Best Optics Power For Hunting

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Who is Ron Spomer
For 44 years I’ve had the good fortune to photograph and write about my passion – the outdoor life. Wild creatures and wild places have always stirred me – from the first flushing pheasant that frightened me out of my socks in grandpa’s cornfield to the last whitetail that dismissed me with a wag of its tail. In my attempts to connect with this natural wonder, to become an integral part of our ecosystem and capture a bit of its mystery, I’ve photographed, hiked, hunted, birded, and fished across much of this planet. I've seen the beauty that everyone should see, survived adventures that everyone should experience. I may not have climbed the highest mountains, canoed the wildest rivers, caught the largest fish or shot the biggest bucks, but I’ve tried. Perhaps you have, too. And that’s the essential thing. Being out there, an active participant in our outdoor world.

Disclaimer
All loading, handloading, gunsmithing, shooting and associated activities and demonstrations depicted in our videos are conducted by trained, certified, professional gun handlers, instructors, and shooters for instructional and entertainment purposes only with emphasis on safety and responsible gun handling. Always check at least 3 industry handloading manuals for handloading data, 2 or 3 online ballistic calculators for ballistic data. Do not modify any cartridge or firearm beyond what the manufacturer recommends. Do not attempt to duplicate, mimic, or replicate anything you see in our videos. Firearms, ammunition, and constituent parts can be extremely dangerous if not used safely.

[bryanschwertner]

Exactly. “If it works for you, go for it!” Some shooters think its their way or you committed a sin and can really make you feel that way! Thanks for the way you put it! Oh, I’m a 3-9x40 hunting scope guy, but always looking for that “perfect” reticle, ha ha. Take care!

[allywilkeforsenate]

Does not get more simpler and quicker than a straight 4 power.

[thestrawberrypatch]

I'm a 4-16 fan. I usually use it with a throw lever to make zooming easier and keep it on 4x to spot the animal quick then zoom a little and shoot at less than full power.

[bobsmith]

Ron in our area in Texas we have the13 inch inside spread rule and it’s vigorously enforced a little extra power helps make that determination

[lifeanddaily]

I never have a need to go past 200 yards on my particular hunting style and on my main rifle I use for deer, hogs and elk I use a cheap (Simmons Protarget) scope is a 4x12x40 nitro filled mil. dot with 30mm tube basically less than a hundred bucks out the door includes sales tax...I don't really do target shooting with the rifle and so the scope has been holding up just fine on my savage 110 bolt action in 7mag...

[JohnWest-ycol]

I've been practicing at 300 yards at 9 power with my 308 win it's a 18 power but don't really need it I it seems adequate for me

[JamesJones-cxpk]

I dropped and broke my Leupold Vari X 2, 2-7 power. Leupold said we can't fix it we are sending you a brand new scope. Would you like any upgrades? I said yes. I sent them $15 and they sent me a new matte black 2-7 with the ballistic drop dots. My .308 is zeroed at 200, the first dot is 300 and the second 400 yards. At 7 power shooting from a bipod 300 is a cake walk. 👍

[bushcraftingmuslim]

Yep. As long as the reticle is fine enough as well, I couldn't agree more. Larger field of view, better low light performance. Higher quality glass with lower magnification is my preference

[danield]

I like the zoom power. But I like more a lightweight compact hunting scope. Wish more companies would make more lightweight options. I seem to be more accurate sometimes when I dial it back down to low power!

[Dfleuryoutdoors]

Ive shot targets out to 500 with my scope on 6x but when i shoot at game i prefer more zoom. I had a spike walk out at 300 yards this year and i had to put my scope on 18x to catch the little 2 inch antlers.

[stephenferguson]

I dont mind 10 power up to 650 yards but past 650 to 850 15 power and for 850 + to 1200 at least a 20-22x

[jaredanderson]

I’m a mostly serious PRS shooter, I consistently place in the top 10 at regional/state/local matches. Even on my match rifle, I usually run at somewhere between 11X-13X, generally our closest targets are about 350 yards and the farthest are about 1200. It’s way more important to have a good field of view so you can see the environmentals, and spot your hits/misses, if you take a shot at any distance at more than 14x your not going to tell if you hit anything, it’s just going to be a blur. The only 2 things I ever do above 13X is target identification, and zeroing my rifle. For hunting I rarely go above 4x, but I also don’t take many shots on game over 300 yards in my area

[joswan]

2-12 is the most versatile I’ve ever used.

[osage]

made alot kill shots at 6x with a cheap 4x_12× bushnell scoope

[joshuasweet]

I carry my scope on 4 power wen stalking

[CK-qitj]

I hunted deer for years and years with a Leupold fixed 6. Now I have a 3-9. I set it on 6x a few yrs ago and haven't moved it 😅 and I use nikon binoculars to evaluate bucks if I need to

[Steve-iwi]

Military snipers always used a fixed 10X scope.... They say that's good out to a 1, 000 yds. Rule of thumb is 1X for every 100 yds. So a 4X will get you to 400 yds.... etc.