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

Hey rcamuglia, how old are you?

My wife, daughter, college buddies of my son, my 79yr old father that hasn't shot a rifle in 10years, etc., don't have any problem hitting 12" steel at 500yds w/ 6x - in a lightweight rifle - even from prone off a backpack (except my dad, he wasn't laying down to shoot...)

David

When I'm 79, I won't shoot prone either. Hopefully.

Old enough

rcamuglia
There is a difference between arguing that a deer can be killed at 600 yards with a 6X scope, and saying that a 6x scope is the best scope for long range shooting. I am not a long range shooter, but if I am going to shoot groups at 300 yards, I prefer a scope of higher magnification. But, I do know that if necessary, a 6X scope can be used to hit things a long way away. A good shot with a service rifle wearing iron sights can keep most of his shot in the 6 inch X ring at 600 yards. Think what he could do with a 6X scope.

I'm up for a 6x/100 yard/1 MOA target challenge.....





For cash

Feel free to tear apart what I've written in this thread about 6x scopes. How is it that all those 3 gunners crush 8 and 10 inch flash targets out to 500 yards from really crappy positions while being timed, but a LR competition shooter believes they are only good for coyotes at 200? Could it be because his experience is all based on dedicated LR guns..?


Say... How are those Leupolds doing that failed exactly like I said they would...?

I hate fixed 6x riflescopes..... and that was all I ran for about 10 years when I was a kid. Old Weaver K6 for $99.00.... those things were tough. I killed plenty of coyotes and a couple deer with them... some way out there.... but that was before rangefinders too. These days, I'd much rather have a quality 3-9x.... or even a fixed 10x... but I can understand how folks wanna keep it simple.

Fixed 6x.... pretty great on a sporting rifle.... pretty schitty at a sporting rifle match.... kinda ironic.

Not really.

One bunch knows something and the other very little

Would your 'hunting'... meaning actual killing of schitt... suffer much if you were forced to shoot a fixed 6x piece of glass? How?

I know it wouldn't have much.... if any... effect on my opportunities or ability to kill critters, especially big game.

I love pounding steel.... you know that... and I know my hits on the 12" plates out past 500-600 would suffer. But that's on steel... on shots I would only take one time in a hundred to punch a tag. Real world.... being forced to go 6x wouldn't change my 'hunting' much at all..... but it would effect my steel ego a bit.

Past 600 on deer. Including other things with 8-10in vitals... Around 800m with 1-4x's.


I don't use and never have used 6x scopes because they are the best for long range. Rather every choice is a compromise, and for a long time they made a lot of sense for most hunting. Namely fixed 6x Leupolds were the only $300 scopes that were reliable enough and had enough magnification for hunting out to around 600 yards. They still are. Except that the 6x SWFA's are better still.

As far as how far... It depends. On 8-10 in targets- deer, under good conditions i.e.- good lighting, decent presentation, etc. 600 yards give or take is comfortable. Under low light, drizzling with terrain that matches the color of animals- 400 +/- may be pushing it.

It should be just the opposite.

Hits on steel, other than when the chips are down in competition, matter not...

The precise delivery of a payload on a living animal to result in a humane kill is paramount.

I like a 6x42 for hunting, because I hunt by myself in the mountains quite a bit. The large FOV ( and coupled with lower recoiling cartridges) makes spotting hits and misses quite a bit easier, for me personally. I would have no problem turning a variable down to 6x solely for the purpose of spotting my shot.

Tanner

Probably right

I'm sure there's plenty more misses to spot on 6x than the precisely placed impacts shot from a scope on the appropriate, higher power.

Whatever you say, hombre.... You've got it all figured out...

Tanner

So how would it change your hunting success?

Don't single me out. There's plenty of others that do as well.

Ya ought to come shoot the SRM sometime with Josh. There's plenty of targets 500 and in. In fact, most of them are. It would be fun for me to see how the course would be shot with a scope set at 6 the entire time.

I've never fired a shot at a target on the course with less than 15X dialed in including a station shot from sticks where the longest plate is 390 yards

Did Ya' notice the part about "solo, mountain hunting"? I never extolled the virtues of a 6x on static steel targets, for use in a match involving heavy rifles and high magnification scopes... Because I wouldn't shoot a 6x at one...

Tanner

It would be fun to see the course shot with an actual hunting rifle, say sub-9lbs... off the pack...no Kestrel.... no range card.... glass'em, range'em, bang'em.... under your 4min hard-deck.

Mine was the closest I saw to anything resembling a 'hunting' rifle.... it wore fixed 12x.... and weighed 9.3lbs. I know..... a 'hunting' rifle is what it is, and if you can pack it you can pack it.... just saying a squad of 8-9 guys running 'hunting rigs' for a $20/ea side pot would be interesting.