I'm sure there are times when some would need it. Maybe like working up loads at the range or using your rifle as a spotting scope.

But for me a 5 or 6 times magnification seems like a solution to a non existent problem.

chasing a wounded Blue Beest, yes. started at 5x (bad shot) chased on 2x, ended up seeing it at 350 with the 10x now back in a herd at last light with no way to split them up.

I'm certain a lot of Buff Hunting may happen in similar fashion. Start a tad higher for the first shot and then the chase is on low power.

I'm pretty sure Prarie Dog hunters love variability in the scope.

Generally for me in the field, no. My Kudu was taken at 287 yards with the scope set on 3x.

At this point my main hunting rig (7mm Mag) wears a fixed 6x. Simplicity has its purpose.

quote:

Originally posted by richj:
I'm sure there are times when some would need it. Maybe like working up loads at the range or using your rifle as a spotting scope.

But for me a 5 or 6 times magnification seems like a solution to a non existent problem.

Yep, That's been my experience.

I have 3 rifles with iron sights.
3 with fixed low power scopes - 2.5X to 4X.
3 with variables - 3.5-12X, 6-18X & 8-32X.

When hunting, the variables stay on the lowest setting. Don't use'em for spotting game either.

Most of my shooting is at the range. Only a few shots are fired each season at game.

On a recent shot on a deer at over 200 yds. the custom 30-06 had a 2.5-8 Leupold on it because its adequate and a handsome scope. Somehow I thought that a 3-9 Swarovski would be upscale or something to show so that's whats on it now.

On a recently acquired 7mm WSM I bought a new Leupold 4.5-14 to get more power for range shooting and that the Zeiss is more expensive.

When hunting on a large area I was carrying a 30-06 with a 3-9. I spotted some deer in a field across a valley and I wanted a buck and I could not see if any had antlers.

I had 8X binoculars and a 3-9 riflescope. When I got over there they were gone.

Thus I bought Switch Power 7X-12X binoculars.

They are neat for scanning and also seeing "what is it".

Yes. And I really like it too .

Since acquiring my fist 2 x 12 VX6 when they were very new , I having been going to the VX6 all the way.

I have put several posts here in Optics about the VX6s.

I generally have the scope set on 6 or 8. But that is just because that is what I prefer . But on the 416 2X could be useful .

For the 7MM Mag it is quite nice to have the higher magnification for shooting long range targets with my buddy at his farm, or for going after long range varmints. And then you can turn it down for a variety of other hunting .

It is just personal preference and what stage your eyes are in.

I haven't actually taken a game animal with the Firedot on, but it is very good for use in the shadows . My son has used them to take several deer and hogs in wooded areas and he much prefers it now.

Several of my buddies who have given one of mine a go have switched one or more of their own rifles to the VX6 too.

There are several other good points about these scopes. But it is just one part of the system .

My old Kahles 2.3-7 has spent 90% of its life on 3x. The only time I ever think to move it is if sitting up late into the day, when I might go to 3.8x to maximise the relative luminosity, or a bit higher seeking enhanced twilight factor - magnification helps in poor light even when the exit pupil is too small. Were I to see a trophy animal within a sporting range, say 300 yards, I would probably shoot without even thinking of winding up the power.

The trouble I see with modern high-multiple scopes is they probably push erector lenses so far forward at some magnifications that the inertia potential of the inner tube becomes problematic - not just to recoil but minor lateral bumps. Swarovski at least recognise the vulnerability of the erector tube publicly and advertise their solution; most other makers lie doggo on the subject.

I note you're located in NY. Perhaps that contributes to your views on magnification in a hunting scope?

Out west in the open country we hunt with our scopes on the lowest setting so as to be useable on a close in jump shot, however, there are many, many times I have cranked up to the max of 9x or 10x for shots at Elk, or PG in africa. In those cases you are far enough away that there is usually time to make the adjustment - it only takes a second with a bit of practice - while bringing the rifle into a shooting position. The variable scope was designed for hunting in open spaces and there is a very good reason that the 3-9x is the most popular, best selling rifle scope in the USA.

Even when hunting DG with a 1.5-5x I have had occasion to crank up to 5x on wounded game.

I have two 2.5-10x42 scopes on my two hunting rifles. A Swaro PH on the 250-3000 and Zeiss Diavari T on my 7x57. Both have plex reticles and FFP to avoid POI variation during changes in magnification. I only change/lower magnification when light conditions get worse.

I manage to get a rest 98% of the time so leave my scopes on 10x. During heavily overcast weather or close to dusk I will turn the scopes down to 6x to maximise exit pupuil with the 42mm lenses. I reserve 4x for after dark (it is legal to hunt after dark in Oz) if there is a full moon.

When spotlighting at night I leave them on 8x or 10x depending on how close the vermin will be.

I took a Zeiss Classic 6x42 with #4 reticle to Africa once on a .308W and out to 100 metres, it did very well. The reticle proved to be too thick for my taste and there were times where I had the opportunity to choose my shot in my own time and a variable would have been a more versatile option.

My big game scopes stay set on 2.5 to 3X all the time.

The maximum range I care to shoot at big game is 300 yards and I prefer much less. I see zero use for any more magnification on big game.

If I can shoot 1 " groups at 100 yards I should be able to hold on any big game and that is how it works out for white tails on up.

Most of the scopes on my son's and my hunting rifles, black powder rifles, rifled shotguns start at 1x, 1.1x or 1.5x, some at 2, 2.5x or 3.5x, they all begin a hunt at the minimum since our hunting around here in the Mid Atlantic region of the US provides opportunities measured in feet and some measured in football fields.

Opportunities measured in football fields are rarer than those measured in feet, and often provide sufficient time to change to higher x, moreover, it isn't difficult to make a shot within the range I want to shoot, which is for the most part under 250yds, with a scope even at 1.1x or 1.5x.

My experience in Africa is the same, but I have only hunted in Zimbabwe, and not some of the areas with open expanses.

JPK