Variable Power Scope Question

[antelopedundee]

Let's say that you have a 3 x 15 scope mounted on one of those rifles that shoots half inch groups at 100 yards all day long. So starting at 15X has anyone shot groups dialing down one power at a time until group size got larger? So shoot a group at 15X, then 14X, then 13X, etc. At what power might you expect the group to start to open up just because the bullseye appears to be smaller? At 48X that benchresters use one could put the crosshairs between 2 hairs on an elk. At 2X you put the crosshairs somewhere on the elk depending upon range. When I see folks discuss/review variable scopes, I rarely if ever see any mention of how it performs at various powers.

 

[zpearo]

Interesting question. I know that some people use 10x scopes to shoot long range, so seems like a lot can still be done with relatively low mag

 

[Jbotto]

I don’t have a good answer for this, but following. I did see one day how my a 1.5” rifle/load shot at 3x versus 9x. Same 1.5” group at 100 yards for both. Made me feel better about my eyes but that’s about all it accomplished.

 

[antelopedundee]

I don’t have a good answer for this, but following. I did see one day how my a 1.5” rifle/load shot at 3x versus 9x. Same 1.5” group at 100 yards for both. Made me feel better about my eyes but that’s about all it accomplished.

Seems like that's how you want it to work.

 

[Caseknife]

I don't think that you would start to see an issue until it got to the point where the crosshairs were covering the target not allowing your eye to bisect the target and naturally center the crosshairs. It can be eye opening(pun intended) how your eyes will naturally settle on the center of a target if you let them.

 

[Nicoli7153]

I don't think that you would start to see an issue until it got to the point where the crosshairs were covering the target not allowing your eye to bisect the target and naturally center the crosshairs. It can be eye opening(pun intended) how your eyes will naturally settle on the center of a target if you let them.

Handgun shooting: front sight, front sight, front sight ....... 10 ring your eyes and mind do it subconsciously

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

I don't think that you would start to see an issue until it got to the point where the crosshairs were covering the target not allowing your eye to bisect the target and naturally center the crosshairs. It can be eye opening(pun intended) how your eyes will naturally settle on the center of a target if you let them.

Agreed. I have to shoot a 1x for muzzleloader and I can pull it off at 100 yards just by naturally centering on the target even if the crosshairs cover almost all the target.

Now beyond 100 yards it would be near impossible just due to Crosshair size. Maybe with a big enough target I could still get my pie plate grouping.

 

[Caseknife]

It is amazing what you can do with iron sights if the aperture and the front sight match what is needed. I've been fooling around with my muzzy sights. I have a peep rear and globe with inserts for the front and with aging eyes I had to change the front insert and the aperture in the rear. Now I think that I will be able to hit what I am aiming at, elk wise. Now just have to locate a bull during the season.

 

[elkfanatic]

Your eyes naturally center the crosshairs on whatever your aiming at. I have made targets with increasingly larger bullseyes and tested different magnification powers with second focal plane scopes. On high power I used the smaller bullseyes and as I dropped the power I moved up in bullseye size just so I could see a little bit of the bullseye around the center of the reticle. My group sizes stayed the same thru the power range. I then tested with just small bullseyes and my groups got larger as the power dropped to where the reticle covered the spot and my eye had nothing to center. First focal plane takes care of this issue as the target and the reticle both magnify equally. Just my experience.

 

[ImBillT]

Consider that HBR is limited to 6X and guys shoot 250’s(perfect score) fairly regularly I’d say that it doesn’t matter as much as some might think. Yes more power is advantageous, but the advantage is less than you might expect. If you draw crosshairs in the left side of the X(.125” diameter) and hang it on a wall and walk away until you can’t see the rings anymore, the crosshairs look substantially off center.

I started hunting variables after shooting the wrong buck. I knew which one was bigger through my optics, but through my 6X scope, I shot the smaller of the two.

First target is a 223 AI with a 6X42 with heavy duplex. The second target is a 308 HBR gun with a 6X with a target dot reticle.

 

[std7mag]

It depends on the scope.

There was talk of some of the old, lower end scopes shifting POI as you changed power.
Not so much nowadays.

Most of my scopes are in the 4-12 to 4-16 power range with MOA reticles.

I do shoot out to 300 yards at different power settings (4, 6, 8, 10, & max power) but mostly just to compare the reticle to the actual ballistics.

My competition scope is a Sightron SIII 10-15X60 with a really fine target dot reticle.
With the mirage here in PA, the highest I've used during the summer is 32 power.

 

[kiwi hunter]

My best 3 shot group was with a 3 power scope at 100 yrds and fluked it at .25 inch.
Now I'm very happy to get an inch.