Are hunting rifles over scoped?

[9.3mauser]

Nobody has been able to explain to me what magical things I would be able to do with a fixed 6 that I can't do with a variable set at 6.

You won't suffer the embarrassment of having your scope set on 10x or higher when you need it set on 6x or lower.

 

[Ribstaylor]

Only use irons so nope not I.

 

[blasted_saber]

In central Ontario I use 1.5-4 and 2-7. They stay parked on the low setting most of the time

 

[woodlotowner]

In central Ontario I use 1.5-4 and 2-7. They stay parked on the low setting most of the time

This ^^. Also Central ON.

 

[beretta boy]

In central Ontario I use 1.5-4 and 2-7. They stay parked on the low setting most of the time

Me too !

 

[rembolt]

3 rifles here the T3 6.5 x 55 wears a leupold 2.5 -8 -36 the 308 mohawk 600 wears a vortex 2-7-35 and the 223 stevens wears a vortex 4-12-40 . I have only had 2 other scopes of higher magnification a bushnell 5 to15 I had on a 17hmr and leupold 6.5x20 -40 the 5 to 15 worked really well on the 17 hmr . the leupold was a whole different story .no where could I set the eye relief with that scope that I could use its full optic range . I think it may have had to do with the fact I wear corrective lens .

 

[Brian46]

I way prefer overscoped than underscoped. Our wet damp winter days just don't have the light or clarity. I also like parallax when hunting. Threading a bullet through branches is so much easier if you can run a parallax check from the animal back to see if anything is in the line of sight. In this picture I re-positioned three times to get a clear shot at a Sika lying under a gorse bush at ~ 270m. My favourite hunting scope is the PMII 3-20x50 Ultra short.
Another thing, with FFP scope one can quickly check on the animal if the wind guess +- is within the kill zone. Sometimes windy on the Atlantic coast.
edi

Great choice, wish we could use suppressor here in canada for hunting

 

[220]

Looky did you have some of that BC Bud your talking normal Lol

 

[Dogleg]

Hunting from a truck all the time you have a point. But my 6X scopes have over 1000 horse miles on them and they have yet to lose zero. Not only that, comparable models are always brighter in a fixed power option.

A quad will do evil things to a rig too; horses don't have a monopoly on that. Good scopes in good mounts hold; junk doesn't.

A fixed scope can be very impressive optically, My 6X FX-3s are great, and a 6X S&B is the sort of thing that will have you fighting off the urge to crush a Leupold in a vise. So what? It doesn't help hit things. On a camera lens or a set of binos fill your boots. There are plenty of variables that can work the night shift never mind anything legal in this country brightnesswise.

 

[Dogleg]

You won't suffer the embarrassment of having your scope set on 10x or higher when you need it set on 6x or lower.

It would save me the bother of having to crank it up. I've killed far more game at max power than at the lowest; and besides I shoot with both eyes open so it makes little difference.

 

[TheTooner]

I have one rifle with 4-12x, a couple of 3-9x but at present only one of them has a rifle, one of my rimfires has 2-7x (the other 4x), and the rest of my guns wear fixed or variable not higher than 6x. I've never needed that 12x, can't remember many instances of turning the 3-9x scopes up to 9. Most of the shots I've taken were or could have been done with 4x.

 

[SHELL SHUCKER]

I run 1-4.5x24, 2.5x24, 2-7x32, 4x32 & 4-16x42 glass on my rifles depending on the mission. The 2-7x32 Bushnell Elites are me most commonly used units.
Everyone's peepers change, so scope selection will change over time to compensate.

 

[hoytcanon]

The only fixed power hunting scopes I have are the FX-II 2.5X20 Ultralight... these were purchased for short range rifles requiring the lightest of optics. I would never even consider the 6X when the 2.5-8 is such an excellent optic. Not that the Leupold 6X isn't a good scope, but why limit your options?Always carry your scope set on the lowest power if there is the remotest possibility of a game animal appearing/disappearing suddenly at ultra close range. I have never seen a long range animal lost in the time it takes to dial up the magnification, but I have seen it happen several times while hunters attempted to dial down the magnification.

 

[John Y Cannuck]

I way prefer overscoped than underscoped. Our wet damp winter days just don't have the light or clarity. I also like parallax when hunting. Threading a bullet through branches is so much easier if you can run a parallax check from the animal back to see if anything is in the line of sight. In this picture I re-positioned three times to get a clear shot at a Sika lying under a gorse bush at ~ 270m. My favourite hunting scope is the PMII 3-20x50 Ultra short.
Another thing, with FFP scope one can quickly check on the animal if the wind guess +- is within the kill zone. Sometimes windy on the Atlantic coast.
edi

Many forum arguments could be settled by a simple pic of where you hunt.
I've hunted where I felt under scoped, but now days the chances of a shot out even as far as a hundred yards is limited. I prefer the 1.5X4 set usually to 1.5 if I use a scope at all. Peep sights I love.

 

[kamlooky]

Looky did you have some of that BC Bud your talking normal Lol

Nawt at awl, Chuckee izz awf the senstiff sort.
Trying to fit in awn hizz tread.
Tizz awl.

 

[GreenBob]

I was shooting again last night with the rifle I’ll be hunting with this fall. I’ve hunted with a lot of rifles over the last 15 years. 95% of them wore the same model of scope. A light small fixed 6X scope that can be mounted low over the rifle, not affect balance, carry well in the hand, go into a saddle scabbard, and most of all maintain zero. I’ve taken game cleanly with that scope from 5 yards to over 550 yards.

Are hunters, in general, over scoped?

For sure. I got 2.5-8 and it usually stays at 5-6x.

 

[fingers284]

Most of my rifles wear 3-9’s, a couple have 3.5-10, a 2.5-10, and a couple 4.5-14. And a few with open sights. I rarely carry open sighted rifles when I hunt anymore, my eyes are no longer up to the task. And while I agree that 14 power is probably overkill, that’s what I find myself using most of the time. We have lots of point restrictions around here, my binos are 10 power, and while I normally have a spotter in the truck, I don’t carry one with me. That bit of extra magnification is really handy when trying to count points five minutes before dark....
I’ve also found that I almost never use anything but the lowest or highest power on anything. If it’s close or gotta be fast it’s low power, if I’ve got the time I crank it all the way up.

This is my opinion in a nutshell also...ain't no such thing as "over-scoped". Don't need no damn binoc's hanging around my neck just making it sore as hell.

 

[pacobillie]

As a general rule, I would agree that a lot of hunters are over-magnified, but underscoped. Many appear to favour magnification, to the detriment of glass quality.

I live in Quebec and most hunting here is done in the woods. For woods rifles, I like low magnification, such as a Leupold VX3 in 1.5-5X20.

I have a few long range rifles (300 H&H and 257 Weatherby). For those, I prefer a Nikon Monarch 3 in 2.5-10X50.

For general purpose rifles, such as 6.5X55, I use a Leupold VX2 in 2-7 X 32 scope.

To me, the minimum magnification matters more than the max, unless I am target shooting. To me, a 4.5-18 scope makes no sense for hunting, unless I am hunting strictly in a wide open area.

 

[Butcherbill]

I have been using a 4-12 for the last 3 years and while it’s been great I can say I’ve never had it dialed up past x6 while shooting at an animal, it usually sits at the 4-5 power. The last two deer seasons saw me shoot deer from 10-15y out to 75y, I’m switching to a 2-7X32 or a 2-10x40 for this season. Smaller, lighter, lower with ample magnification for the areas I hunt deer locally.

 

[rar]

i like my 3.5 to 10 power scope i use .