Preferred zoom for target shooting

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Preferred zoom for target shooting

Post by samf » 26 Nov 2013, 10:46 am

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?
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Re: Preferred zoom for target shooting

Post by Warrigul » 26 Nov 2013, 10:53 am

Bench rested 36x, freehand 6 x.

Too high a power freehand can cause you to overcompensate for pesky little things like heartbeat etc.
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Re: Preferred zoom for target shooting

Post by Bourt » 26 Nov 2013, 1:23 pm

14x is usually the spot for me.

Any further and I start to get distracted by my own wobbling :lol:
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Re: Preferred zoom for target shooting

Post by Baldrick314 » 26 Nov 2013, 2:46 pm

12 or 14x for 100 yards. At 200 I'd like a bit more magnification but if I focus hard I can still put down good groups
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Re: Preferred zoom for target shooting

Post by Ariat » 26 Nov 2013, 3:31 pm

I try to stick to 10x as it's the "usual" field setting for me.

To keep things even/expected if I had to get the scope to my eye and on target quickly.

That's my half baked theory anyway :lol:
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Re: Preferred zoom for target shooting

Post by Hardcast » 26 Nov 2013, 4:37 pm

When I'm Target shooting, or working up a load, I use the smallest possible sticky dot I can find which is 12mm.
My theory is as Mel Gibsons character, Benjamin Martin (The Patriot) told his son, "aim small miss small"

But I too have trouble with a 9 x scope now and go for what ever it takes to see it.
Around about 14-18 x is what suits me at 100 yds to see a 1/2" dot.

Hunting is a different matter, I don't try to shoot rabbits past 100 yds, less if I want to eat them so the 204 has a 12 x , the .223 has a 14 x which makes a fox look plenty big enough and the 6.5 has upto 18 x , which makes a fallow deer look like an elephant at 300 yds. They're all variable and I use it.

When I bought my first scoped rifle (.22) since being 'born again' I told the previous owner he could keep the scope because I wanted to put a bigger one on.
He said why do you need more than 6 x , if you can't hit a rabbit with a 6 x magnification, it's too far away for a .22 Good advice.
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Re: Preferred zoom for target shooting

Post by Aster » 27 Nov 2013, 7:51 am

Hardcast wrote:My theory is as Mel Gibsons character, Benjamin Martin (The Patriot) told his son, "aim small miss small"


Mine lately seems to be "aim, miss"

My last performance at the range was shocking :lol:
See you on the firing line.
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Re: Preferred zoom for target shooting

Post by Warrigul » 27 Nov 2013, 8:03 am

Aster wrote:
Hardcast wrote:My theory is as Mel Gibsons character, Benjamin Martin (The Patriot) told his son, "aim small miss small"


Mine lately seems to be "aim, miss"

My last performance at the range was shocking :lol:


I went possum shooting on the way home after a meeting late last night, only shot six during an hours stroll through the orchard ($25 a possum nonetheless) got back to the bus and I'd used thirty bullets. True I always give them a second shot to the head when down but I couldn't hit jack s**t at the range of 10 meters or less.

I threw three into a target and they were all spot on so I put it down to me being a ratshit shot or the(way too many) curried egg sangers I had at the meeting (the secret to a good curried egg sandwish is to not simply use KEENS curry but grind the spices yourself and fry them to bring out the flavour).

Cleaning the rifle half an hour ago and I heard a faint clunk??? Sure enough the objective bell had come partially unscrewed and was allowing the lens to slop around.

Grrr, that will teach me to maintain gear a bit better in future.
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Re: Preferred zoom for target shooting

Post by John445 » 27 Nov 2013, 10:13 am

Warrigul wrote:Cleaning the rifle half an hour ago and I heard a faint clunk??? Sure enough the objective bell had come partially unscrewed and was allowing the lens to slop around.


Suuuuuure, blame the scope :P

:lol:
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Re: Preferred zoom for target shooting

Post by Hardcast » 27 Nov 2013, 1:30 pm

Hey Warrigul,
It sounds like you made the egg sangas, took them along to big note yourself, then ate most of them.

Well done. ;)
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Re: Preferred zoom for target shooting

Post by Sakoh » 27 Nov 2013, 3:02 pm

He just made them so he could brag about them here afterwards :lol:
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Re: Preferred zoom for target shooting

Post by Warrigul » 27 Nov 2013, 4:16 pm

Hardcast wrote:Hey Warrigul,
It sounds like you made the egg sangas, took them along to big note yourself, then ate most of them.

Well done. ;)


The wife of one of the comittee members makes them, they are always the first to go. I often make them but you need six different spices and I always seem to be mnissing one and it just doesn't taste the same- you would kill for one of these curried egg sangas trust me.

I am sworn to secrecy to never reveal the recipe.
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Re: Preferred zoom for target shooting

Post by Boatman » 27 Nov 2013, 7:27 pm

samf wrote: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...


The know-it-alls(nothings) spend more time telling everyone else what to do than shooting. The less time they're at the range flapping their gums at me the better as far as I'm concerned.

Ignore em and use whatever works for you.
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Re: Preferred zoom for target shooting

Post by samf » 17 Jan 2014, 1:55 pm

Warrigul wrote:Bench rested 36x, freehand 6 x.

Too high a power freehand can cause you to overcompensate for pesky little things like heartbeat etc.


I ended up going with a 32x and it's been great.

No such thing as too much zoom now IMO ;)
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Re: Preferred zoom for target shooting

Post by Warrigul » 17 Jan 2014, 4:21 pm

samf wrote:
Warrigul wrote:Bench rested 36x, freehand 6 x.

Too high a power freehand can cause you to overcompensate for pesky little things like heartbeat etc.


I ended up going with a 32x and it's been great.

No such thing as too much zoom now IMO ;)


What brand did you end up with if you don't mind me asking? Do you find it is better at say 28 x rather than 32 x?
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Re: Preferred zoom for target shooting

Post by Apollo » 19 Jan 2014, 9:41 am

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.
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Re: Preferred zoom for target shooting

Post by Blackened » 20 Jan 2014, 8:43 am

Apollo wrote: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.


I did the same...

I'd be concentrating on the shot then suddenly realise I'm holding everything with a vice-like grip trying to force it steady.

A lighter touch took away a lot of the tremors.
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Re: Preferred zoom for target shooting

Post by samf » 20 Jan 2014, 8:47 am

Warrigul wrote:What brand did you end up with if you don't mind me asking? Do you find it is better at say 28 x rather than 32 x?


Sure, I got the Bushnell 8-32x

I haven't really compared at lower magnifications to tell you the truth.

Once I got it sighted in I've just kept it on the 32x setting.

I'll do a few groups at 32x and 28x and 24x or something though and report back.
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