Westerners; what magnification for deer and elk?
 

I am thinking a 3-10 power scope. What do you all think isyour favoritepower to go with on a 40mm scope.

I was thinking either the 3-10 or the 6-18, but not very often have I needed more than 10 power and besides I'll gather more light with a bit less power.

Give me your thoughts.

thanks

RE: Westerners; what magnification for deer and elk?
 

I use 3x10x42 swarovski scopes on my big game rifles,and they work great at all ranges out to 500 yards.

RE: Westerners; what magnification for deer and elk?
 

I like the 3-9 or the 2-10 by 40 or 44 mm

RE: Westerners; what magnification for deer and elk?
 

No doubt,over the many yearsI've hunted in MT and WY,I'veused a fixed 4 power scope more than any other. However, all my rifles now have variable, just because they are now extremely trustworthy and usefull under more field conditions. All of my rifles(except the varmite rifles) are now topped with 3-9 variable scopes.

While Western hunting can require you to shoot at distance, I think you will be surprised at how often you will need quick acquistion at short range. This situation requires minimalmagnification and large field of view.In my experience, this is especially true on elk. Looking back at the elk we have shot in MT over the years, most have been in the black timber where a scope with2-4X low-end magnification would be plenty.

Deer and antelopehunting in Eastern MT will likely put you in a situation where longer shots are required, given the open country and the nature of the animals. Here, a scope with 8-14X top-end magnification would be useful.

In general a 3-9 variable is ideal. Go with quality optics with high resolution and abulletpoint-of-impact that doesn't shift with magnification changes, and you'll be set.

RE: Westerners; what magnification for deer and elk?
 

I went with the Burris Euro-Diamand 2.5x10x44mm with Ballistic Plex retical. That way I can crank it 2.5x for hunting elk in thick timber and betwen 6x to 8x for open country mule deer.

RE: Westerners; what magnification for deer and elk?
 

3-10 x 40-42 is as good as it gets

RE: Westerners; what magnification for deer and elk?
 

Thanks for all the info so far.

It seems like you guys are validating my 3-10 preference. I forgot about the dark timber and the close range opportunities that often arise. I just had 800 yard capability on my mind. I think I'll end up with a 3-10. By the way this scope will be going on top a Rem 700 Sendero chambered for a .270.

Thanks for all the advice.

If anyone else has anything to add, don't be shy.

RE: Westerners; what magnification for deer and elk?
 

The low end should be 3 power or lower if youcan get it in the scope you wnatforquickshooting.......and the top end in a 40-42mm objectiveshould be no more than 10 power for good light transmission.

RE: Westerners; what magnification for deer and elk?
 

I've used 4.5x-14 leupold scopes and 4x-16x weaver/nikon and cannot see how they can be beat for versatility. The low end of 4x is plenty low for close shots and the middle or top end is perfect for long range precision shooting.

RE: Westerners; what magnification for deer and elk?
 

800 yards?!

Having hunted elk and deer in WY for 30+ years, I've never found myself wanting more glass. To the contrary, I've often found myself wanting less.

My favorite combo is a 1.5-5x for elk, and a 3-9x for deer and antelope.

Seriously guys, I don't know where you're finding these long ranges to shoot animals at? Last elk I shot at less than 50 yards, the last deer at 150, and the last antelope at 100. The rest of the time, there's always either too much timber in the way or too much wind inbetween to reliably and responsiblykill something that far away.

RE: Westerners; what magnification for deer and elk?
 

The long shots are rare. The closest I ever got to a mountain goat was 800 yards, so NO SHOT was taken! I did once shoot a caribou at 420 yards (.308 Norma Magnum). That was way before rangefiders, but because there was a 200-yard wide lake between us and the 'bou, and it was on the topo map, we were able to figure out how far up the far hill he'd been, and likewise how far we were from the lake on the downhill side.

My last elk was shot a 40 yards. I use fixed-power 6X scopes on my mountain rifles except for the ones I can take home at night following a day's hunt. Fixed-power scopes have less to go wrong than variables, so when I use a variable, I want to be able to swap it off at night if I broke it that day! The Leupold 2X-7X and 2.5X-8X are both small and light enough to use on rifles you may have to climb up (or down!!) a mountain with! My 6X's are 6-42's.

RE: Westerners; what magnification for deer and elk?
 

[quote]ORIGINAL: Techy

I am thinking a 3-10 power scope. What do you all think isyour favoritepower to go with on a 40mm scope.

[quote]

I prefer the the 42mm, but your choice is also good!

RE: Westerners; what magnification for deer and elk?
 

MAYBE IN THE '60'S!

Knock, Knock
Who's there?
Hello, I'm reality and its the 21st century!

I use variable exclusively and have yet to experience a failure. I took a pretty nastly tumble down a shale slide in B.C. and my Leupold 2.5-8 vari x 3 scope took the brunt of the fall. POI didn't shift one milimeter.

If you purchase high quality optics you don't have to worry about them being any less reliable than a fixed power.

OBTW most of us don't have the $ to take an extra scope in detachable rings so that we can swap scopes at the cabin at night.

RE: Westerners; what magnification for deer and elk?
 

I think eldequello and Shatodavis both make valid points. Yes variables are very very dependable. But there's still EVEN LESS to go wrong with a fixed power. (that's just a matter of counting up the parts!) I don't put my gear through real rough stuff. But I've never had a variable let me down, and the most abused and most used is also the cheapest. Some tasco my grandpa put on the 10/22 he gave me when I was 12.

Most can't afford two scopes and detach rings if they're worried about equipment failure...but you can buy "a lot more scope" in a fixed power model than you can a variable model for the same price. This topic kinda balances itself out. If you're real worried, buy one fixed scope for $XXX or two variables for $XXX. Whichever school or thought you have more trust, it's just a personal preferance thing.

I don't know that I've ever NEEDED more than 3x, but the longest shots I've taken on game have usually been around 200yards. And 9x or 12X on my scope sure come in handy. For what its worth, and if you want to be humbled, the general rule of thumb for military snipers is that you need 1x mag for every 100 yards. So that 10x ought to get you out to a 1,000!!!!! For average joe-shmoes I think a 10 or 12x model should easily get you out to 500. If it doesn't, the conditions aren't good enough to be taking a shot that long with ANY scope!!!!