia at max power.

 

[E. Bryant]

Re: question about scope being too powerfull??

For all practical purposes, there will be a lot more opportunity to take a shot at less than 50 yards than at more than 500 yards. With that in mind, something with a low end in the 3x to 4x range makes a lot of sense. You'll see the wisdom in this decision when it's time to pop a groundhog that is 25 yards away.

 

[calling4life]

Re: question about scope being too powerfull??

The last coyote I shot at under 100 yards, I shot on 18 power. By choice, I cranked my scope to that.

I'm the opposite of most, I guess, I had lower power scopes, couldn't stand it, I run a Sightron SIII 8-32 now, and when shooting paper, even at 100 yards, am rarely below 32 power.

I keep it on 8x when starting a stand for coyotes, but as soon as that dog is seen, my power gets cranked up. The 8 is to facilitate any surprise runners at 50 yards.

I just don't like having lower power, "aim small, miss small," and on higher power, you can aim at the center of the x, in the center of the bullseye, instead of just aiming at the bullseye.

Higher power creates more perceived movement, but just because your scope has higher magnification, it doesn't mean you actually move more. Lower mag just pronounces that movement less, thus, less perceived movement, not less actual movement. (unless I'm missing something

)

Anyways, that was the long way of saying, this is personal preference, and very situation specific, so decide what YOU want, and be happy.

 

[Glen Seekins]

Re: question about scope being too powerfull??

The better question is what is the minimum power a guy wants.. If you had a 3-20x scope you can still shoot at 12x if you want. Its not like you can go to 20x if you have a 3-10x scope.

I shoot the 5-25 sb on whatever i can stick it on that day (only have one) I have never wanted anything more nor less. IMO its the perfect power range. We shoot from 5 feet (yes i practice that close) to 1200yds. 10x works fine at 1200, 25x also works fine at 100.

Buy what you like and be happy. Thats why there are so many choices. What works for one guy doesn't work for the other.