Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics low power variable

whos got experience with 1 to 4 or similar power scopes no higher than 1.24 to 4 and what models were they and how do you like them for speed of target aquisition and how do you like using a lowish setting like 4 power on shots longer than 250 yards?? thanks

O.K. so I'm a little out of your stated range. I have 2 Vari-x-III 1.75-6 scopes I use on deer rifles. One I bought new & the other came with a used gun. Most of my shots are 40-100yrds. For this use I think it would be hard for me to find a better scope.

I've had a 1-4x20 and a couple of 1.5-5x20 scopes on rifles, all Leupolds. I found that I really don't like the image of the barrel at low magnifications. It doesn't seem to bother some people, but I just couldn't get used to it. I found that after a period of time, I'd just leave the scopes set at the upper limit, and would have been better served by going with just a straight 4 or 6x scope.

I have owned 1X4 and 1.75X5 Leupy's and currently own a 1.1X4 S&B Zenith non-illuminated reticule. I like the S&B very much and for close range hunting in thick cover it is the ticket on 1.1 power the field of view is enormous

yeah that is my dream scope only illuminated but for now at least i wont be doing part with that kind of money. have you ever had to make a longer shot with these scopes?

I have an old VariX-II 1x4x20, a VX-II 1x4x20, a Nikon Monarch 1.5x5x20, 2 Weaver V-3 1x3x20, a Elite 4200 1.25x4x30 Ill. and a Sightron II 1.5x6x40mm. All of them are on coyote calling guns or deer rifles, I've tried higher power variable but find them lacking for the type of hunting I do.

If I had to pick the best they would be the Sightron the VX-II and the Weavers, the 4200 is a little on the heavy side but great glass, the Nikon is a little demanding on eye position. I use all of them so none are bad.

erich

I have always liked low power variable scopes on my lever guns.

Leupold, Pentax, old El Paso Weavers, and older Denver Redfields.
They look good on a lever gun, and where I hunt, most of the time, they stay on 1 or 2.5X.

Have used the 1.5-5X a lot,years past.The 1-4 some,but not as much. To me they are pretty much the same.I've killed antelope,elk, mule deer,whitetails,etc.between 350 and 500 yards with fixed 4X Leup's.All were "dead" and I did not feel handicapped at the time.

The only time I feel handicapped with 4X is during the off-season, when I read and think too much.

man how true is that, i never worry about any of my equipment in the feild but when im researching guns and equipment i could find something wrong with the worlds finest rifle, i just hope im not doomed to be unhappy with my rig forever

All my scopes are 1.5-5X or 1-4X. This is a mix of Leupold, Pentax, Burris and Bushnell. I'll never own a 3-9X or larger for eastern woods hunting. The one advantage people cite is the large field of view afforded by the low end variable. An even greater advantage overlooked by most hunters is that at low power, these scopes are especially easy to use with both eyes open. Closing your eye reduces your field of view by 50%. I use the higher magnification to sight in, then leave the scope set at its lowest setting for hunting. Lets not forget that the higher the magnification, the greater the perceived rifle motion, making them more difficult to shoot off hand.

When I see a 3-9X or a 4-12X on a .35 Marlin, I know its owner is new to deer hunting.

Considering my longest kill on anything was with a 4x and my longest shot on a black bear was with a 1-4x, I don't have a problem with them.

how many yards was the shot??

I have a 1.5x5 illuminated Leupold that I use on my work rifles while overseas and then use on my personal Colt AR when home (primarily for coyote calling).

I also have a Weaver V3 1x3 on a 16" 30-30 and a couple of Weaver fixed 2.5x scopes, one being on the Marlin .44 lever gun in the photo.

In short, for hunting they are great, for group shooting/paper punching, I prefer higher magnification.

The Weaver V3 is a real sleeper. It is an outstanding litle scope and sized appropriately.

I have 2 Sightron 1.5-6x42,2 leupold 2-7x33,1 Vortec2-7x35 and 1 Vortec 1.75-5x32.I like lower power scopes but none of the rifles with these scopes is intended for 250 yards but I am pretty sure at the highest power in the right hands they would be fine.The only rifle I have for longer shots is my 25-06 and it wears a Nikon 6.5-20x44,I dont have the right hands.

420 yards on a 'yote and 275 on the bear.

Bought a 1-4x Leupold many years ago - like around 1984 or so. Very cool little scope. Seeing the front sight/barrel at low power was a little distracting, but no big deal. On game, I'm happy out to 200+ yards at 3x or so.

These days I use a fixed 2.5x on my .45/70 Marlin and really appreciate the wide field of view, light weight and speed getting on target. Nice...

I have a couple of 1.5-5 Leupolds, fine out to 250-300 Yd. I have 2 1.75x6 Leupolds, and a couple of 2.5x8 Leupolds on guns that I might take a 400 yard shot with. I like lower power in the woods, and I also like smaller trimmer scopes on all my big game rifles, that is why I do not go above the 2.5x8.

I have 3 Zeiss 1.5-6x4, one S & B 1.5-6x42 and a Leupy 1-4x24. I use and have had other more conventional 3-9s, 4-12, I like my 4.5-14 a lot, but for hunting deer in Minnesota the low power scopes are just perfect. I will say that the high end Euro scopes are really nice for picking up deer in the brush quick and the superior optics make them really good out to 300 yards. But, it's no fun paying for them. Patient careful work on ebay can cut the price a lot.

I'm with Dorm. All of my big game rifles wear 2.5-8 or less. My favorites are the old short front 1.75-6 Leupolds, but I also very much like my 1.5-5s and 1-4s.

I have or have had scopes in that power range from Bushell, Weaver, Redfield, Bosh and Lomb and Leupold. They are great big game rifle sights. I love them all but have never taken a long shot at big game with any of them, that's just not the kind of country I hunt.

Inside 200 or so yards I would have no question of making such a shot with a 4x tho. Forget the "magnification" a moment and consider that the acutal effect of a scopes power is to reduce the apperant distance to the target. A 4x scope makes a 200 yard deer seem only 50 yards away. If I couldn't hit at that range I need a lot more practice, not more magnification.

Just a personal perspective but lower power scopes have a wide acceptance angle that makes rapid target acquisition easy; I like that. It also means we can start to see the barrel at powers around 2x but that's never been a problem to me, I concentrate on my target instead of the barrel anyway.