Scope Power

[John9861]

I will be on Safari in Namibia July of 24. New rifle- Browning Canyon 6.8 Win Western. This caliper lends itself well to mid size antelopes, bear, aoudad & even Elk. Flat shooting with effective range out to 400+ yds. I have always been one to want my shots under 200 yds. But it might be time to expand that range some. I currently am scoped to 12 power but am curious if others like more power for farther shots. What say You?

 

[Tanks]

The way I look at it is what I am comfortable with a red dot (or 1X). A 500 yard shot with a 12 power scope is like a 42 yard shot at 1X ignoring factors other than magnification. So, what are you comfortable with distance wise at 1X?

 

[Red Leg]

I have owned and shot a lot of rifles and all of them at a respectable assortment of game. I have yet to shoot a game animal much beyond 300 yards, and I do not have a hunting rifle with a scope with magnification greater than 15. I do not need 15 power, but some of the modern scopes that fit the old 3x12 capability range will have that as there top end. In my experience, the most useful scopes in Africa, regardless of what they may be mounted upon, typically begin their magnification range with 1 or 1.5.

The 6.8 should be a fine caliber for plains game. After all, it essentially does what a .270 has been doing for a hundred years.

 

[WAB]

With the exception of two specialty long range rifles, the highest magnification on any of my hunting rifles is 12x. I hunted for years in Wyoming with a 7x57 topped with a 2.5-8x36 VXIII. That rig was deadly to 400. I believe that the longest kill was 420 on a pronghorn.

 

[HookMeUpII]

3-15x is where I'd want to be. Around a 40-42mm objective. Just my personal opinion.

 

[Berettaco]

12x is plenty out to 400-500 yards. That setup is fine

 

[JimP]

Scope it for what you will be hunting in your area, not necessarily what you will be using it for in Africa.

The highest power scope that I have for general hunting is a 14x and that was placed on a rifle for a coues deer hunt in Arizona. All my other rifles including the one that I took to Africa twice for plains game top out at 10x and I never felt that I needed any more.

 

[Fabnosh]

I think the general consensus from the above is that anything from x12 downwards will be just fine. Personally I have an S&B 3-12 which has been set at x6 for pretty much its entire life which makes me wonder why I bought a variable scope in the first place lol. I'll swap it out for a 1-4x24 if I'm close in and there is a chance of a running shot (or on boar) and if I'm really close in (Buff) it's open sight and my double.

As a foot note though, it's always what one is most familiar and comfortable shooting.

FN

 

[AimSmall]

May want to consider the low light capabilties where glass quality and objective lens really matter. 12x is plenty...average distance for my shots in Africa ~80 yds. Good luck!

 

[Velo Dog]

When your optics have much magnification over somewhere around 8 or 10x, aiming at smallish targets in a scattered foliage, sun baked environment, then mirage, (aka: heat waves) from the ground becomes problematic.

 

[Longwalker]

More magnification than 10x is a feature without a benefit for most realistic hunting situations. If you want more power, be prepared for the trade off of more critical eye relief, more fussy mounting options, greater likelihood of distortion at either end of the range, poorer low light performance, higher cost, and no practical on- game advantage. But 15x or 20x is wonderful for seeing bullet holes in a paper target from a bench rest at the range. Unfortunately that’s why such high magnification is so popular.

 

[BeeMaa]

The above comments have covered the power topic well. Personally, 8x is all I've needed out past 200 yards on game and much further than that on paper. You should be fine with 12x.

The quality of the glass in your scope will be a direct reflection on how effective it works at higher power. Leupold VX-5 & 6 along with the Trijicon AccuPoint are good places to start. For truly out of this world glass the Swaro Z8i, Zeiss Victory and Leica Amplus 6 are top of the line.

 

[Ravensview]

Not to highjack the thread, but what are the thoughts on a 1-6 mounted on a 30-06 for plains game in Namibia? Most of my hunting at home is in the Upper Peninsula swamps and I really dont need any more magnification for 90% of my hunting.

 

[JimP]

Not to highjack the thread, but what are the thoughts on a 1-6 mounted on a 30-06 for plains game in Namibia? Most of my hunting at home is in the Upper Peninsula swamps and I really dont need any more magnification for 90% of my hunting.

If that is what you have mounted on your rifle there is no need to purchase a new scope.

I personally hate looking through a 1x scope but they work.

 

[Inline6]

Have 1X4 to 6X36 and pretty much everything in between. For a hunting scope the low power is just as important as the high IMHO. You might have 500 yard shot, you are more than likely to have a 40 yard shot where the low end is going to be more beneficial. One scope I really think is over looked is the Swarovski Z8i 1.7-13.3x42. It's not cheap, you do get a lot of Versatility.

 

[John9861]

Thx everyone. So a little more in this area. I purposely left off brand of scope to not enter the "my scope's better than your scope" arena. Let's see how the following fits into this equation:
Because of deer hunting in SC being so low light dominant my scope is 56mm with a 1" tube. I'm happy with the performance but don't want these attributes to be a negative. Thx again

 

[JimP]

It will be fine for plains game.

If you can get a piece of cardboard the size of a elk and practice on it out to 300 yards if you can

 

[Slider]

I shot 10 animals in Namibia. Range was 40 yards to 410 yards. Both Scopes were 4.5 x 14 power. The longest shot was on a Baboon and I was glad I had the 14 power.

 

[meigsbucks]

I think you’re fine. The longest shot I ever took was a pronghorn antelope at a little over an estimated 400 yds ( before laser rangefinders). It was with a .25/06 with a 4-12x Leupold. I took that shot with the scope set at 8x.
I hunted Namibia in ‘18. Longest shots were about 350 yds. I don’t think my scope left 6x the whole hunt.

 

[The Engineer]

As i get older, now late 70s; my scope powers are being reduced for anything but varmints or target shooting. I find the higher upper magnification scopes have several disadvantages for me:

1. They are heavier. A few ounces become a few pounds by the end of a long stalk.

2. They are bulkier. This makes then a bit more difficult to carry especially in brush.

3. The generally have larger objective lensed. That means they must be mounted higher giving up a firm cheek weld that both reduces perceived recoil and allows for quicker target acquisition.

And finally, and very impotent to me:

4, I shoot better in the field with a low power scope. This sounds counterintuitive but I do not see the inevitable field wobble as distinctly at low power, therefore; I do not overcompensate for the wobble as I do with higher power scopes. For me chasing the obvious high-power wobble leads to frustration and results in poor shots. I personally believe a lot of hunters are lured to the higher powers by the precision that they obtain on a bench rest without wobble. That being said, I can consistently shoot minute of angle groups off the bench with a quality 6 power scope on a capable rifle.

Given the above, I replaced my Swarovski 2-12x50 Z6i on my plains game rifle with a Zeiss Victory HT 1.5-6x42 scope and have never thought of going back.