What is too much magnification?

[mainecoon]

Is there an upper limit to magnification for target shooting where you are zoomed up so much that the crosshairs jump around, making it hard to settle on target? Thinking about getting a new target scope but don't want to overdo it. Going to be shooting 200-300 yards.

 

[notaglockfanboy]

If your cross hairs are jumping around at high magnification, they are jumping around at lower magnification you just cannot see it as well. I am using a 4x16x44 on a rifle I shoot paper with and it allows me to see bullet holes @ 300 yds. Is the optic you are using a fixed power or can you crank down the power??

 

[ironworkerwill]

20x should be well suited for that application. With a good variable power scope one could always choose a magnification that suits the conditions at hand.

 

[taliv]

for pure target application, the NF benchrest 12-40x is pretty popular. leupold also makes so high mag scopes. those are mostly for long range though. i probably wouldn't run more than 30x at 100y (and a lot less if there's mirage)

 

[Olympus]

I use a straight 36x Weaver on my Kimber 82G. That's a ton of magnification at 50 yards.

 

[CB900F]

Mainecoon;

An issue of magnification is resolution. With a cheap scope it's entirely possible to crank up the X factor to the point that all you are seeing is a bigger blur. Quality optics use better glass so that doesn't happen. And better glass costs more money, which is why brand A and brand B offer the same magnification range, but B costs ten times as much as A. Brand B offers far superior resolution, perfectly repeatable turret adjustments, and so forth.

Then there's the issue of rests. If the gun is solid on the rest, the crosshairs won't seem to jump around as much. Rests don't have quite the cost range as scopes, but figure about $150.00 as a starting point and upwards of a grand for perfectionists.

Accuracy costs money, how small you want them groups to get?

900F

 

[joem1945]

"With a cheap scope it's entirely possible to crank up the X factor to the point that all you are seeing is a bigger blur."

That's one reason I like fixed power scopes with real good glass. Max I use is 24X

 

[BCRider]

The quality vs blur thing arises in spotting scopes as well. I went budget the first time around reasoning that I wouldn't use the max magnification all that often. I was wrong and it turned out I wasted the money that should have gone towards a better quality item with known good glass.

That strong a scope is going to demand the same consideration.

As mentioned the maximum magnification useable is going to depend on how stable the support you use for the gun is and if the shooting bench is stable. The ultimate is likely those sled mounted "artillery pieces" that don't bother with even a suggestion of a shoulder stock.

 

[Slamfire]

Scope magnification is a difficult topic. Due to high magnification, F Class target shooters frequently cross fire because they can't see that they are aiming at the wrong target. Most F Class shooters I know are using magnification levels of 24 to 40 power, with higher being more common than lower.

But, in hunting applications, trying to find something in the woods at 20 X is difficult. I have been murdering squirrels with an air gun set at 8 power and sometimes it is very difficult to find the buggers as branches look very different when magnified. Sometimes I have had to find the branch root and work my way out. Field of view is very important when trying to acquire and engage when time is short or the target is moving.

There are good reasons why the most common hunting scopes are 3 X 9; that is a good compromise in the woods. Using a bench, of course I can hold harder, but I don't take 600 lb benches into the woods.

I have not tried this in a while, but I could not hold a 36X scope on a 8 X 8' target in the standing position. I might be doing better now with practice. One way to tell, go to a sportsman store and examine variable spotting scopes. Pick a spot on the far wall and see if you can hold the image in the field of view at high settings.

 

[mainecoon]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I am leaning toward a Meopta Meopro in 4-16x44 for my 22-250. This would replace a Nikon in 3-9 x 40.

 

[MRH]

Think that depends on the quality of the optic in addition to how well a shooter can steady the gun.

My personal problem is with mirage. On my 18x scopes, I can usually only use 10 or 12x to avoid much mirage.

Mike

 

[twofifty]

building up to an acceptable wobble

Since higher magnification increases the sense that the reticle is wandering, a variable power scope can become a useful training tool for offhand shooting.

For instance with a 6-18x scope, at 6x most would agree wobble is barely noticeable. Crank it right up to 18x and the reticle is seen to wander, a lot, which reduces confidence in making the shot.

I propose that a guy could train himself to a steadier hold, by working his way up the magnification scale over the period of a season or two of bi-weekly 22LR shooting. With time comes body fitness, better balance, less over-correction, better follow-through, etc.

After awhile, the wobble at 18x will seem acceptable and those shots can be taken in confidence.

 

[ironworkerwill]

Meopta is a very good scope maker. If your intentions are to solely punch paper I urge you to go to a higher magnification.

 

[BCRider]

Due to high magnification, F Class target shooters frequently cross fire because they can't see that they are aiming at the wrong target.

If that is the case it would suggest that a secondary sight system coincident with the main scope would prove valuable for a basic setup.

Such things are not unknown. Serious astronomers often use a low power sighting scope to get the main telescope on the area of the sky of interest.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

for pure target application, the NF benchrest 12-40x is pretty popular. leupold also makes so high mag scopes. those are mostly for long range though. i probably wouldn't run more than 30x at 100y (and a lot less if there's mirage)

My thoughts. I have a 3-9 scope on mine and it isn't enough for bench rest. I can't really see where I hit and how much the wind is moving things. For self defense or hunting 3-9 is fine.

 

[Cee Zee]

For nothing but target shooting bigger is better. Take a look at the scopes used in the ARA national bench rest competition from 2011. Of the 116 contestants, 37 of them used the same Weaver T-36 scope. Others are just listed as using "Weaver" scopes which are probably also 36X. 43 in total use Weaver scopes. And those guys are shooting at 50 yards. I learned from a great shooter that you can't shoot well unless you can see what you're shooting at well. Less magnification means more of the target will be blocked out by the reticle too. So a stronger scope will show the bullseye better and you won't block your view. You'll find that all of those bench rest shooters use a fine reticle or most of them do. It doesn't block out what you're shooting at and again you can hit what you can't see. There are other strong scopes in that list too. You have other 36X scopes in addition to 35X, 40X, 42X and even 45X. Of the 116 people shooting, 99 of them used scopes at least 35X and higher.

For pure target shooting more power is a good idea. But a lot of scopes that strong are fixed magnification. Those aren't great for hunting or even plinking. They can work if you get used to using them but most people use something not as strong for other types of shooting.

I have 2 Weaver T-36 scopes myself. I use one on a dedicated target .22. I have another on my Savage 12 LRPV because I like to shoot it long distances. I can see bullet holes way down range when I used those scopes. I can also identify varmints a long way off. I can tell the difference between a dog and a coyote a long way with a 36X scope.

BTW if your scope is jumping around at high magnifiction it's doing it at low magnification. You just can't see it. Either way you end up missing if the rifle is bouncing around too much.

 

[Edarnold]

I'm kind of saddened by the term "target shooting" automatically being assumed to mean bench-rest shooting. We used to be a nation of riflemen, which meant getting up on your hind legs and shooting like a man. For that, an 8x scope for any distance is plenty for offhand or sitting. Benchrest is a test of equipment, which means the guy with the most bucks often wins. In three-position target work, an excellent marksman with a modest rifle can mop up a mediocre shooter with the fanciest gear. Guess this level of skill is just too much trouble for today's shooters.

 

[ford8nr]

When I went to scoped optics for 4 pos. Indoor 50' RIMFIRE gallery several years ago 10x seemed over powered, last year I went to 15x and do not feel overpowered. Many of the top shooters are shooting 20-24x.

 

[M1key]

Mirage here in the high desert is a problem during hot days and 12-14x is about maximum useful magnification for me. Bench rest shooters with 36x scopes refer to "shooting through the pool".

M

 

[dvdcrr]

I used a Weaver grand slam 4.5-14X scope, my handloads and a shilen select match barrel to punch out a 1.5" five shot group at 300 yds. I dont remember if the scope was on 14x but I think it was.

 

[Cee Zee]

I'm kind of saddened by the term "target shooting" automatically being assumed to mean bench-rest shooting. We used to be a nation of riflemen, which meant getting up on your hind legs and shooting like a man.

Where did anyone mistake the term "target shooting" to mean "bench rest shooting"??? Since you posted that right after my post I can only assume that you made assumptions about my post assigning ideas to me that didn't actually exist in my post. I stand by my statement that "target shooting" requires a large power scope or at least a person is better off with one. What you describe is "not" target shooting at all. It's just shooting. I assume we all generally have some sort of "target" we aim at even if it's a squirrel at 200 yards. And if you knew anything about my background you would know how laughable it is to think I can't shoot without a scope. I never owned a scope until I was 50 with the exception of a POS scope that came with my Marlin 60 back in the 80's. I used that scope for a while but decided I didn't like using it. And trust me I owned and fired a lot of guns before I was 50. I fired a lot of guns before I was 10. My older brothers would laugh at me if I even tried to use a rest of any kind. Their thinking was I would never kill a squirrel waiting for a rest to shoot from. And I haven't ever killed one from a rest come to think of it. I have killed them on a dead run (the squirrels were running, not me).

My post was about pure target shooting. And it doesn't matter if it's bench rest or F Class or whatever a powerful scope can be a big help. Mainly I was just trying to get across the point that a more powerful scope isn't going to make you shoot worse. If anything it will make you shoot better. But that doesn't mean you should always use a high magnification scope. Far from it. It's just not a hindrance to target shooting. I pointed out that people who do nothing but sit down and shoot at tiny targets often use very powerful scopes. I sure didn't say we should all use a 36X scope to shoot pop cans your friend throws up in the air. That's a target BTW and I've done that too. And yes I lived where you could do stuff like that safely.

So please try not to read stuff into posts that isn't there. If you don't see the actual words on the screen then it's stuff that's in your head. And that doesn't mean you can guess what's in someone else's head. Just read what they say and don't try to read between the lines. I did not say "target shooting is bench rest shooting". That came from you and nowhere else.

 

[Damon555]

If you use it just for target shooting than a straight 36x will be tough to beat.

 

[USSR]

Totally depends upon the distance you're shooting and the atmospherics. In 6 years of 1,000 yard F Class competition, I can't think of a time I had my variable power scope set above 18X, even though I used a 4.5-20X scope or a 6-24X scope. When dealing with mirage, more is not better.

Don

 

[MachIVshooter]

Is there an upper limit to magnification for target shooting

When the mirage sets in.

The psychological effect of higher magnification making the movement more noticeable can cause some people to shoot worse.

 

[bangswitch]

Both my M1A and my .308 bolt gun have 6-24 variable scopes. I haven't had much opportunity to shoot beyond 250 yards with either one, but I find that I use around 8-10x for most shooting that I do out to 250 yds. More than that and I can see my heartbeat in the scope movement, and it throws me off. I've only shot the .308 bolt gun out to 450 yards a couple of times, and the higher power sure makes centering the target easier on my less-than-stellar vision. My shooting is almost all sandbagged, either prone or benchrest.