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Is over 10x helpful on a deer rifle?

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boliodogs View Drop Down
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    Posted: August/18/2009 at 11:42
I do not hunt animals under 100 lbs. and I will not take a shot that is over 450 yards. Still I find myself thinking about buying a scope with a top end of 12 to 16 power. These scopes tend to be longer,heavier, have a smaller f.o.v. and cost more. I have scopes with a top end of 9 or 10 power that are reasonably short and light weight with a field of 30 feet or more. The reason I keep thinking about a scope of more power is because so many others use them and love them. The way I understand magnification a 10 power scope would make an animal 450 yards away seem to be 45 yards away. If my hardest shot is a standing antelope at 450 yards is there any reason for me to use a scope that goes higher than 10 power. Would a higher than 10 power scope make a shot like this easier or more precise? Thanks for any help or advice on this. If a higher power  scope will help my hunting results I will buy one but I do not want to buy a scope I do not need.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/18/2009 at 11:48
Originally posted by boliodogs boliodogs wrote:

If my hardest shot is a standing antelope at 450 yards is there any reason for me to use a scope that goes higher than 10 power. Would a higher than 10 power scope make a shot like this easier or more precise?
 
No.  You really don't need more than 10X for most of the big game hunting you could possibly ever do on the continent.  Having more magnification than that on hand is helpful for target shooting and long range rodent sniping, but other than that, 10X gives you all the magnification you will ever need for general hunting. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rancid Coolaid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/18/2009 at 11:52
Most of my hunting scopes are 3-12s or thereabouts, and most spend their time at 3X.  Somtimes, when you wanna put the round in the ear (like with large hogs and late shots and you don't wanna be tracking a blood trail in thick brush in the dark) I do use 12X.  Whether that is a "need" or not is your call.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote boliodogs Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/18/2009 at 17:20
RifleDude thanks, that is what I was thinking but it helps to have someone else on the forum say it. Rancid Coolaid, the 3-12 scopes with the 4 times power spread are the scopes that tempt me the most with the useful 3 power at the low end and a full 12 power on the top.What I do not like is 14 inches of lenth and about 18 ounces of weight. What brand or brands of 3-12 scopes do you hunt with? 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 300S&W Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/18/2009 at 17:34
   Here's one at just over 13oz and less than 13" long:

Edited by 300S&W - August/18/2009 at 17:36
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boliodogs View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote boliodogs Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/18/2009 at 21:56
300S&W thanks, I really like the specs on that scope. Do you have one?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Urimaginaryfrnd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/19/2009 at 01:22

There are times when it is helpful to have a higher power scope.  A couple of years ago my son was using an 8.5-25x50 Leupold Mk 4  M1  illuminated  and I was using a 10x40 Leupold Mk4 M3 both rifles were tactical .308's and we were hunting does in late antlerless season.  Out of five deer in the field he could see that one was a young buck which would not have been legal to shoot. With 10x I could have hit any of the deer but having more power can work for you if you hunt from a fixed position.  Is it necessary - no because I could kill all the deer I wanted to with a bow but being able to use a rifle in this state is something that has only recently been allowed and only in late antlerless season in certain areas.   The scope I hunt with the most is a 3-9.   What you might find helpful is a 3-9 or 2.5-10 with significantly better glass.    And you can trade in your old scope.

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Edited by Urimaginaryfrnd - August/19/2009 at 01:23

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 300S&W Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/19/2009 at 07:32
  No,b,I don't have one but do have an SI and SII. Both are NICE scopes with little dissatisfaction with either. The Big Sky series is a completely diff breed and I've heard alot of positive things about them.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bugsNbows Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/19/2009 at 10:46
I just mounted a 3-9 X 42 Sightron Big Sky on a friends new rifle. It had the H.H.R. (reticle) and the optics were very good. He was more than happy with it. Big Grin
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote magshooter1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/19/2009 at 10:53
The only time I find a upper mag of >10X useful is when I hunt the family farm in eastern AR (soy bean fields) It can come in handy when making a 300 - 400 yd shot.  To detemine if the deer meets the state-wide 3-point rule.  They have introduced a 4-point rule in certain areas of eastern AR so I can see it being very useful in the bean fields in those areas.  I have a Pentax Lightseeker II 4x16x44 on a Ruger No. 1 in .270 Weatherby Magnum and this scope kept me from shooting a huge (but illegal) 4 point buck.  At 9x and 10x I couldn't see him well enough to accurately count points.  At 12x I was saying WTF.  And at 16x I was saying where are the rest of the points.  In the early morning shadows under the planted pines at eastern edge of the field I found the extra magnification to be quite useful.  Under most normal hunting conditions I usually use a variable with an upper limit of 9x or 10x.  Just my thought on it.Whistling
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ccoker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/19/2009 at 10:55
you didn't mention what type of scopes you have
I used to go up in magnification trying to "see better'
got a great 3-10 (Kahles) and I no longer have the desire for higher mag due to the quality of glass and the clarity/detail I can now see
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 300S&W Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/19/2009 at 11:06
  VERY GOOD point,cc.  That's one of the reasons I recommend to those who must go with low priced optics to go with no more than a 6X fixed power scope or no more than 9X on a variable power scope.  I feel it's their best chance at getting something that'll work for 'em.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jonoMT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/19/2009 at 15:15
I now hunt with a 2.5-10X variable as much for the 2.5 on the low end as the 10X on the high end. I really don't see a need for more magnification out to 600 yards and usually before that, say 300 yards, will have reached other limitations, namely the killing power of a 165gr bullet shot from a .308 and wind, that make more magnification a waste. The real need I've found is being able to go low, hunting in dense cover and rugged terrain that make a shot over 100 yards highly unlikely. Consider that most 3X scopes have about 8' more FOV (~32-34') than a 4X scope. 
Reaction time is a factor...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rancid Coolaid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/19/2009 at 15:36
My favorite 3-12 is a Zeiss Victory 3-12; it's big, it's heavy, and it is very, very bright.  Only slightly behind the Zeiss is my Swaro American 3-10, it is much smaller, much lighter, not quite as bright, but a damn fine scope.

If size and weight are issues, I have yet to find a scope I like more (mine is on a 7-pound Tikka T3 Lite in 270.)

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 300S&W Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/19/2009 at 15:43
  JF4545 PM'd me earliar asking about that Swaro American and the 4-12x50 model.  I'll have to point him here.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rancid Coolaid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/19/2009 at 16:04
Yea, he PMed me too, it is for a .270 which will not (in my opinion) benefit from a higher magnification. 

I will say I have nothing with >10X on a rifle that I would not comfortably take a 500+ yard shot with.

For most hunting apps, I am a fan of the fixed 4X.  Sometimes more magnification gives confidence to those who don't deserve it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote boliodogs Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/19/2009 at 17:08
Thanks everyone for the helpful advice. ccoker, the higher power scopes I own now are a few vxlll 3.5-10s a vx3 3.5-10, a Conquest 3-9x40, a 3200 3-9x40 and a 4200 2.5-10x40. I have not done any shooting or hunting in many years but I bought hunting rifles and never scoped them. Now I am retired and I want to scope my rifles and start using them. I have done all my past hunting with Leupold scopes of 2-7 power or 1.5-5 power. I am 65 years old so from what I read my eyes can only take advantage of a 4mm exit pupil. Higher powered scopes I have thought about buying would include vxll 4-12x50, vx3 4.5-14x40 Grand Slam 3-10x40 and 4.5-14x40, Signature 3-12x44 and the 4200 4-16x40. $600 is the most I can force myself to pay for a scope.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 300S&W Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/19/2009 at 18:53
  RC,for the most part I agree with you. I recommended the 3-10x42 unless y'all had something better to suggest in that price range. That power range is good for anyone planning on ACTUALLY using (not maybe using) one rifle chambered for a flat shooting cartridge for eveything from varmints to big game. I did it for 30yrs using a Vari-X III 3.5-10x40AO.  Now it sits in a box and I use 4x to 6x fixed powered scopes and variable powered scopes in the 1x to 6x range.. Except for the 3-10x40 GS that was on a M70 Fwt when it was given to me. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote boliodogs Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/19/2009 at 20:05
300S&W, I got my Burris Signature 1.5-6x40 today. It is a nice scope but I like the Burris Signature 1.75-5x32 better because it is lighter with more eye relief. The 1.5-6 weighed 16.5 ounces with ok eye relief but I would perfer more on a hard kicker. The 1.75-5 weighed 12.5 ounces with good eye relief even on a 375. I ordered the Grand Slam 3-10x40 and 1.5-5x32. How is the eye relief on the G.S.3-10x40?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 300S&W Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/20/2009 at 01:08
  Specs say 3.5"at 3x and 3"at 10x but I think it's a bit more at both powers.  I've got scopes that are ALOT worse.
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