Realize that much of the world has gone to these new-fangled variable power scopes.

There is probably a benefit to extra high end magnification during load work-up and maybe during sighting-in, assuming the scope sight-in doesn't change with magnification power changes.


In the prairie dog towns, what is the highest continuous use magnification practical ?

By midday, have always found myself not wanting more than 16X due to mirage, eye fatigue, whatever. But then I may be missing something. It is possible I don't have the scope focus or parallax adjustment just right.

Some friends have shot all day with 10X and 12X as their top end and felt they did not give up anything.

When we polled the prairie dogs, they didn't offer an expressed opinion.


Thoughts ?

During the 1950's and after, I used a fixed power Unertl 16x, 1 1/2" Target Scope. I felt then, and now, that 16x is the highest practical power to use given mid-day mirage. I shot lots of centerfire benchrest competitively, and 20x is too much with mirage for me.
I'm now using receiver mounted scopes, and don't think powers higher than 12x are needed. I don't like the high powered variables, and try to stick with fixed power scopes. But, I do have several high power variables I use for target shooting.
I think the quality of the glass is very important, so that's the area I zero in on.
When I was a kid, 8x fixed power scopes were considered high power. Not many variables back then. In any case, I make up sunshades that cover most of the barrel to control mirage coming off the hot barrel. Then I only have down range mirage to deal with.
Now that you mention it, I wish a good scope maker would make a fixed 15x or 16x scope. I do have some fixed 12x scopes that Leupold makes.
Incidentally, I've gone to all fixed power scopes for hunting rifles.

Don

i have 3 rifles with which i p-dog shoot. two have 5.5X 16.5 X44 and the other has a 4 X 14 X 40. i find all three to meet my needs. i seldom shoot higher than 12X after mid-morning. all of my deer rifles have 3 X 9's.

I use 24x and higher in the early mornings before the mirage gets bad, when I'm shooting long distance (>600 yards).

Usually for mid day shooting for us 12-14X is the maximum that you can use because the mirage gets so bad.

Well, you can put me in that group who use those new-fangled variables. My varmint guns all wear either 4.5 X 14 or 6.5 x 20 Leupolds.

But for colony varmint shoots I suppose I could get along quite well with a straight 12X Leupold.

The beauty of the variables is that I can crank them up when conditions allow or down a little when necessary. And I do enough coyote calling that I need the low end powers for that usage.

But, a straight 10 or 12 power scope will kill varmints as far as a lot of people can shoot.

I can live quite happily with a 4.5 x 14 scope.... but the above mentioned Nikon 5.5 x 16 is an awfully nice scope for shooting little bitty varmints waaaay out there!

My older varmint rifles have 12 X scopes on them except for a 220 Swift and 243 Win which have 6.5-20 X scopes. Most of the time when shooting prairie dogs the 6.5-20 X scopes are set at 16 X. My newer varmint rifles have 6-18 X scopes with the scopes set at 16X. For me the feild of view is smaller than I like when set over 16 X. When testing reloads off a bench rest the scopes are at the highest X setting.

I have a very nice Burris 4x16 tyhat works well. My 6x24s don't see as much work. I have a 3x12 on a 22-250 that I have killed tons of p dogs with. I do a lot of shooting around 10x when very hot.

I wouldn't want more than about 12X in a fixed power for prairie dogs. Years ago, I tried hunting with a 24x target scope on a Rem 40x .22-250. Finding the dog in the scope's narrow FOV after spotting it with binoculars was a challenge.

My "best" prairie dog scope is a 6-18X. I can crank it down to locate the target, then back up as far as conditions allow for shooting. But frankly, I don't feel handicapped with my rifles that carry a 4-12x, even at extended yardages.

My higher power variables are 4.5x14's and 6.5x20's. I find my self and my eyes quite happy with 12x 90% of the time.

I think that the environmental conditions are the single most important factor in this question, and the second factor of concern is ranges shot, and then target size. The most challenging varminting I have done is 1,000 yard plus Pdogs. In that arena I have used the Leupold Mark 4 - 16X and a pair of Leupold 8.5 x 25 variables. When the mirage picks up the variable works it's way down to about 15 - 18X. The better the target is seen the better the chance of hitting it.

2 heavy barrel Sako L46s for prairie dogs.
2 Leupold 12x fixed scopes.
I have tried the higher power variable scopes, but always turned the magnification down to 10 or 12.

40 years ago I was shooting squirrels in Canada with open sights.

25 years ago, I would shoot prairie dogs in MT with a 4X scope.

The last 4 years in Oregon, I have been finding rodents with 9X binocs, switching to the 8X scope, and then turning up the scope power to 32X for the shot with the 223, but the 22LR has been 4X.

The 8x32x44 and 4X scopes were stolen in April.

I went to Montana in May and shot with a 13x40x40. I would find PDs with binocs, get them in the scope at 13X, and the then shoot at 40X at 250 yards.

I just bought a 6x20x40 and a 6x20x50 scope. I think I am going to start shooting at lower power.

4.4 x 14, or 4 x 16 is all the power you are ever going to need Clark!

But even my 6 x 24s spend their time under 16 power max...

I don't care how good the optics are, I just can't see out of anything over 14 power or so anyway.. looks like looking thru the wife's fish bowl to me...

Yeah, it would be a windless day when more than 14X would do any good at all.

On my varmint rifles, I have from 8-32x down to 4-12x for .22 mags. Yeah, 32x, 24x, and 20x may be too hight for varmints, but sure help me at the range for load development. I would guess I use 20x most in the early morning, but quickly go to 18x and 16x as it warms up. Now, there are ocassionally some prairie dogs as dumb as I am that get up at very short ranges, then its quickly down to 4x or 6x.

I shot my first 600yd event yesterday.

I had the 6-24x42D Sightron target scope on the 6.5x55.

While it wasn't a great success for flaco, I am absolutely convinced that this Sightron scope is great.

flaco

I started out using fix powered scopes and still do all around 12x. As I get older and able to buy more expensive scopes I went to 6.5-20 and 8.5x25 and finally a 12x42 nightforce and I found that in the morning praire dog town your at the high end of 42 and in the heat of the day your still in the low 30,s. The 8.5x25 you started out in the 24-25 range then went to 12-16x. I still use my fixed power scopes, this year though I was at a distinct disadvantage as the grass in south dakota was very green and high. Praire dogs at 6-800 yds with a fixed 12x power Unertl along with the grass were very hard to find. The nightforce made all the difference. My partner and myself made it into the 5-10-1500 yd clubs this year. Our shot this year was at 1730 yds a mile is 1760. The night force was set at 33x. Next year were going for 2000 yds.

I would say that the highest practically mag to use is related to what scope you are using.

I found I was able to use a 32 power (8-32)by 56 with my Night force mid day and still see fine though the mirage, where my leupold (8-25)by 50 seemed to be limited to 18 power to see though the same.

These are the only ones I have compared so there may be scopes with better optics as well.

quote:

Realize that much of the world has gone to these new-fangled variable power scopes.

There is probably a benefit to extra high end magnification during load work-up and maybe during sighting-in, assuming the scope sight-in doesn't change with magnification power changes.


In the prairie dog towns, what is the highest continuous use magnification practical ?

By midday, have always found myself not wanting more than 16X due to mirage, eye fatigue, whatever. But then I may be missing something. It is possible I don't have the scope focus or parallax adjustment just right.

Some friends have shot all day with 10X and 12X as their top end and felt they did not give up anything.

Interesting question, I have an 8 X 32 Burris on my 220 Swift, at 32 power I can count (if it stands still long enough) the legs of a fly crawling on the white part of a target at 100 yards.

When hunting prairie dogs I back it off to somewhere around 28-24 power for better eye relief.

What ever power you pick, learn to shoot it, and learn to shoot it against other rifles with different scopes.