Favorite scope and recommended magnification range

My experience with rifle scopes is to secure the base and rings to the receiver and then secure the scope into the rings. There is no sim adjustment. It's as if there is an average height given people's various neck length and head shape. At the bench, I have to lower my line of sight to the rings, observe the shading of the rim, draw back and make sure there is now shadow on the edges as I move forward and hold the stock. I don't know if there's a better technique.

That said, shooting from the standing and sitting position must be similar. Do you adjust the scope with shims.. so when you shoulder your rifle, the scope falls into full vision as you anchor a certain part of your face to the stock? Maybe you'll have to learn to lower your line of sight by leaning forward and into the rifle than twisting your neck? If you don't adjust the scope, do you adjust your butt plate? My field shooting has been with open sights.
 
The height of the scope is determined by the size of the base and rings that you purchase. If you take the rifle to the store where you purchase the scope they should have someone there that is experienced in mounting scopes. They will have the proper tools and knowledge to do it right.

Generally speaking rings come in low, medium and high. But that is not the end of the options. For a hunting rifle it will be enough to get one of these. What I usually do is attach the base and set the rings on the base without tightening them all the way. Then set the scope in the rings to check the location of the objective bell vs the barrel. And make sure the eye relief is correct, and the bolt clears when operated. If the bell is a ways above the barrel I try the next size down. If it touches the barrel, next size up.

If everything works the next step is to lap the rings. Take the scope off the rings. Tighten the rings to the base. Apply lapping compound (abrasive paste) to the lapping bar and snug the screws on the rings to the lapping bar. Wiggle it around to shape the rings to mate the surface of the scope. It will take out minor alignment issues and remove any machine marks or burrs on the rings. Then clean the rings with solvent.

Mount the scope and torque the screws just enough to hold it, but not tight. Check eye relief and reticle is level. Then torque screws after adjustment to get everything right.

If your store doesn't do this I recommend finding one that will before you purchase the scope. If you want to buy online, find a gunsmith that will mount it for you.
 
Reality

Very few American hunters shoot at moving targets with a scoped rifle so any efforts to make your deer hunting rifle shoulder and aim like a shotgun might be nice but not necessary.
Most of the bolt guns I see at hunter sight-ins have the scopes mounted to low, the shooters have their heads tilted over to the side and faces crammed into the comb. That makes for very unpleasant shooting experience. Not to say there aren't people who need low rings, a short necked, thin faced person using a classic style stock with a low comb and -0+cast will be very comfortable with a low mounted scope. If your wondering why that favorite O/U shotgun comes up so nice on a clay target look at the stock and notice how much cast off it has, they don't stock centerfire rifles like that unless it's a custom fitted gun in the US, the stocks are made for both right and lefties. The AR-15 is a good example of rifle that's difficult to get any cheek weld on regardless of a persons build yet lots of people can shoot running targets with them just fine with a little practice, I have no problem shooting running coyotes with mine.
Here's a picture of one of my German rifles that has a high rise cheek piece and cast off as an example of how stock design dictates scope height.
 
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The less you shoot the lower the power.I've been with hunters who never fired a shot at deer that should have been easy shots.In every case a big variable scope 6-24 size I think they had the scope turned up.One was the buck of a lifetime.
 
Wild willy

Scope power is age related as well, lots of silhouette shooters use very high magnification scopes when there young but steadily decrease as they get older.
I used a 36x fixed power leupold to shoot smallbore silhouette until my mid 30's but know have a 6.5x20 I rarely go over 12x with, age it'll get everyone of us eventually.
I shoot just as much as I did in my 20's and 30's if not more.
If you need more than 12x on a hunting scope you have some sort of vision problem I would guess.
I carry a little Burris spotting scope antelope hunting, pretty handy and you won't get hassled using it off the side of the road like you might using a rifle scope as spotting scope.
 
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The Op said hunting scope I doubt if anyone would recommend 36X for a hunting scope.Maybe I didn't word my reply too well most hunters would be better off with a scope with 2 or 3x at the lower end.I've seen shooters that don't shoot much or were newer have trouble finding a stationary target I could only imagine the trouble they would have a deer moving thru the brush.
 
The height of the scope is determined by the size of the base and rings that you purchase.
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But as dk noted, the site plane of the shooter is determined by the stock and the size and shape of the shooter's face..... the sight height and the shooter's sight plane must match, or the gun is not set up right.


Very few American hunters shoot at moving targets with a scoped rifle so any efforts to make your deer hunting rifle shoulder and aim like a shotgun might be nice but not necessary.
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.... It's a skill that is essential in some situations. Just because most don't have it is a poor reason not to learn it. Having a gun that shoulders well is important..... certainly more important that what particular caliber you use. You are faster with target acquisition, recoil is managed better ..... it's more comfortable, and therefore more enjoyable to shoot.
 
I totally agree JB86.

Nothing helps me with running targets better than 3 rounds of skeet a couple of weeks in a row before coyote season, the lowhouse station 6 is a great teacher for escaping coyotes.
 
I don't have a scope at hand to test this. Would you say 4x is too much for a 50 yards shot? I think a 2x-7x scope would probably be best for wooded to an open field. Then 3.5-10x or 4-14x for Western open country and something in between like 3x-9x for something in between. While my rifle doesn't have open sights, how good are detachable scope bases? Are shot's repeatable after a scope has been removed and re-attached. I'd guess not but maybe one of you has the setup to comment. As for scope height, I suppose a person can attach a cushion on the comb of the stock
 
I have used the same scope for most of the past 45 years. I started out with a Weaver 4X (didn't most of us?), then moved up to a 2-7X33 Weaver. That rifle (Mauser 98 in 7X57) still wears that scope. I put the 4X on my 22-250 and used it successfully for a few years, then got an itch for a "varmint scope" (whatever that is) and picked up a Leupold 6.5-20. That turned out to be waaaay too much scope, so I dropped down to a 4.5-14X for my 22-250. I tend to like mid-power variables on my hunting rifles, I have 2 2-7s, 2 2.5-8, 1 3-9, 1 3.5-10, and one 4.5-14. The 3-9 and the 3.5-10 I picked up in trades, and they are on rifles I don't shoot much. Only thing more powerful is on my 223 F Class rifle, a B&L Elite 8-32 I picked up from a customer in trade, he had it on his 7mm mag and couldn't use it.

Higher power scopes are heavy, and don't really add anything to your capabilities. Most deer are shot at less than 100 yds in good light, so tell me again why people need a 25 power scope with a 68mm objective lense?
 
Scorch said:
. Most deer are shot at less than 100 yds in good light, so tell me again why people need a 25 power scope with a 68mm objective lense?
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Braggin rights I guess. I've hunted with a 50 MM lens and a 6.5-20 but I never used the higher power except for target shooting at long range. I have used 6X at 50 yards with no trouble but I wasn't expecting a 50 yard shot.
 
I am a deer hunter mostly, and my rifles serve double duty for eliminating everything from Armadillos to coyotes and anything else that needs to shot. For an all around deer/combo rifle I prefer the 2 x 7 Leupold (older scopes) like the vari-x II.

Sure it's nice to have 9 even 16 power to crank up sometimes for a long range look and possible shot but not at the expense of giving up the compact light weight and low field if view for a fast running shot at close to moderate ranges.

I keep my scopes on the lowest power until I see something that needs to be viewed at longer range. I will even crank up at close range sometimes to look at a head or something. You usually always have time to crank up but not down for a quick shot, usually.

The current long range craze with big heavy rifles and huge scopes is fine for what they were designed for, but I wouldn't pack one for very far at all, to hunt with unless I really did intend to shoot at stupid long ranges, which I consider unethical for the killing of game animals. At any rate I find the big scopes heavy and clumsy and too bulky for my taste.

Another thing I like about lets say a 2 x 7 Leupold is it's very forgiving on eye relief and I don't want to give that up.
 
As for scope height, I suppose a person can attach a cushion on the comb of the stock
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That is what I have done .... my 1950's vintage rifle was stocked for open sights .... the low mounted 3-9x32 needed about an inch or so of foam under the neoprene sleeve by Beartooth Products to get the sighting plane right ....
 
[QUOTEMost deer are shot at less than 100 yds in good light, so tell me again why people need a 25 power scope with a 68mm objective lense?][/QUOTE]

Jeff Cooper derided these as "moonscopes" decades ago ..... the only reasonable argument for them i have gotten is that when turned down to the lowest power, they work better than the naked eye in the last couple of minutes of legal shooting light ......
 
I want to think that a higher power round should have a higher power scope to shoot farther and with the higher magnification, I can shoot more accurately.

That said, I know the rifle I have is a hunting rifle not capable of high accuracy like a long-range hunting rifles. The higher power round is for a larger animal or for the ability to have a point blank range at a farther distance. I like to think that one shoots better groups with a higher magnification scope. The farther the game, time can be used to turn up the power setting and you improve your accuracy. Almost all of my shooting experience is with open sights. At best, I liked hiking on BLM land and shoot at exposed dirt or dirt mounds with my .22lr with open sights like an archer would stump shoot.
 
My favorite scope I've been using since about 1970, 2 3/4x Redfield Widefield. It's on my 30-06 that I use for elk hunting. I limit myself to under 300yds generally and have only pushed 300 one time, actually 330yds measured with my 6.5x06 and a 3-9x scope on 3X. These days I have no idea what is around for low fixed power scope's and for a long time went with a 3-9x that I always kept on 3x. Today I think the best hunting scope is the 2-7x class and have two of them mounted and used on 2x. The vast majority of big game I've shot has been well under 250Yds, well under. My rifles are all sightedin at Max Point Blank Range, MPBR, at an 8" target. They will all put a bullet into even an Antelope at 300yds without holding the sight's off the animal. As for being able to see well, even on that one 330yd deer it was no problem at all on 3x!

For the most part I don't think brand is that big a deal, most reputable manufacturer's make good scopes. I have two old Redfield's, 2 3/4x and 1-4X. Few Nikons, and old Bushnell Banner, two new Redfield Leupold'sand an old Weaver K4.They all work more than well.
 
Since we can hunt 1 hr before sunrise to 1 hr after sunset(deer). I always use a high quality, high dollar( Leupold, Meopta or Ziess). Always at a minimum 3x10x50 with duplex cross hair. Cheap scopes work in the sunshine. But quality scopes work early and late. BTW You can't shoot what you can't see....
Same way with Binoculars.
 
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