12x Scope: How far away would you reliably hit a 17x10" IPSC mini target with it?

[Para Bellum]

Title says all. Let's say you have a
Swarovski Z6 2-12x50 Scope with a BR recticle:

If your task was to reliably hit a 17x10" IPSC mini target with it, on what maximum range could you achieve this?

Other way round: Given a precise gun and an avid shooter, what would be the maximum range of this scope for such a target?

(I don't care about the rifle this time).

Have a nice evening,
PB

 

[precision_shooter]

I'll take the first reply

If we are talking about me with that scope and a target that size, i would not go any farther than 400-500 yards MAX! 12 power is just not enough magnification for me to shoot reliably beyond that range. I know you don't care about the gun, but in order to accurately hit the target at that range you will need a good rifle. Preferably Heavy barrel for me, and a good caliber like any of the .308 variants, or 06, 270...

 

[j.chappell]

If we are talking about me with that scope and a target that size, i would not go any farther than 400-500 yards MAX! 12 power is just not enough magnification for me to shoot reliably beyond that range.

I think this is going to be hard to answer, as not everyone is equal. I hit groundhogs standing up and laying down at over 400 yards with straight 10x and 12x scopes. Your average PA groundhog is probably 13"x5" standing up and say 13"x3.5-4" when lying down. So you see that is a lot smaller than your target size.

I have never shot at anything over 635 yards so I cant really say but my shots at 635 were at groundhogs so I don’t think that 600+ yards would be out of the question.

I'll say this, if you can see it (crosshairs do not totally block your entire view), you should be able to hit it. That is assuming that you, your rifle, and your load are up to the task at hand.

J.

 

[HiBC]

Optical quality is as critical as power.That scope should be good.
A very loose rule of thumb might be 1 x per 100 yds on a target about that size.
With the 5.5 ACOG I have seen an AR-10 T pick off claybirds at 500.

Many sniper scopes are about 6x and the older US standard was a 10x.I don't know about now.

At a lazered 1090 I easily saw well enough to put 3 rds through a bleached old cow scapula(shoulder blade) using a Leupold 4,5 to 14 LR.The 2.5 to 8 on my AR does prairie dogs @ 300.

For your target size,there are not many rifles that stay supersonic far enough to run out of scope.

How far could you hit it with a 3x or 4 x scope? Pretty far

Of course,at very long ranges,a little breeze,some mirage,I do not claim to be a first round hit guy at those ranges.I am just saying the scope will give what is needed

 

[sc928porsche]

A 10"x 17" target should be easily hit at over 300 yards for most hunters.

 

[SKULLANDCROSSBONES65]

G'day, I'll bite. I'm a bit out of practice, but I think I could hit that size target at 25 feet with a good throw. What is wrong with the scope that you want to try and hit your targets with it?
I've not done any long range shooting. If you want to send it to me I'll give it a go though?

 

[Yankee Doodle]

Too many variables to be able to answer the question. What rifle? What caliber? How good are the loads? Wind conditions? Weather conditions? How good is the shooter?
Under ideal conditions, shooting prone, with my .338 Lapua target rifle, and my 10X Unertl, I would feel reasonably confident out to 800 yards. But, I shoot a lot, and I did say "ideal" conditions.
I am sure that Gunny Carlos Hathcock could have easily doubled that.
So, it's really all up to you. Unfortunately, in this day and age accuracy is a function of what you are willing and able to spend.
As an aside, if you can't read the wind, fuggedaboudit. Reading the wind is what separates the men from the boys.
Just my opinion, and you paid me exactly what it"s worth.

 

[kraigwy]

If I read the question right, its really how far can you see a 17X10 inch target. (Shooting one and seeing one is as differant as night and day). If you cant see it, you can't shoot it.

I havent shot a 12 X scope. I do use a 10X scope for 1000 yard matches (Weaver T-10). I can easily see the 6 in spotter at 1000 yards so I figure I would be able to see a 17X10 target at 2000 yards or a bit over. Could I hit it, I highly doubt it. Yeah I could walk may way to it if I could get a good reading on the win, but to set out and pop the sucker with one shot. It would be pure luck.

There are bench rest shooters that do that, but I'm not into bench rest shootes, you're gonna have to ask one of them.

 

[Art Eatman]

I have a 22" round plate at my 500-yard range. I've only shot at it with a 10X magnifcation. Zero problem in getting MOA groups.

I go along with J.chappell's comment about the size of the crosshairs and coverage of the target.

IMO, once you're out past 300 yards, wind and trajectory become far more important than the magnification.

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

Well, 17X10 must be about the size of a really large woodchuck, I can hit a fairly small one with around 12X at 300 yards or better.

 

[garryc]

1200 yards or so with my cheap bariska. That one, as far as you can see it.

 

[Para Bellum]

fuggedaboudit

Thanks folks, a lot of good input here.

Too many variables to be able to answer the question. What rifle? What caliber? How good are the loads? Wind conditions? Weather conditions? How good is the shooter?

just one vairable posted.

Under ideal conditions, shooting prone, with my .338 Lapua target rifle, and my 10X Unertl, I would feel reasonably confident out to 800 yards. But, I shoot a lot, and I did say "ideal" conditions.

See? Thanks.

So, it's really all up to you.

As usual.

Unfortunately, in this day and age accuracy is a function of what you are willing and able to spend.

I am pretty lucky, I can buy what I wanna have.

As an aside, if you can't read the wind, fuggedaboudit.

fuggedaboudit, I love that (but I won't). Man, you made me burst out loud, thank you, you made my evening!

Reading the wind is what separates the men from the boys. Just my opinion, and you paid me exactly what it"s worth.

I thank you for it, worth much more than I paid.

 

[garryc]

I read it as specifically the scope. Well, how far can you see with it? At what point does the target get too small to get a sight picture on? That's the limit of the scope

 

[Para Bellum]

I read it as specifically the scope. Well, how far can you see with it? At what point does the target get too small to get a sight picture on? That's the limit of the scope

That's the question. Never owned or shot a 12x. Only 6x, 1.5x and iron sights (FAL as my service rifle).

 

[garryc]

10x17 is a good size target. Figure that at 12x it would appear at 1200 yards the same size as it does with the naked eye at 100 yards. So realistcally the range capability of that scope and target size is much farther than any shoulder fired rifle ever made. I give a target smaller than that grief at 600 yards with an open sighted mauser.

 

[Scorch]

17"X10" is about 50% smaller than a man's torso (roughly 34" from waist to top of head, 20" between points of the shoulders, or 1m X .5m). Since the limiting factor in long-range shooting is the ballistics of the cartridge and not the magnification of the scope, I would say that scope is good for as far as you can shoot reliably. Considering that USMC snipers use a 10X scope out to 1,000m and beyond, I think your scope will work fine.

 

[ken22250]

i have used the 12x leupold on my first 22-250 on a woodchuck at 711 yards, ive used 10x out to over 500, i have shot 1 chuck at nearly 300 yards once with a iron sighted 30-30, but that was an unlucky chuck, so for practical purposes as far as the rifle will shoot.
ken

 

[Telgriff]

12X should get you to a 1000 yards. The target should be visible, but as has been mentioned, it comes down to eyesight.

Not sure how hot it gets in your part of the world, but I find anything over 10x make mirage distortion worse at pretty much any range.