Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow
member
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2007
- Messages
- 13,146
I guess I'm the odd man out, with Afy and a few others perhaps - when shooting targets, there's really no such thing as too much magnification, regardless of bull size. I agree with the benchrest shooters who prefer a 30x45, 40x45, or 50x52, etc., at long range. The better you can see, the better you can hit. I like at least 12-14x top end for 50 yards, and at least 14-20x top end for 100 yards, and the more the better from 200 on.
Hunting is a completely different story. For large fields, a 3-9 or 4-12 is preferred. Beyond that, you might be encouraged to take shots you shouldn't. For mixed terrain, I like a 2-7x. For woods, I like a 1-4, 1.5-4, 1.75-5, or 1.5-6, something like that. Usually keep it on 1.5, 1.75, or 2x when stalk hunting, and 3 or 4 power when sitting/standing in a stand or blind in ambush.
Hunting is a completely different story. For large fields, a 3-9 or 4-12 is preferred. Beyond that, you might be encouraged to take shots you shouldn't. For mixed terrain, I like a 2-7x. For woods, I like a 1-4, 1.5-4, 1.75-5, or 1.5-6, something like that. Usually keep it on 1.5, 1.75, or 2x when stalk hunting, and 3 or 4 power when sitting/standing in a stand or blind in ambush.