How far would you shoot with 10x mag?

[roberte65]

Been seeing a lot of folks say "i could shoot far with only 9x or 10x" or "a 3-9x or 3-10x is all you really need". I want to know how far you would be confident in shooting game with a scope w/ a top end of 10x. "Far" for me is 250yds +

I've read a lot of reviews, but want to know from other folks with experience. (obviously assuming ethical hunting, good DOPE and top end glass quality from the likes of leupold, swaro, etc...)

 

[Deleted member 16014]

I am very confident shooting steel out to 1000 with a 10x SWFA SS (which is decidedly not high end), and do. I won't say how far I'd shoot game, or have shot game, because I can guarantee it will devolve into a whole bunch of BS.

I will say that magnification is not that high on my list of things that matter for consistent hits at moderately long distance. Neither is clarity of glass for that matter. Quality internals, holding zero, and repeatability matter the most in an optic. My opinion.

 

[ChrisAU]

Me and my hunting buddy have each shot an elk over 360 yds (line of sight) at 9x with an SWFA 3-9 in the last two seasons. On them it was no problem. For anything smaller though I prefer more x's.

 

[TheJason]

I’ve shot out to 400 on 6x.

 

[Fire_9]

I am very confident shooting steel out to 1000 with a 10x SWFA SS (which is decidedly not high end), and do. I won't say how far I'd shoot game, or have shot game, because I can guarantee it will devolve into a whole bunch of BS.

I will say that magnification is not that high on my list of things that matter for consistent hits at moderately long distance. Neither is clarity of glass for that matter. Quality internals, holding zero, and repeatability matter the most in an optic. My opinion.

This is spot on

 

[noharleyyet]

440 yards...to date

 

[buffybr]

I practice almost every week shooting steel out to 430 yards with 3-9 and 4.5-14x scopes. The longest shots that I've shot animals were a gemsbok at 348 yards at 7x, a Dagestan Tur at 327 yards at 14x, a pronghorn antelope at 340 yards at 6x, and a klipspringer at 310 yards at 14x.

 

[MJE2083]

I've made shots on groundhogs out to 300yards with a 2-7x scope.

 

[MTLabrador]

I’ve shot steel at 1,000 on 10x. More or less magnification wouldn’t really make a difference on animals out to the maximum ranges I would shoot.

 

[LaSportsman]

quality of glass is more important. Size of kill zone of animal (elk vs antelope), confidence in the particular cartridge, energy of the cartridge at a particular range for the size game you are targeting. All more important than magnification.

Biggest factor for me is wind, if all of the above are satisfied. 200 is solid range. 300 I'm consistent if wind is consistent and not over 10 mph crosswind. More wind and longer ranges start getting very situation specific but the magnification isn't the issue. Can't see myself shooting 400 at game except in perfect conditions (solid rest, no wind, broadside on non-alert animal, etc.)

 

[brockel]

Took a 10x scope to 800 all last summer pretty regularly on a 338 win mag

 

[Washington Hunter]

I've never had more magnification than a Leupold 3.5-10x40. My 270 has a Leupold VX-1 3-9x40 with the Long Range Duplex reticle and I had no problem killing a doe pronghorn at 380 yards two years ago. Killed another doe the year before at 330 yards with the same scope on my 338 Win. Mag.

 

[nrpate05]

I've practiced out to 400 with my Leupold VX3i 3.5-10. YOu could no doubt stretch it further, but thats all my range allows. Figures all my shots on game are less than 200 yards.

 

[deer_shooter]

Cow elk at 355 with a Z3 at 10X

 

[Bulldog0156]

I used to think high magnification was absolutely necessary for shots over 200 yards and that a 3-9 just wouldn't cut it at 400. I no longer believe that. My 3.5-10x40 VX3i is good enough magnification for as far as I'm ever going to shoot.

 

[BrentD]

Magnification is irrelevant to distance. Even with vintage scopes. The idea that high power magnification is needed to shoot a given distance, is just not true. Never has been, but it has been preached by the industry and media for so long, it has become an alternative fact. You can, believe it or not, shoot MOA to 1000 yds with a 4x scope. Even more, you can shoot iron sights just about as well if you eye sight is half decent. I am not recommending 1000 yd hunting. Issues like flight time and wind get in the way of that, among other things, but the ability to place bullets in the kill zone at ridiculous distances is scope power independent.

I know most will not believe it, but there are plenty of people that actually shoot this stuff that know better.

 

[JT88]

I read somewhere once that a good baseline rule of thumb is 1x per 100 yards with decent glass. Much less than that makes it tough unless you have very high quality glass or amazing vision

 

[mtmuley]

I know most will not believe it, but there are plenty of people that actually shoot this stuff that know better.

I understand this. But the tech and the wish to shoot out there has the big Hubble scopes popular. Hey man, a Creed and a 56mm bruh. mtmuley

 

[Nick87]

3.5 -10 is all anyone will ever need out to 400 in a hunting scope. With that said I shoot a 3-15.

 

[rwc101]

I could have hunted my entire life with my old VX1 3x9. Still like cranking up my VX3i to 12-14x sometimes though.