What scope magnification for 100 yards?

[DCP]

Whats is the least magnification can you see 223 holes at 100 yards? Most of the time.

Yes the most important part, how old are you?

[Hick]

I have a 3-9 variable on my 223 Rem and I see the holes clearly at about 4x. If I use a very bright "splash" target I can sometimes see the "splash" without the scope (but, of course, I can't see the actual hole). I'm 70-- but the artificial lenses in my eyes are only a few years old.

[country gent]

A lot depends on which way the range is facing, thickness of the backers and light mirage conditions for a given day. On a north facing range with good light and thinner backers I can usually see 224 holes at 300 yds with my 28 X 88 kowas. On a south facing range its iffy at 200 yds as the light dosnt get to the face to illuminate the bullet holes as well. The old canvas backers were great as they didn't seal up behind the bullets either. Corrogated card board backers can actually close up behind the bullet making them harder to see. Most spotting scopes in the 20X x 60mm range or larger should work for you. The bigger objectives seem to do better as they gather more light. I'm 54 and wear bifocals. I recently went to a pair of 25X x100mm binoculars on a tripod mount that are working very well for me and relieve a lot of eye strain and fatigue due to using both eyes together.

[jcwit]

Not sure what I can see .223 holes using a scope, but the scope I use is 40 power.

[DCP]

I was thinking rifle scopes not spotting scope although a spotting scope might be the best option

[jsizemore]

With mediocre glass I can see 22 shots in the white on 12x. With good glass I can see shots in the black on 12x. Mediocre is Weaver/Leupold. Good is Nightforce, US Optics, Marsh. I can see 22 holes in the white at 600 with the good stuff at 32x and up. A lot will depend on mirage and light conditions.

[jcwit]

I was thinking rifle scopes not spotting scope although a spotting scope might be the best option

My 40 power scope is a rifle scope!

My spotting scope is 80 power!

[M-Tecs]

I can see 17 cal holes at a 100 yards with my Weaver T-10.

[turtlezx]

use a white target with fl orange bull you can see the holes farther away no black bulls

[Hardcast416taylor]

Using an old Weaver 4x on my Savage 110 rifle in .223 loaded with JHP bullets. I can`t see a bullet hole at 100 yds because the chipmunk has exploded!Robert

[Kraschenbirn]

No problem with 12X on regular black bull/beige paper NRA targets with good optics and bright daylight. I've got a Burris 6-18x50 on my M700 that stays set on 12X and last week I spotted for a buddy as he sighted in a new scope on his 22-250. BTW...I'm 72 and, after cataract surgery, test at 20-20 (corrected).

Bill

[tdoyka]

i can see .204" bullets at 10x or 11x at 100 yards. i'm 44 yo and i have 20/15 in my left eye(shooting eye), and 20/20 in the right eye.

[jonp]

With mediocre glass I can see 22 shots in the white on 12x. With good glass I can see shots in the black on 12x. Mediocre is Weaver/Leupold. Good is Nightforce, US Optics, Marsh. I can see 22 holes in the white at 600 with the good stuff at 32x and up. A lot will depend on mirage and light conditions.

March? Never heard if them and after looking them up cant afford one but a 10x ratio is pretty impressive

[jcwit]

I'll say this, I sure don't need a $2/3 thousand dollar scope to see .22 holes at 100 yards!

[Artful]

Age over 60, eyesight correctable to 20/20 says the doctor but without legally blind
12x binoculars in my gun bag will usually do it but if I have a long range gun with me
then the 20+ to 32 power scope on the rifle will let me see it real good.

Spotting scope (I have more than one) most clear is 90mm with changeable eye pieces
and I can zoom into see the fuzz of the paper but then it was designed for astronomy
so I would sort of expect that - I also have a 2.4 Ghz Camera system if I want to us that
but usually use that for 600-1 mile target ranges.

[Outpost75]

It isn't as much a matter of magnification as resolution. A high-quality 4x glass which resolves 40+ line-pairs on the USAF resolution test target will do better than a mediocre 10X glass capable of resolving only 30 line-pairs.

Quality is more important than quantity. https://jimdoty.com/learn/lenses/usaf_test/usaf_test.html

197891

[Texas by God]

I can see 17 cal holes at a 100 yards with my Weaver T-10.

Pretty good for a "mediocre" Weaver lol.

[white eagle]

I have a 6X18 can see holes just fine not 223 but 220 Swift
old enough to know better

[M-Tecs]

Pretty good for a "mediocre" Weaver lol.

The T series scopes weren't your average Weaver. I have three I wish I had more.

[Reverend Al]

I'm 64 now and find that I seem to need a minimum of about 9 power to shoot well at 100 yards. I have several fixed and variable target scopes in the 10 power to 15 power range. Most of them are decent quality scopes which definitely help. (Leupold, Unertl, Sightron, etc.) I use a 40 power spotting scope to have a better look at the target after I've finished shooting the group.

[Harter66]

I'm 51 . 20/40 x 18/20 corrected to 20/20 .
My old 6-9×40 will do the job 6x and up most days but the light has to be facing the target . 10x would be plenty on the corrected down side but the corrected up side looses about 4× with glasses but only 2 or so with the contact .
The 3-9×40 Tasco 94-96' is way ahead of all but the Weaver V9 196?-72 .
I don't have any really good late model glass .

[Texas by God]

The T series scopes weren't your average Weaver. I have three I wish I had more.
Me too. BUT- I can see .358 holes @ 100 with my K2.5, .30 cal holes with my K4, and .22 holes with my 6x Burris. I'm 58 and I only wear readers. The T 10 I had years back was the best prarie dog/crow/ target scope I've ever owned.

[NoAngel]

I can see them when the range calls clear and I walk my fat *** down there and look.

[EDG]

That is sort of a trick question. It depends on the quantity and quality of light on a given day and contrast of the bullet hole with the target.
A clean cut hole is easier to see than one made by a slow moving round nose bullet. Mirage can make holes difficult to see.

The human eye can resolve about one minute of angle. At one hundred yards that is the ability to distinguish alternating 1 inch wide white and black bars.
If you divide that by the caliber of bullet hole say a .257 you would expect to barely see .25 caliber holes with a 4X glass. If the light is poor or mirage is bad or the bullet hole is in the black you may need a good bit more magnification. The effect of your own eyes is a issue that you must address.

My distance vision is still very good and I can use a scope like a kid until light levels fall as the sun goes down.
I cannot focus on barrel mounted rear sights. With a short rifle barrel I cannot even focus on the front sight. With a BPCR with an aperture front I can focus fine due to the longer barrels. However I cannot see through small tang sight apertures. They either are full of fuzz and cob webs or they are football shaped or both. So I use the larger apertures.


When I was a younger shooter I shot a lot at a range that faced east into a hill. It was not too good in the AM but after about 3 pm with the sun at my back I could easily see .222 holes with an old 6X Weaver.

A .22 LR round nose bullet does not blow out a big hole so they are hard to see in the black.

The best way to compare scopes is to test side by side using the Air Force Test Target.
Some cheap glass is about 98% to 99% as capable as the snob glass.
The snob rifle scopes are typically much better mechanically than any cheap rifle scope.

[Lloyd Smale]

9x but barely. 12x is better. Sure cant see them at 6x or under.

[6bg6ga]

I use 20X for 100 yards so I can see the bullet holes. Sometimes I will dial it down a bit so I can get the cross hair to cover up a vertical line.

[Hickok]

I have a 20-60x spotting scope on the bench next to me.

I fire a couple of shots,..... then look at the grass,..... the sky,..... or the backstop, for a few minutes in the spotting scope until I get it lined up again on my target!!! Shoot and repeat!!!:)

[Duke3026]

I have a 20-60x spotting scope on the bench next to me.

I fire a couple of shots,..... then look at the grass,..... the sky,..... or the backstop, for a few minutes in the spotting scope until I get it lined up again on my target!!! Shoot and repeat!!!:)

Sounds like a new bench is in order. Especially, with the amount of shooting you have going on.

[tazman]

I have a 20-60x spotting scope on the bench next to me.

I fire a couple of shots,..... then look at the grass,..... the sky,..... or the backstop, for a few minutes in the spotting scope until I get it lined up again on my target!!! Shoot and repeat!!!:)

That sounds like a good way to let the barrel cool.:o

[DCP]

I have a 20-60x spotting scope on the bench next to me.

I fire a couple of shots,..... then look at the grass,..... the sky,..... or the backstop, for a few minutes in the spotting scope until I get it lined up again on my target!!! Shoot and repeat!!!:)

Sounds like there is a screw loose