Highest, low power magnification on scope

[adk hunter]

Good afternoon everyone,

Looking for your feed back on scopes lower power magnification range. Elk being the intended target and say a 300wm for cartridge capabilities.

Do you like the lowest possible and keep it set to the widest angle possible if a quick shot presents. 3-15 seems like a good balance to me but I jump shoot darned whitetails. They take off like rockets. Is a 5.5-22 too much magnification for mixed woods and open ground?

Wilderness hunt in Wyoming next Fall. I'm trying to get my mind off over analyzing gear and get settled on what I have.

Thanks for the input, Joe

 

[26Reload]

Well I'm not in WY...but close...
I was hunting with 6.5x....I hunt timber too....for that purpose..way too much power....bought a couple vx5 3-15....works very well in lower end....and at 12x power I tend to shoot longer distances.....
I don't use my scope to look for critters..have a good bino for that....

 

[Rick Richard]

Easier to pickup game on low power and turn it up as needed. I like the 3-18 for an all around magnification and also like 5.5 -22 for more open terrain. I believe the NF NX8 2.5-20 would be my choice. Good luck on that hunt.

 

[lancetkenyon]

Somewhere in the 3-15, 3-18, 3-20, 4-16, 4-20 range for me.

 

[Koda_]

What you really want to look for in a hunting scope is the widest FOV.

 

[adk hunter]

...

 

[Rich Coyle]

5X max on the bottom for me. Top max could be a Hubble.

 

[Rosebud]

VX5HD 3-15x44ZL2Firedot. Own 3 of them , I've had other big name scopes but settled on these. Free turret to your specs to begin with, can purchase others to $80.

 

[dmj]

5 max on the bottom. Would prefer 3 or 4.

 

[comfisherman]

About 10 years ago I was a pack mule on a trip, the friend had been in Idaho when the wolves were just starting to get bad making for some skittish elk. He was setup for more traditional distances and decided to make a change for the next year. I setup the rifle and built the load and left optics up to him. Over the winter he went to bigger and bigger mfg the more range time he put in (as is the trend it seems). Ended up leaving with an 8-32 nxs.... absolutely fine if we'd have to shoot across a canyon. Ended up dumping a nice bull well under 80 yards offhand and moving on route to dig a latrine. Said he shouldered the rifle and all he saw was fur, he pulled the trigger on what he hoped was vitals fur and got lucky with a textbook shot.

He had a 3-18 bought and mounted on the road home, swapped the nxs to his favorite sage rat gun.

I think the mystic of elk is the unpredictable nature of the critters. One hunt they will gladly stay 800 yards away and be elusive as ghosts requiring insane hikes in extreme elevation. Next hunt will end on day one with a nice bull minutes from the truck when the tag holder is using the far shooting louden boomer for a tp roll holder.....

For me the steiner 8 2-16 looks good, but have had success on non dialing guns with the vx5 and 6 lines. Ffp and dialing puts a wrench as prs has dominated sales to a point it's about the nx8 in the mpvo category.

 

[FEENIX]

Good afternoon everyone,

Looking for your feed back on scopes lower power magnification range. Elk being the intended target and say a 300wm for cartridge capabilities.

Do you like the lowest possible and keep it set to the widest angle possible if a quick shot presents. 3-15 seems like a good balance to me but I jump shoot darned whitetails. They take off like rockets. Is a 5.5-22 too much magnification for mixed woods and open ground?

Wilderness hunt in Wyoming next Fall. I'm trying to get my mind off over analyzing gear and get settled on what I have.

Thanks for the input, Joe

Joe,

This boils down to personal preference, your vision's quality, and the scope's quality. For instance, my son shot a target at 966Y at 6X, and I needed 12X to see the target. I, too, feel that 3-15 is sufficient. However, you might consider illuminated reticles to enhance your timber hunting. I change magnification settings as the environment changes, esp. in open countries. I purchased a 2.5-20X scope with illumination a few years ago and will be experimenting with it on my new build (in progress).

Good luck.

Ed

 

[adk hunter]

Thanks Ed.
I know I am over thinking but appreciate the anecdotes.
Everything I have now, has the firedot reticle. Can't be beat for fast shooting over here. I hunted with peep sights for so many years but those eye days are gone. I think my brain likes the firedot because it gets to work the same way still.

 

[jjmp]

I'm happy with my 3x18x50 Meopta optika 6 Disharo retical with BDC

 

[nksmfamjp]

IMO, on the low end, I like 2-4x, but for elk, I could go as high as 6x because elk rarely walk out right in front of me like deer. I expect elk 50+ yards away. Where I have had too many 15-25 yd shots on deer.