magnification

[kindwarf]

Hi Guys I would like to answer a question I have wondered about for a while, I have been shooting  for many years the smallest  magnification on my scopes for F class is 32x but most are 40x and 36x for my .22 rf bench rest  I shoot all distances, my stalking rifles are not above 12x so they are slightly stronger than my binoculars.

I find that most of the scopes on sale on this site are 18x and 25x why do you use such low powered scopes when a 8 to 40x will do for any thing, you can turn it down for  haze, bigger field of view for Mc queens etc and up to max for long distance so why 18 and 25x.

 

[Richiew]

Light gathering qualities and tactical reticles maybe?? Oh and we all like to think we are snipers. 
Possibly also not much choice for high end scopes that tick all the boxes . Some manufacturers are now looking at specific longrange models so hopefully more choices will be available. Just my opinion!!

[Popsbengo]

13 hours ago, kindwarf said:

Hi Guys I would like to answer a question I have wondered about for a while, I have been shooting  for many years the smallest  magnification on my scopes for F class is 32x but most are 40x and 36x for my .22 rf bench rest  I shoot all distances, my stalking rifles are not above 12x so they are slightly stronger than my binoculars.

I find that most of the scopes on sale on this site are 18x and 25x why do you use such low powered scopes when a 8 to 40x will do for any thing, you can turn it down for  haze, bigger field of view for Mc queens etc and up to max for long distance so why 18 and 25x.

 

I use a S&B PM11 at 25x FFP  for shooting extreme long range (over 1500yds) so I can see a miss splash and therefore make a wind adjustment. Also it's much easier to get back on target after recoil to observe a hit (or miss).  The target at those distances are around 1 moa (18" at 1 mile) so quite easy to see and aim at with moderate magnification.   Optical clarity and a good reticle is also needed.

Of course a mate spotting helps tremendously but I like to see my own hits.  Also haze and mirage can be a bugger with more magnification.   If I shoot my 6.5 or .308 at  1000yds I usually exploit higher magnification (x50 Nightforce and Delta).   Horses for courses

[ds1]

To the OP, You can add elevation into the mix, lower magnification scopes tend to offer more available elevation, there are however work a rounds such as Ivey adjustable mounts or Charlie Tarac prism systems.

Scopes with more magnification tend to be longer and heavier but not always such as Nightforce Competition series. There is a trend to push the magnification multiplier- eg, March 10x (5-50) and S&B 9x (5-45). But not inexpensive.

Personally I feel my S&B 5-45 scopes are better than my previous S&B 5-25 scopes in terms of optical quality- no lens baffle cutting FOV for a start which makes the S&B 5-25 effectively a 7 or 8 to 25. In the end it’s a trade off, weight, elevation, price, usable magnification for application- prs shooters tend not to use over 25x where spotting misses is crucial.