Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Power=Yardage

How far will a good quality 3-9 scope cover? At what yardage is too far for 9 power and a person should consider a variable that tops out at 14 or larger?

I have never heard an exact yardage.

It'll get you enough precision to shoot far enough to where your bullets may not be expanding or penetrating well anymore. Of course it depends on how much powder you're burning too.

I was close to pulling the trigger at 850 yards yesterday at 9x and did not feel handicapped by magnification. The wind was my greater concern and thats why I passed on the shot.

If you are talking big game 9x should give you plenty of magnification to place your bullets precisely as far as you should be shooting as long as you aren't using a 50BMG.
There are so many variables that no one can give you a definitive answer.

It seems that everyone is factoring in personal shooting capabilities or cartridge capabilities.

My question was purely from an optical point, has anyone ever seen a professional statement, a 6X scope will be good to X number of yards?
a 9X scope is good to X number of yards?

If you are going to shoot over ___ number of yards get a higher power than 9X.
It seems there should be a recommendation?

There are still too many variables. You're not likely to see such a firm statement.

There are too many variables.

It depends on the size of your target. People shoot 1000 yards with open sights, but the targets are large and stand out. If your target is going to be an elk or moose, a 3-9 will work for precise aiming a looong way out there. If your target is a much smaller animal that may blend in with the background, the working distance will be cut.

Where I hunt elk they need to have 3 points or better. I use a higher mag scope than most as counting points at even 3-400 yards can be challenging.

RRemus: Your quote: "I have never heard an exact yardage" - I have a feeling you never will hear an "exact yardage"!
To many variables to make a blanket definitive statement like you seek.
I am a firm believer in LOTS of scope power on my Big Game Rifles, my Varmint Rifles and especially on my "target" Rifles.
I have killed two head of Big Game in the last month and both were taken with Rifles that had variable scopes on them that topped out at 20 power.
Best of luck to you in your quest.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Size of the target and quality of the glass is an important part of the picture. Good clear glass will add many yards to the effective range of the scope. Example, I had Weaver K-3 on a rifle and to shoot paper at 300 yards I had to completely blacken a 2 inch square to see it. With my Elite 4200 1.25-4 set on 3x just the basic outline of the square was enough. The Weaver was more than enough for coyotes at that range but was sorely lacking/worthless on ground squirrels.

I'd say the effective range of s scope whatever the power is as far as you can pick a spot on the animal you want to hit. You can pick the heart/lung area on a deer much farther than you can a P-dog.

That is because personal shooting capabilities/preferences, experience, eyesight,....ALL have to do with it. There is no definite answer.

I shoot eggs at 600yds with a 16X40 scope. Everyone I shoot against has a higher powered scope. It doesn't make me wrong, or them right. Use what works for YOU......

Depends on the size of the target. 9x should be sufficient out to 1000 yds for a torso sized target, picking up a prairy dog at that range, not too likely.

As an aside, I don't find a 2.5x lacking out to 300 yds for big game.

As said impossible question to answer correctly depending on shooter's vision situation, scope image quality, weather etc. Having said that I gave read and heard in more places than one that the old school military train of thought was minimum 1x magnification per hundred yards. Probably not a bad rough guideline and gives you 900 yds useable aiming system with your 3-9 cranked up on a clear day.

Forgot to add that of course ^ being for the task at hand hitting a human torso more or less in the middle. You'd want more mag obviously for finer accuracy needs

There might be some truth in the 1x magnification per hundred yards and here's why. One factor is how much the crosshairs will cover at a given distance.

With the 1X scopes I have the crosshairs cover about four inches at 100 yards. At a 1000 yards that's 40 inches.

A typical 3-9 crosshair will cover about 3/4" at 100 yards. That's only 7.5" at 1000 yards.

TIFIW.

so a 9x scope would fun on heads at 1000,just cover them up and shoot

Here's my rule of thumb. Forget the thumb and get the highest magnification variable with the widest field of view you can afford that is in the weight range you want. For me that came down to the Swarovski z5 5-25X52 (18.1 oz on my postal scale).

Practice on 12X or 13X and hunt with it on 5X. That way when I throw it up to my shoulder it is like a wide screen TV.

By practice I mean lots of dry firing. Bring it up like you would in the woods or field. "Fire" a shot and work the bolt as quickly as you can without bring the rifle from your shoulder and "fire" again. Of course you will call your misses and eventually hits; based on where the crosshair is when you hear the click of the firing pin. Follow this routine a few times each week and you will see a difference in where the crosshair is in just a few weeks.

For deer sized game my preference is more like 1.5x per hundred yards.