Maybe this isn't the right spot for this. But it looks like I am getting ready to p-dog hunt. I am looking to buy a 223rem. I wanted a scope that was a mil dot, target knobs and I would like FFP but I don't know the best power range? 6 X 24? 8 X 32? 4.5 X 14? Thanks

Of the three you mention, I would go with a 6x24 some of the shots on PD's can be a long ways out there. The reason I say 6x24 is that you will probably find, like I did that heat mirage will at times be enough that you have to go down in power. At one time I shot alot of PD's and found the old burris 6x18 perfect for me. My shooting buddy used the Leupold 6.5x20.

I would be looking for quality in whatever power you decide on, rather than a high magnification. I must admit that I have a grand total of 1 p-dog shoot under my belt, but found that clarity will trump magnification in the field. Even for shots way out there, 14-16 worked well for me. 18-20 was showing quite a bit of mirage over the 4 days we shot. I'd be very concerned with the thickness of the reticle as well. Thick reticles hide the upright dogs. I loved the fine cross hair and dot set up. Use good binocs to find them, and most any power will hit them.

Your mileage may vary, of course, but that's my experience.

Quality before magnification..I agree..a good 4-14..4-16..or max a 6-24....the new Nikons w/side focus are nice..the new 4200 Bushy 6-24 w/side focus is real nice...buy it once...cry once..don't skimp on glass or mounts..resettable turrets are a plus for me...6-18 Leo w/turrets makes a nice p/dogger..

Got a Leupold VariX-III 6.5-20 on my 223. Mostly use about 12X to 14X, but use the higher powers enough that I'm glad to have them.

Most of the time I have my vari power scopes set at 16 or 18 X when shooting prairie dogs. The higher the X power setting the smaller the feild of view. My first centerfire prairie dog rifles has Leupold 6.5-20 X scopes on them . I got by with a 12 X scope on my first 223 Rem but I like the 6-18 X better. I went out prairie dog shooting sixteen times last year .The 223 Rem is a good prairie dog rifle but I ll be trying out a 17 Fireball and 204 Ruger rifles with 6-18 X scope this year.

I've got both a 4.5-14 and a 6-24. The 4.5-14 is enough out to the 650 yards I've shot at. The 24x is great when there isn't too much mirage, but usually there is too much mirage and I use it around the 10-14x setting.

For a .223 based Pdog rifle, more than 6.5 x 20 is wishful thinking.

I use 10-14x on all my PD rifles except the 18# or heavier rifles I might shoot on 20x. QUALITY as mentioned is worth much more than magnification.
The 6x24 Elite 4200 tops the most of my pd rifles. I have an 1/8th minute dot (Lee) and an ultra fine CH (Ackerman) on the two rifles I use the most.


www.duanesguns.com

One of the scopes I used on my outing was an Elite 4200 6-24 x 40. In my opinion, that reticle was borderline for the longest shots due to its thickness. I had 2 of them actually, along with 2 Weaver Grand Slams, one in 4-14, the other the 6-20 with the fine cross hair and dot. REALLY LIKED that dot set up!

I have Leupold's, 6, 6X18 and 3, 6.5X20 and have shot in 5 states in 80 to 107 deg. and have never had to turn down for mirage.

Quality and magnification!!

Bad optics give you a headache after a day of shooting p-dogs.

I have a Weaver GS 6 x 20 and love it. If I had the $ I would have gone Leupold. Hooked it up to an elcheapo Savage 12FP with accutrigger and really like the whole setup.

When eradicating sod poodles I usually set mine on about 10 - 12 and leave it all day unless something's way out there then I crank it up.

Amen on the headache from using poor quality glass.
Been there done that.

muck

6.5 X 20 Leupold with fine duplex or fine cross hairs or Leupold dot which is the center pointed cross hairs with the small dot. The larger after market dots and heavy duplex cover to much of the dog. I find it faster to get on the dogs with the scope set on 12 to 16X but sometimes I will turn it up to 20X if shooting past about 400 yds.

Jim

Most of my long range PD rifles have 6.5-20 VXIII Lupes. You can't beat them. As the day wears on, the mid-day mirage forces cranking them down to 12X or so. They are the best.

Three of my rifles have the old Japanese Tasco 6-24 with the fine crosshair and 1/8 minute dot. I like em a lot but I will echo the posters above. Clear, bright optics of 14-16 power is all I need for most shots. I keep shots to 400 or less and find I only need the highest magnification on those really long shots. Most shots are fine at 14 power. Another thought is if you have a 4-16, you can turn it down to 4 power for moving game like rabits, coyotes, foxes etc. DW

Chain you'll find that a true mildot is to big to hunt pd. I was a firm believer that 12x was all you needed, till last year when there was alot of green grass and at 7-800 yds they were very hard to pick out. That scope was a 12x unertl some other scopes that I use are 4-16 weaver, b&l 6-24, 6-18, 6.5-20 leupolds and a 12-42 nightforce. If it was me I would look for a 6.5-20 leupold used or a 6-24 elite 4200 used for the money you can't beat these optics.

Thanks I have been looking in the 6 X 20 range I get the rifle next Tues. I will have to make up my mind by then.