What magnification do you guys shoot at?

[sbd850]

Hey all,

I've been to the range twice now and have discovered that I like shooting all the way out to 500m between 8 and 14x magnification, due to being able to spot misses and adjust accordingly. I only found myself winding the zoom up to have a better look at the impacts, but not for shooting. The longest range within reach is 900m, however it's only open at select times via booking in, it's not a public range. Maybe I'd use a little more magnification for that?

I had bought an Athlon Argos thinking that I'd need to use up to the 24x magnification but I honestly can't see myself ever wanting to. While I don't have much to compare it to, it's a great scope. However I'm worried that I've potentially missed out and could have had something better in the 5-15 power range of even greater quality.

Anyway I was curious to see what magnification range you guys shoot in between 100 and 500m or even between 500m and 1000m?

Cheers

[bladeracer]

Hey all,

I've been to the range twice now and have discovered that I like shooting all the way out to 500m between 8 and 14x magnification, due to being able to spot misses and adjust accordingly. I only found myself winding the zoom up to have a better look at the impacts, but not for shooting. The longest range within reach is 900m, however it's only open at select times via booking in, it's not a public range. Maybe I'd use a little more magnification for that?

I had bought an Athlon Argos thinking that I'd need to use up to the 24x magnification but I honestly can't see myself ever wanting to. While I don't have much to compare it to, it's a great scope. However I'm worried that I've potentially missed out and could have had something better in the 5-15 power range of even greater quality.

Anyway I was curious to see what magnification range you guys shoot in between 100 and 500m or even between 500m and 1000m?

Cheers

Depends on what I'm doing.
Generally, plinking paper and steel I'll be on 18-power unless I'm snap-shooting offhand, then I'll wind it right down.
If I'm trying to shoot tiny groups I use 10-40x56 and use the 40-power.

[bigrich]

All my rifles are for hunting, but I shoot 22lr and 223 in field rifle comps at my local range to improve my offhand shots. My 22lr gets used from 25-50 yards with a 3-9 leupold. My 223 has a 4-14 leupold that gets used from 25 -200 yards. 4 @25, 6@ 50 , 10 @ 100, 14 @ 200 . These figures are for the comp . Load development is at maximum mag @100. In the field, lowest mag possible, wind it up when I need it . On a trip once I was stalking through scrub country, then later on took a shot at a goat at 225 yards. Perfect quartering heart/lung shot , realised after it the scope was still set at 3.5 power. If ya know your rifle, ya don’t need high magnification for hunting. WW2 snipers used to shoot 600 yards with 4 power scopes. Obviously culling and “varmit “ is a bit different, smaller targets at distance. I’ve used a 4-14 on a 222 for those long shots
Anyway, that’s my perspective on magnification. The application is the variable

[No1Mk3]

G'day sbd850,
Because I shoot Combined Services, I use either fixed 4x or 6x to 500 yards, sometimes a Russian 3.5x on a Mosin, and the biggest is a 10x on a Tactcal Class rifle. 75% of the time a 6x Kahles ZF69 is what I use, Cheers.

[bladeracer]

Hey all,

I've been to the range twice now and have discovered that I like shooting all the way out to 500m between 8 and 14x magnification, due to being able to spot misses and adjust accordingly. I only found myself winding the zoom up to have a better look at the impacts, but not for shooting. The longest range within reach is 900m, however it's only open at select times via booking in, it's not a public range. Maybe I'd use a little more magnification for that?

I had bought an Athlon Argos thinking that I'd need to use up to the 24x magnification but I honestly can't see myself ever wanting to. While I don't have much to compare it to, it's a great scope. However I'm worried that I've potentially missed out and could have had something better in the 5-15 power range of even greater quality.

Anyway I was curious to see what magnification range you guys shoot in between 100 and 500m or even between 500m and 1000m?

Cheers

It occurred to me that the Athlon is probably a First Focal Plane?
Maybe you don't wind it right up because the reticle blocks out the target?

[bigpete]

Mostly 4x

[Bello]

Hi SBD850
I'm a bit like bigrich, most of my rifles are hunting rifles.
Some have higher power scopes, for when I want to go to the range and plink, allows me to see the bullets holes in the paper targets easier.
In the field, I wind them down to lowest magnification. Gives me more field of view.
Some of my scopes have 5-30 power. This allows me to see which flea I want to shoot on the animal I want to shoot

You mentioned 500 meters shooting.
I only shoot this distance when plinking. I limit my hunting to 200ish meters, even with my larger calibre rifles.

I have never owned an Athlon scope. But I find that you get what you pay for with scopes. The pricier scopes are clearer out at longer distances, in my experience.

What calibre and brand is your rifle. What bullets' are you using, and what grain is the projectile. Are you reloading or is your ammo shop bought.

[SCJ429]

When shooting in competition or practice I shoot on the maximum that the scope offers. For my rifles that is mostly 55x and I would use that from 50 metres to 1000 metres. When shooting in difficult conditions where the mirage I'd bad, I use the maximum magnification where the mirage is less difficult to manage.

[boingk]

I've got a variety of scopes from ancient Barska 4-powers through Nikkos, Tascos, Leupold and even a new Athlon. Certainly can't fault the Athlon for the money, it's living on my 223 at current and very much at home there.

I like scopes between the 3~9x for general hunting and in the 4~16x for longer range hunting / varminting with my longer range rifles. When I go to the range they're usually set up high, but in the field they're down around the lower limit unless we're in an area that only rewards longer shots - a friends sand quarry springs to mind with a hill that overlooks the quarry where hares and rabbits love to dig, and foxes prowl for said game.

- boingk

[Bugman]

.243 at 10X, 17HMR at around 14X and .22 6X These suit my type of shooting in situation.

[Downunder]

Precision - high magnification
Hunting - very low to high depending on rifle, scope and shooting scenario