What magnification range do you prefer/like?

[MAG00]

Curious to hear others feedback. What magnification range, objective, and tube size do you like or prefer for a rig that will pull double duty as hunting and fun target shooting? And why? For example...3-18x50 30mm tube, 5-25x50 30mm tube, 4.5-14x44 30mm tube, 5-30x56 34mm tube, etc., etc.

The 56mm objective with 34mm tube intrigues me for a hunting rig. It would be a larger and most likely heavier scope but seems it would help with low light conditions and field of view. But I am a novice at this stuff.

 

[acudaowner]

so far I am totally hooked of 40'xs but still enjoy 50x's when I can use it and when the need calls for it . I like choices and love having everything from 5 to 50 shame its not more at times knobs are beautiful things some go to 9 while others go to 10 this one goes to 11

 

[brianf]

Tube size has nothing to do with light gathering ability or “brightness”

Larger tube size gives more room for internal adjustment range

how a scope works in low light is a mix of internal design, glass quality and glass coatings.

Depending on the hunting style it will work just fine. But that’s not my first pic for a light weight mountain hunt.

people hav been killing deer at 200 yards with crappy scopes for a looong time.

that being said I like the best scopes I can afford. Lol

 

[MAG00]

Tube size has nothing to do with light gathering ability or “brightness”

Larger tube size gives more room for internal adjustment range

how a scope works in low light is a mix of internal design, glass quality and glass coatings.

Depending on the hunting style it will work just fine. But that’s not my first pic for a light weight mountain hunt.

people hav been killing deer at 200 yards with crappy scopes for a looong time.

that being said I like the best scopes I can afford. Lol

Understood. Any specific size/make/model you like best and why?

 

[MAG00]

Your thoughts/opinions...is 5 power on low end a low enough magnification for your general hunting use?

 

[db2000]

5x or 6x
I have some old 3-9 scopes and rarely use 3x

 

[brianf]

I really don’t go under 8-10x

I shoot both eyes open so i still have a good field of view.

and I don’t plan on taking snap shots at game, it’s for fun not to feed my family lol

I’ve hunted with Leupold for a long time, mainly because it’s what I had or my father bought me when I was a kid.

last hunt I went on was with a nightforce.

 

[Glassaholic]

Depends on what you're hunting and where. Open plains and Rocky Mountains can be very different from hunting in thick forests on the east coast. You will find there are few lighter weight (=< 30 oz) with 56mm objectives due to the nature of FFP scopes they tend to be heavier than their SFP counterparts. The Hensoldt 4-16x56 is arguably the best, the Schmidt Polar T 4-16x56 would probably be next but both of these are north of 30oz. The Steiner P4Xi 4-16x56 is right at 30oz and the Meopta Optika6 3-18x56 is a hair above 30. Personally, I think this is a niche that has yet to be adequately filled by the manufacturers - the crossover hunting/long range crowd who understand the benefits of FFP scopes and want their rifles and scopes to pull double duty.

For what exists today, the Tangent Theta TT315M 3-15x50 probably reigns as one of the best light weight tactical crossover scopes out. The March 3-24x52 is also another serious contender especially at 24oz, hoping they are going to get a better reticle soon in this scope as I'd pick another up with the right reticle. Then there is the Leupold Mark 5 3.6-18x44 at 26oz but if you're into low light hunting the 44mm objective may be limiting, though I must admit I was quite impressed with this scopes low light capabilities, I was comparing to a Schmidt & Bender US 3-20x50 and a Kahles K318i 3.5-18x50 and was surprised to see the Leupold hanging in their with contrast and detail as the light got less and less.

As for "preferred magnification range" again, this is subjective based on the particular role I intend to use the rifle for, I'm a western shooter (Rocky Mountains) where spaces can stretch out pretty far so prefer 15x as a minimum at the top end and my aging eyes tend to prefer more in the 18-20x range. When I hunt I mostly hunt for big game so prefer a minimum FOV at lowest magnification of 20' (at 100 yards) or better. The Vortex AMG 6-24x50 even fits this criteria and is a great lighter option but some prefer even greater FOV which is where some of the other options may better suit their preference.

Keep in mind there is no rule that says you can or can't shoot with a particular scope (unless of course your state has prohibited certain scopes) so if you want to hunt with a March 10-60x52 then go for it, or if you want to hunt with a 1-6x24 again, go for it. Just know the limitations of your scope for your intended application.

 

[fdkay]

For all around use, I like a 3-15 or 3-18.
That's get you fairly short distance and quite long distance.
If your hunting shots are very close and your long range shots are 500-600 yards, then a decent 1-8 LPVO is hard to beat, there are several that won't break the bank.
Sightmark has a 1-10 variable that is Chinese made that is reasonably priced. 10x will take you a very long way on torso sized targets.

 

[kyzim311]

I have found the whole hunting and plinking rifle thing does not work out as good as having separate hunting rifles and target rifles. Weight is a big factor with a hunting rifle, and long range target rifles are easier to shoot if they are heavy. I do take my hunting rifles out for a plinking excursion, but I focus a rifle on its intended task. Closest thing to a crossover will generally be a 30 mm tube for good travel at a reasonable weight. The vortex razor lht fits this role if you are not shooting too far and not extremely picky on glass. Upper magnification range is a little limited, but 15x will get you to 1000 without to many problems.

 

[Choid]

I think it is nuts to have a hunting scope that doesn't go down to at least three. No way you want to be stalking anything in timber at 5 or 6 x.

 

[Matches Malone]

Curious to hear others feedback. What magnification range, objective, and tube size do you like or prefer for a rig that will pull double duty as hunting and fun target shooting? And why? For example...3-18x50 30mm tube, 5-25x50 30mm tube, 4.5-14x44 30mm tube, 5-30x56 34mm tube, etc., etc.

The 56mm objective with 34mm tube intrigues me for a hunting rig. It would be a larger and most likely heavier scope but seems it would help with low light conditions and field of view. But I am a novice at this stuff.

In general I use a minimum of a 30mm tube with a preference to most 34mm’s. I base this obviously how much adjustment I need for a
Particular rig.
Mag range in general on the low end 3-6x and on the high end all I need is a solid 18x up to a mile but 25x is a luxury that I don’t exceed. Im not a bench shooter so the 35-45x scopes are stupid to me.

 

[vinniedelpino]

For the money the p4xi 4-16 fits the bill pretty well. 34mm tube, 56mm objective and pretty nice in low light. Heavy though. The vortex would be nice leaning a little more to the hunting side.

The TT sounds about perfect but that's a lot of coin for a hunting rig.

 

[XTR]

Personally I don’t like my hunting scopes with bigger than a 44 objective. For me there are 2 reasons. One is weight, big is heavy, but the main reason is scope height. Getting a good position behind a scope that is 2“ + above the bore in less than ideal position is a pain.

I’ve never felt that my scopes limited my hunting time. More likely I end up with opportunities well after legal shooting times. My favorite is my Swaro Z5 3.5-18x44 BRH. Weight is under 20oz. Swaro glass.