Hunting Scope power

Mauser 308

Hi all, I was hoping to get a good understanding of different scope powers. For example I have a 3-12 x 56. But I see scopes advertised like the Nightforce in 8-32 x 56. As I currently understand it the last digits, ie x56 in my case are an indication of the amount of light allowed in coming from the size of the lense an the end of the scope. But the 3-12 as in my scope what does that mean. I assume it is magnification. But if that is the case then is a scope like mine underpowered.
What would be the recomended for say 200 or 300 meter fox shooting.
Cheers

garv123

Mauser 308 wrote: »

Hi all, I was hoping to get a good understanding of different scope powers. For example I have a 3-12 x 56. But I see scopes advertised like the Nightforce in 8-32 x 56. As I currently understand it the last digits, ie x56 in my case are an indication of the amount of light allowed in coming from the size of the lense an the end of the scope. But the 3-12 as in my scope what does that mean. I assume it is magnification. But if that is the case then is a scope like mine underpowered.
What would be the recomended for say 200 or 300 meter fox shooting.
Cheers

3-12 would be grand for 300 yard shooting. i have a 4-18 on my hmr and i never go past 10 on it for any shooting i do 8-32 seems like it would be for long range target shooting and id imagine if someone had it as a hunting scope it would be kept down lower to give a bigger field of view.

It wasn't me!

3-12 is the magnification range. 56 refers to the objective lens, which is 56mm in diameter. It's a personal thing as to how much magnification you like. Personally, I think less is more for hunting. The more magnification you have, the more wobble you see, the harder it is to pull the trigger right, the smaller your field of view and the dimmer the image is (Assuming we're not at or above the 7mm exit pupil - diameter of the objective lens of scope divided by the magnification power, so a 42mm objective at 6x magnification is 7mm, which is the maximum amount of light gathering efficiency the human eye can use, on average). It's also relative to your target. Foxes are small enough that even I might want a bit more magification for definition. I'd say 3-12x would be plenty out to 300 yards and a good deal further. I'm moving towards a 2.5-10x setup for my hunting rifle. Always more worthwhile having a lower bottom end than a higher top end. If you need more magnification while carrying it at the lowest setting, you'll always have time to turn it up. If you carry it on high magnification, you'll never have time to turn it down for close-in shots.

Cass

Mauser 308 wrote: »

But the 3-12 as in my scope what does that mean.

3-12 is the magnification ability of the scope. From 3 times magnification to 12 times. The 56 is the size of the objective lense. The larger one on the end of the scope. The larger it is the more light it lets in, however that is not the only consideration.

The clarity of the lenses are important. Nightforce are a fantastic scope with excellent magnification, scope adjustments, etc. However the amount of lenses, and the function they are primarily designed for, target shooting, mean that while good for hunting there are other makes better suited to hunting. Zeiss, Swar, S&B, etc all make dedicated hunting scopes with less lenses, and a mix of lower fixed power, and variable power mags. Such a 8 power fixed, and 2.5-10.

While not ideally suited to target work these scopes perform much better under poorer light than scopes more designed for target work.

What would be the recomended for say 200 or 300 meter fox shooting.
Cheers

Depends on personal choice. I have used, and know lads that use one of either;

• 6 power fixed
• 8 power fixed
• 2.5-10
• 3-12
• 3-15
• 4-12
• 4-16
• 5.5-22
• 5-25
• 6.5-20
• 6-24
• 8-32

I have/had an 8-32, and 6-24 on my last two hunting rifles. On the lowest power they work fine in low light, and but when i occassionally do the bit of target work they get lashed up to top power (24, 32, etc).

So you need to decide. Do you want a dedicated hunting only scope then go for an 8 fixed power or something in the low variable like 2.5-10 or 3-12. If you want something for target work as well as hunting then look at the higher mag scopes such as the 6.5-20 or 6-24.

Then decide which scope will fit your rifle and go for the largest objective lense. They come in more sizes than i know, but the most common are;

• 40
• 44
• 50
• 56

You want one that'll allow a small clearance on your barrel, and allow the most amount of light in.

It wasn't me!

Actually, on objective lens sizes, personally, I do not like anything above 50mm, and somewhere around 40-44 is much better, for me. I like lighter scopes for balance, around a pound is a max for me, and I think bigger, heavier scopes look ridiculous, unbalance the rifle and keep my head higher off the comb of the stock. Since the biggest exit pupil the eye can use is 7mm, then the light gathering ability of a 50mm+ objective lens is only remotely useful up past 7x magnification, and even then, it'll only be really noticeable at substantially greater magnifications, say 12x or the like. Since I prefer to max out around 10x, I've got no need for a bigger objective, especially since I usually shoot on much lower magnification, and the only time 10x would be used would be in good light, to stretch out a long way.

tfox

My Zeiss is 3-12 x 50, wudnt want anythin bigger than a 50mm obj lens on stalking rifle as too bulky.

99% of the time mine is down at about 6 power, only ever crank it up for zeroing.

The Big Fella

I think the 3-12x50 zeiss is the ideal scope for hunting. Im using an 8x56 at the moment and im shooting foxes out to 200 under the lamp. Ive shot targets out to 300 with it aswell. I am thinking of a higher power scope down the line but it will be of no advantage when hunting. I am a fan of the 8x56 as its point and shoot, no feicing about zooming in or adjusting the paralax.

lb1981

The Big Fella wrote: »

I think the 3-12x50 zeiss is the ideal scope for hunting. Im using an 8x56 at the moment and im shooting foxes out to 200 under the lamp. Ive shot targets out to 300 with it aswell. I am thinking of a higher power scope down the line but it will be of no advantage when hunting. I am a fan of the 8x56 as its point and shoot, no feicing about zooming in or adjusting the paralax.

What lamp set up are you using with the 8 x 56?

kildare.17hmr

4-16x42 on my 223 and its on 10x all the time, have shot foxes and targets at 300 yards on 10x. Only time i take it down is closer targets

The Big Fella

lb1981 wrote: »

What lamp set up are you using with the 8 x 56?

I use a cylops lamp, I find it good out to 300 yards to see the outline of fox clearly. It only cost €50 in Stakelums with the shade great value for money. The rifle I am using is a cz527 .223.

lb1981

The Big Fella wrote: »

I use a cylops lamp, I find it good out to 300 yards to see the outline of fox clearly. It only cost €50 in Stakelums with the shade great value for money. The rifle I am using is a cz527 .223.

do you have a lad holding that for you when your shooting or are you holding it yourself , 50 quid is great value on that.

The Big Fella

lb1981 wrote: »

do you have a lad holding that for you when your shooting or are you holding it yourself , 50 quid is great value on that.

I do always have a man lamping for me. A good lamp man is priceless knowing when to call or shout if a fox is lamp shy.

German pointer

Mauser 308 wrote: »

Hi all, I was hoping to get a good understanding of different scope powers. For example I have a 3-12 x 56. But I see scopes advertised like the Nightforce in 8-32 x 56. As I currently understand it the last digits, ie x56 in my case are an indication of the amount of light allowed in coming from the size of the lense an the end of the scope. But the 3-12 as in my scope what does that mean. I assume it is magnification. But if that is the case then is a scope like mine underpowered.
What would be the recomended for say 200 or 300 meter fox shooting.
Cheers

I would bow to the knlowdge of the lads posts above. I have a 4.5-14x42 and have no problem shooting the distance you are looking for with it, The scope you have is IMHO perfect for your needs

lb1981

The Big Fella wrote: »

I do always have a man lamping for me. A good lamp man is priceless knowing when to call or shout if a fox is lamp shy.

I have a x7r on the scope but since i changed scope to a 30mm tube i find the scope clamp a pain in the hole when i take the rifle off my sholder i have to spend time fiddling with it to direct the beam were i want ,which is defeating the purpose of getting a 8 x 56 ,i want to be able to just aim and bang, but im wasting time now looking through the scope and trying to direct the beam so i see the the fox and dont get glare back off the mod,think il have to get a set of scope rings and make up a dovetail peace and go down that road for mounting the lamp.

Spunk84

The Big Fella wrote: »

lb1981 wrote: »

What lamp set up are you using with the 8 x 56?

I use a cylops lamp, I find it good out to 300 yards to see the outline of fox clearly. It only cost €50 in Stakelums with the shade great value for money. The rifle I am using is a cz527 .223.

Have the same lamp and with the red filter on its deadly, only problem is that it does eat my batteries.