Scope power for shooting 35 to 50 yards (and maybe a little farther)

[wahoowad]

Most of my shooting has been in the yard out to 35 yards. I'm going groundhog hunting when the new Trail XL settles down and I can get some consistent 35 yard groups. Then I'll use the mildots and Chairgun cheat sheet if I need to target any groundhogs beyond 35. I'm expecting them to be more like 50 yards given the property I will visit.

The Trail XL has the Centerpoint 3-9x40 on it and 35 yards seems to be the max I would want to use it. I say that because my 35 yard aiming point seems so small to me at that distance even at 9x. I'm wondering if I should step up to a 4-12x40 given the 35 to 75 (?) yard shots I anticipate. I am sure I can hold that 3-9x on a groundhog at 50+ but really want to be precise in my shot placement and wondering if I need 12x to do that. My Marauder will have a 4-16x40 so maybe I would be better off getting the same scope for the Trail?

Thoughts?

[pindog2000]

4x12x50 or 6x18x50 both at natchez if u like bushnells

[Mark 611]

Natchez also carries the Bsa contender series scopes and I have not personaly tried them but I have some friends who have and they say they are  very good scopes side wheel parallx mildot available in 3x12 or 4x16x40!

[Orin]

I think I'd go for something like this:

http://www.pyramydair.com/s/a/Leapers_Accushot_4_16x56AO_Rifle_Scope_Illuminated_Mil_Dot_Reticle_1_8_MOA_30mm_Tube/2277

Here's why:
I have a 6-24x of the same model that works great on my TX200
Illuminated reticle will be great for dusk and dawn shooting
Price is right
Sidewheel compatible
Very strong platform and very adequate clear, bright optics
Extended mil dots that allow for increased hold-over

You would want to make sure the XL can accomodate a 15" scope, though, as this might be the limiting factor on the magnification you end up with.  This has around a 3" eye relief, so there needs to be at least 18" clearance from your eye to the breech, or this scope will interfere with loading.

- Orin

[kp4att]

Do not go to low.......Use for that distance 24x for extreme vision and presicion. It is better to have more power when it need it!!!

/Gerald

[Orin]

I agree, but keep in mind that more magnification generally means more length (and more weight), and since this is a break-barrel, too much length could block access to the breech or force a very awkward shooting position.  You'll definitely want to find out how much room you have to work with before committing to a purchase.

- Orin

[airiscool]

I think you've already got the scope you need  on the XL. The XL's CenterPoint 3-9 with fine crosshairs and fine tick-marks has worked well for me on Starlings out to 35 yards, and their kill zone is way smaller than a Chuck's !!!

As the saying goes, "More isn't always better." Hunting game the size of a Ground hog out to 35 - 50 yards, a 3-9 power scope is plenty. Beyond 50 yards you may not be able to keep your shots consistantly in the kill zone no matter what power scope you use. It's the size of the kill zone and at what distances you can put EVERY shot into that size kill zone, that dictates what your gun's shooting limits are. Otherwise you risk missing, or wounding a Critter.

The kill zone on a Chucks head is about 1-1/2 inches. Often, when stalking, l leave the scope on low power so that it has the widest field of view. Using high-powered scopes with their smaller fields of view just makes it tougher to aquire a target quickly.

And, at higher powers and close range, the target is more likely to be a blure, unless the Critter will sit still  while you fiddle with an adjustable objective.  

And, on many of the high power scopes in the lower price ranges, the clearity on their highest power is rather disapointing to put it politely !!!!

If your gonna be punching paper, then yeah, go high power scope.

Paul.

[Mark 611]

Good call Paul I agree with you, I put a 6x24x50aomd on my M-Rod and and I've tried to use it up to 20x and have found out that 12x is plenty even on targets out to 100yds+, I have bad eye sight but feel 9x works for most of the shooting I do and I zero all my AG's at 30yds and do most of my target shooting at 30yds and can consistantly shoot subdime size groups at 30yds so 9x is probly plenty for people with good eye sight out and past the distance were talking about here.

[airiscool]

When I got my Savage .223 I was lucky to catch a really good sale at Midway on a Sightron 6-24 AO true mildot for it. My eyes aren't great either and this scope  not only mil-ranges on 24 power, it is VERY clear across the entire field of view at 24 power. It's a great scope for sitting at one end of long hay fields. I can easily see a Chuck head-sized targets out to 300+ yards, ... but, even though the gun shoots under 3/4 inch at 100 yards, I can't consistantly hit a Chuck head-sized kill zone under those field conditions. So I have to move closer to make sure of a humane kill.  

The down side to all that scope power is that even turned down to 6 power, it's not a good "stalking gun". If I come through a hedge row, or over a rise and see a Chuck head sticking up at less than 40 yards, it's not easy to quickly find it in the scope !!!!

In retrospect a 3-12, or at most, or a 4-16 power version of that scope with thier wider fields of view would be a better compromise at the 100-150 yard ranges I realistically use it at.

For stalk-hunting at less than 40-50 yards, it's slightly better than trying to look through a drinking straw !!!!

Paul.

[daved]

Lots of good advice and suggestions, now I'll throw out a couple :-).  First, what's the caliber on that XL, and what's the power with your pellet of choice?  I've taken ground hogs with a 14 fpe rifle at 35 yards, but that was perfect conditions, I knew exactly what the range was, and I knew my rifle intimately.  PLUS it was a PCP (AA S200), so no recoil.  I consider that the limit for taking game that size at that range, but I'm pretty conservative.  If it's a larger caliber magnum, it might give you more power and range, but the added recoil isn't going to improve your accuracy.  All of which is my long winded way of saying I think your effective, humane kill range is under 40 yards with almost any springer.

Now regarding scopes, that's a different critter :-).  Like many, I zero my guns at 30 or 35 yards.  I find I like 10X for almost everything, and I've gotten away from AO in hunting scopes.  I have 2 of the Center Point 3-9x32 fixed parallax (35 yard) scopes, they're still nice and sharp at 10 yards out to over 50, which is about as far as I typically shoot, and they usually stay at max mag.  I have a Bushnell Elite 3200 10x40 fixed parallax on my R9, I reset it for 35 yards.  This combo is my current "go to" gun, it's the one I pack around in my truck with me for whacking starlings.  No messing around with AO or mag, just point and shoot.  And I'm being long winded again.  I guess the bottom line is, if you think more mag will help, it probably will so go for it.  The only variable power AO scope I have right now is a Burris Timberline 4.5-14, which stays at 10X and 35 yards almost all the time.  Later.

Dave

[wahoowad]

My Trail XL is .22 and with pellet selection will be shooting around 26 FPE at the muzzle and Chairgun estimates 18 fpe at 50 yards.

[Orin]

I might be the exception, but I like to keep my hunting scopes zeroed at around 12 yards.  That distance gives what I feel is the best longer range ballistics curve, because it puts the second zero out somewhere between 60 and 75 yards, depending on the BC of the pellets I'm using (CP, Baracuda Match, or JSB Heavy).  With a 35 yard zero, it's quick and easy to aim the crosshairs at shorter distances, but the compensation at 80 yards is rediculous and then I'm forced to use a lower magnification to get a larger field of view... kind of the opposite of ideal.  True, that with a shorter zero, I need to use more hold-over/under at the in-between distances, but with a mil-dot scope cap label, it only takes a quick glace to get my reference.  I make custom labels that show 8x, 16x, and 24x all on the same image in different colors, so changing the magnification doesn't screw up my compensation.

That's what works best for me, anyway.

- Orin

[Orin]

Gerald,

How are the optics on that 8-32x56 Leapers?  Is it clear and bright at 32x?  I'd like to get one, but I'm torn between that and the Hawke equivalent.

- Orin

[Mark 611]

From my SWAG on what you just posted at 18fpe at 50yds, let say your using a Laepers 3x9x40aomd scope on 9x that gun will probly be back on zero at 50yds with 1 mildot if you use a 30yd zero, I base this off of my own field experience, others my differ!

[djmyers]

I shoot regularly at those ranges With my 350 and replaced my 3-9 with a 4-16 mag and I like it more. The center point 4-16x40 ao works great from 30 ft to 65 yards. That's the farthest I have stretched it sofar. You can see the target well at 65 and move the impact in 1/2 in increments at 16 mag at 15 yards. I like higher mag cause you can zoom in at close range or long range.

I take a 3x5 card and right down the mils I need to correct for drop and the wind at each range from 15 to 65 yards. Makes nice little range cards and that way you don't have to remember which gun hits where at what yardage. When I'm done shifting everything I will type them small and either mount it to the scope or stock.