Recommended scope magnification range for .223?

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Recommended scope magnification range for .223?

Post by jwai86 » 21 Jan 2022, 8:01 pm

I know that 2-7x or 3-9x scopes are often recommended for rimfire rifles, but is there a similar rule of thumb for .223?
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Re: Recommended scope magnification range for .223?

Post by deye243 » 21 Jan 2022, 8:15 pm

This is very much a personal preference thing .
for me nothing under a 4.5 to 14 Leupold or similar powered scope 3-18is better if it's for Varmint hunting like rabbits and foxes minimum 50 mm of objective 56 would be better depending on the type of rifle a course if it's a c z something light like that 3.5 to 10 4 to 12 you really need to go and look through quite a few on the range and see what suits you
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Re: Recommended scope magnification range for .223?

Post by geoff » 21 Jan 2022, 8:25 pm

Scope selection is more contingent on the type of shooting the firearm is for than it is realted to calibre in my opinion

You shouldn't put a high mag benchrest scope on a 30-30 lever gun but I wouldn't put a 3-9x40 Tasco on an F Open rifle either

What sort of shooting do you plan on doing with it?
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Re: Recommended scope magnification range for .223?

Post by bladeracer » 21 Jan 2022, 8:59 pm

jwai86 wrote:I know that 2-7x or 3-9x scopes are often recommended for rimfire rifles, but is there a similar rule of thumb for .223?


I'm not aware of any rule of thumb.
It comes down to being suitable for the purpose, and your own preferences.
I use 4.5-18x40 on everything, but I'll swap on a 10-40x56 if I'm trying to shoot tiny groups for some reason.
I also use a 2-7x32 scout scope for load development on rifles that do not easily mount a conventional scope. I also have some fixed 4x32 and 4x40 scopes, some 6-24x50's, 3-9x40's and others that are useful for testing things.

If you spend any time walking creeks and such looking for close snap-shots on rabbits or foxes you need fairly low magnification, 4-power or less. If I want to be able to see .22-caliber bullet holes in targets at 200m, I need something like 18-power or higher, I need about 9-power per 100m range it seems. If I want to be able to place shots with extreme precision on paper then 18-power is not enough, 40-power is better suited. I don't believe I've ever used a rifle scope higher than 40-power, but some target shooters do.

Nowadays there are scopes with massive ranges, like 2-24x50, 2.5-35x56, 4-48x65 and such. I haven't tried these myself, but I would like to one day as it just seems impossible.
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Re: Recommended scope magnification range for .223?

Post by animalpest » 21 Jan 2022, 9:25 pm

Depends on what you use it for. Two of my .223 rifles have maximum of 14x scopes on them, as does my .222. They don't have trouble brain shooting roos to 200m.

I had a 25/06 which for years has a Tasco 3-9x scope on it and I could outshoot people with 20x scopes easily.

One of my rifles has a scope with minimum of 6x on it and I have found that to be a handicap at times when things are closer than expected!
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Re: Recommended scope magnification range for .223?

Post by jwai86 » 21 Jan 2022, 9:46 pm

geoff wrote:What sort of shooting do you plan on doing with it?


The range facilities in Sydney that I can easily get to are generally not long enough to get the most out of .223, but I was wondering if there was a recommended starting point for scope magnification ranges like I was advised for rimfire rifles.
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Re: Recommended scope magnification range for .223?

Post by Oldbloke » 21 Jan 2022, 10:09 pm

jwai86 wrote:I know that 2-7x or 3-9x scopes are often recommended for rimfire rifles, but is there a similar rule of thumb for .223?


You really need to provide a bit more info regarding use.

For hunting, I like 3-9×40 and I use the full range. But 4-12×40 is also popular.
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Re: Recommended scope magnification range for .223?

Post by Shootermick » 22 Jan 2022, 7:43 am

I’ve got a Meopta Meopro 6-18x50 on my Lithgow. It’s a decent scope, and they’ve come down in price since the new Optika line came out too. The Optika would be another good choice. A bit bulky, but the Lithgow isn’t a small light rifle to start with and I mainly shoot it either out the window of the ute or on a bag across the bonnet. I’ve got a Leupold 4-12x40 on my 243, it’s a Ruger American Compact, another good scope, and the smaller size fits the smaller lighter rifle really well.
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Re: Recommended scope magnification range for .223?

Post by mchughcb » 22 Jan 2022, 8:01 am

2.5-10 or 4-12 or 3-15 will be sufficient for most hunting most of the time.
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Re: Recommended scope magnification range for .223?

Post by bigpete » 22 Jan 2022, 9:46 am

I'd say 4-12× is more than enough for hunting
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Re: Recommended scope magnification range for .223?

Post by bman940 » 23 Jan 2022, 1:40 am

There is no rule of thumb for scopes on a rifle. I have seen guys using Meopta Optika6 5-30x56 on rimfire rifles. Aim small, miss small! Plus, many of those guys want to stretch out their accuracy, and turning knobs is the most accurate way to do that. I have an Optika6 1-6x24 on my competition carbine rifle, my second one after my son tried mine, stole it, and put it on his comp. rig. We don't shoot past 200 yards and the illuminated reticle is a big help when shooting stages at 15-50 yards and 1X. I also have higher magnification optics on .223 predator hunting rigs. I really like the Optika6 3-18x50 which is awesome in low light and lets me dial in the reticle using Strelok Pro for drops that make quick and accurate shots a snap. I got on the Meopta bandwagon about 3 years ago and can't figure out why it took me so long to get there. You won't be disappointed in anything they make and there is excellent value, quality over price, in everything they make.
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Re: Recommended scope magnification range for .223?

Post by AZZA'S HJ47 » 23 Jan 2022, 12:00 pm

My go to is 4-12 i dont own anything in a lower power except for a 2-10 vx-5(it was given to me). I have a mate whome was a 3-9 guy whos also seen things my way and has started to mount the same power scopes on his rifles.
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Re: Recommended scope magnification range for .223?

Post by jwai86 » 24 Jan 2022, 11:53 am

Oldbloke wrote:You really need to provide a bit more info regarding use.


Unfortunately I can't provide more information on speculative usage :P

I'm currently unlikely to be able to regularly shoot at a rifle range longer than 50 metres, so I can't justify acquiring a .223 rifle if I can't utilise the extra range over .22LR. However, if the situation changes, I'd prefer a starting point for a scope magnification range suitable for .223 rather than guessing what I think I need.
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Re: Recommended scope magnification range for .223?

Post by Oldbloke » 24 Jan 2022, 2:08 pm

Ok just that higher mag will result in a narrower field of view.
Sooo generally speaking, hunting in or near forest a lower mag would help at times. Lots of range work with a smaller target I'd go the higher mag
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Re: Recommended scope magnification range for .223?

Post by Boundry Rider » 13 Jun 2022, 1:16 pm

My Bushnell Elite on a SS Hawkeye is always on 12x, the thin profile area of the crosshairs is exactly 4MOA each direction off the intersect at 12x.
Day or night I can shoot to holdover/under ranging shots fast and easily never changing power setting. Nighttime 100Y with a red spotlight filter and 200Y without filter.
This is my most dependable rifle to 200Y.
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Re: Recommended scope magnification range for .223?

Post by JohnV » 13 Jun 2022, 6:55 pm

What scope powers you need depends a lot on what target sizes you intend to shoot at and what ranges you intend to shoot at .
Most .223's get used as a spotlighting rifle , day time fox or wild dogs , and more precision shots say a head shot on a pig or fallow deer up to 150 meters.
So you want a scope that gives you the ability to see a smaller target like a fox's head in amongst grass at day or night and also be able to draw a fine bead on a pigs head at longer ranges . 4 to 12 is about the minimum starting point and I would go 4.5 14 or even 6.5 to 20 similar I have used a 6.5 to 20 and it was good .
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Re: Recommended scope magnification range for .223?

Post by LawrenceA » 13 Jun 2022, 7:34 pm

Had a 2-7 on my 30-30. 2X Was too much for snap shooting pigs. Had a fixed 36X on my single shot 22. Was perfect for Benchrest.
Have a 3.5-10 on my 223 suits shooting little stationary things from 100-200m.
Have a 7? to 35 on my 6.5 which is great for distance in good light.
How big is what you are shooting? is it moving? What distance? How much versatility/$?

Based on what you have said a mid range variable or 8X56 should pull up most hunting scenarios.
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Re: Recommended scope magnification range for .223?

Post by in2anity » 13 Jun 2022, 8:15 pm

If you are shooting targets from fully supported bipod etc, more magnification is better.
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Re: Recommended scope magnification range for .223?

Post by bman940 » 14 Jun 2022, 12:54 am

I'd say everyone's opinion is correct. So many things to take into consideration when choosing an optic for your .223. I have some with Optika6 1-6x24's on them and another with a Meopta Optika6 3-18x50 on it for days when I want to aim small miss small. Think about how you will use the scope and at what distances, do you want a BDC reticle, do you want to dial in your drops or both? Do you need to get on target quickly, FOV, light transmission, all sorts of questions, but as I said, I like the Optika6 3-18x50 for versatility, accuracy, reliability, and price.
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Re: Recommended scope magnification range for .223?

Post by solarpak » 15 Jun 2022, 8:13 pm

I recall the time the the 222 was the flavour that lots of graziers and roo shooters would use a fixed 8x scope (like the old Japanese Tasco 8x40 !! ) without any issues.
Several euro optics manufacturers still make the fixed 8x56 (S&B comes to mind) and also Hawke were doing a dandy illuminated 8x56 in their Endurance line.

I have used fixed 8x scopes on 222/223's and never felt unergunned. My current 223 (a Howa 1500 sporter) however has a Meopta Meopro 6-18x50 - a cracking scope for the coin with a tad extra mag range if you need it.

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Re: Recommended scope magnification range for .223?

Post by geoff » 17 Jun 2022, 12:02 pm

solarpak wrote:I recall the time the the 222 was the flavour that lots of graziers and roo shooters would use a fixed 8x scope (like the old Japanese Tasco 8x40 !! ) without any issues.
Several euro optics manufacturers still make the fixed 8x56 (S&B comes to mind) and also Hawke were doing a dandy illuminated 8x56 in their Endurance line.

I have used fixed 8x scopes on 222/223's and never felt unergunned. My current 223 (a Howa 1500 sporter) however has a Meopta Meopro 6-18x50 - a cracking scope for the coin with a tad extra mag range if you need it.

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Re: Recommended scope magnification range for .223?

Post by JohnV » 17 Jun 2022, 1:00 pm

I like the 222 Rem. it's long neck makes it very suitable to skim neck turning and partial neck sizing . However when a cocky drops a full case of 223 on you the 222 had to go . I once went to a pro roo shooters place and he had 6 L series Sako 222's in various states of disrepair , everything from stuck bullets in the bore , jammed cases in the chamber . you name it .
Out of the 6 I was able to piece together 2 fully functioning rifles . They are all great shots but some treat their guns badly .
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