3-15 vs 4-20

[shannerdrake]

Hello All,

I’d love to get some feedback from the group here. I currently have a 3-15x50 FFP scope on my 300WM. Notice I left the brand name off the thread to avoid as many “get a Leupold” or “Vortex has been good to me” posts as possible.

I like to shoot and practice at long ranges. And yes I know that 15x is plenty of magnification and “Army snipers used fixed 10x scopes for years.” However, I have chance to swap my scope from 3-15x to 4-20x for little (under $100) to no money out of pocket. I would only be out the hassle of physically swapping the scopes, resighting, and selling the old scope.

Question for you all, does the extra 5x make a meaningful difference at 300-600+ yards?

Outside of ringing a metal gong at 750yds I can’t say I’ve ever felt under powered in any real world scenarios, but I like magnification so I’m attracted to it.

Thoughts?

 

[Deleted member 16014]

I would not make that switch personally.

 

[Farmerj]

I’d be very concerned about quality really

 

[fishing4sanity]

Personally I like a lot of zoom and FFP, but switching would come down to other aspects of the scope; brand, reticle style, clarity, MIL vs MOA, etc. Again my personal preference, I wouldn't give up FFP, but if they're both FFP and everything else is a wash, I'd go for the extra zoom. Due to an eye injury my right eye is no longer my dominant eye, but still shooting right-handed and like the extra zoom.

 

[shannerdrake]

I’d be very concerned about quality really

Do you mean a drop in quality from the 3-15x50to the 4-20x50 of the exact same scope?

 

[Farmerj]

In a way yes….

If you look through a 20x scope on 15x, it will be more clear than your 15x on 15x.

But you also have a better chance of chromatic aberration on the 20X too. The higher the power, the greater the quality needs to be.

So there’s some trade offs too.

 

[BackofBeyond]

I say go for it. Just because you have 20x doesn’t mean you have to use all of it while hunting. I personally like having that extra bit of magnification when trying to shoot tiny little bug hole groups and ringing steel from a ways away.

I had 22.5x at my disposal this year, still shot with the scope on ~11x.

 

[Schaaf]

I think the roughly 25% greater FOV for a follow up shot would be more important to me than the extra 5x magnification. 15x is plenty.

 

[klampson]

Most of my hunting rifles have 15x and 18x scopes, and I almost never use full magnification when taking a shot on game. However, I like the extra magnification when judging an animal. There have been a number of times where I decided to pass on a buck after getting a better look at him through my rifle scope. I always carry 10x42 binos with me, but not always a spotting scope, or sometimes the situation doesn’t provide enough time to get the spotter out. The buck may have looked pretty good through the binos, but is he nice enough to punch a tag? I can determine this with a 15x scope.

The OP mentioned target shooting at longer ranges. A high power 20x scope can be nice in this situation.

 

[rjthehunter]

300-600 yards isn't enough to really need a 20x scope IMO.

For what its worth, I'm going from a 5-20 down to a 3-15. I want to gain more low end for hunting purposes. 15x is plenty to shoot pin holes at 100 yards, if I'm shooting further, I'm more interested in ringing the bell consistently than I am in shooting tiny groups.

Like noted above, it depends a lot on optical clarity also. The extra zoom is almost worthless if it's hard to see through. Extra weight for not much of an advantage.

Also, the higher the power, the more you see every breath you take. It can help you become a better shooter, or it can discourage you.

 

[winmag]

Personally I’d switch to the 4-20x. The extra magnification will give you more confidence at long range while hunting and you’ll enjoy it on range days as well.

The only reason I’d stick with the 3-15x would be if you struggle to acquire the correct eye relief. The 3x will be more forgiving in that scenario. The difference in exit pupil diameter related to low light performance won’t matter between 3x and 4x.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I wouldn't bother.

 

[Rzrbck918]

I like high magnification so I would absolutely do it in a quality scope. I like having the headspace to crank the magnification up and aim small. A lot of it is personal preference but if you like it, do it.

 

[SC Living Outdoors]

300-600 3-15x is good imo. If your not upgrading glass or scope quality or anything like that I don't think it's needed. I practice out to 1000 at 15x without any issues.

Now, if you just want it because you want it who am I to tell you what to do? Go for it, lol.

 

[2rocky]

After shooting an FFP scope for the first time I think that is the next step in my optics upgrade journey.

If I were to pick a fixed power scope I'd likely get a 4x. For years I killed deer elk and hogs with a 2-7x and my still hunting style matched that optic. In your case you gain 4x on the top side while giving up 1x on the bottom side. As long as you aren't doing deer drives in black timber, I don't think you are giving up too much. Except maybe eye relief at 20x and increased chance of a scope mark on the bench.

 

[Don Fischer]

When I got my 6.5x06 I imagined shooting target's out to 500yds and got a 4 1/2-14x scope to be sure I could see well enough. Never used that scope over 8x for anything! Could have simply put on a 2-7x and had about the same results with a much smaller and lighter scope! If on the other hand the rifle was for competative shooting I might look at a scope with 20x on the high side! That rifle today wears a 3-9x scope, easier to find them to buy without the internet!

 

[noharleyyet]

My elk rifle wears a 4x12 VXR Firedot and the deer rifle used to have a 4.5x14 VX3i non lumed (thought I needed more X). During elk this season I didn't notice until the final day that the VXR had been on 8x the entire hunt...and it would've been plenty. The deer rifle now has a 3.5x10 VX3HD Firedot.

I'd pick the 3x15 @shannerdrake

 

[std7mag]

My deer this year was taken using a 4-20X50 scope.
Setting was on 5 power.
Distance about 50 yards.

I've used the same scope for my first 600 yard F-Open match.
Up till then i only had 3-9 or 4-12 power scopes.

First thing i noticed was i could see the target better. As in put the reticle on a specific point on the target.

Next thing i noticed was that i could actually see the mirage.
Even on a calm day this helps in "seeing" that there is actually wind and how strong and in which direction it's going.

Something i can't see or know with my 4.5-14 scopes.

My competition scope is now a 10-50X60.
I've only used it on 50 power one time.
Usually it's around 28-32 power.

 

[ludville1]

My elk rifle wears a 4x12 VXR Firedot and the deer rifle used to have a 4.5x14 VX3i non lumed (thought I needed more X). During elk this season I didn't notice until the final day that the VXR had been on 8x the entire hunt...and it would've been plenty. The deer rifle now has a 3.5x10 VX3HD Firedot.

I'd pick the 3x15 @shannerdrake

Those VX-R's are nice scopes! I have a 3-9x 50 on my X Bolt Maple Medallion, and a 4-12x 50 on my .257 Wby mag. That Firedot is a nifty little feature.

 

[Don Fischer]

My deer this year was taken using a 4-20X50 scope.
Setting was on 5 power.
Distance about 50 yards.

I've used the same scope for my first 600 yard F-Open match.
Up till then i only had 3-9 or 4-12 power scopes.

First thing i noticed was i could see the target better. As in put the reticle on a specific point on the target.

Next thing i noticed was that i could actually see the mirage.
Even on a calm day this helps in "seeing" that there is actually wind and how strong and in which direction it's going.

Something i can't see or know with my 4.5-14 scopes.

My competition scope is now a 10-50X60.
I've only used it on 50 power one time.
Usually it's around 28-32 power.

I think competative shooting calls for different scopes. Sighting on a target with an aiming point at long range is somewhat different than shooting at a target with no aiming point, like a deer! Something I do with my variable scopes is I hunt with them on the lowest power. Better field of view and faster getting on target. Longer shot where a higher power might help you have time to make the adjustment normally. On the 50yd or less shot you probably don't. Take your rifle to the range and handling off hand at 100yds on high power see how long it takes you to get on targer and how much you actually move around. Then try it on the lowest power and you'll be able to see what i'm talking about!