The power of the scope may be an element in long range shooting on game, but I suspect it's mostly in the mind of the shooter in that it gives one confidence I suppose...If you can see well enough to place the cross hair a number of inches above the animals back then the scope has enough power to perform its duty..
Two of the longest shots that I have ever made were both with a 4X Leupold on a .270 and the other with a 3X on 308 Sav. 99...Those were in my youth and they were damn long, I mean long and today I wouldn't attempt that, it was the exuberence of youth.
I made two very long shots I with a 2x7 Leupold on 7X on a Black Wildebeest with PH Phillip Price, Swartkei Safaris at his insistence, and another on a Springbok at about 400 yards over Phillips shoulder, both with the .338 Win. on the same hunt. I hit the Wildebeest 3 out of 5 shots and he was moving. I have both of those shots on film. Range was 800 plus yards on the wildebeest. Phillip talked me into taking thes shot and told me if I got blood his boys would find it..It ran around hills and came out a canyon were Phillip said it would be..We drove there and waited and the animal showed up shortly and I killed it, his boys were right behind it. It had been shot once in the leg, once in the lungs, and once in the neck. It went about 1/2 a mile and was about done for when I finished it.
The Springbok was about 400 yards and facing us, I hit him in the sticking spot.
In these instances I had the scope on 3x for the Springbok and 7x on the Wildebeest, so that give you and idea on your 6X..I would say you can take any shot that your comfortable with..for the most part today I won't shoot big game beyond 300 yards.
Last edited by atkinson; 10/22/09.
