Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics When do you use less than full magnification?

Try to never leave them up.

Usually keep them 4-6, turn them up when possible.

Better to not see well than not see.

My scopes stay on 4 or 6 power. If I am anywhere that I have shots over 300 yards, then i will go higher

this is an interesting question. it also gets to the heart of weather or not you should choose FFP or SFP. for most of my hunting I use the lowest power and only dial up for a shot that is long range. 90% of shots are normally point and shoot. I see a use for middle range power only on colony varmints. That is the situation that I find I like using holdover instead of dialing too. shots are flying and I find myself just prefering to walk shots in that missed by holding a little more or less for the next shot. so maybe I choose FFP in that case or maybe not.

I don't need to answer. You said exactly what I would have.

yup, and IMHO thats how you are supposed to run a variable. Always set or left on the lowest X period. Turn up if needed. If needed the time is there then too.

Yep Credo 2.5-15x42. Loved it but never used over 10-12x and got a deal on a 2.5-10x42 NXS and I am in love with it. So easy to get behind…and like the Credo, it will stay on 2.5x which is where most animals were killed with the Credo.

Heck, I just figured everyone left a variable on the lowest setting until they needed more Xs. If I needed to hunt with a maxed out 9-10x, I’d probably have a fixed 10x on all sorts of stuff. Other than the range, anything I have that goes over 4-6x at the top, rarely gets there.

I mostly use 3.5-10 power scopes. Most ranges I hunt I keep my scope on 7x. I turn up or down depending on where I am hunting. Lower in the thick woods and higher if Im in the open and expect a longer shot. I don't get hung up on using the lowest power. I just make the call based on what I think the situation calls for a hunt.

Me too

I very rarely have mine set on the lowest power, but have it set at about 5-6X. Heck, made my longest shot ever on a critter without touching the magnification ring. I very rarely seem to touch the mag ring when in the field. One year on a pronghorn trip, I was curious about folks that use fixed 10X so I kept my scope at 10X the whole trip. At least for those critters in that country I did not find that to be a hindrance at all.

12 or 15X on a deer at 75 yards? Come on...

I'm more likely to shoot a coyote at 2.5X at 200..........

Hi Chris, which NXS reticle did you pick?
Really like NXS but mine sometimes seem a little thin in low light, so curious what you think.
Tim

Always

Mine stays at the lowest power except when I turn it up for a specific shot. Say I have a 3-9X. If I were hunting with a rifle such that 6x were reasonable, I'd sell the 3-9X and replace it with a 6.5-20X.

Tom

I use the highest magnification when zeroing. But if I am carrying a scoped rifle I have the magnification as low as it will go, 100% of the time.

In fact I can remember about 3 kills in the last 30 years where I cranked it higher then the low setting. You see, making the target look bigger doesn't actually make the target bigger, and more magnification limits the field of view so I don't do it. If I can hold where I need to on 2X or on 3X to make a kill making the elk or deer look larger doesn't make the hold steadier.

So I leave them on low power and when it's time to fire, I fire. The large field of view makes an accurate shot faster with no more difficulty at all.

It's rare for me not to be on full mag. I bring a rifle and scope commensurate with my expectations of what the hunting will be like. The only time I have dialed down power is when varmint hunting, the varmint is too close. Less than 50 yards.
The average shot is 100+ yards, so full power.

Not a mag whore. Rarely are my scopes dialed up over 6x. Shot a doe at 540 yards and used 10x.

12X on my LRTS was plenty for a 522 yard skunk eating chicken bones i chunked out for coyotes too ; ]

MIL-R, it's a bit thin but the green illumination is fantastic and solves that problem.

Thanks, I need to try the MIL-R.