Ruger-Redhawk

I stand corrected.I took what you said in the wrong contexts.I know there are allot of people who use a scope as a telescope while hunting. Definately a bad move.

Ruger Redhawk

dead_eye

The gun i deer hunt with has a simple 3-9X scope and ive never used it for any kind of shooting past 6x, i dont like using highpowers because you almost need something to rest it on to keep it steady because a 1/16th of a inch movement can move you a foot off target, but that is just my personal opinion

ButchA

I have a Simmons Pro Hunter 4-12x40 AO scope that was mounted on my Marlin 30-30 (way too much scope - almost more scope than gun! ) when I bought it from a buddy at work. I just leave it set on 4x and the AO on 50 yards. I am looking at maybe swapping the scope for something more "down to earth" for a 30-30, or maybe pull the scope off and save it for use with a 7MM or 30.06 or something bigger where it's better suited.

Butch A.

RedAllison

10 or 12, is that all? LOL you can NEVER kill em too dead and you cant have to much magnification for actually making the shot if its over appx 100yds. The 3x9 is "ok" for shots out too 300yds but a 12 is that much better IMHO. Now if you are talking about jumpshooting deer in the swamps of FLA then yeah get a 1.5x4 or something. But for anytype of big game hunting from tree-standing on beanfields too shootin across canyons in CO, then why not get a good 3 or 4x12?

I personally like 14, 15, 16Xs etc. And my longest range rifle wears a 6x24x50 on it. When you have the time to watch and judge deer like you do in most 400yd+ beanfield situations then you only make it easier on yourself when you can "zero down" on em. All my buddies laughed when I got my 24X Swarovski, but now not a one of them have anything less than the 20X Leupold on their guns for field shooting.

You can always back that 4x12 down for close stuff. Afterall 4x is 4x regardless what the other end of it goes up too.

WHACK EM WHERE THEY STAND,
RA

Prarie_Boy1

I agree, 3x9 is plenty for deer hunting. I use a 3x12 tasco but i bought it because of the 52mm objective and excellent clarity in low light conditions.

ssternadel

In this case, you have to go with what makes you comfortable and the ability of the gun. If hunting in mainly timber, i would go with the smallest possible that will still be useful on that particular gun. If out open, spend a bit extra a get a larger scope. If hunting deer, bear, hogs, elk, etc. I would have to say a 3-9 is more than enough. If you want to bust ground hogs past 100 yards on a regular basis, i'd up it to a 4-12 or even a 6-18. I own a couple 3-9x40 vx2's, a 4-12x40 vx2, and a 6-18x40AO vx2 and love every one of them. However, i would never put one of 3-9's on my 22-250 which currently holds my 6-18. I am a big fan of leupold, but you may also consider a simmons aetec. I recently had a gun (owned it about 2 weeks) with a simmons aetec 2.8-10x44 and loved that scope. As much as i hate to admit it, it was as clear, actually brighter, and as good that my all of my leupolds. If i had a pick a scope right now, i would probably go that route.

trailer

Thanks for all your comments. Much appreciated.....

Solitary Man

I'm with RedAllison on this one, I like having a 14 power scope on one of my rifles and I use the highest power often. I've got shooting lanes cut in 3 or 4 different directions through the woods from my deer stands. Each lane is about 75 to 100 yards long. When a deer is standing at the end of one of those lanes its antlers blend in almost perfectly with the tree branches behind it making it very difficult to judge, even with a 9 power scope. I like having the extra power in situations where I'm more interested in antlers than meat. Even so, though, I generally always have my scopes set at their lowest settings to begin with.

Todd1700

It depends on your hunting situation. For myself I don't see the problem with a good high quality adjustable scope that goes up to a high magnification. The way people hunt here in Alabama has changed drastically in my lifetime. Most of our hunting is done now out of treestands and shooting houses. Places where you are shooting from a rested position at a stationary animal. Under those circumstances how does high magnification hurt you? I think it enables me to aim more precisely. As for the crosshairs jumping around more at high magnification? Well, I hate to break it to you but your point of aim is wobbling around just as much at 3 power as it is at 20 power. The only difference is that at 20 power you can just clearly see how much you really are moving. But the movement is just the same.

If you hunt heavy woods and take close shoots then yeah, by all means stick to lower powered scopes. You can get on target faster in thick woods and they will allow you to see better in the low light of thick woods where it will get dark much earlier than it does in a open field.

But for wide open spaces I have a Leupold 6.5x20 power scope that I dearly love. I like to be able to aim very precisely. Like the old saying goes, "Aim small, miss small." It's hard to aim small at 300 yards with a 4 power scope.

HighDesertWolf

neither ......... 4x to 6x is more then enough magnification for deer shots even to 500 yards. if you want a variable power scope you will be fine with a 3-9x or 4-10x scope.