Thread: Help on scope magnification range??

Hi all, would appreciate your input on what scope magnification range I should choose between a 2-10x42 or 3-15x44?

Will going on 7-08. 70% bush hunting (5 to 80m shots) and 30% open county/tops hunting (100 to 500m). Will be setting it up for dailing too.

The 2-10x42 would obviously be more compact and lighter for the thick nz bush, but am worried I would miss the extra magnification of the 3-15x44 for longer shots on animals. Also paying a bit more for the 3-15x44.

What are your thoughts? Cheers

you dont need 15X for 80 meters. 4-6 power is more than enough

Nay not help but I use a 1x4 for 200 on my 223 for rabbits
Just to give u a guide on range

I would go 2-10x42. The new Leupold VX5 look good.

2-10 is your best option I think. Magnification wont make you shoot better it only lets you see better. For your bush work 2 is definitely better. Target turrets can also be a pain with their sticky out bits. For long range with a 7/08 drop and wind at will be more of a factor so a bdc type reticle may be better.

My next scope for a similar rifle will be a Swarovski 3-10x42 with the BRH reticle.

It's not so much the power it's the clarity and resolution of the scope the better the glass the less power you need to see your target, for many years the US Marines and other snipers
used 10X fixed power scopes and made hits passed 1000 metres, I have an old S&B 10x42 sniper scope that I would use on animals at 500 metres it's clear as a bell,
Buy the best scope you can even if you can really afford it you can't shoot what you can't see, If money was not an issue I would buy a Zeiss Victory 1.5-6x42.

On my 300wsm I run a nightforce 3-10, don't need anymore magnifaction, have had it on animals at 700 and wouldn't be afraid to take the shot, longest I have used it to is 600y and no problems......
My bush rig has a 2-12 leupold


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

10X magnification is more than enough for 99% of hunting applications, and with the right reticle will still work well at 500m.

That being said, I have a Leupold VX6 3-18 and the combination of big FOV and forgiving eyebox makes for very quick target acquisition at close range and its easy to shoot with both eyes open on 3x.

A 2-10 will certainly be the better close range scope, but for many many years a fixed 4X or a 3-9x40 was the go to scope for many shooters, with 3-9 and 3-10 still being very popular magnification range for scopes.

Originally Posted by Beetroot

10X magnification is more than enough for 99% of hunting applications, and with the right reticle will still work well at 500m.

As Beetroot has added above, the reticle needs to be considered along with the magnification range. With some "thick" reticles, placement of your shots at 500m with the scope set to 10x could be tricky on small red or fallow sized animals. This is from having taken but also having passed up a number of shots around 300m with a 5x scope. I'd always felt that with a standard reticle in the same situations 300m+ would have become straightforward and have from time to time played with the idea of changing it, but then I appreciate the thicker reticle at 1.5x when close up. So add reticle design to FOV, clarity, forgiving eyebox, on top of magnification, weight & compactness, and cost, and we've got you that much closer to a decision haven't we?

With hunting gear the war of compromise rages nowhere more fiercely than between choices in scopes!

Thanks all. Guess it's hard to find the perfect all-round scope.

Rectile will most likely be Leupold Duplex. Would this be fine enough rectile out to 500m with with 10x zoom?

Originally Posted by stug

I would go 2-10x42. The new Leupold VX5 look good.

Yep. Vx-5 is at the top of the list. Then maybe Zeiss hd5

Originally Posted by In2thewild

Yep. Vx-5 is at the top of the list. Then maybe Zeiss hd5

I have a VX6 and rate it highly, the VX5HD and VX6HD are only going to be even better.
If you were going for the VX5 2-10 get the firedot over the standard duplex, makes a big difference for taking a quick shot especially on 2x power.
Both duplex and firedot will be ok at 500m, but they are on the thick side.

If you do end up getting the 3-15 the windplex is a good reticle.
I'm not going to recommend the TMOA or impact 29 despite being what Id prefer, because they are pretty thin and not the best for your application, being mostly used in thick bush.

Unfortunately you cant get the firedot windplex in the VX5 because this IMO is the perfect reticle, but you may be able to find a VX6 non HD in 2-12 with it if you look hard enough.
Just to add more confusion.

Love my VX5 (3-15 firedot duplex). 3x is still fine for close with a great field of view. It is on a (mainly) long range rifle though.

A good question alright...how much impact on accuracy will not having parallax adjustment on the 2-10 have at 500m?