Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints What magnification is best all-around for varmints?

Gent's,

For those of you that hunt lot's of varmints, what magnification(s) do you find most useful? I mean, for a general purpose walking/truck gun and your average shot might be from say, 150 yards, and a long shot of 300 yards.

I'm thinking of moving UP in magnification, but don't want so much as to be cumbersome or too specialized for all-around use.
(A Luepold 6.5x20 is beckoning to me...)

High magnification = precise shot placement, but harder to hold still.

Low(er) magnification = better field of view, but small critters at longer ranges are harder to pin point.

I've been shooting a 3x9 on my bone stock Rem. M700 in .222 Rem.,
and 4.5x14 on my Ruger #1 in .22-250, and finally 6x18 on my .204... Interestingly, that's the order I got them in.

You are doing fine.
Here's my changing attitude....
If you are shooting from a bench, 32 power is nice to have available...BUT
In high mirage, sometimes it is impossible to see the enemy and you have to back off. BUT in mild mirage, the power helps you see the wind.
From field, either prone or shooting sticks, I find myself cranking down to 20 power or even less -- and most of my varmint glass is either 6.5x20 or 6x18.
Bottom line is, for a walkabout varminter, I'd stop at no more than 24 power, between 24 and 18.
For a mostly coyote gun, maybe 12 tops.
I have two rifles with 32 powers on them, both of them are heavy barrel guns that would rip your arms off more than 400 yards from transportation.
So like I said, you are doing fine.

I like 4-12 and 4.5-14's as excellent all around varmint scopes and even like my Leopold 4.5-14x40 Gloss on my custom Model 70 257WBY deer rifle. Very rarely will conditions allow, let alone require, any more magnification in the field and real world situations. 3x-9x's work for many folks, but as I age I find I can do better now with 12-14 x's at the top end for true precision shooting.

For what you describe, 4.5-14 at the biggest. I'm just running 2.5-8x36 for coyotes.

The magnification of the scope has nothing to do with holding a rifle still.

To me, varmints usually consist of colony varmints and predators are a totally different story...

A typical callin' rig doesn't require alot of magnification. The 3x9's pretty much do everything you need to do. And usually get left on 3-4.

Shotgunjock: I have been using Leupold 6.5x20's since the day they were brought out.
I love them.
And if I had but one scope to use for all my Varminting it would be a Leupold 6.5x20!
These scopes do MANY tasks very well.
They do get "a bit" tough to use at night when spotlighting.
Other than that I have used them for virtually all kinds of predator and Varmint Hunting throughout the west.
Your "stillness" worries are credible - but its not the scope being "unstill" its YOUR field position/support that is causing the "unstillness".
A good bi-pod or tri-pod system will alleviate your ability to be "unstill".
And you are right the "unstillness" is more noticeable with the higher powers - again this is easily dealt with aforehand by planning out your solid field rest system.
And DO NOT let anyone hereabouts talk you out of your contention that the higher power scopes won't let you place your shots more accurately/precisely.
You can!
But from time to time a few turdlike people will try to convince you that "a 6 or 9 power scope is all you need/is just as accurate as a 20 power scope"!
Hard to believe these folks and where their contentions come from - but its occassionally good for laughs.
I also have several Leupold 6x18's on some of my Varmint Rifles - I would still rather use the 6.5x20 when afield, by a tad.
I have shot running Jack Rabbits with my 6.5x20's when set on 6.5 power and once they are 30 or 35 yards out I have them in my field of view usually.
As far as size (cumbersomeness) I don't have a problem at all with my 6.5x20 Leupolds.
Best of luck with whichever scope you choose.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I am using the Nikon 4.5x14x40 and the Nikon 6x18x40 on all of my varmit rigs , they seem to work for me

Shotgunjock years ago I started with a plan 6 power Weaver for ground hogs, then I went to the 3 x 9 called a variable. It seemed to work ok, had no complaints and doubled up for deer hunting and speed goats to using the old 270 winny.

Then I got a real honest to goodness "varmint" rifle, a triple deuce called the .222 Remington. I was still using the 3 x 9 power. A few years later I picked up a Remington 788 in 22-250 and purchased my first 4 x 12 in a Redfield scope. It has worked like a gold charm for groundhogs and coyotes etc. It cost me over a weeks wages as I remember back in the 60's. I still have that ole scope by golly!

I hear tell for P-dog shooting you best be getting one of those 6 x 18 or 8 x 24 power types for serous P-dog hunting. You should also put a heat sheild over the barrel to keep that mirrage down. I got a 6 x 18 on my 25/06 rig but the rest are carrying 5 x 15 power scopes with adj AO turrets and mil-dots. The wife uses mostly straight 4 X 12 Leupolds with fine haires.

6x, works very well for that, and longer.

Pin-pointing critters is for binos; laying crosshairs on the target already identified is for scopes.

My first prairie dog rifle, a 22-250, had a 15-power Weaver scope. It suited me well until I bought another 22-250 and tried a 6-24 scope on it. Since then I have had a ton of prairie dog and gopher rifles. Their scopes go up to at least 24-power except my K-Hornets. Since I do not shoot them much over 200 yards they wear 4-16 Nikons. VarmintGuy is right when he says, ��from time to time a few __ people will try to convince you that a 6 or 9 power scope is all you need...� A 9-power scope is an absolute handicap. No one can convince me that they can consistently and accurately shoot center mass of a 10� tall and 3� wide gopher at 200 yards using a 9-power scope. What happens if the animal is 300 yards away and the scope reticle covers the entire gopher? The only down side I find with the higher powers is the movement of the rifle at the shot is magnified and I may not see the results of the hit.

You mention a truck gun which is a different animal. It has to quickly be ready for coyotes, skunks and whatever. You usually have a rest on the window opening, a fender or a fence post. It should be a lighter and shorter rifle than what you would take out prairie doggin. My truck gun has a 12-power scope. Seldom is it required to shoot beyond 200 yards.

4.5x14 is about as good as it gets for a all round varmint rifle.

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4.5x14-44 !

I have had a few 3x9's but i always seem to crank them up around 5x -so 4.5x14 is just right even longer ranges.

I really like a 6-20X for gophers and PD's. But I honestly do plenty good with a 2-7X or 3-9X out to 400yds. or so.

For calling dogs a 2-7X suits me well.


Travis

PDogs, I have a 12 & 18 for 223, a 6.5-20 o 22-250.

More than that and I have mirage problems.

HM

I used a 12x Weaver for many years with no complaints. It was just for groundhogs and crows though. Now that coyotes are here, I use 4.5-14s almost exclusively.

In reality, you've got the experience in the three power ranges that most suggest for "their" ideal scope.

But if you were starting from scratch.....

I favor a 3.5-10 for a truck/calling gun,

a 4.5-14 with the Varmint Hunters reticle for prairie dogs/gophers,

and 15X and up, for waaaay out there.

This is tough to answer because you mention a walkabout truck rifle but don't say what you plan to use for that rifle.

I'm going to assume you plan on using a .224 type caliber in a light rifle of about 6 pounds with a total weight of about 7 pounds with scope.

You also mention shooting 150 yards to 300 yards. Therefore, you don't need or want a 6.5x20 scope especially a 50mm on a walkabout rifle. I have one, a nice scope but a monster. Mine's a Leopold 6.5x20 50mm.

I would recommand a fixed 6 power and no more than a 12 power scope for a walkabout rifle. Look for a compact ultralight scope. I have a ultralight compact on my 10/22 that is a 3-9 power that would work real well on a walkabout rifle.

+1 For calling anything.

My predator hunting/calling sights have followed this sequence: open sights, then a 2-7, then 3-9, then briefly a 6-20 (? I know it topped out at 20) then 3.5-10, then 2-7.

For gophers and ground squirrels, I've used bow and .22 rimfire, but if I got serious, it would be a larger scope.

My lightweight walkabout varmint/predator rifles wear 3-9 scopes and that is plenty for chucks, crows and coyotes out to 300 yds. I used a straight 6x {Weaver K-6} on my old Rem 788 .222 for years and any chuck within 250 yds. was dead meat if the wind wasn't blowing.