For Those Wondering "How Much Magnification Do I Need on my Rimfire for 50 Yards?"
- Thread starter grauhanen
- Start date
This thread once again differentiates between the bench shooter mentality/requirements and the hunter/plinker mentality/requirements. The standard recommendation of the plinker sect is a 4X, 2-7X, 3-9X... and they scoff at more magnification. Whereas the bench shooter, who chases one's and two's already knows that plinking scopes won't cut it.
Personally, I am more of a hunter, with rifles wearing 2-7X, 3-9X and 4-12X scopes... my two bench rigs wear 24X and 36X scopes... the difference between the two concepts is readily apparent when you settle your eye behind the scope... and when you walk up to the target.
Personally, I am more of a hunter, with rifles wearing 2-7X, 3-9X and 4-12X scopes... my two bench rigs wear 24X and 36X scopes... the difference between the two concepts is readily apparent when you settle your eye behind the scope... and when you walk up to the target.
This man speaks the truth!
Tree rat gun is a savage MK2 Camo with a 2-7 ontop...
Bench gun is a ANSCHUTZ 64 MP R TACTICAL TRAINER with a 6-24 ontop... Was even considering a 10-40...
Different practices and use, different magnification.
The difference being that a lower power scope can be used to hunt OR shoot very decent groups from the bench, whereas a 36X is superior for bench shooting but tits-on-a-bull useless for anything else.
If you have a dedicated bench gun 36X is just logical. If you're just runnin' what ya brung, your usual real world setup makes more sense.
If you have a dedicated bench gun 36X is just logical. If you're just runnin' what ya brung, your usual real world setup makes more sense.
The majority of posts in this thread do not reflect that. If the title had been lengthened with "to shoot benchrest competitions", then it would have been more geared toward that. Most people are just posting what they used for the CGN 50m challenge, or use for 50m in general, as the title was not specific to serious bench shooting.
Both my 22 and my 17 got into the .200's with a 3-9 @ 50 meters. While that won't win any competitions, it's good enough for the casual bench shooting I do for fun.
You probably did not read the first post in this thread and you should understand that thread titles have a limit as to their length. Perhaps some responses to the thread did not read the first post either and simply replied by saying "this is what I use on my .22 and it's good enough for me". But that is not the point of this thread.
The target shown in the first post is the USBR 50 target. It's not a pop can, rabbit, or a ground hog. The point of this thread is how much magnification is needed for shooting from the bench at 50 yards. Most people who successfully shoot the 50 yard challenge, with a few incredible exceptions, have not used low power scopes, the 4X, 2-7X, 3-9X that many hunters use on their .22LR's. They use scopes with more magnification.
Look how small the center circle of the target is on the image showing 16X magnification (which is almost double the magnification of a scope at 9X such as your own). Compare the difference at 24X and 36X and draw conclusions about what magnification you need to shoot well at 50 yards.
Shooting in the .200's at 9X magnification is exceptional, that is it's not typical. If a 3-9 works for you and casual bench shooting, no one will argue with that. But that's not the point of this thread.
