IS 10X Enough

[gunzblazin]

I own a Leupold 3.5-10 Vari X III LR M3 tactical scope that I took off a rifle that i sold a while ago. Well, I'm getting a new .308 and I want to use it for long range target shooting. My dilema is will my 10X be powerful enough to be able to shoot to say 500 yds at a 24in paper target? Should I go with more power? I was thinking about ebaying the Leupold and trying something different like an IOR or maybe a Burris XTR. Any thoughts on this subject or suggestions on a good scope???

 

[Zak Smith]

You won't be able to see the bullet holes @ 500 yards with a 10x Leupold, but if you are shooting 1 MOA or larger targets, you should be able to obtain a sight picture with a 10x out to 700-1000 yards depending on optical clarity and reticle design.

 

[UniversalFrost]

also check out nikon (I like the monarch or tacticals) . I have the 3.5-10 Leupold varix-III and it is fine at 500 -700. This is not a sighting scope this is a rifle scope. I have a simmons 6-24 that is like a telescope at far distances when set at 24, but distorts a little when too hot outisde.

 

[Foxman]

Try looking through some scopes on other peoples rifles to see what works for you. At half a mile away nearly even a 24" bull is very small and target shooting is all about repeatability and consistency, for that you need the best sight picture you can get, because if you cant see it you will definitely not be able to shoot it. Try looking on the target/benchrest forums and see whats popular with them and then make a choice, I think it will be for quite bit more than 10x. There are always people who seem to have difficulty with higher mag scopes and will tell you they can shoot the legs off a mozzy at 500 yds with their trusty 4X or 9X scope, I can only call B****t on that!

 

[hoghunting]

Since you're using the scope for target shooting and not hunting, the 10X will not be enough at 500 yds. With the unmounted scope in hand, go to a park or a parking lot in a shopping center and sight in on something about 500 yds away. Use your car's odometer as it will be a little more than 1/4 mile. A 2' circle will look mighty small. Many benchrest shooters use a fixed 24X or 36X for 100 yd competition. You will probably need at least 18X.

 

[gunzblazin]

24x?

Who makes a 24x or 36x fixed power scope? Burris makes and XTR in 6-24X. Anyone have any experience with these new XTR's? Anyone have any comments on Burris in general?

 

[Dave Haven]

Who makes a 24x or 36x fixed power scope?

Leupold and Weaver come to mind....

 

[kymasabe]

10x ?? Heck, I use 3-12x40 AO just for 50-100 yard plinking with a .22LR. The day I mounted it, I cranked it up to 12x and it's never moved from there. I'd want WAY more power than 10x for a 500 yard target.

 

[4V50 Gary]

My two cents...

10x is enough to spot and hit your target. If you want to see where the bullet holes are, use a spotting scope. Remember, the higher the power, the narrower your field of view.

 

[Zak Smith]

By the logic in this thread, I guess you need at least 36x for shooting to 1000 yards.

Keep in mind that High-Power guys shoot really tiny groups on 36" bullseyes at 600 yards, with iron sights.

I almost never turn my scopes over about 15x for shooting to 1000 yards. 10x is certainly enough for 500-600 yards, and a 24" target is huge at that distance (4.5 MOA @ 500 yards).

 

[JesterXD40]

10 is enough for me, I use 10X to shoot at 400-600 yards, and use a spotter to correct. I never have a problem. Stop over at snipershide or snipercentral, and you woln't find to many people that use more than a 16X for everything.

 

[garryc]

10x is absolutely powerful enough for the use described. 500/10=50, that’s what it would look like. Like a 1x at 50yrds. If you go to 24x, or worse 36x, you'll be dealing with serious mirage.
I use sightron s2 6-24's on all my heavy barrels, darn fine scope

 

[dfaugh]

Well, personallly, I'm a "magnification junkie"... I can only shoot as good as I see... The higher the magnification the better, even at relatively short ranges. I wanna be able to read the little numbers on the target. No, this isn't necessary, but my groups are directly related to the magnification of the scopes I use...I rarely shoot over 100-200 yards, but there's a noticable difference in my groups between a 3-9x and 6-24x scope. I can't even imagine trying to hit anything at 500 yards without the most powerful scope I can mount. YMMV, of course.

 

[5whiskey]

Just keep this in mind. Marine Corps Snipers make 1000yd shots with an M40 using a 4-12x schmidt & bender. I'm just throwing that out there. I'd rather have a very high quality 10x than an average 24x.

If you want to see your groups without walking downrange, invest in a spotting scope. You don't need a $400 spotter, an $80 one will do just fine.

 

[44 AMP]

Is 10x enough?

yes.

10x is what is often used on the .50BMG rifles for long range.

Remember the higher the power the narrower the field of view, the greater the mirage effect, the more important parallax adjustment is, and the more every hearbeat, breath, and muscle tremor is magnified. Very high power is great for looking at things, but not so good for shooting.