Home Nikon How to Select Scope Power ~ Less magnification is more!

How to Select Scope Power ~ Less magnification is more!

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Scope manufacturers and magazine writers have in recent years been promoting high magnification scopes, almost to the exclusion of those lower powers traditionally used for decades in the field. There is profitability for them that robs you of your money, and makes practical hunting impossible. Hunting has not changed through the years, nor has the need for the best field of view, which is sorely lacking with high power scopes. Learn why high magnification is actually your worst enemy for hunting game! Save your money and get the scope you need, and not the one the stores are trying to sell you.

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30 COMMENTS

  3. I just put a 2-3/4 fixed in my 300 Win Mag (used to have a 3×9), i was going to get a fixed 4x but this one popped up and figured wtf why not. Tricky sighting in, I used an AK sight at 50 yards… I think I have a 4 moa dot.. So far I’ve only spent one day out on a mountain and all my shots would have been fine at around 100-200 yards max. Of course an awesome field of view and it feels so stable. Of course someone will say what if you actually saw an animal that day and it was at 450 yards? Well the jury is still out LOL

  7. I agree with most of what u say, although I prefer 3 to 9 or 4 to 12 range scopes for most guns I shoot, ar15 223, 308, 3006, 3030 4570 etc….. I hunt in Ohio and Pennsylvania, in PA you have point restrictions, that high power doubles as a spotting scope for me….. Also I can get quick target acquisition on a squirrel at 15 20 yards with 3 or 4 x…..however for deer I usually hunt in a climber, when the leaves fall in an old woods here, it's not uncommon to get a 225 yard shot, 100 yards is very common…… But at that time I usually dial up my magnification to see if there is any branches or anything else that could cost me a shot, sometimes I won't see those branches at 4x……. But I also would never buy a hunting or self defense scope that was above a 4x minimum, because I just can't aquire my target fast enough……. I also like to shoot targets and varmints with my rifles so since they are used for a little of everything, I like the wider range of magnification…… With my ruger mpr, I have a hard time getting inch and under 5 shot groups at 100 yards under 9x…. With 12x and the same ammo I can usually hold around. 75………however when hunting woodchucks at the same 100 yards off hand, I usually back off to 7x give or take, because the other negative thing more magnification does is create more perceived float causing me to over correct and weave all over the damn place lol!

  11. i think a 45 degree red dot with a 36 yard zero might be the best compromise if you need that higher powered scope but encounter a very very close moving deer. that's a -1.5 inch low at muzzle, 1.5 inches high at 115 yards, -3 inches drop at 250 yards.

  12. my first scopes need buy, i use eyeglasses. not see good dark, what have backyard target training best scope 10-40 yard about i not know yard what have, 10meter to 50 meter max. and my hunting rifle 20meter to 150 meter, magnification maybe need be good variaple, what long range 1000 meter to 3000 meter snipers uses interesting. i has shooting lot young men 400-700meter target.

  16. Very few have I ever run across in all my years in this earth, this man ranks very high on my list of "should always be respected…I love to sit with him and just talk about whatever he wants to

  17. While I can appreciate your thoughts, and do agree with you mostly, in the Midwest where I am I may be shooting anywhere from 50 out to 4-500. So there’s no way I’d go that low. All it takes is practice. Surroundings and experience dictate scopes, not numbers. Good luck!

  18. Even that 1.5-5 Leupold with its 75ft FOV and non illuminated reticle is now somewhat antiquated for the often heavily canopied and sometimes dimly lit eastern woodlands… Their is a plethora of affordable new 1-4, 1-6, and 1-8 LPVO's on the market with rugged 30mm tubes and illuminated reticles that, at least in the 1-6 power Primary Arms SLX, usually have 110ft FOV at their lowest setting and illuminated reticles that help a lot when shooting into shaded areas or at dawn and dusk when many woodland game is taken.. I mounted mine on a Marlin 336SC lever action in 35rem.. If it walks east of the Mississippi that carbine will put it in the freezer.

  19. I watched the video subscribed and selected all notifications because what he says makes sense and resonates with my own experience. As one of my former bosses exclaimed, "Physics is Physics" (even is you don't call it that).

  20. 1-8 low power variable optics should be the standard for close range woodland deer hunting with a bolt action…anything else like a lever or single shot should be used with irons only

  22. I have been using a fixed 4 power scope with a 40 mm objective lens for years works great but now I go into these sporting goods stores all I see is a lot of unnecessary scopes with lots of power adjustments and I just like the standard plex on my scopes.

  25. a lot of your better lpvo 1-6×24 or 1-8×24 these days have a huge fov on 1x eg a swarovski z81 1-8×24 has a whopping 42.5 metres at 100metres on 1x and with a illuminated reticle with a centre dot they are extremely fast to use at close quarters and when turned up to 8x they are quite capable out to 500 metres for most hunting you really dont need anything else

  29. Fascinating! Thanks so much for the education/clarification! Not new to shooting, but relatively new to using scopes. Look forward to watching your other videos and expanding my knowledge. Have a wonderful day sir!

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