I am curious on people's magnification preferences for shooting at various ranges and looking for a recommended fixed magnification range for target/ steel shooting. I'm a newbie to the longer range rifle world... beyond .22LR and 100yds that is. Where I live, most ranges only go out to maybe 100-200 yards max. I was able to find a rifle range that goes to 500 yds. I know that's nothing for many, but it's the best we have here in Northern Illinois/ Southern, WI.
I deer hunted between 100-400 yards this year with a primary arms 4-14x scope on a .308 rifle. During the hunt, I kept it on 7x to maintain a large field of view just in case something popped up closer and was on the move. When my only deer presented itself at 305yds, I cranked it up to 14x. The deer somewhat filled my reticle nicely... I shot it right where I accurately aimed into the vital zone.
Anyway, I hear of guys saying... "You should only need 4x", etc.. But, my thought is why struggle to place a 4x zoom (Or even 9x) reticle aiming point over a teenie target in the reticle when you can zoom in, see that vital zone clearly, and shoot accurately / ethically? Or... if Target shooting, why struggle? Chris Kyle's quote makes sense to me... "Aim small, miss small."
All that said, I know the military uses 10x fixed... and a really good shooter can hit the steel gong at 1000 yards... but why struggle? What would be a better fixed magnification to target shoot between 100-1000 yards? I am looking at buying a budget SWFA fixed magnification scope and am thinking 16x or 20x would be a good choice... over Rex's recommended 10x. Am I missing something wanting more magnification? Besides reducing FOV, is there a downfall? Thanks!
It's almost bedtime for an old man, so I'll try to keep this short and to the point.
I have a 3.5-18 and a 6-24 scope.
I used 18x at 500 yards a while back and the mirage was horrible-it was around 90. I tried 24x last fall to shoot groups at 100 yards and found it really annoying to see those gigantic holes in the paper.
Long story only a little longer, I mostly use between 7 and 10x inside 300 yards and when our 500 yard range opens again, will probably stay in that range of magnification.
Somewhere here on the forum, as I recall-or maybe it was Facebook, someone posted that they went against Rex's advice and found out that it was a mistake.
Bottom line, Rex knows what he's talking about and it's best to follow his advice.
I think the emphasis on higher power not being so crucial, is to get newer shooters to focus more on other aspects of a scopes features other than max power.
If you only need 10x to hit a target at 1000yds, then spend the money you would have spent on higher power on a scope with better features: FFP, better glass, reliable tracking, durability, etc.
That being said, there are advantages to using lower magnification. You'll have more of a chance to see your bullet trace and the impact on target after recoil with a larger FOV. You can also read environmental easier with a winder FOV: think seeing vegetation and dust moving in the wind.
Lastly, keep in mind the aim "Aim small, miss small" saying is easier to apply if the target is small, not zoomed in with 29x.
Thanks for the insight! I just need to get a Schmidt & Bender 5-25x56 PMII and be done with it. But, I have a kid ... so SWFA fixed power it must remain. Rex sure gets the job done with his.