|
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 2,417 Likes: 3
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 2,417 Likes: 3 |
The Meopta Meostar 1.75-10X has been a winner for me for the reasons others have shared….bright, good FOV, versatile. Also have a 1.5-6 x 32 Burris Signature that’s been great on a boat paddle 7mm RM.
Fear the crabcat.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2022
Posts: 712 Likes: 4
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2022
Posts: 712 Likes: 4 |
My most powerful zoom scope starts off at 3x. It's a Schmidt & Bender 3-12x42 Klassik mounted on a Ruger No. 1A in 6.5x55 SE. The rest of my zooms are shorter than that mainly because I hunt in the southern woods and the majority of my shots are under 200 meters. I prefer not having too powerful a scope simply because it's easier to put the crosshairs on the deer or hog with a lower powered scope & the accuracy is more than adequate for the ranges I'm shooting at. Some of my favorites are:
Schmidt & Bender 1.5-8x42 Stratos Swarovski z6 1.7-10x42 Swarovski z5 2.4-12x50 Nikon Monarch 1.5-6x42 Redfield Revolution 2-7x33 Leupold 3x20 Big Bore Leupold FX-3 6x42
The only scope I have that has a longer minimum value is a Meopta R2 8x56 RD.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 4,928
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 4,928 |
How many of you use a 1-4x or 1-6x scope or something like it regularly? I think I generally have too much scope. Reason being, is I get quite a few closer shots. Had a close on last week on a walking deer and with the 4-12x, I struggled finding the deer in the scope. I’d like to hear from those that like these scopes and why. Thanks. I only have one, a (discontinued) Leupold 1.75-6X on a Ruger-made Marlin .45-70 SBL. I believe your problem is not your scope, it's your stock fit. With a stock that fits you correctly it won't matter, anything from about 6x down, and sometimes 8x down, will line up on target. The only issue you'll have is if the critter is so close that it fills the sight picture completely and you can't figure out which part you're aiming into. Otherwise, it is a stock fit problem. Most people misunderstand those and try to fix them by changing scopes. That's like trimming your fingernails 'cause your belt is too tight. This is a good point. Poor technique can give pretty much the same result. A lot of people bring the scope up to their eye, then look around for the target in the scope. Instead, you should be able to look at the target then bring the rifle up to your eye and find the crosshairs superimposed on the target. A few rounds of dry fire will help you understand which method you're using. Okie John
If Montana had a standing army, a 270 Win with Federal Blue Box 130's would be the standard issue.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 4,266 Likes: 5
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 4,266 Likes: 5 |
Most of my hunting these days is done with a 308 Win that wears a Nikon 4X. It seems to work well. My 375 H&H wears a 1.5x6 Bausch & Lomb and it has been to Africa 5 times. My 9.3x62 wears an old 6X Burris. I don't need high magnification on a hunting rifle. I have good binos and a spotting scope for the long distance stuff. My scopes are for after I have closed the distance to shoot.
You get out of life what you are willing to accept. If you ain't happy, do something about it!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 10,821 Likes: 1
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 10,821 Likes: 1 |
I think I have (3) 1-4 Leupolds, 2 of which have coarse crosswires and adjusted for zero parallax at 75 yards. Both my No 1 Rugers (a .308 1B and a 7X57 1A) have 1 1/2- 5 Leupolds. My 700 XCR/CTR .223 has a 1.75 - 6 Leupold. I recently put a Burris LPVO 1-6 on one of my AR's. The rest of my hunting rifles tend to have 2 1/2 - 8's with a few 3 - 9's thrown in the mix.
As mentioned above, having a rifle that fits and handles well and having the scope mounted correctly relative to your size and shape and the eye relief of the scope is the biggest part of the equation. For fast shooting at close range I would prefer a quality vixed 6X set up properly over a lower power scope of lesser quality set up wrong for me.
Mathew 22: 37-39
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 800
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 800 |
At least where I reside (east coast) multi hundred yard shots do not exist and as others have said sub 100 yard shots are more common. Thus, a smaller scope is the logical choice. When I see someone who has a huge "tactical" scope on his hunting rifle I would guess they are pretty new to the game and will go home empty handed more often than not.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 51
Campfire Greenhorn
|
Campfire Greenhorn
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 51 |
I hunt the northeast, so close cover. Big fan of 2x-7x on my deer rifles. I mounted a Nikon Monarch 3x-12x on my Ruger M77 .35 whelen when I hunted in Colorado 15 years ago, I've been meaning to put a 2x-7x back on it. I run 2x-7x Burris scout scopes on my .308 Ruger Scout, .223 Ruger Scout and my Springfield M1A scout. I have two rifles in the safe that I need to get back in action, the first is my Uncle's Marlin /Glenfield .35 Rem and my Father in-law's Rem 660 .308 Win that's had the stock hacked on and is missing the rear sight. The .35 Rem is probably getting a LPVO 1x-6x. The 660 I'm thinking of having rebored to .358 Win., and done up in Scout configuration, and it'll get a Burris 2x-7x Scout scope. I realy like the Scout setup for deer hunting.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 7,761
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 7,761 |
I like to use and the looks of a straight tube scope.
But keeping snow outta the front objective is harder for me than a objective with a bell.
"Shoot low sheriff, I think he's riding a shetland!" B. Wills
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 29,786
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 29,786 |
My rule of thumb is if I am going to be shooting off my hind legs I use a 4x, if I am walking and using a rest it is a 10x-ish. If I have my arse firmly planted in a vehicle and under a spotlight it is a 24x.
I have had enough of the later, now it is the first and second.
These are my opinions, feel free to disagree.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 28,925 Likes: 20
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 28,925 Likes: 20 |
At least where I reside (east coast) multi hundred yard shots do not exist and as others have said sub 100 yard shots are more common. Thus, a smaller scope is the logical choice. When I see someone who has a huge "tactical" scope on his hunting rifle I would guess they are pretty new to the game and will go home empty handed more often than not. Ran into a hunter in the WMA parking lot a week ago that had a big tactical scope on his 6.5 AR 10. He’d been unable to pick up the deer he saw in time. That scope was a 5-25 I think, borrowed from his PRS rifle. He was all kitted out in web gear, including a can of bear spray under his bino case. Nice guy, and an experienced shooter, just following the current thinking on hunting gear. There was another just like him across the lot but with a .458 SOCOM carbine, a more practical choice IMO than that big AR 10. Just looking at their combat loads made my back hurt though….
What fresh Hell is this?
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 26,616 Likes: 20
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 26,616 Likes: 20 |
For those of you who are hunting with scopes that start at 1 or 2X how many of you kills come at that magnification level?
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 28,925 Likes: 20
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 28,925 Likes: 20 |
Most.
I did crank up the 1-6 Credo on my Grendel last season to get a better view of the doe I shot. She was in a bunch of scrubby pawpaws.
That one btw, is a great scope.
What fresh Hell is this?
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,334
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,334 |
Back in the early 70's a 2-7 was the way to go....in the late 80's a 3-9.....now the sky is the limit and all the crazy crosshairs..... For big game my maximum is a 3-9 but in close to 60 years of hunting only one time I've shoot over 600 yards and that time a 2-7 worked just fine....
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 4,085 Likes: 1
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 4,085 Likes: 1 |
For those of you who are hunting with scopes that start at 1 or 2X how many of you kills come at that magnification level? I live out west and mainly hunt coyotes, some years I hunt up to five different states. I'd say that 80% of my kills are on the lowest power of the scope I'm using be it 1x, 1.5x or 2x. I find FOV trumps X's most of the time when calling coyotes. NM WA AZ NV (Burris 4X 1.5-6x4?) Testing a 22 Mag Having grown up in MN and WI all my deer hunting was in the northern forests where all my hunting was either still hunting or tracking, again FOV trumped X's. Fast target acquisition is king. Nice WI public land buck 25-204 100gr Partition Weaver V-3
Last edited by erich; 12/03/23.
After the first shot the rest are just noise.
Make mine a Minaska
Heaven has walls and rules, H-ll has open borders
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2022
Posts: 712 Likes: 4
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2022
Posts: 712 Likes: 4 |
For those of you who are hunting with scopes that start at 1 or 2X how many of you kills come at that magnification level? The number of kills I have at low magnification can probably be counted on one hand. Most of mine have been at moderate magnification from 3x~6x. I always like the option of the lower magnification levels when I'm moving through the woods but I've had very few opportunities for an unexpected shot where quick target acquisition was paramount. Most of the time I'm stationary with a field, clearing or shooting lane visible & the magnification gets moved up a few notches. The two scopes I have that top out at 12x were both acquired because of a great price & not an actual need for that much power.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 3,648 Likes: 2
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 3,648 Likes: 2 |
For those of you who are hunting with scopes that start at 1 or 2X how many of you kills come at that magnification level? I live out west and mainly hunt coyotes, some years I hunt up to five different states. I'd say that 80% of my kills are on the lowest power of the scope I'm using be it 1x, 1.5x or 2x. I find FOV trumps X's most of the time when calling coyotes. NM WA AZ NV (Burris 4X 1.5-6x4?) Testing a 22 Mag Having grown up in MN and WI all my deer hunting was in the northern forests where all my hunting was either still hunting or tracking, again FOV trumped X's. Fast target acquisition is king. Nice WI public land buck 25-204 100gr Partition Weaver V-3 While we hunt different places, I’m of the same opinion on coyote hunting: they’re almost always moving and about half the time, there’s more than one. They often move cover to cover, and FOV, eyebox, and speed are far more important than hitting a dot at 300. The same often proves true on deer/hogs around here as well: it’s not that you have to shoot fast movers all the time that makes LPVs the ticket, it’s the speed with which you may have to execute a shot opportunity in a given window or bad position. LPV (or fixed power) optical properties of eye relief, eye box, FOV, and depth of field make mounting and shot execution smoother….to me. JMO
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 3,345 Likes: 13
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 3,345 Likes: 13 |
For those of you who are hunting with scopes that start at 1 or 2X how many of you kills come at that magnification level? A pretty good bunch of them, but I also like hunting with open sights so maybe I'm demented......
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 10,821 Likes: 1
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 10,821 Likes: 1 |
For those of you who are hunting with scopes that start at 1 or 2X how many of you kills come at that magnification level? I would say around half. If I’m still-hunting in the woods most of them. I generally only have a short time to take the shot or lose it and I’m generally close enough to see that it’s a deer I want. From elevated stands, here in the Low Country, not as many because I often have time and sometimes need to crank up the x’s to be sure I’m looking at a doe and not a spine or button buck. The best three bucks I’ve killed last year and this were shot down on low power, from elevated stands because, as is sometimes the case, they showed up close and unexpectedly and were obviously hot on a doe’s track and I had only a couple of seconds to make the shot.
Mathew 22: 37-39
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 60,195 Likes: 24
Campfire Kahuna
|
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 60,195 Likes: 24 |
I use a variety of scopes, but also a few low-magnification variables, like the 1-4x Leupold on this drilling. Had it set on 4x when taking this pronghorn at around 250 yards, but could have easily gone to 300+ after practicing on the full-size painted pronghorn gong on the local range. The gun is something erich might use, a Sauer drilling 16x16x6.5x57R, a cartridge that produces the same basic ballistics as the 6.5 Man-Bun. The handload used the 129-grain Nosler AccuBond Long Range, which groups five into less than an inch at 100 yards. I like low-power variables on drillings for the same reasons erich does, but also because if I keep it on 1x while hunting big game it also works very well on any gamebirds accidentally flushed in 16-gauge range.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 4,928
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 4,928 |
At least where I reside (east coast) multi hundred yard shots do not exist and as others have said sub 100 yard shots are more common. Thus, a smaller scope is the logical choice. When I see someone who has a huge "tactical" scope on his hunting rifle I would guess they are pretty new to the game and will go home empty handed more often than not. Ran into a hunter in the WMA parking lot a week ago that had a big tactical scope on his 6.5 AR 10. He’d been unable to pick up the deer he saw in time. That scope was a 5-25 I think, borrowed from his PRS rifle. He was all kitted out in web gear, including a can of bear spray under his bino case. Nice guy, and an experienced shooter, just following the current thinking on hunting gear. There was another just like him across the lot but with a .458 SOCOM carbine, a more practical choice IMO than that big AR 10. Just looking at their combat loads made my back hurt though…. I ran into a guy kitted out like a Spetznaz trooper during late deer season this year. His rifle had a prone stock, an adjustable cheekpiece, a big ol' detachable magazine, a huge scope, and a bipod that made it look like an M-249 SAW from a distance. He was wearing close to $1k worth of designer camo and had a big rucksack with a tripod lashed onto it. I have no idea whether he scored but there are a couple of spots on that property where his rig might have been put to good use. I wish him the best either way. Okie John
If Montana had a standing army, a 270 Win with Federal Blue Box 130's would be the standard issue.
|
|
|
|
520 members (007FJ, 12344mag, 06hunter59, 10gaugemag, 160user, 16gage, 57 invisible),
2,736
guests, and
1,214
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
Forums81
Topics1,193,644
Posts18,512,455
Members74,010
|
Most Online11,491 Jul 7th, 2023
|
|
|
|