Thread: Pros and cons of scope magnification.

Originally Posted by Tentman

If you select an aiming point on the target you can aim precisely with any scope power, and it's the same with animals. You have to actively train yourself to identify and aim for the vital zone of any animal. I take lots of young guys after rabbits with 22s, and they all start off "aiming at the rabbit" (and frequently miss haha) but once you get them aiming for the shoulder or head it's amazing how their hit rate goes up.

Exactly.

Originally Posted by Tentman

If you select an aiming point on the target you can aim precisely with any scope power, and it's the same with animals. You have to actively train yourself to identify and aim for the vital zone of any animal. I take lots of young guys after rabbits with 22s, and they all start off "aiming at the rabbit" (and frequently miss haha) but once you get them aiming for the shoulder or head it's amazing how their hit rate goes up.

The difference is, with a higher magnification scope you can identify a smaller aiming point. Aim small.

Depends in your case someqhat on the thickness of the cross. If its coarse in a low mag then some of the tsrget area, eg a rabbits eye, will be obscured so you would be limited by that. That is why some scopes have a sharp poited centre post. The low magnification in itsrlf is not the ptoblem, rather the thickness of the cross. A broad centre post can be shot very accurately, as in the german ww1 2 1/2 x early scopes.

More magnification makes you see better not necessarily shoot better was what I was told years ago by someone who I admired, and it's a motto I've mostly stuck with. My highest mag scope is a 4-16 that hardly ever gets used at over 6x except for target ID

Marketing hype Woody.
And the fact that modern technology is available now and wasn't back then.
4 x was all I had for the first ten years(starting mid seventies).
The guys with Leupy 2-7 scopes were just "gear knobs". Then I got one.
Now any rifles I have with a four power on are regarded as specialist rifles (takedown pack versions etc).
And everyday rifles have scopes up to 18 x.
I still own and use Bullers, Swandri's and Mercator's. And apparently that's just plain weird.

yes to all three wear bullers most days my town pair her indoors frowns and thinks I am weird but I see lots in supermarket in red bands -- scopes these days I need an adjustable eye piece right eye failing and the leupolds just dont give me a clear picture any more - only the VX5 has the adjustable that I need- euro scopes all seem to come with it- Kahles are really great --

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

yes to all three wear bullers most days my town pair her indoors frowns and thinks I am weird but I see lots in supermarket in red bands -- scopes these days I need an adjustable eye piece right eye failing and the leupolds just dont give me a clear picture any more - only the VX5 has the adjustable that I need- euro scopes all seem to come with it- Kahles are really great --

Like you, wore Bullers for 40 odd years, last 6 years have worn a decent pair of lightweight leathers, don't like Bullers no more.

There seems to be a general resistance to higher magnification scopes for hunting, I don't really see a downside to having more magnification, as @Shearer has already said, aim small miss small.
There are plenty of modern day optics which offer the best of both worlds, a lower base mag of 2 to 3 power and then 15 to 24 at the top end. When I'm taking a longer shot over a good steady rest I would much rather be looking at the animal on 15 to 24 power than anything lower. I would not debate the fact that the shot could be taken at a lower magnification, absolutely it could, but I would argue that a more precise shot placement can be made using a higher scope magnification.

Well, I am a weird buller, mercator and swanni wear along with some saddle tweeds I salvaged from op shops and fingerless wool mittens .
Anyway, back on subject; one of the points to note is that in low light the rule of 7, or in fact around 5 for us old chaps means the effective operation of scope for max light seldom exceeds about 4power.. Sure nice in bright conditions to have more mag but itsi a mind trick when it comes to the shot. I know a couple of shooters who can shoot half moa over open sights at ranges exceeding 600 yards with 308win.
Right mindset.

I'd love to see any shooter who can make a first round hit on a 2moa target at 600 yards with an iron sighted .308 in a practical scenario

I'll give you a hundred bucks to front up and do it. Most of the targets at the Sparrowhawk ultimate hunter course are around 2moa. Should be easy, show up there and clean it.

If you look at this quick video, you could take the shot at 5.5x zoom if you like but I think you’ll be allot more accurate with the zoom at 22x
https://youtube.com/shorts/9FpaaM8_N...HbFq-KFiODOQUq

Not me, but come watch Brisn C or Mike C at Te Puke sometime.
Incidentally. Bowyangs were pretty standard along with saddletweeds

Originally Posted by gimp

I'd love to see any shooter who can make a first round hit on a 2moa target at 600 yards with an iron sighted .308 in a practical scenario

I'll give you a hundred bucks to front up and do it. Most of the targets at the Sparrowhawk ultimate hunter course are around 2moa. Should be easy, show up there and clean it.

Depends on what you mean by iron sights. Using double aperature type "iron sights" most shooters can hold to moa, and yes good ones well under that. So just give me an aiming point of reasonable diameter with a 2 MOA centre and you would probably have a queue to take your hundies

I'm pretty sure this thread was centered around hunting rifles, therefore hunting sights.

Originally Posted by Tentman

Depends on what you mean by iron sights. Using double aperature type "iron sights" most shooters can hold to moa, and yes good ones well under that. So just give me an aiming point of reasonable diameter with a 2 MOA centre and you would probably have a queue to take your hundies

Groups on a flat range with KD and specific targets and sighters, sure.

Actually hitting something? Yeah, show me

Most hunters with magnified optics seem to struggle to produce on demand to hit a 2moa target in a practical scenario.