How Much Is To Much Scope???

[callsalot]

Hey Guys, I apologize for the question because it's probably been hashed out a million times. However, I've been mostly archery hunting for many years, but due an occasional rifle hunt. I'm adding some more rifle hunts again to lengthen my seasons by doing both bow and rifle, plus I'm not getting any younger. I just bought a Seekins Havak PH2 in 6.5 PRC thanks to some suggestions from MM members for my budget "thanks". I have some decent scopes in 4X16 30 mm tube and 50 objective "hope I said all that right". However the temptation to go up to 20 to 25 max power for the new rifle is eating at me. I'll probably never shoot past 400 to 500 yards on game animals although it's fun shooting long range at targets but I'll never be a competitive shooter. I know better glass is better than greater magnification, that being said is it worth going to a higher power??????????????

 

[willfrye027]

Mostly going to be personal preference but I can tell you my feelings. I shoot out to 1000 fairly often and usually have my scope at 10-12x for that distance. The less I can get away with on magnification the better. The closer you zoom the smaller your FOV and the harder it is to spot your impact in the scope, find the animal again, etc. I do like to have 15x or so on the top end, but this is mostly to zoom in before the shot and confirm I’m shooting the right animal. I don’t really shoot at game on high power.

 

[HntHrdr]

2-4 on low end and 14-16 on top end zoom, maybe 18 anything outside of that and I personally believe you are making the scope bigger and heavier and won’t use it, plus it’s really nice to have 2 power when you jump that monster buck 30 yards from you

 

[erik1972]

I know a lot of guys that shoot 1000 yard and also I mile. There setups are like $10k+. I am told by them they never zoom past 15x for some technical reason. I would say your 16x is fine for anything in America hunting. I personally never go past 8-9x on any gun I have. My 6.5PRC has a 4.5x20 and I rarely go past 10x.

 

[ridgetops]

I bought a 6.5 prc ultralite. I went with a 4-12x40mm to keep the weight down.

 

[callsalot]

I appreciate everyone's thoughts on this. That is what my gut feeling was telling me but there is always that doubt in my mind so it helps to get everyone's take on it. Appreciate the input guys!!

 

[BigPig]

Depends greatly on FFP vs SFP. Unless you like doing math under stressful situations, too much mag in an SFP scope is a serious negative. Field of view matters. And if you want to use the reticle for windholds you will be at max mag, which shrinks FOV. Bad news above say 12-16x. There’s never any need for more mag than that in the field, even out to 800-1000yds. It always kills me to see guys with 24x SFP scopes. They don’t know what they don’t know.

FFP scopes rule with high top end mag. That way you can use the upper end when at the range, and something mid range in the field so you can see your hits and get back on target.

 

[BigPig]

I know a lot of guys that shoot 1000 yard and also I mile. There setups are like $10k+. I am told by them they never zoom past 15x for some technical reason. I would say your 16x is fine for anything in America hunting. I personally never go past 8-9x on any gun I have. My 6.5PRC has a 4.5x20 and I rarely go past 10x.

Correct, you must shoot FFP.

The technical reason is because FOV matters.

 

[callsalot]

I think I'll just throw one of my 4x16x50 on it then and save a little cash. The Seekins PH2 hunter I bought in 6.5prc isn't crazy expensive compared to customer rifles but for me it's still a little investment so I'll save on the scope end of things. Thanks again.

 

[257Tony]

3-15 or 4-16 will cover 99.9% of hunting situations.

 

[Rie bread]

Anything over 3x9 but this is coming from a guy that shot fixed 4x so…
But really it’s pretty far shot to need more than 9x

 

[BigPig]

Where extra mag really is helpful is at the range when proofing an absolutely precise 100 yard zero. This is a critical step for those who want to accurately dial out to longer ranges. Then you can back off to normal mag levels with wider FOV to shoot at game in the field (and still use your horizontal holds for wind, with an FFP scope.)

 

[Longtail]

I still use 3x9..90% of the time it’s on 3x! But I like to get close and hunt animals and not shoot them from 1000 yards away