7mag and 260 to 1.04 miles

[BB28MX]

Went out with a good friend today in western SD and did some shooting at a mile. It was 70 degrees, wind was 10-25 MPH with almost a full value and we were shooting a 3 ft gong. Both the 7 mag Sendero and his 260 LRP were producing consistent hits, when wind was consistent of course, with our reloads. It was our first time shooting more than 1200 yards and it was interesting what we learned. 1) While high magnification is nice, we both prefered to shoot at around 14 power (the added internal adjustment is far more valuable). 2) Shooting a 3 ft gong at a mile is as hard as shooting a 2 ft gong at 1200 (from our in the field experience).

From this I wanted to get some of you to weigh in on the magnification perspective. The general shooting community is looking for 24-36 power on the high end. Is there some advantage we did not see or is it simply personal preference? Hoping to get some advice before I dump my high power scopes for lower power with more adjustment.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
Dave

 

[WyoElk2Hunt]

I was using a Nightforse scope 5.5X22 when I was shooting at 1830 yards in Arizona with my 338 Lapua and it worked great!

 

[Joel Russo]

My SB 5-25 PMII rarely goes above 16x while shooting Mile matches. We use the 1000 IBS target with a 4" white center.

 

[JeffVN]

I generally have my 5-25X SN3 USO dialed down to 18-20X when shooting at 2,000 yards and beyond. I need to hold over at those distances. The reduced magnification does not impair the ability to see and also centers the reticle a bit. I am looking hard at the Nightforce ATACR as that will eliminate the need to hold over.

One of the issues we have to deal with in the desert in the summer is mirrage. When it comes on heavily, dialing down the magnification is generally called for.

Jeffvn