Originally Posted by
bigbulls
I personally like the Burris over the other two. The Bushnell 3200 being a close second. I also second the suggestion of the 4200 if you can spring it.
As far as magnification goes there is no reason in the world that a big game rifle needs more than 10X magnification. 10X magnification is enough to get you to 500+ yards on a deer sized target. A general purpose big game rifle with a variable scope should have a magnification range that starts out lower than 5X or 6X. You will need the low end many more times than you will need the 15X or 16X.
Before the antler restrictions in Pennsylvania, if you did not have a scope that you could do a hair analysis with - it probably wasn't a very good scope. Most deer in my area of the country did not live much past their second birthday and when they are running through the Pennsylvania hardwoods and you have to verify that they have a antler to be legal to shoot - a good scope is a must.
At the same time, since the antler restrictions - a deer now must have 4 points to one side to be legal. I have passed on several trophy deer - even ones that were limping - just because I could not put the 4th point on the rack.
We are not talking about sitting in a blind on posted property here or in the middle of a food plot or next to a deer feeder. I am talking real world conditions. As I have said in the past - I have shot a lot of deer, I have used a lot of guns and I have owned a lot of scopes.
I hear all these people who say that they use a 2.5X scope and stuff to hunt deer, and maybe for them that is fine. But in a real world situation where you have 3 - 5 seconds to determine is it legal and can I shoot it - you are going to need a scope that not only points the barrel where you are looking - but also confirms that what you are about to shoot is indeed legal.
Maybe I am the only one her - but every time I pull the trigger, I always wonder - did I shoot the right deer and was it the one that had the antlers. Especially if it was running with one or two other legal deer. Until I walk up to the deer and confirm that it is indeed the deer that I was shooting at and that it was a legal buck, I worry that I might have shot the wrong deer or that I missed or that I did not shoot it where I intended. All these things races through my mind.
The last thing I would want to do is to have to worry that the deer wasn't legal or that I shot the wrong deer and would have to turn myself into the Game Warden.
4x is about at the minimum end that I see anyone in Pennsylvania with a scope use and as a person gets more confident - they might turn their scope up to 5 for normal everyday hunting. But if the deer is down on the other end of a long pipe line or power line - you always see hunters try to turn their scope up as high as possible - to give them the best possible shot. Once you shot with a 15x scope - you will take that 9x scope and mount it on your .22 rifle.
I have never seen a person wish that they could turn target knobs to adjust for windage or elevation when most shots are taken at 40 - 60 yards.