samf wrote:G'day,
Just wondering what you guys preferred zoom is when target shooting? Just say 100m for example.
I know heaps of guys bang on about how you don't need much zoom for 100m shooting and a 3-9x or whatever is find and all that, but it's not enough for me...
What's your guys preference for 100m?
For Benchrest Target Shooting the highest zoom you have available allowing for conditions like mirage. In my case up to 60x or 80x depending on the rifle used on the day. Even at 100m on a day with bad mirage 40x can be too much and near impossible to focus the target center dot. I have used a 42x Nightforce on a Rimfire for 50m Benchrest Target.
For Freehand really it depends on your own skills and ability to maintain a steady hold on your target. For hunting your field of view should be taken into consideration for safety reasons depending on conditions.
Heatbeat was mentioned earlier. Heartbeat problems with high power scopes is more a problem with grip and can be solved with practise. Generally it's incorrect or too tight a grip and/or cheek weld. I suffered from this many years ago and followed the advise from a very well know benchrest shooter and was able to totally remove the problem by adjusting my shooting style and grip. Now using scopes at 500m at up to 80x magnification I see no heartbeat movement over the tiny dot in the center of a target. I have read that some target shooters can manage to stop their heart from beating and I would love to know how they achieve this if it is in fact true. Sounds pretty dangerous to me regardless.
Good optics is probably the most important point. No use having a scope with poor optics at maximum magnification if you can't focus the target in question. There are many scopes that loose clarity at near maximum magnification.