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Thread: What power scope do you use ?

  1. #41
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    W.R.Buchanan's Avatar
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    For 100 to 200 yards I use a Red Dot Optic. If you want to shoot at Flies then a higher power optic is in order, if you are shooting at steel targets or game animals under 200 yards then the red dot is definitely the way to go. It provides the quickest target acquisition there is.

    Try one and see for yourself. https://www.amazon.com/Bushnell-Red-.../dp/B07T92TD5L

    $80 is a cheap way to figure this out for yourself.

    Randy
    "It's not how well you do what you know how to do,,,It's how well you do what you DON'T know how to do!"
    www.buchananprecisionmachine.com

  2. #42
    Boolit Master brstevns's Avatar
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    Have never tried a red in my 50 something years of shooting. How will do they work for target shooting ?

  3. #43
    Boolit Master brstevns's Avatar
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    Have never tried a red dot in my 50 something years of shooting. How will do they work for target shooting ?

  4. #44
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    They aren't meant for Shooting Groups or Bullseye Shooting more of the types of shooting that benefit from Target Acquisition Speed like timed shooting events.

    You can shoot groups if you develop some technique which I have explained in detail many times on this site.

    Here's a pic of a group I shot with my Mini 14 at 100 yards. So it can be done.

    Randy
    "It's not how well you do what you know how to do,,,It's how well you do what you DON'T know how to do!"
    www.buchananprecisionmachine.com

  5. #45
    Boolit Mold 41MagnumPassion's Avatar
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    I personally use a fixed 10x for those distances on varmint light animal / game. Big game, a 1.5 to 8 or a fixed 2 1/2 depending rifle. I have a 9x36x44 for target work but have to be honest I shoot the best with it set on 18x for dist out to 400 yards. Don't do any long long range anymore, having to much fun shooting cast bullet revolver on plates and silhouettes.
    From time to time, everyone needs to walk along the river bank and squish the MUD between yer toe's !

  6. #46
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    3x9 on my bolt hunting rifles. Levers and AR's get less or more depending. Levers no more than 4x as they are deer stand/heavy swamp rifles for me although considering that use I have ghost rings on a few and a red dot on one.

    Clarity of scope beats magnification every time. I have a 6x24 scope upstairs that I can't see anything through and was a total waste of $450. I've gone to all Nikon glass as the clarity vs price is exceptional imho except for my 416 where I got a Leopold to get the reticle I wanted. Buddy of mine hunts all of North America and won't use anything but Leopold. Don't scrimp but you don't need a $4,000 scope to go deer hunting either.
    I Am Descended From Men Who Would Not Be Ruled

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  7. #47
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    Quote Originally Posted by W.R.Buchanan View Post
    For 100 to 200 yards I use a Red Dot Optic. If you want to shoot at Flies then a higher power optic is in order, if you are shooting at steel targets or game animals under 200 yards then the red dot is definitely the way to go. It provides the quickest target acquisition there is.

    Try one and see for yourself. https://www.amazon.com/Bushnell-Red-.../dp/B07T92TD5L

    $80 is a cheap way to figure this out for yourself.

    Randy
    I'll second this for closer shooting as I've tried out a few cheaper ones just to see how they work and they are very fast especially in low light. I have an Eotech 512 on one AR and it's quite the thing.
    I Am Descended From Men Who Would Not Be Ruled

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  8. #48
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    After growing up with the 3-9 variable of various quality and name, I have gradually made the switch over to 6x fixed for the deer rifles. This seems to hold the best balance of zoom, field of view and lastly, the lack of a zoom ring to change your hold-over. I do use a 2-7 on my CZ527 in 7x62 and find it completely adequate. The varmint calibers (22-250) wear a 4.5-14. But for our shooting of deer in ND, the ranges of 75-300 yards it is hard to beat a fixed 6 for fast acquisition of target and ease of use. The 6.5 Swede fleet (ha!) in the arsenal as well as my Rem700 in 8Mauser wear them and I would trust those calibers to deliver the goods.

  9. #49
    Boolit Buddy gumbo333's Avatar
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    2 x 7 or 3 x 9 x 40 are usually very affordable for most bolt guns. 1 x 4 or 1.5 x 5 x 20 for levers. i'm also an old glasses wearer. But for fun I do have a couple 6 x 18 and 6.5 x 20 x40 on 223's for target and varmint fun. Get the best you can afford and see thru good. I had a 6x Weaver for years too, cant go wrong with a simple single power. Think Leupold, Burris, Nikon and Weaver have all made very good scopes.

  10. #50
    Boolit Bub Nodakjohns's Avatar
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    My .22 has a 3-9×40 nikon. My .270 wears a 3-9×50 leupold my sbl 45-70 has a 2-7×32 burris scout scope

  11. #51
    Boolit Master brstevns's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by W.R.Buchanan View Post
    They aren't meant for Shooting Groups or Bullseye Shooting more of the types of shooting that benefit from Target Acquisition Speed like timed shooting events.

    You can shoot groups if you develop some technique which I have explained in detail many times on this site.

    Here's a pic of a group I shot with my Mini 14 at 100 yards. So it can be done.

    Randy
    Where can I find those post?

  12. #52
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    You'd have to search them out. I have no idea where they are now.

    The quick answer is that you place the top edge of the dot on the lower point of a diamond shaped target to index it more accurately. If you try to use the dot itself and center it up on a bullseye type target the best group you will get it the size of the dot. IE: 3MOA Dot=3 " group.

    On the target I showed I was using the Right Edge of the Dot on the left point of the diamond, and looking for dead on at 100 yards. I was about 1" high but that was good to go for that rifle.

    Please understand,,, This takes a little practice, but proper indexing of your sights on a target is the key to seeing exactly what your gun and you are actually capable of. This is true for ALL types of sights be they Iron or Optic, and once you understand how to do it your shooting will dramatically improve.

    I am 70 next month and shoot mostly Iron Sights and Red Dot Sights and I wear glasses and have old eyes, none of which matters.

    It's all about how you do it!

    See my signature.

    Randy
    "It's not how well you do what you know how to do,,,It's how well you do what you DON'T know how to do!"
    www.buchananprecisionmachine.com

  13. #53
    Boolit Master brstevns's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by W.R.Buchanan View Post
    You'd have to search them out. I have no idea where they are now.

    The quick answer is that you place the top edge of the dot on the lower point of a diamond shaped target to index it more accurately. If you try to use the dot itself and center it up on a bullseye type target the best group you will get it the size of the dot. IE: 3MOA Dot=3 " group.

    On the target I showed I was using the Right Edge of the Dot on the left point of the diamond, and looking for dead on at 100 yards. I was about 1" high but that was good to go for that rifle.

    Please understand,,, This takes a little practice, but proper indexing of your sights on a target is the key to seeing exactly what your gun and you are actually capable of. This is true for ALL types of sights be they Iron or Optic, and once you understand how to do it your shooting will dramatically improve.

    I am 70 next month and shoot mostly Iron Sights and Red Dot Sights and I wear glasses and have old eyes, none of which matters.

    It's all about how you do it!

    See my signature.

    Randy
    Thank you Sir
    I was thinking it might be something like that. Still very interesting.

  14. #54
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    My bench guns get a 6.5x24 or 8x32, with good optics. My eye sight is bad enough that I use 1 or 2 MOA red dots on most everything else. I find that cheaper, lower powered scopes will not allow me to focus on the cross hair and the target.

  15. #55
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    Like many of the others have stated, I choose the scope to match the caliber and intended purpose. I have 1.5-5's on my 22's and 45-70. My go to deer rifle ( a 308 bolt gun) wears a quality 3-9. My magnum rifles have scopes in the 3.5-10 to 4.5-14 range. My varmint rifles have scopes in the 3.5-15 to 5.5-22 range and my Bench rifle wears a 10-60. I carry my hunting rifles with the scope on the lowest power and increase it if I have the time or the need.

  16. #56
    Boolit Master brstevns's Avatar
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    How about the Red Dot and Halographic sights?

  17. #57
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    Quote Originally Posted by mattw View Post
    My eye sight is bad enough that I use 1 or 2 MOA red dots on most everything else. I find that cheaper, lower powered scopes will not allow me to focus on the cross hair and the target.
    Mattt: you need to focus on the Crosshair, Dot or Front Sight ONLY. Your target will always be blurry to some extent. Once you STOP shifting your focus back and forth your shooting will improve.

    Dots are all about quick target acquisition and less about precise shot placement. Not saying you can't slow down and get good shot placement, but on Moving targets or targets that you only have a brief window of opportunity to make the shot the Red Dot sight is the hot tip.

    Once you get the hang of snap shooting the actual "thinking" part of the exercise becomes unnecessary. The shot is broke as soon as the dot is on the target. It becomes dot bang, dot bang, dot bang. Contemplating the shot or studying the sights only wastes time. You already decided to shoot or the gun wouldn't have been pointed at the target in the first place.(Rule #2 Never point a gun a anything you don't intended to destroy!) so there is no point in waiting around. Once the dot is on the target the trigger finger reacts automatically. There is no thinking involved,,, only reaction.

    How do you think the USPSA guys can shoot 5 targets in 1.5 seconds? I assure you that they are not spending any time thinking about sight alignment, or trigger control. It is all about Sight Picture, and let fly as soon as the sight picture is there! Same with using a Red Dot or Scope.

    This takes a little practice, but you CAN DO IT!!!.

    I am going to a Front Sight Rifle Class and Shotgun Class at the end of Oct. My rifle has a Red Dot on it. The Shotgun has Open Rifle Sights with a big green FO Front Sight which is just like a dot type sight. By the time we're done with the rifle class, my "Dot Bang" will be fully tuned up. Then when the shotgun comes into play there is even less of a reason to worry about shot placement as you are covering an area with the round as opposed to a point with a single bullet. Thus following shots become much faster...

    Hope some of this helps a little.... It gets really fun when you can rip of a bunch of aimed shots really fast and actually connect!

    Randy
    Last edited by W.R.Buchanan; 10-12-2019 at 03:53 PM.
    "It's not how well you do what you know how to do,,,It's how well you do what you DON'T know how to do!"
    www.buchananprecisionmachine.com

  18. #58
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    There is a Show on the Outdoor Channel called "Wild Boar Fever" which is sponsored by Aimpoint and illustrates the use of Red Dot Sights on Bolt Action Rifles for shooting running wild boar in Europe. The Principle of the show is a German Prince with 4 or 5 names but his basic name is Franz Albrecht. He is good and can run a bolt gun really fast and seldom misses. This show shows Red Dot Sights in their highest and best use, and is a good Illustration of how effective the system is on moving targets.

    There is a new show on right now with him called "Buffalo Fever" with him shooting some German Custom Gun Maker's ornate double rifles with Aimpoints on them. Last night's episode had him shooting a Buff twice with his .470 NE and then hitting it two more times while it was running. He hit the thing 4 times in about 15 seconds and that included a reload on the gun!

    I have 6-8 Red Dots mounted on all my Carbines and PCC.40 and Scout Rifle. I have seen them on Shotguns both Field and Trap guns. I have seen them on lots of Pistols now and had one on my Glock 35 for a while. Probably going to put it back on the G35 soon.

    With the Red Dot on the G35 using the 1 Shot Pistol Brace I shot a round of Short Range Silhouette,,, 10/10 on chickens 50M, 9/10 on pigs 100M, 3/10 on turkeys 150M, and 6/10 on Rams at 200 Meters. This was with a .40 Cal Glock Pistol! see pic below.

    They work really well guys.

    Randy
    "It's not how well you do what you know how to do,,,It's how well you do what you DON'T know how to do!"
    www.buchananprecisionmachine.com

  19. #59
    Boolit Buddy Mike Kerr's Avatar
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    I switched bolt action rifles to a fixed 6x. It sure made everything more uniform and consistent. I am four years your senior Randy and I agree that the diminished eyesight problem with aging eyes can be mitigated by consistent indexing of the cross hairs or dot or post or whatever your index item is. I also agree that your signature message provides some words of wisdom applicable to the use of aging eyes.
    regards,


  20. #60
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    yup hands down best bang for the buck are most manufacutres 3x9s. Id like a straight six myself but anymore the only ones that make them are the real high end companys that I cant afford. With something like a leupold you can get a 3x9 with better glass then they use in there straight 6 and get it much cheaper to boot.
    Quote Originally Posted by jonp View Post
    3x9 on my bolt hunting rifles. Levers and AR's get less or more depending. Levers no more than 4x as they are deer stand/heavy swamp rifles for me although considering that use I have ghost rings on a few and a red dot on one.

    Clarity of scope beats magnification every time. I have a 6x24 scope upstairs that I can't see anything through and was a total waste of $450. I've gone to all Nikon glass as the clarity vs price is exceptional imho except for my 416 where I got a Leopold to get the reticle I wanted. Buddy of mine hunts all of North America and won't use anything but Leopold. Don't scrimp but you don't need a $4,000 scope to go deer hunting either.

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