What is your highest power hunting scope?

[WisBorn]

With more and more decent quality scopes.
What is your highest power/low setting on a variable or fixed scope that you would hunt with?

As a deer hunter I find variable scopes work well for me in the areas that I hunt.
2-7, 3-9, 3.5-10, 4-12 all work well. I had a turkey blaster set up with a 1.5-4
I did have one varmint rifle with a 5-20.

I guess that I have found the highest low setting of 4 being a good bottom as I spend a lot of time in the woods.

What is your favorite variable for hunting? And highest low setting?

 

[Patocazador]

Where I hunt, I don't have the option of dialing in on an animal. Hunting in the thick stuff is an instant judgement thing. I prefer scopes in a fixed power with good light-gathering lenses. A 4x to 6x is just right for me.

 

[LiveLife]

... Wait ... when I talk to hunters, they tell me most deer they shoot at are around 40-60 yard range ...

 

[Armored farmer]

When I hunt with a variable power scope, I leave it on or near the lowest power setting in case a stumble into game up close. I think that's standard practice.
My highest power scope is a Vortex 4-12x44 on a .223 Handi-Rifle.

 

[mavracer]

I don't hunt much anymore but I have a 5-25X on both my 224 Valkyrie and 6mm Creedmoor either one would IMHO work fine for varmints up to deer.

 

[WisBorn]

... Wait ... when I talk to hunters, they tell me most deer they shoot at are around 40-60 yard range ...

So you don't use a scope?

 

[LiveLife]

So you don't use a scope?

I don't hunt.

But when I do "hunt" paper at 50-100 yards, I do use scopes because I am trying to make small groups to where I can ascertain whether I am hitting the head of the fly or the wing, sort of.

 

[LimaCharlie]

My Ruger M77 338 WinMag has a Vortex 6X-24X-50mm first focal plane scope.

 

[.38 Special]

I am against long range hunting and limit myself to 300 yards maximum at unwounded game - and prefer 200 yards or less whenever possible. For that purpose a fixed 4x is about perfect and a 6x borders on too much.

By the same token, variables don't offer me much. A 3-9 or 2-7 would certainly do any job I need, but the higher magnifications would go essentially unused. I do have an old Leupold 1.5-5 which, while meant for dangerous game, is surprisingly useful, as long as there is adequate light - the one inch objective does not gather a great deal of it.

 

[jmr40]

I have used more 3-9X scopes than anything else. I've used 1-4X, 2.5-8X and 2-7X in the past too. I had a Leupold in 3.5-10X for a while but found 3.5X to be too much magnification. I've used a little more magnification on 22's, but never more than a 4.5-14X. That is too much for big game hunting where I hunt.

For big game hunting I've never taken a shot at game with the scopes set anywhere but the lowest setting. I've taken deer at 200+ yards with the scope set on 2.5X.

I don't care for fixed power scopes. Fifty years ago they were more rugged, but that is no longer true. For where I hunt 4X or 6X is just too much magnification. I like to be able to go down to 2X or 3X for big game hunting.

And I don't use my rifles just for hunting. In the off season I spend a lot of time at the range shooting informally at ranges much longer than 50-100 yards. I doubt I'd ever shoot at game that far, but if I'm spending money to buy a rifle and scope, I'm going to use it year-round, not just a few weeks during hunting season.

I do have an old Leupold 1.5-5 which, while meant for dangerous game, is surprisingly useful, as long as there is adequate light - the one inch objective does not gather a great deal of it.

As long as you keep the magnification on 4X or less it lets in more light than your eye can use. On 2x it lets in exactly the same amount of light as a fixed 4X scope with a 40mm front objective.

 

[WisBorn]

I had a Leupold in 3.5-10X for a while but found 3.5X to be too much magnification

That surprises me. I love my VXIII 3.5-10. To each his own. I think the 2.5-8 is a better woods option, but I hunt a lot of different terrain.

 

[PonyKiller]

Fixed 2.5 power on my Mossberg 500 slug gun.

 

[WisBorn]

I am against long range hunting and limit myself to 300 yards maximum at unwounded game - and prefer 200 yards or less whenever possible. For that purpose a fixed 4x is about perfect and a 6x borders on too much.

By the same token, variables don't offer me much. A 3-9 or 2-7 would certainly do any job I need, but the higher magnifications would go essentially unused. I do have an old Leupold 1.5-5 which, while meant for dangerous game, is surprisingly useful, as long as there is adequate light - the one inch objective does not gather a great deal of it.

Just to make sure we understand light gathering properties. The human eye can use about 7mm of light gathering properties of an optic in low light conditions. To determine the exit pupil divide the objective sizes by the power . 32÷4=8mm or 20÷2=10
In bright light your eye will only be able to utilize about 2mm of light gathering properties.
The biggest win with low power scopes is the field of view. The lower the power the bigger the area you see when bringing up your scope. That is why dangerous game rifles are best suited with a low magnification. It makes it much easier and quicker to get on target.

 

[Gerd33]

I prefer a fixed 4x but I do have a couple of 3-9 variables.
Even with the 3-9s I treat them as fixed while hunting and keep them set on either 4x or 5x.

 

[lightman]

I hunt Deer with either a 3X9 or a 2.5X10. My Varmint rifles have either 3.5X15's or 5.5X22's. My lightweight walking Varminter has a 3X9. Like many of you I carry my variables on the lowest power and increase the power if needed or if time permits.

 

[WrongHanded]

For a low end setting, I don't like to go above 3x on a rifle that may be shot offhand and carried into the forest. All my rifles are in danger of finding themselves in that situation.

I like the ability to snap shoot, and I've found that to be harder (for me) with more magnification than 3x.
So my one and only good quality variable scope is a Trijicon Huron 3-9x40mm. If I had to buy again, I'd buy the same scope.

 

[mcb]

Most of my hunting rifles have a max magnification of about 9 or 10x. I do have higher on a couple rifles but of my favorite deer rifles they all top out in the 9-10 range. That said last years was the first time I shot a deer on a setting that was not the lowest for the scope. I took a deer at about 60 yards and had time to turn my scope up from 3x to about 5 or 6x before shooting him.

 

[N555]

Highest I have is 16x. More than that just magnifies the mirage.

 

[WisBorn]

Highest I have is 16x. More than that just magnifies the mirage.

Is it a variable scope? If so what is the bottom?

 

[earlthegoat2]

Both 10

Leupold 3.5-10x40
Vortex Viper 2.5-10x44

 

[ms6852]

My go to rifle is a savage 110 30-06 with a 3-9X40 Bushnell for my hunting and highest setting I've used is 7x. My backup rifle is a Tikka T3 lite in 30-06 also. I have a Sightron Big Sky 4-16X42 on the Tikka I took off my 10/22 rifle. I replaced the Sightron on my 1022 with a Bushnell Forge 3-24X56. I like shooting paper at 200 yards with 22lr so all my 22's have higher magnification scopes on them.

 

[LoonWulf]

my most used hunting rifle wares a 6.5-20x50 Meopta, my second a 3.5-10x40 Leupold.

Ive gravitated to the higher power scopes over the years as I never seem to set my variables any lower than 5-6.

My muzzle loader has a 4-20x50Athlon Argos HMR
.22s are a 4.5-14x32 Burris Timberline and a 6-18x42 Simmons WTE
3-9x40 mark AR Leupy on my .257
2.5-8x33 Vx-3hd on my 7-08

I have 5-25s on my "long range" rifles

 

[N555]

Is it a variable scope? If so what is the bottom?

8 is the lowest I would turn it down to that way the moa dot values are only doubled.

 

[Kingcreek]

3.5-10x Leupold VX-3 on a .300WM purpose built for elk country.
Other rifles are 3-9x or 2-8x.

 

[Kingcreek]

For 40 years, I’ve carried my variables on the lowest setting.
Should be obvious to all unless new to variable power scopes or new to hunting:
If a shot opportunity presents close range you probably don’t have time to fiddle with zoom ring and the lowest power is faster with greater field of view.
If an animal is at long range you are more likely to have time to dial up.