Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting How far can 6x take you?

As we can see there is lots of different opinions.

What I can't help but notice is a real lack of 6X deer kills beyond 500yds.

Here is a short video from this years bull. 3 good hits, in the chest, at 550yds, and 2 were while the bull was moving.

14X allows the following advantages in a real dynamic hunting situation.

Positively identify which bull. The first bull was pretty nice but the bull we were waiting on is much better.

Positively ensure the background was clear of other elk as there were 40 head milling around in the timber.

Establish the right lead for the first and 3rd shots. I used 6 MOA and it is much easier to discern and be confident in the lead with more Xs. Normally I would wait for the bull to stop but I believe he was intent on chasing off the other bulls and might not have stepped back into the open.

I was back on the bull before the first shot landed and saw the jump indicating a hit. That bullet went through his ribs and would have been quickly fatal.

After the first hit it was much easier read the crosshair on his chest for the second shot and get pretty aggressive with the trigger with the increase resolution that 14X offered. Scott says in the video that I hit his horn but you can clearly see the trace run right into his onside shoulder.

The bad call is from all the crap falling from his antlers.

14X allowed me to clearly see the intervening limbs as the bull moved to the right and wait for him to clear before the final shot.

Uploaded in HD so you can see the trace.


While it is very possible such could have been done with a 6X it does point to some of the downsides to shooting far with out sufficient magnification.

Anybody pack 6X binos???