Rifle Scopes High magnification usability?

[SnowMan]

Ive been wanting to get a scope with a high end @35x. Ive had good luck with "up to" 25X but it seems bigger is the current trend. Years ago I had a 36x Leupold bench rest scope and it was difficult to use. Seems like everything, mirage/vibrations/etc effected it, so I have been hesitant to get anything up in that range. Wondering how usable 35x is in the real world. Any opinions? Thanks

 

[Rekkr870]

Depends.

Most high end scopes like S&B, NF, etc are very useable on the higher end of the mag range.

If its 95 degrees and 90% humidity, it won't be very useable. Mirage will render it useless in those conditions.

 

[Huskydriver]

Mirage is mirage and is tough to see through regardless of brand. Higher mag is super useful ironically at closer range for observing and measuring imo but I rarely go above 15 when actually shooting.

 

[VegasHKShooter]

I have the NF 7-35. I generally run around an NRL match at 12-14X. I find I use the top end on KYL stages, and when shooting small groups while prone. The new scopes that I personally have shot: the NF 7-35 and the Leupold MK5 7-35 are very usable on the top IF you’re super stable, and the conditions cooperate. I do find that I can literally watch my trace to 1K with my NF @ 35X. Makes spotting correction much easier.
All said, I love having the power, but generally, my 4-16 ATACR would probably do anything that needs doing with a .308- 6.5CM.

 

[diderr]

I’ve had a nightforce that went up to 46 power and could rarely run it above 20x on summer days. My Premier was a 15x and still ran into some mirage issues

 

[SnowMan]

Thanks for the info guys.

 

[Mortalpawn]

I have the NF 7-35 and as others have said it is pretty rare to shoot it much over 20x unless the conditions are very good as mirage and small motions of the gun work against you.

That being said, I still like having the 35x top range. There are several uses I've found:

• Spotting - I rarely need to pull out the spotting scope as I can just turn the power up and use the rifle for spotting hits on paper.
• Target identification - for long targets, there are times when it is nice to zoom in and get a close look before shooting
• Milling (ranging) - Using the NF Mil-C reticle you can zoom in and get a very accurate measure of the target (< 0.05 mil), which can be fantastic for determining range. Because the inverted T on the reticle is marked in 0.1 mil marks, it is often more accurate than my spotting scope.

 

[Vodoun daVinci]

This is my second season shooting precision rifle. Shooting my first hand loads and with a brand new Athlon Argos BTR 10-40X56 scope. I personally really like the extended magnification and running the 40X scope at 35X gives me a really clear look at splashes and groups at extended range.

I'm shooting mostly bench and prone at paper and some steel out to 600 yards.

35X is the least magnification I'll likely ever run from now on.

VooDoo