Rifle Scopes How much magnification needed?

[Charlie357magnum]

I'm shopping for a scope for my Ruger 77/357 rifle and I'm somewhat new to scopes. I'm trying to decide on how much magnification I need. The rifle is just for target shooting/fun.

I want to be able to see the bullet holes on a white paper target from 100 yards away. I know quality of glass will have a lot to do with how clearly I can see it, but how much magnification do I need in order to see those .357" sized holes at 100 yards in daylight conditions? Is a 7x powered scope enough, or do I need to go with a 9x or even higher?

 

[7GRT]

If your only shooting 100 yards you'll see bullet holes with either 7x or 9x but if you want to shoot for group and have a better chance of letting the rifle shoot to its ability then your going to need 30x plus . 8-32 would seem to give you the best of both worlds .

 

[agbm]

Remember scope magnification power is up to you, my rem 308 has a Leupold MK4 8.5-25X50mm on top. I said I wanted one scope and not have to buy two or three.

 

[dAyLiTe]

Maybe think of breaking that into 2...
Get a 3-12 or 4-16 or max 5-25, and also get a spotting scope at 40x or even one of those new wireless camera systems that you can setup in front of the target.

Then you get a scope for general usage, and you get the detail when shooting targets.

 

[samnev]

I have used the NightForce NXS 8-32X56 and the NightForce NXS 5.5-22X50 scopes @100 yards. Both are great at resolving bullet holds down to 22 caliber. However I find that my Bushnell Elite Tactical G2DMR 3.5-21X50 is just as good even with holes in the black at slightly more than half the price.

 

[nfoley]

.357 leaves a pretty big hole.
A good fixed 10X scope will work for you as well.
What is your budget?

 

[Natty Bumpo]

I'm shopping for a scope for my Ruger 77/357 rifle and I'm somewhat new to scopes. I'm trying to decide on how much magnification I need. The rifle is just for target shooting/fun.

I want to be able to see the bullet holes on a white paper target from 100 yards away. . . . Is a 7x powered scope enough, or do I need to go with a 9x or even higher?

Good glass at 9X will be plenty to see 0.35" holes in white paper. 7X would probably do. While I'm a big fan of magnification, seems like a rifle chambered in .357 Mag would be intended for a light, handy rifle for use mostly inside 100 yards. If you want a big variable with up to 20-30 power that's your choice. Just seems to me the rifle would be better suited with something in the range of 2-7 power up to 3-12 power.

You don't give a location. I know in Indiana rifles are only legal for deer hunting if chambered in a pistol caliber. If you ever intend to hunt with it, I'd avoid a fixed 10X scope.

 

[ACK]

Main purpose for the rifle? For hunting the ubiquitous 3 x 9 is hard to beat, a .357 hole with decent optics will be visible at 100 yards. Resolution is as critical as magnification.
I run 16X and higher on my target rifles, the field of view is quite limited. Could I use them for hunting? Yes, Would I? No, lightest one is ~15 lb; other than shooting from a stand not very practical.

 

[supercorndogs]

i found a lot of the 3-9 scopes have a wider feild of veiw than the 2-7 scopes i looked at

 

[VJJPunisher]

is this thread for real, 32 fucking X for a 357 at 100, holy shitballs ya'll have jumped the shark and gone full fuckin retard, what site is this?

 

[ridein4life]

Im with Punisher on this one! 30x+ WTF do ya need that for??? i think id laugh my ass off if i seen that on the range plinkin at 100yards. 10x MAX!!!

 

[cpt.creedmoor]

i.....i......i......i got nothin.......

 

[Kiwigrunt]

I had a 2.5 to 10 Kahles (OK, fantastic glass) for close to ten years, and have never not been able to spot .223 holes in white paper at 200m.
I now have a 5 to 20 on that rifle and have spotted .30 holes at 450m. OK, favourable conditions.
To spot holes the size of a small truck, 7x out of reasonable glass out to 100 yards should be ample. With my 4x Acog I have no trouble seeing .223 holes at 100 on white paper.

At 100 and 200 I use plain white A4 sheets with orange stickers (about 1 inch diameter) on them. I see no need for the fancy looking targets with (often arbitrary) rings or squares that cover half the target with black ink. All of that black ink just serves to obscure bullet holes.

 

[the once-ler]

careful too much mag and your target will flutter like crazy unless you have a vice or lead sled type rest.

 

[Mike]

For that rifle and that caliber it doesn't matter. If you get more than 10x you're crazy. In all honest, any scope you can't buy at Walmart is too much for that rifle.

 

[quacktastic]

careful too much mag and your target will flutter like crazy unless you have a vice or lead sled type rest.

i use 32x looking at 100 yds to measure how high my blood pressure is getting reading this retarded thread

 

[105amatt]

I heard the NF Beast is a POS. You might consider one of those.

 

[evilcoon]

.357 leaves a pretty big hole.
A good fixed 10X scope will work for you as well.
What is your budget?

I have the same gun with the SS 10x and I'm able to see the target fine. I guess it's what works for you.

 

[Charlie357magnum]

I'm leaning toward a 2-7x. I'll probably be able to see the .357 sized holes in the target even at 100 yards with that, and I like having just 2x for when I'm shooting at 25 yards or less.
It probably won't be for hunting ever. I live in North Carolina and can use something more powerful for that.
This isn't my only rifle and definitely won't be the last one I buy.