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Thread: Zoom scopes....are we being sold a kipper?

  1. #1
    harvey_s's Avatar
    harvey_s is offline Lost love child of David Niven and Victoria Beckham
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    Zoom scopes....are we being sold a kipper?

    Having decided to replace my old Olympus bino's...I did my research and duly selected a nice set of 10 x 42's and I'm very, very pleased with them.
    But now the thought occurs that generally zoom optics are classed as inferior in performance to fixed power optics and generally I tend to leave my scopes set on one power unless I'm trying some new idea out (before usually going back to how it was previously ) it mucks up the mildots unless you either are using a FFP scope or keep a book of all the various range points.
    So are we all buying zoom scopes like trained monkeys or is fixed mag where the smart money goes....?

  2. #2
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    Depends on what you use the scope for.
    For FT you want a big mag with a big front end with a narrow depth of field for rangefinding. Mil dots are not really relevant as these scopes would be dialled in.
    Hunting/hft is better suited to a fixed mag with a big depth of field as you don't have time to rangefind and dial in. Thats when the mil dots come in.
    Horses for courses.

  3. #3
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    Mildots are too course to be much use for anything much, even the military use finer reticle hash systems.

    High power magnification has its place but sure we are succours to the success of the progress made in the equipment.
    Rabbits can be head shot to 60m with a x4 mag scope all day long.
    Deer can be heart/lung shot to 200m all day long with a x6 mag scope.
    Pigeon can be head shot to 30m all day long with a x9.
    Rats solid head/chest to farmyard ranges with open sights.

    More stuff is missed from faffing about with the kit than using that time to make one good shot of it. Setting up correctly and making it count.

    Much of the reason is because target shooting has gone to another level. Its gone beyond heart rate with precision in every department. Locktime, triggers, barrels, ammunition, bullets, powders, primers, brass, head spacing, stocks and combs, optics and ballistics. We have never nat driven so small. Make the combo heavy, stable, repeatable and hyper velocity enough and marksmanship is less critical.

    I'm as guilty as the next man along the firing point. Think we are losing something in the process.

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    Fixed up !

    Like most people after a time you end up with a small box of spare scopes . Of all the ones I have tested to use , only those few that I want to keep are either fixed mag , or if a zoom , were found to be at their best at only a single fixed mag power ( usually at x3 or x4 on a 3-9x40 ).

    And I was surprised that some big name scopes I had been keeping back and never tried , that just happened to be zooms , were utterly dreadful especially when compared to some budget makes .

  5. #5
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    Just shot my modest air rifle collection with their various scopes.
    At 25m, on a white card I try to hit the last pellet hole.

    The 4x40 Optima on a 127 FWB Sport clusters on and around the mark.
    The 6x40 Tasco on a tuned HW95 clusters tight on and in the mark.
    The 3-9x45 Moonlighter on a 124 FWB Sport does the same.
    The 3-9x40 Tasco on an Original 45 does the same.
    The 4-12x40 AO B&L on both a Park 91 and 93 do one enlarged hole.
    The 6-24x40 AO B&L on a Venom HW77 does a smal hole.
    The last two Park and Venom are able to do one .177 hole, just; so its the refinement of massive magnification that can get that much precision. On rifle combinations that can't do one calibre hole then massive magnification won't fix that.

    Unless I throw one.

    What high mag variable can give is a tighter group if the rifle is able and the marksmanship and firing set up does its part. Shows the full potential to the combination, but also the limitations of the combo. Very High mag requires a stable platform, gives less FOV, and shows up every wobble to the point that over compensating the wobble adds to the wobble. So much sight picture movement and "lust" for precision generally means that the shot takes far longer to release. Letting your body relax fully takes an age anyhow. In the field thats not much use as at normal ranges all thats required is a solid central hit done fairly swiftly. Swiftly, not fast, as one well aimed and executed shot can't be rushed.

    Anyhow, the truth is its all to do with what your intension is. High mag can only be utilised from a solid platform, without that its more of a hinderance. Choose a scope to suit the application and match the rifle, and the KISS the better.
    Last edited by Muskett; 19-08-2017 at 11:39 PM.

  6. #6
    flyingfish's Avatar
    flyingfish is offline I may only have 5 but I have the best 5
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    I have moved to fixed power 10x on 2 of my rifles. Found that I kept my adjustable power scopes around that anyway

    Pete
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    Biggest selling scope spec of all time, for all purposes and all calibers, is the humble 3-9x40. And it has been since the late sixties.
    That said, you wouldn't get very far with one on a modern FT course, regardless of glass quality.
    Put on heading 270, assume attack formation

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    Now I love my 4x & 6x meopta's they serve the rifles they are mounted on beautifully, Ballance, weight, eye alignment & reticle perfect for there uses. The 6 is on my theoben evo, great all-round scope for 10-75yrds lots of fun no frills no over complex thought process just point & squeeze. The 4 is on my r10, again similar strategy here but shorter ranges... It's ideal for 5-30 yards (around the farm), nice simple 4a Ret easy acquisition, great fov & clarity & surprisingly accurate as it has a very fine cross hair in between quite heavy no4 posts.
    Now., I was totally sold on the fixed mag and I still kinda am but I took my huntsman out the other day (open fields) and I stalked onto 3 rabbit at different spacings & distances.. 25, 28, 38 yards. I had good cover & plenty of time to sit, range, select magnification and do a "shot plan"! Because of the way they were facing I took the 28 & then 25 first on 7mag (my STD go to setting on this scope) & then up to 12mag with a bit of hold over for the 38yarder. (My scope being 2nd focal means the hash markers are true at 12x and I can clearly see the rabbits head & target area). It all came together beautifully with 3 wabbits in the bag with 3 shots in maybe 4mins of faffing & 1-2mins of shooting.On this same day I had a squirrel park itself on a fence post 10yrd away.. first thing I did was wind the mag down to 4x and raised the rifle.., pfft! & He was down. Now I'd calculated all of those shots (apart from the squirrel which I took using my go to farm gun mag of 4x) & decided on the plan which I think the zoom scope played an integral part of as I'm not sure I'd have been so confident in perfect shot placement with a fixed 6.
    So my conclusion to it is you don't need mega mag or a zoom scope but sometimes it can really pay off if you know what your doing with it. The problem I've experienced with zoom is fiddling too much, but if given the right circumstances I think it can really help, it takes just a bit of learning and being honest about where the best mag spots are, mine being 4,7&12
    Atb
    Rhys
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  9. #9
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    tasco 2.75

    Im gonna sound a touch nuts to a few on here but best hunting scope i ever used was a simple 2.75 x 40 Tasco with a simple duel x....bit of an unusual mag i know.
    It produced masses of light and clarity missing on many scopes which zoom above 6X and limted the shake in sight picture to a minimum.....wonderful field of view too.
    Ive tried many higher mag models since but never really done much better...
    ....maybe being fitted to a Venom 77 at that time helped me remember it with rose tinted specs but give a low fixed scope a try one time

  10. #10
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    Like most shooting related questions the answer depends on how/what you use it for, in the field variable mag allows you to scan a field for movement on lowish mag then zero in on a potential target for a shot at higher mag.

    If you shoot fixed range at a static paper/tin target then you may as well have fixed mag.

  11. #11
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    3-9x40 perfect for me.

    Leave it at 9x 95% of the time, wind it back to 3x for close up squizers/rats. KISS.

    On target guns, fixed 10x is hard to beat (obviously not FT).

    I do have a fixed 6x on my sirocco, and that's great, but I'd not push it past 35 yards; to be fair, that's generally far enough for 12 FP "field" gun anyways.
    Always looking for any cheap, interesting, knackered "project" guns. Thanks, JB.

  12. #12
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    My favourite scope is an old Tasco AG 2-7X32 probably dating from the 1970s. For most hunting situations you don't need more. Lovely piece of glass with a larger than normal eyepiece, definitely a keeper.
    She was only an Admiral's daughter but her naval base was full of discharged seamen.

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    Quote Originally Posted by angrybear View Post
    Like most shooting related questions the answer depends on how/what you use it for, in the field variable mag allows you to scan a field for movement on lowish mag then zero in on a potential target for a shot at higher mag.

    If you shoot fixed range at a static paper/tin target then you may as well have fixed mag.
    Funny old game this I agree as I find the exact opposite, hunting is fixed for me and no more than 6mag duplex, benefits for me is the excellent FOV and quick target acquisition and I can almost rangefind through scope as Im familiar with target size in view and the thin/thick ret lines framing object and no faffing about focussing. Shooting paper and pellet testing I do find I use my variable mag as I can see group at say 50yds

    Chris
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  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Norfolkngood View Post
    My favourite scope is an old Tasco AG 2-7X32 probably dating from the 1970s. For most hunting situations you don't need more. Lovely piece of glass with a larger than normal eyepiece, definitely a keeper.

    I have an old varmint at 2.5mag is my perfect ratting/barn tool, that sits on my .22 rapid set at 9ftlb, its taken countless rats over the years
    bigtoe, Harry, hydroclamp, jpsnorton, gayle89, mark410, Stu83, smallholder1, wellhouse0, readingcop, sir-slots-alot, danco1987, Stevenb, DarylDiane, simpleSimon, Ratinator, Milek, Josh, Maxtich, Woodsie99, Ozzie, master_shriller, niloc, Drake267, deejayuu, shootingstars

  15. #15
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    Harvey_s,

    I usually buy fixed mag. scopes - as they are less complex (fewer lenses, fewer moving parts), you get (or should !!) a better built scope for a given price. compared to a 'zoom' scope.

    I have mainly used 4x, 6x, 10x, & 20x fixed powers (4x for hunting (mostly rabbits), 6x (mostly pigeons), and 10x for HFT, 20x for F Class full-bore target rifle).

    I have used one (1) variable power scope extensively, and that was the Simmons Whitetail Classic 1.5 --> 5 x20.

    For me, this is a superb scope, and was the scope I most used for hunting - it was however, used almost exclusively at 3x.

    So, for me, fixed power scopes are where its at

    Have fun & a good Sunday

    Best regards

    Russ

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