1.8-12 magnification for long range?

[Maveroid]

Purchased a Leica Magnus 1.8-12 scope for a Sako 7mm mag. Plan is to hunt deer and a occasional elk. Deer maybe to 400yds and elk out to maybe 600. In my mind this is enough magnification for either situation, is it? Wanted to hear some others thought.

 

[Buck Fever]

I bet many people have made those shots with a 3-9x scope so you have it covered on both sides.

I might like a bit more magnification but 12x will certainly get it done.

 

[Bravo 4]

Yes it is, plenty of power for those ranges. Two of my favorite hunting scopes are a 2-10 and a 3.5-10. I shoot them regularly to 800 yards. Some rebuttals I can see being posted are "I have bad vision and need more magnification" or "You need more magnification to judge the animal (antlers and such)". Someone might bring up the more magnification you have the finer aim point you can have (the whole aim small-miss small thing). But I will argue that high magnification has trade offs to it, like FOV and ability to spot my own hits as part of follow through. Someone might throw in the ole "better to have it and not need it" and to that I'd say whatever floats your boat. Did I miss anything? These were just my initial thoughts.

 

[Maveroid]

I have a couple other scopes with higher magnification I use for shooting targets. (Minox zp5 5-25 and Meopta Optika 6 5-30) I went with the 1.8-12 thinking the 1.8 would be nice while walking through timber and the 12 would be plenty on a larger target such as a elk. The lowlight capability of the Leica was another factor.

Honestly I'm not worried about judging antlers through the scope. In Iowa anyway, when you see a shooter, you know it. I havnt hunted elk yet and would imagine it's similar. The buddy I plan to elk hunt with isn't a trophy hunter, more of a meat hunter.

Does this picture depict a real life situation? I brought it up on StrelokPro and if this is what I'd actually be seeing, I think it's more than enough for the range I'm looking at.



Thanks!

 

[lancetkenyon]

12x is plenty for shots from 400-600.
I regularly shoot my 3-15×50s out past 1500.
Shot a coyote this winter at 921 on 7x.
Shot my pronghorn last year at 450ish on 7x.

 

[Tiny Tim]

Given your distances, I think it would be a fair choice. In the field, I have struggled with the compromise between the low and high magnification trade-offs. My hunting is similar to yours and I have often wished for more low end magnification. Depending on circumstances, judging is far better done with a spotter or binoculars. Some incredible sniper shots have been made with 10-12 power fixed scopes and at FAR greater ranges than you suggest. Only time I've really wished for more than that was just to see antlers in thick timber. Even then, positive id wouldn't have made the shot possible. I think you have struck a good balance and if that is what you like, don't let anyone else convince you otherwise. I'd like a 1.5-36x56 in a lightweight package, but until its available, I'll stick with something similar to yours.

 

[matemike]

1.8-12 is probably perfect for all that and being a quality scope = even better.
I've shot white tails, hogs and moose at your mentioned ranges with a 3-9x36 Zeiss Diavari on a 7rm when I was in my 20's. I've since put a 4-12x50 Swarovski on that rifle and shot targets at 1,000 in addition to more deer and hogs at 300-400 ranges. You'll be fine with x12 as long as you are finding a solid rest and taking comfortable shots.

FWIW I put a 4-30x56 cheap scope on a 308 thinking I'd be able to shoot game at 1,000. It got so dark on highest power during hunting lighting times that I found myself fidgeting with the settings constantly. It was more of a burden than a good piece of glass. I bet most animals were shot at 15 or max 20 power with that scope. So don't assume that 30 power is what you need to see and shoot better.

 

[Warbird2006]

Congrats, its the best glass on the world, you can hunt long range, hunt almost in the dark

 

[6.5-300 BEE]

JOC did it all with a 2.5X Lyman Alaskan.

 

[Sirrated]

Congrats, its the best glass on the world, you can hunt long range, hunt almost in the dark

Totally agree with this comment, I've been useing Leica for a number of years now, You will never regret mounting one of these. Good luck.

 

[Maveroid]

Thanks guys, feeling much more confident. I can't wait to get it mounted and shoot. I wanted the 2.4-16 but it was sold out. Think I was just having some buyers remorse for a minute.

 

[vancewalker007]

Purchased a Leica Magnus 1.8-12 scope for a Sako 7mm mag. Plan is to hunt deer and a occasional elk. Deer maybe to 400yds and elk out to maybe 600. In my mind this is enough magnification for either situation, is it? Wanted to hear some others thought.

You should have plenty of scope for normal Elk/Mule Deer/Big Whitetails out to 600. I was shooting steel for practice out to 700-1000 with a VX3 4.5-14 in the past with no problem. On small deer like Coues, you might want a little more power to cover long shots but if Coues are not on the menu no worries. The Gunwerks guys shoot a lot of game out in the 500-1000 yard range with a 3.5-18 all the time and I don't think they crank it all the way most of the time.

 

[Buckys]

I agree more than enough.

Personally, as I went north of 50yrs of age, my optics requirements have changed.

Case in point, I took a cull buck this year at about 100yds. He was a 3-4yr old slick six. In my younger days, I would not have needed optics to tell you he was a slick (not so true now) and with 3x magnification I could have probably told you he was a slick because his brow tines were broken off. I could not do that with a 12x scope now. He still tastes just as good, especially during Covid lockdown, though.

That sort of recent experience really hits home the point that who-needs-what-in-optics is a hugely personal and contextual question. In my younger days, I probably would say "I don't know why anyone would need ..." a lot more than I do today as well.

 

[jrthomasjr]

I have two rifles which produce sub-moa groups at those ranges using a VX-II 3x9. It isn't difficult at all as long as I use ammo that works with the rifle.

If I recall correctly, the scope used by military snipers on the M1 Garand was 2.5X and the bolt guns of the Korea/Vietnam area were typical hunting scopes of the time.

Understanding this, when I had a young lady on a youth hunt having difficulty with her scope picture, I turned it down to 6X and both her shooting and confidence improved considerably. She took a whitetail at 200 yds. the following evening.