How much is "enough scope"?

[mattri]

Obviously a very subjective question- for the sake of this argument let's presume deer sized game at 1k.

To get to the point where you can reliably harvest a deer at 1k takes a serious amount of practice. Let's again presume that you have a rifle capable of delivering an ethically lethal shot at 1k. You have the fieldcraft, the gun, the round, the ability and the situation, so a 1k shot is well within your envelope.

How much scope do you need to get there?

There are tons of folks that swear a NF 5.5-22 is barely adequate for deer @ 200 yards. Then there are those that use an old 6x for everything under the sun.

One thing we can probably all agree on is that more money does not necessarily mean more scope.

If you were looking to take deer at 1k what is the best- the least- the most practical scope you would use and why?

 

[WapitiBob]

I'd use a NF 5.5x 22 even if I planned on deer at 100 yards. Get the best you can afford and make it work.

 

[Mikecr]

I'm very sure the 5.5x22NXS is enough scope.
I'm partial to 8.5x25 MK4(it's lighter), I'm a dialer, it's plenty good for deer at 1Kyd.
At 600 I can take brain shots on deer with either of these scopes.

 

[pyroducksx3]

I used a leupold vx-3 4.5-14x50mm to harvest my deer at 916 this year. With that said though I would rather have the nightforce in 5-22 but its perfectly practical to use the leupold.

 

[HARPERC]

I haven't shot a deer that far, but for me on targets 10x is the bare bones minimum, with good conditions. 14x is noticeably better, especially if conditions are not ideal. 20x seems to be where conditions have to support the choice again. Assuming decent optical quality of the glass.

 

[mattri]

Great replies, thanks. Maybe I asked my question poorly. Assuming that make/model/cost are not an option what kind/type of scope would be adequate for a 1k yard shot? A 4x, a 6x? A 3-9x? A 5.5-22x? A 3-9x50 but not a 2-7x40?

 

[bigngreen]

It's going to completely depend on your eyes, I find myself turning down a Nightforce 5.5-22 till I get beyond 1k but my shooting eye is in great shape. I shoot a Vortex 4-16 a lot out to 1k on game and it's good for me, I like a good field of view. Another thing to consider is the thickness of your aim point, I can turn down the Nightforce with a NP-R1 because it's a very precise aim point but my Vortex I do run more at the higher end mainly because of the thickness of the cross hair.

 

[pyroducksx3]

I'm sure it can be done but I can't imagine making the shot I did this year with less than the 14x. When longrangehunting my scope almost never comes of max power. So the answer for me is 14x is the minimum for a 1000 yard shot at a deer

 

[Crashman1]

I have never shot a deer that far or even shot AT a deer that far. Just this year I have gotten very serious about long range shooting and have sent a lot of bullets at steel plates out to a max of just over 1200 meters. I am using a Vortex Razor HD 5-20X50 MRAD FFP and I find that in most conditions I am running it 15 power and very rarely at 20X. My geographical area is very humid and we get pretty warm in the summer so the air gets pretty thick at times. So for me I think I have just about the perfect scope for my needs and the goal is to eventually get that shot at 600 plus, and I will not feel hindered by having 20X as my max power.

 

[MMERSS]

If you were looking to take deer at 1k what is the best- the least- the most practical scope you would use and why?

I'm partial to the NXS 8-32X56. On a 20 MOA base there is plenty of elevation to take shots up to and past 1000. Most use the 22x, I have one, but still prefer the 32X. One not so much talked about advantage of the 32x over 22x isn't being able to see and aim a deer at 1000, it's being able to see the small spikes on the deer when standing against brush. Same with elk. You can always turn your power down if not needed but you can't go the other way! On more than one occasion this added magnification has come to benefit and not for shooting but for spotting.

 

[mattri]

Great replies, thanks.

There isn't a right or wrong reply the the question, just getting a feel for where others are at.

One might be an F-Class shooter and be able to hold in the x at 1k day in and day out.

Another might be able to harvest deer with a certain rifle/scope combination.

Not looking to cause divisions as much as find common ground.

 

[Mikecr]

Target shooting takes less resolution and repeatability though.
With this, there are great target scopes that suck for hunting.

 

[mattri]

That's a good point as well.