Over-scoping your "Big Game" rifle

[Wapiti]

There's some pretty experienced hunters on this forum, real ones. Some blokes here even use rifles for making their income, or just hunt on foot whenever they can afford it.
We all know how we just hamstring ourselves with scopes too high in magnification, so we don't do it. It makes us slow, or even ineffective, and for the bloke who has spent half a lifetime breeding animals to a point of perfection, that is a terrible mistake. For the every-few-months hunter, who pains to get the right gear, gets time off, spends big $$$$ just getting into the bush, that's a no-go too.

I was sorting out some old Sporting Shooter magazines, this one from 2022, and I saw this ridiculous advertisement for Vortex scopes.
What a way to put a new shooter on the wrong track and take his money, and make everything after that diffcult.
I mean, it does say, a "hunting scope' for BIG GAME.
And, some caricature of a supposed knows-everything suave bloke with the movie-star moustashe called "Bluey", telling you this is the go.

VortexConartist.jpg (699.36 KiB) Viewed 110 times

No wonder we see new hunters struggling to find game through hugely oversized scopes like these ones.
Not to mention the dull image from the high magnification range system internally.

What do you blokes reckon is the ideal magnification range for a "hunting" scope?
Not long range shooting, or heaven forbid, the perversion of long range sniping at animals. Walkabout hunting.
Variable? Fixed power?
Not important so much is the brand, because that's a hot topic, but ideal magnification, taking into account useable field-of-view, objective lens size (which if too big, stops a scope being mounted super-low which slows the shot down... like 50 or 56mm?).
Or do some people just buy a huge scope, and force themselves to adapt to the issues this causes?

[bigrich]

true hunting medium game with 308, 30-06 , ect , i've never been wanting with a 2-7x36 leupold . i'm swapping out that scope on my 338-06 for a 1.5-5 x20 leupold . i've made some shots out to 200 on 2.5 magnification as i didn't have time when a target presented itself . one shot , one dead pig . done that more than once and they're not exactly a small target. in close, or for when game is on the run, a wide field of vision is definitely a advantage . my 223 had a 3-9x40 on it for ages, no problem hitting hoppers in the heart at 200 . more isn't better IMHO when it comes to scopes. decent glass and a understanding of the ballistic drop of your rifle is . my range comp rifles have 4-14x40 scopes for use out to 200 . and i can see my bullet holes at 200 which helps me allow for wind drift . bit of a stiff breeze and a 50gn out of a 222 will drift a little at that distance .

the add you posted above is so misleading for a new hunter . be a alright scope for long range target or culling though .
you gunna put one on your 25-06 wapiti ?

only thing that interests me in that add is the 3MOA reflex red dot . it'd go good on a lever scrub gun , or maybe one of those new ruger 16" barreled M77's in 358win . now we're talking

[bigpete]

2-7×33 or 3-9×40. Or just iron sights

[No1_49er]

I use a couple. 1 - 4x and a 1.5 - 5x. Absolutely ideal, IMHO.
Am also a competitive target rifle shooter. Taught my (very) junior son to thrash the rest of the contestants with his Sako 222Rem and scope set at x1. He enjoyed that

[Wapiti]

the add you posted above is so misleading for a new hunter . be a alright scope for long range target or culling though .
you gunna put one on your 25-06 wapiti ?

only thing that interests me in that add is the 3MOA reflex red dot . it'd go good on a lever scrub gun , or maybe one of those new ruger 16" barreled M77's in 358win . now we're talking

Oh man, I cannot imagine what a mess culling would be with that scope.
What a cluster(f)uck.
You would want the best glass, field of view and NOTHING over 10x and that would be for the furthest smallest critters... if that.
Remember that culling, you are on a rest out of a buggy or vehicle, things take off after the first shot, and a human being cannot hold steady enough to max out 10x EVER.
I'd say a nice variable of the 3.5-10x40. Start on 6x and you will find after the first shot, 10x is NOT what you want after that.
Actually, I respectfully disagree with myself, my 1-8x24 is the best scope I have ever used for hunting, culling, critters on the run and anything for that matter.

On that reflex sight, that price is a punch in the face, especially in 2022, let alone now. Zerotech Chinese reflex sights are 2/3rds of that price NOW, if you want Chinese.

[Wapiti]

the add you posted above is so misleading for a new hunter . be a alright scope for long range target or culling though .
you gunna put one on your 25-06 wapiti ?

Yes I am thinking about a new rifle, but it's not a 25-06 yet...
I'm in love with that Sako 90 Walnut Hunter blued in 6.5 x 55... Why I cannot explain apart from it's gorgeous and the other 6.5's have nothing I want.
If the 300 SAUM works out as a varmint rifle, eh. No 25-06 mate... as of yet. Still not convinced it will give me any benefit?

[Wapiti]

I use a couple. 1 - 4x and a 1.5 - 5x. Absolutely ideal, IMHO.
Am also a competitive target rifle shooter. Taught my (very) junior son to thrash the rest of the contestants with his Sako 222Rem and scope set at x1. He enjoyed that

That's pretty conservative mate, I'm imagining that and you would not be disadvantaged, hunting wise.

2-7×33 or 3-9×40. Or just iron sights

Yeah Pete I use both those scopes too, and there isn't any disadvantage when running around the farm as allrounders whatsoever.

[bigrich]

the add you posted above is so misleading for a new hunter . be a alright scope for long range target or culling though .
you gunna put one on your 25-06 wapiti ?

only thing that interests me in that add is the 3MOA reflex red dot . it'd go good on a lever scrub gun , or maybe one of those new ruger 16" barreled M77's in 358win . now we're talking

Oh man, I cannot imagine what a mess culling would be with that scope.
What a cluster(f)uck.
You would want the best glass, field of view and NOTHING over 10x and that would be for the furthest smallest critters... if that.
Remember that culling, you are on a rest out of a buggy or vehicle, things take off after the first shot, and a human being cannot hold steady enough to max out 10x EVER.
I'd say a nice variable of the 3.5-10x40. Start on 6x and you will find after the first shot, 10x is NOT what you want after that.
Actually, I respectfully disagree with myself, my 1-8x24 is the best scope I have ever used for hunting, culling, critters on the run and anything for that matter.

On that reflex sight, that price is a punch in the face, especially in 2022, let alone now. Zerotech Chinese reflex sights are 2/3rds of that price NOW, if you want Chinese.

funny you should mention 6x for culling . that's where i had my 3-9 set most of the time . a lot of older rifles i see pop up for sale in 222 , like old model 70 xtr's, quite often have a fixed 6x on them . maybe people back when worked out that's what was appropriate i've got a 4-14 on my 223 rifle now as the 3-9 needed repair and i had this other scope sitting in the cupboard . yeah prices are up on yank stuff , still , when you live in a country that destroys it national wealth and living standards by manufacturing and exporting nothing , and importing everything, stuff starts to get expensive . i'm a bit dubious on anything chinese , and won't support the communists by buying their products if i can help it

[bigrich]

the add you posted above is so misleading for a new hunter . be a alright scope for long range target or culling though .
you gunna put one on your 25-06 wapiti ?

Yes I am thinking about a new rifle, but it's not a 25-06 yet...
I'm in love with that Sako 90 Walnut Hunter blued in 6.5 x 55... Why I cannot explain apart from it's gorgeous and the other 6.5's have nothing I want.
If the 300 SAUM works out as a varmint rifle, eh. No 25-06 mate... as of yet. Still not convinced it will give me any benefit?

they are a fine rifle . sako's balance very well offhand as well . as for 6.5x55 it's got the most going for it i in 6.5 bore reckon . i've looked into the efficiency of cartridges , P O ackley had a bit of insight into this . depending on bore size , there's a point at which you get diminishing returns for the amount of powder burned . a lot of the older european cartridges were designed to be efficient . 6.5x55 and 7x57 mauser are examples of this , as is the 222 . mr ackley believed the best of his modified improved cases was the 250 savage and the 7x57 . in uncle nicks reloading manual check out the loads and ballistics for the 7x57 improved, compared to other 7mm cases . good speed for the amount of powder burned .
as usual , i've digressed what i'm trying to say is the 6.5x55 is the optimum case size for that bore . IMHO anyway

[mchughcb]

If you shoot the 416 Rem Mag or 500NE, eye relief is the most important aspect . The best was the Swarovski Z6i EE 1-6x24. Very hard to get these days since they were discontinued.

[Wapiti]

If you shoot the 416 Rem Mag or 500NE, eye relief is the most important aspect . The best was the Swarovski Z6i EE 1-6x24. Very hard to get these days since they were discontinued.

I can imagine some have found out the hard way there.
Yes the Swarovski Zi lines are incredible scopes, I am lucky enough to have put one on an autoloader 308, a Z8i in 1-8x. It has a 1x that is a REAL 1x which you can even adjust less than that. Unreal.

Funny story, when I got that rifle it was after a lot of bureaucratic BS, both from Qld Weapons and then ever more, the Attorney Generals dept, to release the rifle. Ones already second hand, a different story. So after all that stuff I was determined to put a scope on it that suited it - close up and far out there, within actual animal taking ranges, not marketing rubbish.
The shop where I bought it had all these scopes laid out for me as well as the mount - all high magnification stuff but good gear, typical was a VX5 3-15x50, that sort of scope. Agan, see?
I wanted a true 1-8x or a 1-10x, but found all 1-10x were quite unforgiving with the eyebox, and even though big "tactical" names, were just not right. Even NF had some issues and was not a real 1x, and had issues up at 8x, - issues up top and a dull view.
I looked at the other German 1-8x and saw the same things.
Then I found the Swarovski, and this scope is so crystal clear at 8x, you can be anywhere near the eyebox and get a beautiful fast sight picture, and at 1x with the red doughnut/dot on, it's a red dot. No better suited glass.
And there has not been a time where 8x across open country has not allowed a head shot, even on dark, drizzly days, of course helped because of the unreal accuracy of the rifle.
8x might be a high for a 416, NE etc because of their intended use though, the z6i would be the perfect choice.

But it was funny, the gunshop thought I was off my rocker not over-scoping it.
They had a Vortex Razor Gen3 1-10x, but looking through that awful thing made my eyes point in different directions. God it was strange. Plus it was a FFP scope which is a ridiculous choice for anyone hunting.