LR huntign with low power scopes

[Saracen]

im stil deciding on what scope to get for my rifle. its a 700 sps-v in .308, its my go to hunting rifle for deer, pigs and varmints. i want to start shooting long range, but dont see myself ever actually shooting 1000 yds. ive always thought something around 4-16 power range would suit me well. i have been looking at IORs 2.5-10x42 ffp mil/mil scope and im leaning towards it. i like everything about it, i just cant decide if its got enough power on the high end for long shots. a larger scope also means more weight and i would like to keep the rifle as skinny as possible.

do any of yall hunt with 10x scopes? whats the longest yall have shot with those scopes, and did you feel that 10x was enough at that range? thanks

 

[Saracen]

im stil deciding on what scope to get for my rifle. its a 700 sps-v in .308, its my go to hunting rifle for deer, pigs and varmints. i want to start shooting long range, but dont see myself ever actually shooting 1000 yds. ive always thought something around 4-16 power range would suit me well. i have been looking at IORs 2.5-10x42 ffp mil/mil scope and im leaning towards it. i like everything about it, i just cant decide if its got enough power on the high end for long shots. a larger scope also means more weight and i would like to keep the rifle as skinny as possible.

do any of yall hunt with 10x scopes? whats the longest yall have shot with those scopes, and did you feel that 10x was enough at that range? thanks

I've hit Figure 11 targets with a fair amount of regularity at 1200 yards using a 10x scope.
Really high magnification is a pain in the arse, in my opinion
I'm extreme and deliberately don't even have a variable power scope on my rifles.
Buy a quality fixed 10x scope, and never look back If you really must get a 12x , but don't think higher magnification automatically equated to better for long range as it doesn't.

 

[Caveman0101]

If it is for hunting go with the best glass highest magnification you can afford. 2 weeks ago we got my hunting buddy's dad his first bull. It was a 400-yard shot through thick trees with about a 16" inch window to slip the bullet into. With my 25x Ziess we could determine the exact window we needed the bull to get into, free of twigs and small branches to make the shot. This would not have been possible with a low power scope and would only get worse with more distance and fading light. After about an hour of watching the bull wonder around, lay down, got up, he finally got in the hole and a 142gr ABLR from my son's 260 Rem dropped him with a neck shot. This shot and out to about 700 yards is very common in the area we hunt since the beetles killed all the trees. You can spot the elk moving through them but getting a window to shoot through takes patients and good glass.

 

[lancetkenyon]

A high quality 3-12/15/18 is tough to beat for all reasonable hunting ranges for all manner of game, big or small. I think it is about perfect for a lighter hunting rifle. I would take a high quality 3-12 over a cheap 5-25 any day.

 

[Hand Skills]

Though there are a lot more choices available today, little has changed since the OP in 2010!

 

[Saracen]

im stil deciding on what scope to get for my rifle. its a 700 sps-v in .308, its my go to hunting rifle for deer, pigs and varmints. i want to start shooting long range, but dont see myself ever actually shooting 1000 yds. ive always thought something around 4-16 power range would suit me well. i have been looking at IORs 2.5-10x42 ffp mil/mil scope and im leaning towards it. i like everything about it, i just cant decide if its got enough power on the high end for long shots. a larger scope also means more weight and i would like to keep the rifle as skinny as possible.

do any of yall hunt with 10x scopes? whats the longest yall have shot with those scopes, and did you feel that 10x was enough at that range? thanks

I hate high power scopes as well as variable scopes; yes I'm odd .
On a figure 11 target I've had success with a 10x scope 10 x is pushing it for 1200 yards, but isn't unrealistic. If I was rarely ever going to shoot at over 800 yards, I'd go no higher than an 8x scope.
Lots of variable scopes are good nowadays, but apparently, even high end ones fail.
If you have the opportunity , try a couple of scopes, preferably fixed power, and certainly no higher than 10X for the rare occasions you'll shoot at 1000 yards.
Top choices, through personal experience would be, Schmidt & Bender, HAKKO ( if you can find one) Meopta, Swarovski, an older Zeiss...... not the crappy new Zeiss models, possibly a Leupold and in that order.

 

[Greyfox]

One of my early LRH rifles, a 308, had a 3.5x10 Mk4 Mildot mounted on it. No problem hunting deer to 500 yards, and shooting targets out to 1000 yards with this scope. At the longer ranges, the lower power is not so much a hindrance hitting the target, it's discerning bullet deflecting brush, or other interferences. My current preferred LRH scopes(to 1000+ yards) are in the 5x20 range, typically kept at 10X unless conditions call for greater magnification.. There are several offerings in the higher magnification ranges available that do not trade off size and weight as much as they once did.