[DukeRustfield]

Hey guys, I was curious what people feel is optimal magnification values for the different distances. My current scope goes up to 8X, but I am not especially comfortable at 100yrds with that and prefer around 75. I've known people to shoot with less mag at 100 with no problems, but to each his/her own, right? Yes, I do get my eyes checked regularly.

I'm just curious if there's a "standard" 100/200/300 range magnification.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Rawnerves]

I like a fixed 10 power out to 300 or 400 yds. After that I just go with a 6x24 and call it a day.

 

[JMGlasgow]

Choose the magnification you are comfortable with. Every one is different. I personally use a 3-12X50 on my bolt action. That same scope used to be on my M1A. I am very confident out to 600 with it. Still working on shooting out further, it just takes time behind the rifle.

 

[broylz]

i have always thought 1x/100 yards as practical. if you are bench shooting for accuracy, you can go higher. i have gone up to 16x but it always seems too shaky.

 

[valken]

Power

A standard rule of thumb is 1 power for each 100 yards. So a 10 powered scope would be good to a 1000 yds. There are some who like lots of power so they go higher in magnification but that's just a personal thing. So in the end only you can decide what's best

 

[led boot]

I have an oddly accurate rifle(non M1A), shipped from the factory with a standard fixed 4x and while it is supposed to be effective beyond 600 yards within certian parameters, out to 600 was the intended DMR type role of the rifle and it's scope.
I would think it depends on the size of the group you are trying to obtain or the target's size if banging steel plates.

 

[DukeRustfield]

Thanks for responses. I'll remember the 1:100. That's nice and simple. Yeah, I do worry about jiggle-factor if you go too high. I see those 50x scopes and wonder how people don't go crazy. If you blink do you go from looking at the ground to looking at the sky?

 

[Bimmer]

My current scope goes up to 8X, but I am not especially comfortable at 100yrds with that and prefer around 75.

Huh?

What are you shooting at?

I shoot my 8x out to 300yds and have no problem seeing bullseyes on paper targets at that distance. I can even see .30 caliber holes on beige paper (but not in the black) at 200 or 300yds.

100yds at 8x magnification should be like 12.5yds without magnification. If you can't see at that distance, then I'm not sure any level of magnification is going to help you.

Bimmer

 

[henschman]

I like the factory 1x optics just fine out to 1000 yards! GI2

 

[BlackArrow]

I found that 4X at 100 yards serves me nicely for snap shooting from different positions, even though I have an 8X scope. The field of view at 8X is too small and takes too long to aquire the target. 6X is good for 200yrds, and 8X for 300 yrds and out.

 

[cmshoot]

Just depends on what you are comfortable with. When I was a Scout/Sniper in the Corps, we routinely ran out past 1000yds with a 10x Unertl.

I've shot steel with great success at 550yds, with a 1x Aimpoint on an accurized SOCOM-16.

At the last shoot I hosted for Sniper's Paradise in Murfreesboro TN, myself, my brother and 2 buddies all hit the steel at 1450yds with an iron-sighted M1A that had been tuned by Hook Boutin (same as my SOCOM-16). That steel was approximately 24"x32".

 

[Domestique]

The general rule of thumb for snipers in the military is 1x for every 100 yards you are shooting at (but they are also using man size targets and not just bulls eyes.)

If you are shooting competition than the more power the better as some of the 1,000 yard shooters use 25x scopes with their custom made 6mm (or other exotic caliber) with heavy barrels etc.

For patical purposes your 8x scope should do fine out to 500 yards for getting on paper.