The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Medium Bore Rifles How many use a 4x or 1.5x6, 2x7 for hunting?Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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I regularly use: Leupold VX3 1.5-5X Leupold M8 4X Leupoid VX6i 1-6X Leupold VX3 2-7X Also various S&B and Swaroxsky variables up to 10X. | |||
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Just ordered a meopta fixed 6x from Doug at cameraland.Its going onto a 280 AI for my all around gun. Killed my biggest mule deer years back with a 300 mag topped with leupold 6x 430 yards. For me, a flat shooting rifle and a 6x keeps things simple out to 400 yes or so. | |||
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Mine are, for the vast majority, out to 10, 12, or 14 power. One is a varmint scope and it's out to 24. | |||
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If one has the low power varible from a 3x9 on down and if it works when tested on targets out to 100 to 300 yards and determines they don't get a POI change between powers the fine, use them on the lower powers..but I know a number of guys that sight them in on 9X and just assume they hold their POI at those other powers and at all distances, well guess again..I have an area where in I can shoot at any range up to a mile I suppose but I only test my sighting out to 400 sometimes 5oo yards off a bench...Its a wakeup call, and if you want to drop off your targets at "unknown" distances that will break your heart!! Not under controlled circumstances will your shots be quit so nice..And off hand at 100, 200 and even 300 is a kick, but you can get surprisingly handy with practice, and even at guessed ranges you will be better, a 10 inch target bull is the way to go, thats the kill zone on deer as a rule..Deer targets make it more fun and are a confidence builder..but when you hunt better keep it to 200 yards. Anyway just conversation and some fun stuff to do, and a learning experience for sure in that we all have different levels of skill, not matter what. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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I love the new low to med-high scopes. I am running 4.5 14 VX3I Leopoldo; 3x15 VX5; and 2x12 VX6. I shot my deer and elk on 5x this year. Last year I shot my Red Stag on 12x. Year before that I killed my Fallow in n heavy cover on 14. I just could not see the gap to thread it below 9x Love the versatility and range. All of them are no bigger than a 3x9 of the 80s and 90s. So yeah love 5 to 6 and use that level of magnification most, but find 12 and up usable. | |||
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This is a situation which comes up not infrequently, a hunter trying to use his aiming equipment to identify game with. Rifle scopes are not spotting scopes and should not be used as such. That's what binoculars are for. I can remember vividly walking down a trail with my deer rifle, clad in orange as required, and looking up to see another hunter peering at me THROUGH HIS RIFLE SCOPE. I quickly dodged behind a tree and yelled at the fool. He's lucky I didn't follow my first impulse and shoot at him. Except for some 1.5-5X variables, none of my hunting rifles has more than a 4X scope, my larger calibers carry 2 1/2 or 3X scopes. I have never felt handicapped by lack of more magnification. | |||
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many of the lower power scopes simply have too small of Objective lens for low light use. I have a Burris 1.75 x 6 with I think a 32 that is the brightest scope I have. Love it. I also have a Konus 2.5x shotgun scope I use on a 458 WM same objective size and it is Bright and reliable. Don't shoot the messenger, it just is. I've shot hundreds of rounds with it. "The liberty enjoyed by the people of these states of worshiping Almighty God agreeably to their conscience, is not only among the choicest of their blessings, but also of their rights." ~George Washington - 1789 | |||
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I still run a 4x on my .270 Win. For 40 some years I had a Leupold 6x32 on my .257 Ackley. I shot all of my sheep, most of my deer and antelope, and an elk and mou tain caribou with that set up. Just recently I replaced that Leupold 6x with a 4-12x40 Leupold that I took off another rifle. I also have a 2-7x Leupold on my .375 RUM. It's worked great for me on a couple of African hunts, so I see no reason to change it. I have 4.5-14x40 Leupolds on several of my other rifles, and really like them. When hunting they are set at 6x or lower. NRA Endowment Life Member | |||
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If someone would make a 1x8x 50, it would be on most of my rifles. Illuminated would be nice on one or two for moonlight pigs  | |||
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Only three 'scoped rifles: .270 WCF Weatherby; 2.5-8x Leupold .350 Rem Mag model 600; 1.5-5x Leupold .450-400 Harrison and Hussey; 1.25-4x Swarovski _______________________________ Cal Pappas, Willow, Alaska www.CalPappas.com www.CalPappas.blogspot.com 1994 Zimbabwe 1997 Zimbabwe 1998 Zimbabwe 1999 Zimbabwe 1999 Namibia, Botswana, Zambia--vacation 2000 Australia 2002 South Africa 2003 South Africa 2003 Zimbabwe 2005 South Africa 2005 Zimbabwe 2006 Tanzania 2006 Zimbabwe--vacation 2007 Zimbabwe--vacation 2008 Zimbabwe 2012 Australia 2013 South Africa 2013 Zimbabwe 2013 Australia 2016 Zimbabwe 2017 Zimbabwe 2018 South Africa 2018 Zimbabwe--vacation 2019 South Africa 2019 Botswana 2019 Zimbabwe vacation 2021 South Africa 2021 South Africa (2nd hunt a month later) ______________________________ | |||
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Almost every hunting rifle I own wears a 1-4x leupold. I find that where I hunt, that range provides all of the magnification I need to put down a deer or hog. Heck, I really enjoy hunting with open sights or peep sights as often as using optics. I am not really a trophy hunter so scrutinizing antlers is not something I find important. Playing a smaller part, I like the light weight and the look of a scope with no objective bell. I hunt with and load for efficient cartridges with heavy bullets at moderate velocity most would consider big bores. The smaller scopes just look correct on a 9.3, 416, or 458. They look right on Antrim 6.5x55 or 7x57 as well. My average shot has probably been 70 yards over the last 25 years of hunting. My 338-06 AI wears a 3-9, my most powerful magnification. I made my longest shot on game, a buck at 220 yards in west Texas. I have made shots almost that far with 1-4x optics and never felt I was at a disadvantage. A 3-9x is all you need out to 250-300 yards and that is as far as I would feel comfortable shooting game. I prefer to stalk much much closer whenever possible. Shoot the largest caliber you can shoot well, and practice, practice, practice. | |||
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Did you notice the scopes become less reliable as constantly centred reticles arose, Ray? As you know, I have little respect for the concept because most such scopes have all the guts between ocular and objective lenses suspended on gimbals and springs, bouncing around whenever any decent calibre is touched off beneath. Some of the old mounts seemed a bit dodgy to me, though - the German ones too high and American side mounts too short. The M84 scope made for the M1 Garand had possibly the strongest internal movement I've ever seen, only to be let down by a short side mount vulnerable to leveraging from any bump fore or aft. | |||
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Repeating what I wrote a while back on another site, over the past 30 years, my go-to big-game hunting scope has been a Swarovski 3-9x36. My first ones were labelled 3-9x36 Habicht Nova, and they have evolved over the years, with improvements in lens coatings and the addition of many new reticles and ballistic turrets, to the present-day Z3 series. My favorite reticle is the uncluttered 4A. I’ve had one of the Swarovski 3-9x36 scopes mounted on rifles used for many different kinds of big-game hunting—open country pronghorns, high-altitude open-tundra caribou, all species of deer (including moose and elk) in many different environments—and mostly with a 7mm. magnum. The optics are crystal-clear, and it is compact and light—12.1” long and 12.0 oz. It keeps the rig relatively light, balanced, and manoeuvrable. At 3 power, it has a 39 ft. field of view at 100 yards—the widest, I believe, of any 3-9 scope--and, even with its 36mm. objective lens, it seems to transmit sufficient light even in dark, wooded conditions. The objective bell has an OD of 1.65”, which allows very low mounting, which I prefer. In size and weight, it’s very close to the Leupold 2.5-8x36 (whose magnification is actually 2.6-7.8). The latter scope has a 37.5’ FOV at 100 yards (so a little less then the Swarovski) ______________________________ The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. - Bertrand Russell | |||
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I have a z3 and a Habicht 3-9x36 and agree. It or the 2.5-8x36 Vx3 could handle most hunting situations anyone will ever encounter. Both great optics and a value at their price. "Let me start off with two words: Made in America" | |||
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1.5-6 or 2-10 out west. | |||
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1.5 X 5 2x,1.5x6 30mm 2x , 2x7 2x, 1x4, etc We ae not shooting ground hogs or crows with these. One can shoot deer a long way with any of these. | |||
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Other than gopher shooting I use low power scopes. 4x, 1-5, 4x, 2-7. IHMSA BC Provincial Champion and Perfect 40 Score, Unlimited Category, AAA Class. | |||
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4X, 2-7X, 12X | |||
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Use all three on a variety of different calibers from 223 up to 9.3x62. | |||
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Sambarman, I have not had a lot of problems with centered reticles, but I do not go afield without testing my zero with any scope or peep sight..Ive seen many hunts, including my own ruined by not checking ones sights prior to the hunt..I also carry a bore sighter with marked zero after sighting in so I can check my zero before heading out to hunt, takes about a second or two to determine 0 has moved, paid off more than a few times... Saturday morning TV hunting shows hunter in camo getting into his fully covered stand?? His rifle has a 6x20 scope on a 20 pound rifle with a stand on the barrel and in some 30 cal magnum rifle, guy sit in stand with huge binocs. His target will be a whitetail buck feeding on corn at 50,75 or 100 yards, signs for distance marked. The buck shows up and he uses a range finder even though the yardage is marked to the target with signs, He bangs away getting his clumsey gun out the window, messes with focus, dials in the shot process, then after 15 minutes he finds the safety and aims for several minutes takes a controlled jerk at the trigger and kills his deer at bow distance on 20X... Well, maybe a slight exageration but not by much  and I realize they kill the animal first and then build the show around that..Oh I almost forgot the shooter is a country western singer some of the times and thats the best part of the show..I recall one episode where in a celeb hunter shot his bison over the hood of his pickup then crawled in the high grass, snuck up behind some brush and some other dingbat events showing his hunting skills, then did the show without the use of thepickup!!!Yipee..disgusting at best.  Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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Ray, I think you pretty much summed it up. I'd watch those shows if they included the scenes where the deer runs off when the guy is finally going to shoot. | |||
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Sadly, this is what has come to define hunting for a generation of hunters who spent more time in front of a TV than behind a trigger. I was at a LGS a couple of weeks ago when a guy comes in looking for a new scope. The guy couldn’t do better than a 6” group at 100-yards using his current 3-9x and he wanted to be able to shoot deer out to 300-yards. The guy behind the counter was much gentler than I would have been. I just pulled an old Leupold 4x off my pre-64 06 and replaced it with a new 2-7 VXIII and I’m already starting to feel like I’m cheating but I’m rationalizing that the improved quality of the glass makes it a more responsible choice. | |||
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Well with laser range finders shooting at unknown distances is mostly a thing of the past. | |||
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Snellstrom, I never, never said I would shoot at an animal at 800 to a 1000 yds..that was misquote on your part..I said I could see te animal well enough to shoot...And my reference to a "hit" ment a shoulder heart lung shot..Please give me more credit than that!! and I'll try to be more explanitory in the future.. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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I use a Leupold 1.5-4 with Pig Plex on my 358 Win., 1.5-4 MOA in an AR, 1.75-5 on my 9.3x62 and several 2.5-8s. **************** NRA Life Benefactor Member | |||
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Im an fan of P-dogs posts and opines, but I have to disagree with his flat statement that a scope is an improvement over irons under seemingly all conditions, is a bit off center! (pun intended) That would depend on the elements, the terrain, and hunting concitions in general..I have a area North of Sun Valley that holds some mighty big bull elk, and its thicker than Karo syrup, a 5 to 25 yard shot is the norm, I like my receiver sight on the 375 Ruger best, for a Texas heart shot on a big bull elk at off the barrel range, and a couple of times I point shot my bull. Its a very hard,almost impossible hunt, but after a couple of years we figured out how to make it work so that it all came together, the shot will be broad side or going south everytime..takes two to make it work. Also form time to time I like my saddle gun to have a receiver sight over a scope, just easier to pack under my leg.. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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The lowered powered scopes that I use give a minimum circular field of view of 3’ diameter at 5 yds. Some of them 5’ plus. I am comfortable using these at close distances on fairly large animals. | |||
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I would have to agree when the range is always under say 25 yards maybe 10 yards. Even at those short ranges I have used a properly set up, at the proper power, scope to thread a bullet through the thick stuff. To have been born with perfect eye sight. To be able to see a gnats ass at 100 yards | |||
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Doublegun, that pre-64 Leupold 4x you have may have been one of the best scopes they ever made, at least in terms of mechanical strength and field of view. When they changed from reticle-movement to the constantly centre reticle in 1965 the FoV apparently dropped from 35 feet at 100 yds to just 30 feet - without any commensurate increase in eye relief. The reason, I now understand, was to mask reflections from inside the erector tube when scopes were mounted crooked and turrets had to be wound to the edge. | |||
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In order of most used for h7nting 1.5 x 5 2.5 x 8 1 x 6 2 x 7 All Leupold | |||
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I see a lot of references to good shots made with certain powers such as LHeym 500s post and in fact as much as he has hunted Im quite sure he could have made the same shot with a 4X or less..good shooting has little to do with scope power..and quotes of good shots means little in that those are the good ones, Im sure some bad shots showed up from time to time...Shooting like any other sport, golf, calf roping, tennis, you have good days and bad days, and I think that happens on AR as well, well maybe not sure based on some many posts!!  Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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I have a 1-4 on my Marlin 44 mag. I also mount one on my 10-22 when I am rabbit hunting for the wider field of view. For targets it wears a 6-24 | |||
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"Depends", thats argueable for sure, Ive taken long shots in the thicest of bush or timber at over 400 yards on the opposite hillside for instance and shots on sheep, deer, and antelope in the plains at 30 to 50 yards, Yes it just depends on where your standing in time when that target of oppertunity shows itself..I can see a deer in my 2.5X Leupold Alaskan at 1000 yards well enough to shoot, but My rifles and common since don't allow taking shots beyond 400 yards give or take a few.. I have 0 use for big, bulky, clumsy,fragile monster sniper type scope in the hunting field, and have seen them fail time and time again!    Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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4x is all I need. Lightweight, simple, and reliable Ruger 10/22: Leupold 4x Compact Rimfire Ruger 44 Carbine: Leupold 4x Compact Pre-64 M70 FWT 30-06: Leupold M8 4x  | |||
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Nice trio there Doublegun | |||
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All I will ever need. Now the responsibility is on me to be as proficient as I possibly can be with each one. I hope that having the same power on each one will help with that. | |||
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I will challange most folks to a shooting contest, at 100 yards off hand, I will use a 2.5X scope or a receiver sight, and on a good day a shallow V and allow them a 6x50 or whatever...that 6x or 50X times their nervous system will win my bet but to give myself a little more edge I will say most of the time..thats a downside to magnification..If one has a rest and in a tree stand or a nature rest thats good and the range is way way out yonder it may or may not make a difference and in most cases probably not..I would get the same picture but smaller requiring me to be more carefull perhaps, just food for thought.. Over the years my agruement with Sambarman is the centered reticles the greatest thing since sliced white bread, but his knowledge convinced me he is 100% right, I;ll give him that, BUT I will take the risk and stick with the centered reticle for my hunting..much the same can be said for the folks that like those big ugly worthless scopes that ruin the balance of a fine rifle, and those SS and plastic abortions, ooops now I done went and dunit!  The single most mistake Ive seen over the years is with varible scopes and at that window of opertunity on a good trophy then were set on too high a power and the animal faded away into the brush or whatever, most claimed someone messed with their scope, but doubtful..some claim it will never happen to them, but never say never! All that said, I will defend with my life your God given right to choose! Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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I have a Kahles 6x42 with a #4 reticle on my Steyr .30-06 and it works up close and way out there. I have a Leupold 3x on my Savage 99 .300 Savage. I have a Leupold 4-12x40 on my Cooper .22 LR and a Burris 3x9 on my .451 White muzzleloader. Those are my main hunting guns that have scopes. I prefer the fixed scopes, they just work for me and I don’t feel handicapped. The .22 is used for target and squirrels so the variable is perfect. | |||
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Been shooting this old M70 .308 with M8 4x for many years and it works for me on deer sized + game out to 400 yards because most of my shots are less than 150 yards.  240 yards - bang flop! NRA Life Benefactor Member, DRSS, DWWC, Whittington Center,Android Reloading Ballistics App at http://www.xplat.net/ | |||
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Yes, Ray, I realise I'm tilting at windmills that will never submit. Part of the problem with constantly centred reticles is that the makers can never go back for fear people will realise the reigning Emperor has no clothes. This is part of the reason Bushnell/Bausch & Lomb dumped the 'Custom' scopes and mounts: B&L had argued very well that any internal adjustments are inferior - but you can't keep doing that when three-quarters of your production uses the most-delicate design inside. Personally, it doesn't matter much because I have more good old scopes than I'll ever need. I feel sorry for people who want the best, most-reliable new equipment, though, because even if they buy a Purdey no scope made today is worthy of it. Instead, as you say, people think power will fix everything. Not only do they lose opportunities with high magnifications but the scopes that give them are so big they stick out high and vulnerable to bumps and wrenching, not to mention the elaborate crap suspended on springs inside, hostage to recoil inertia. Ironically, it was your experience with big scopes and big calibres that really opened my eyes to these things, so thanks very much. | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Medium Bore Rifles How many use a 4x or 1.5x6, 2x7 for hunting?
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