Originally Posted by Mule Deer
...

The quarter-inch error in 4x scopes really isn't much. I have several medium-bore hunting rifles with 4x scopes, and the most accurate will regularly shoot 5-shot groups averaging an inch with the right loads. Which means they should average .85 inch with a 3-9x set on 9x, or slightly over .75" with a 25x. In reality that isn't much error.

I suspect most of the problem many people have with shooting small groups with a 4x scope is due to inappropriate targets. Most commercial targets these days have pretty small aiming points, because so many hunters use at least a 3-9x variable. While a 4x scope ideally results in only 1/4" of aiming error, most aiming points don't allow us to hold as closely as possible with 4x.

There's also potential parallax, which many hunters don't even know how to check for, or correct. But 4x scopes normally don't have any perceivable parallax at 100.



Hear! Hear!

From another thread:

Originally Posted by mathman
Originally Posted by mathman
Saturday, with this thread in mind, I used this target

http://www.targetz.com/targetzlib/10013.pdf

to shoot a couple of 5 round groups at the end of the day. The scope was a Meopta Meopro 3-9x42 with their version of a duplex reticle. I shot one group on 4x and one group on 3x, both at 100 yards. The sight picture was good even with the center dot obscured, I just laid the reticle lines evenly between the big blocks. I'll measure them tonight, but for now I'll say if you're using the right target then shooting well under moa with 4x isn't a problem.



The 4x group was 5/8" and the 3x group was 13/16". With the targets overlaid the 4x group fit within the 3x group, so the composite is ten shots inside 13/16" using no more than 4x.

You'll be OK with "only 6x" as you saw when you tried the right ammo. grin