Have to ask the pro´s here..

If you had a fixed 10x scope, with the crosshairs covering 0.2" at 100 yards.. at what ranges would you consider shooting small varmints at?

Say crow sized and smaller? Prarie dogs, ground hogs.


Just using hold over.. not clicking or complicated reticles.

that 10x with a quarter minue haids will do you farther than you can shoot

I agree.

Had a 10x on my .223 for years. Only problems
I had was on hot sunny days and the mirage
fogged things up.

Since then I went to a variable: 6.5-20x on all
my varmint rifles. The low setting is just about enough to cut the mirage out other than exceptionally hot days.

Strange things happen at times. Met an old guy from Idaho that wanted it, we swapped the scope for a rifle I wanted.

George

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
that 10x with a quarter minue haids will do you farther than you can shoot

+1

A higher power scope is nice in good (non-mirage) conditions, but more than about 18X is usually a handicap. The wider FOV of a 10X or 12X lets you see the bullet impact with most .22 Centerfires, whereas a 20X or 24X leaves you wondering just where that shot went since you'll lose the sight picture with the recoil.

I agree, Ihad a 10X Weaver and I sure liked it, but I like a 3x9 Leupold because all varmints aren't way out yonder, I shot many rockchucks and P dogs at 25 to 100 yards, the 3x is handy to have on hand, and 9X all I will ever need. In fact missing a shot at a varmint isn't earth shakeing to me, there will be another in a few minutes..

a 10x is max for me and even a 10 shows too much mirage in this part of the state..I however,seldom shoot past 300 yards, except perhaps on the Snake River Canyon, and its just guess and by gosh..

Id rather be shooting at running jackrabbits or coyotes at 100 to 200 yards...

At 1,000 yards I need at least 10X to see the 4" value marker on the targets and it's bright orange on a white background so I'd say that's probably about the limit for my eyes.

I shot my first 500 yard PDs using a 12X scope on a Ruger no 1 in 223. A 10X would have done as well. I like a little more magnification but could live without it if I needed.

quote:

Originally posted by Nortman:
Have to ask the pro´s here..

If you had a fixed 10x scope, with the crosshairs covering 0.2" at 100 yards.. at what ranges would you consider shooting small varmints at?

Say crow sized and smaller? Prarie dogs, ground hogs.


Just using hold over.. not clicking or complicated reticles.

I've settled in on 4.5-14x as just about perfect for long range prairie dogs. The mirage problems you will encounter above 16x don't make them worth it it me, and the slightly lower power makes it easy to locate the dogs and then zoom in on them. I have used both fixed 6x and 10x scopes. If I could not see the dog with the 6x on my 223's they were a bit to far and it was time to use a bigger gun, but the 10x did make it a bit harder to locate the moving dogs on the mounds quickly.

In Southern Idaho on a summer day the mirage is terrible with the 12X and I liked the 4x12, but eventually went with the 3x9 as the best varmint scope for coyotes and all varmints, never needed more.

I usually stop at 12.
it's just easier for me to find 4X12 AO scopes locally.
you don't have to turn the power all the way up and going down to 3-4 power is actually real useful on the ground squirrels here.

I shoot a lot of PD's around 10x.

My scopes on my pd rifles run from 4-12 ,4.5-14, 6-16, 4-18 a couple 6x24s.

Calibers 223 22-250 and 243.

Top end of 16 seems the best.

The 24s do not get much work out on the top end.

As the day and barrels heat up getting down to 9 or 10x is the norm.

Thanks, guys. You just answered the question I was about to ask. I just picked up a .204 Ruger rifle barrel for a T/C Contender and was trying to decide what scope to put on it. I have an 10X El Paso Weaver with an adjustable objective and a 1-minute dot reticle that should be a good choice for a ground squirrel gun.

I had a 10X Burris handgun scope on my .223 Contender handgun. Never had problems doing groundhogs out to 400 yds.

Lots of comments about mirage; best wind indicator out there. I would never turn my scope down enough not to see it.

mirage is worse over snow with the sun at a right angle to the shooter.
it looks like what you'd expect it to over a sand dune but with a cold barrel.

it will throw a 200yd shot off 2-3"s just through sighting error.

Something to consider is what kind of a varmint hunter are you. I have some friends that are really into it seriously..I, on the other hand might show up with my 222 Rem and a 4X Leupold, and tend to pick my shots..I can shoot half a dozen chucks, and quit for the day, my friends keep count and may shoot a hundred or more trying to break last years record, and they gunned for it, big variable scopes, spotting scope, binocs, shooting pads all the trinkets..They love hunting rockchucks and pinheads at 500 plus yards, or as far as they can see one, and they can shoot!! I would rather be shooting at running Jacks and coyotes at 100 to 200 yards with low power scopes and lots of offhand, to prepare for big game hunting..Both hunts have appeal but to degrees of the shooter/hunter..

For all around varminting I could get by pretty well with a 10X on the high end, but much prefer the 3x9 variable, but a miss isn't earth shaking to me on varmints, at least not like it would on a trophy deer or elk. I do enjoy watching the boys make those long range hits however and the comraderie of the hunt..and get a kick out of their reaction to a miss!!

I also enjoy walking the rimrocks and taking close to medium range running shots on the chucks and the 3X comes in real handy on that. The 10X, however is handy out my kitchen window on the neighbors chucks, and a cup of coffee while I wait for a head to peek out..Those shots can be 200 to perhaps 400 or more.

As you can see, Im not a dyed in the wool varmint hunter, but a day hunting anything beats a full time job..and my choice of scopes fits my style of hunting..thst,s what should determine your choice of scope, not what someone else uses I would think.

Ray: Great reasons for the way and things
you hunt & shoot.
Don't know up there how many burrowing owls
there are. We have a lot of 'em around here.

Sure need to ID them. Hard to do with less than 10x at 400yards. Lot's of shots that far and further. Quite a few misses some days and for
less experienced shooters. It does take practice to make those long hits. Damned sure
don't want to be shooting those little owls.

Some areas have transplanted black tailed ferrets too. Most of those areas won't let anyone on the place shooting though.

Just like all hunting, "Make damned sure what
you're shooting at before pulling the trigger".

These are MY reasons for having the bigger glass. Yes I turn it down to the middle much of the time for closer shots.

George

GeorgeGild
That makes since to me..My varmint hunting is more or less pasture loafing and targets or opertunity while I look for big bucks and bulls for the upcoming deer and elk season..I get a number of close shots on rockchucks and pinheads,some longer shots at usually running coyotes and Jack rabbits, and the 3X on my 3x9 comes in real handy those running shots..I had a fixed 8 and 10 and I liked both of them..I won't go past 10X as mirage is terrible out here in the wide open spaces..