scope magnification-too much?

R

RHC

New member
I was shooting a Winchester 70 in .308 with a Bushnell
4-12 scope at about 120 yards. It seemed like
about 6 X magnification worked better than anything higher.

I'm kind of new to rifles. Is this typical?

By the way, I fired six shots, which were
grouped about 1 1/2" apart 3 inches high and right of the
bullseye. And then my shoulder said quit!
 
Typically a person will shoot around 6x - 10x from 100yds. Higher magnification results in the rifle being more control sensitive - meaning any slight shift while firing will drastically affect accuracy.
 
Hey, wait a minute. That rifle's moving around the same amount, no matter what magnification the scope's at - you only get to see it more is all at the higher magnifications.
Same goes for shooters with longer sight radius w/iron sights ....

Actually, for very precise target work, a higher magnification is prefered so you can see the minute changes that you are making due to your shooting technique & make appropriate changes.

Not using the capability of the scope is like driving drunk & weaving all over the road - you don't care for that, so you close one eye. ;)

RHC, 1 1/2" 6-shot groups at 120 yds by a newbe rifle shooter is not bad at all.

There's a focusing knob/dial/setting on the ocular (eye side of the scope) that you can adjust to your personal setting. It may be that this scope wasn't dialed in properly for you. It can be a distraction at the higher magnifications. If you set the scope for you at the higher mag, it will be oakie-doakie at the lower end.
 
Depends on the situation..

Hunting in WI for small game and deer, anything over 4x or 5x seems completely unnecessary.
shots are mostly under 100, rarely over 150, never over 200 yards
 
When target shooting I see no reason not to be zoomed in to the max. power. I have heard some varible scopes will have different zero at different zooms...with only firing six shots you will not know. You will have to fire a few groups at different zooms.
 
Also, the higher the magnification the smaller the field of view. This may or may not be important to you depending on what you shoot and the conditions you normally shoot in.
 
RHC what do you mean "Worked better"? Do you mean Seeing clearly or finding your target easier? I think anything more than 6x at 100yds makes finding a target difficult threw a scope because of field of View. There are absolutely advantages of having a 12x scope though.
 
labgrade - thanks.

I guess what I meant by "worked better" is that
at higher magnifications it seemed like the cross-hairs
were hard to hold steady. It was hard to know when to pull the trigger. It was also really easy to lose the sight picture in the scope at 8X and above. But then I only fired six shots. I hope it doesn't take too many more than that, because my shoulder was sore for three or four days after just six shots.

I realize that means that they were moving around at lower magnifications,too, but it was distracting at above six power.
 
You absolutely Correct!! Thats why most binoculars don't go above 10x and if you go higher than that most people get the Floating Optical Binoculars. I've been out at sea a few times with small compact binoculars that were 3-15x and it does get difficult to try and see clearly from all of the shaking at 15x's, even when the boat hardly rocks. One thing you can keep in mind is getting a Bipod for your rifle.
 
I'm guessing RHC was shooting off the bench with some kinda support. If shooting off-hand, your group was absolutely outstanding!

Even with a "rock steady" rest (sand bags & the whole bit) there's technique to maintain a consistant shot-to-shot off the bench. One doesn't just hunker up & start shooting 'em all into one - or very rarely. Part of the technique is proper stance (yup, even at the bench) so that rifle doesn't pound you (well, not as much anyway).

That rifle you were shooting may well not have been capable to doing anything better than what you did.

Too, scopes will usually show their faults more so at the higher magnifications. Other than the ocular perhaps requiring adjustment for your eyes, it may be that it just ain't right past where you were comfortable. The eye relief is also smaller at the higher magnifications which makes it more difficult to maintain your sight picture.

Sounds like you're doing just fine. You're recognizing the right problems & asking all the right questions. Just need some more time in the saddle & some decent coaching.
 
I was resting the front of the rifle on a wooden fence post that is flat on top. No, I'm sure I couldn't do that just standing there pointing it.

I'm going to try to get some coaching somewhere on breath and trigger control. And a recoil pad!

I have some experience with shotguns and recently with pistols, but other than the .22 my dad and I shot growing up I had never fired a rifle before.
 
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