Recommmendations for zoom power for long range scope?

B

brokenanew

New member
Zoom recommendations for 1000+ yard shooting.
I am soon hoping to purchase a Savage 110BA .338
I was looking at scopes Nightforce makes. I like the NXS but thier 5.5-22 scope is 1800$ where as the benchrest version is 12-42x and a might bit cheaper

What is the difference between these scopes? Reliability? Durability?

What zoom would I need to pull off good 1000 yrd shots. Will 22x do it?

http://www.opticsplanet.com/s/nightforce+rifle+scopes/
 
I'm pretty sure you can do 1000 yards with far less power than 22X. In fact you might find it easier to shoot that distance with less power as your reticle won't bounce around so much. You'll be surprised how far you can shoot effectively with a lower power scope if you practice with it. My rifle for 1K has a 3-10X40 on it of course I'm just banging steel and not trying to set any small group records.
 
I'm not a long distance shooter, but the advice I've read from many who are seem to prefer something around 10X or sightly more. Much above 10X and the negatives start to outweigh the positives.
 
The most important aspect is the mechanics of the scope. Strong, positive click adjustment and repeatability should be the first concern particularly at longer ranges.
One thing often overlooked is using a high power scope during hot humid days when the mirage is heavy. The fish bowl affect can be disconcerting. Image shift can cost points. A variable scope in 6x-20x can offer many options for seeing through the weather.
 
What kind of 1000 yard shots?
If the position is steady and the target clearly defined, then I would say a higher power range than anybody but reynolds357.

I am a pretty casual F class shooter and I am normally at 24X (on a 8.5-25) and seldom below 20. I had a 36X on a benchrest rifle but am not proficient enough to get the most out of it, my next will be a 24X.

I think you would be well served by the Nightforce 8-32 BR.
You can always turn it down, you can't turn a 10X up.
The adjustable objective is at a disadvantage to the "side focus" only if you change ranges a lot, in which case you would do better to pay for a NSX.

You can pay less... but you might end up paying twice.
 
I have used a 6X at 1000 yards and the magnification was not enough to see inside the nine ring. I could see the mirage exceptionally well and shot a HM score prone with a sling, but it is not enough power for F class.

I am using a 20X leupold and that works well. I have played with my 60X zoom scope at 1000 yards and found that at the higher settings the bull is dark and indistinct and mirage washes everything out.
 
One thing you might keep in mind is that the higher the power, the more you will be able to see atmospheric conditions like heat waves etc. They can get bad enough that at the upper levels they will obscure the target. Most spotting scopes run max of 30 or 60 power. Ive seen days that the target at 300 yds. was obscured with a 30 power spotting scope, yet at 6 power you couldnt see the heat waves.
 
One thing to note is, zoom optics are not as repeatable from shot to shot as fixed power ones. No scope maker yet has developed a zero-shift lens barrel to repeatably hold properly the two lens groups' barrels that move back and forth to change magnification solidly in place from both recoil and zoom changes. Measure you own zoom scope's "hysterises loop" with a optical collimator in the muzzle then zoom back and forth from low to high power and watch the reticule make a figure 8 on the collimator reference.

The better ones cost a fortune. But no zoom is as repeatable shot to shot as Weaver's Model T fixed power target scopes. Too bad they don't make any less than 24X any more.

http://www.weaveroptics.com/optics/riflescopes/tseries/
 
I have both Nightforce NXS 5.5-22 x 56 and 8-32 x 56. What is more important than the magnification is the radical. The NP-R1 has thicker lines, better for hunting. You don't loose the cross-hairs in the brush/trees. The NP-R2 has thinner lines, much better for target shooting. I have the 5.5-22 with NP-R1 on my hunting rifle and the 8-32 NP-R2 on two target rifles. Darn nice scopes. For the price they'd better be. :D
 
I have three scoped rifles I use at 1k yard targets. Two are aprox 6-20X and one is a fixed 10X, in almost all circumstances I prefer the higher magnification. The lower power shines when you are shooting unsupported.
 
^^^ This.
I get completely befuddled by the "less is more" argument I see here so often when it comes to long-range magnification.

I do shoot at 600 and 1000 yards. At 600, I find 10x "doable". At 1000, it's a non-starter unless you're just trying to "hit" a torso size target. Point of aim is just not precise enough.

Think about it...10x at 1K is akin to a red dot at 100 yards. Can you hit a one or even two inch target at 100 yards, with a red dot? Maybe some can- but I guarantee you- most cannot.

Yes, there are times when mirage will limit the amount of magnification you can apply. But, that's why there's this little dial on variable power scopes so that you don't have to use maximum power all the time.

The XM2010 ESR is equipped with a Leupy MK IV, 6.5-20 x 50...

Not a 10x.
 
tobnpr said:
I get completely befuddled by the "less is more" argument I see here so often when it comes to long-range magnification.

I do shoot at 600 and 1000 yards. At 600, I find 10x "doable". At 1000, it's a non-starter unless you're just trying to "hit" a torso size target. Point of aim is just not precise enough.

Think about it...10x at 1K is akin to a red dot at 100 yards. Can you hit a one or even two inch target at 100 yards, with a red dot? Maybe some can- but I guarantee you- most cannot.

Yes, there are times when mirage will limit the amount of magnification you can apply. But, that's why there's this little dial on variable power scopes so that you don't have to use maximum power all the time.

The XM2010 ESR is equipped with a Leupy MK IV, 6.5-20 x 50...

Not a 10x.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much my view. Though it was just me. I lived with a 3-9x? on my hunting rifle, 30-06, for years. It lived out it's life on 9. The 5.5-22x56 is soooooooo much nicer. Pretty much stays on 22. Now I do have a 0-4x20 on my Guide gun in 45-70 and it works just fine on pig and deer size targets out to 100 yards. But I wouldn't be very sure of shot on that size target at 150 or beyond. Maybe it's just old eyes. :D
 
Yeah I'm personally more comfortable with using higher power for those long ranges. I think I would want something around a 20x. I might get away with 15x but 20x just makes me feel comfortable. Right now I have a Millet LRS-1 6-25x on my Remmy 700 .308 VTR and like it except the fine cross-hairs make it difficult for me to find and focus on appropriately. I had thought about using it on the Savage.338 and getting just a cheaper 10x on the .308 since I don't use that past 300 yards. It shoots very well, just don't use it for the far stuff. Someday I may try.

I am looking at the Leupolds Marl IV as well right now
Bart I like that Weaver but I'm really accustom to using mil-dot marked scopes. I use them for guesstimating ranges. Its doesn't seem that one is mil-dot.

Really good info. Thanks! I guess people differ with what they like. I do like a little more power.
 
I dunno. I rarely shoot beyond 800 yards anymore. My 2.5-10x is fine with me. I find higher magnifications difficult to hold still in shooting in the field as opposed to a bench.

That said, were I to shoot much beyond 800 I would seriously consider a scope with about 18x top end. That Horus reticle really piques my fancy too, so my search would likely include a scope with that feature.
 
stubbicatt said:
I dunno. I rarely shoot beyond 800 yards anymore. My 2.5-10x is fine with me. I find higher magnifications difficult to hold still in shooting in the field as opposed to a bench.
Click to expand...

Is it that it's harder to "hold still" or is it you just don't notice the movement "as much" when at lower power? I find higher power make it "appear" I'm moving around a lot but it's easier to "hit" the "spot" I'm trying for. I believe I'm moving just as much on low power but just can't see it in the scope. Your millage may vary. ;)
 
If you are going for target shooting only--NightForce 12-42 is great. Other than that 32 power is most common for bench shooting along with straight 36 power. For hunting,,A much less powerful scope would be best.
 
I believe I'm moving just as much on low power but just can't see it in the scope.
Click to expand...

Natch....

Some guys seem to find it annoying to see their crosshairs jumping with every heartbeat.

Me, I want to see that minute movement. Yes, it can be frustrating some days because on a "bad" day, it may make it painfully clear that I'm not doing my part with controlling respiration and heartbeat. But, it also allows more precise trigger control (when I'm having a good day)- and it's also easier to call your shot-knowing exactly where the crosshairs were when the trigger broke- when your point of aim is more precisely defined.
 
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