Scope power

40 years ago a Leupold 3x9 vx3 one inch tube was all I needed. Now at 250/300 yards an 18 power Swaro works for me. The x5i sure has allowed me to see what I have been missing.
 
40 years ago a Leupold 3x9 vx3 one inch tube was all I needed. Now at 250/300 yards an 18 power Swaro works for me. The x5i sure has allowed me to see what I have been missing.

One doesn't know what they're missing (figuratively, sometimes literally) until they see it. I'm presently researching 2.5/3-15/18 hunting scopes.

At 74, my eyes need all the help they can get.
 
It's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.......Shoot the magnification that is most comfortable for you as an individual.
exactly, get more power and dial it down if you think it's to much, like the other guy said, you just don't see it in less magnification
 
Able to shoot down silhouette chickens at 1000 with a 10X but 16X is better. 50mm/16 = 3.125 nice size exit pupil. My old 16X40 steel tube Weaver T16 worked well & had surprisingly good adjustments but glass needed improvement. Periodically, I ask Leupold to make a 16X version of their 45X45 in 16X with a mil rad reticle & .1 mil rad adjustments. Not much interest for a small & simple fixed low power scope with a skinny 30 mm tube. First focal or second focal plane would be of no consequence, nice constant size and spacing reticle. No concerns with reticle drift with power changes. I would cheerfully pay less than $750 for something like this.

Cheryl of Target Shooter Optics in El Paso might get my aluminum T10 to make it a 16X with some nice .25 MOA dot reticle and other MOA features. Fine optics & adjustments but would need 20 MOA rail.
 
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Was talking to a rep on a plane recently, asked about the heavy emphasis on the 3-15 and 3-18 scopes they offer. We used to have some love on the 2-10/12 front now stock is abysmal and options limited. Guess the sales of the 3- vx5 and vx6 dwarf all other sales significantly outnumbered are the 4-20/24 and lower powered options.

I've hunted wide open space, it was nice to have the extra mag and fov was less essential. Where I'm at now I either shoot something at rock throwing distance or 400 yards plus at the opposite side of a clear. Fov and wide range are both needed. The 3x gets me upper 30ft fov at 100 and one can shoot a long ways on 15x.

The steiner predator 8 2-16 might be my perfect scope.
 
Was talking to a rep on a plane recently, asked about the heavy emphasis on the 3-15 and 3-18 scopes they offer. We used to have some love on the 2-10/12 front now stock is abysmal and options limited. Guess the sales of the 3- vx5 and vx6 dwarf all other sales significantly outnumbered are the 4-20/24 and lower powered options.

I've hunted wide open space, it was nice to have the extra mag and fov was less essential. Where I'm at now I either shoot something at rock throwing distance or 400 yards plus at the opposite side of a clear. Fov and wide range are both needed. The 3x gets me upper 30ft fov at 100 and one can shoot a long ways on 15x.

The steiner predator 8 2-16 might be my perfect scope.
Doesnt seem like going from 2x to 3x really matters? Just such a tiny difference.
But I do agree, guys gobble up Xs like they are going out of style, so that's what they build and sell. I'd love way more options like the 2-10x42 nightforce. And made to hold zero and dial. And do it ALWAYS. I DO like having 15-18x at 1k though. Not gunna lie.
 
We were talking about this today using the boats in a harbor as examples. Difference in fov between the 2x and 3x doesn't seem like much but it's definitely something. I do a lot of small game rimfire hunting as it seems to emulate our local big game hunting. A really spectacular flat image on 3x can still work well, but the average 2x will be faster. The 1xs can be the bomb but then winter starts to get dark and a 20/24mm objective looses just to much. Left with 2x optics with no parallax adjustment 3x optics that loose fov or 1x optics that are pretty dark.... That Athlon 2-12 looked about perfect except for the cyna label. If nf would update the nxs or shv in that range to have both parallax and a usable illuminated reticle I'd buy a few.
 
I switched out a scope recently from a 4-16 to a 5-25 and at 3,4,500 yards I feel like it's too much scope set on 25.

Seem like 16 and 18 power scopes are a sweet spot and I actually shoot better groups and better hits on steel.

Maybe it's me.
Our vision quality and magnification preferences differ from the nut behind the trigger. Case in point, I shot a target at 966Y at 14X, and my son was at 6X.
 
For hunting, I prefer a 3-??. I will take a wider FOV on minimum magnification all day over a 5X. It does make a big difference for target acquisition on close or moving game. My longest shot on game (1367 yard coyotes) was set on 17x in a 5-25 dedicated LR elk rifle. Helped me to bag the pair by keeping the second in the FOV after the first shot instead of just the one.

My "Hunting" scopes consist of:
5 @ 3-15×50
1 @ 3.5-18×50
2 @ 3-20×50
2 @ 4-20×50
1 @ 5-20×50
1 @ 5-25×56
All have been shot to 1500+.
I would take an Alpha quality glassed 3-15×50 that tracks perfectly over a $1000 5-25×56 all day long for hunting and LR steel.
 
For hunting, I prefer a 3-??. I will take a wider FOV on minimum magnification all day over a 5X. It does make a big difference for target acquisition on close or moving game. My longest shot on game (1367 yard coyotes) was set on 17x in a 5-25 dedicated LR elk rifle. Helped me to bag the pair by keeping the second in the FOV after the first shot instead of just the one.

My "Hunting" scopes consist of:
5 @ 3-15×50
1 @ 3.5-18×50
2 @ 3-20×50
2 @ 4-20×50
1 @ 5-20×50
1 @ 5-25×56
All have been shot to 1500+.
I would take an Alpha quality glassed 3-15×50 that tracks perfectly over a $1000 5-25×56 all day long for hunting and LR steel.
I know I'm gonna get crap for this, but...

What is the lowest cost, Alpha glass, 3-15x scope you would recommend?

Thanks
 
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