The advantages of a variable scope?

[Dusty Miller]

I've done a search and have seen a few thoughts on this. Apologies if there is a thread that answers the question but I didn't find one.

When stalking deer:

When does your variable scope really earn its money?
Are there times when you're really glad you're not confined by a fixed mag scope?
Do you use the full range of magnification or is anything beyond about 12x rarely used?
Do you regularly use the scope for observation at mag beyond the limit of your bins?
If the truth be told do we love the marketing and allure of a new piece of high end glass only to set it on 6x or 8x to zero and then pretty much leave it there?

So much will depend on the specifics of when/where you're stalking (ie woodland, open hill, limited summertime high seat observation) but any thoughts appreciated.

 

[www.yorkshireroestalking.]

They do have many uses.
Although a fixed x7 or x8 will do everything.
Low power x2-4 close in and for follow ups where the deer may run.
Med x5-8 for general stalking at all light levels.
High x9-12 for well rested longer shots.
What I will say is if you cannot afford a top end zoom then buy a top end fixed rather than a cheap varible.

 

[roedeerred]

IMHO No I bought vari scopes when they were all the rage recon I have not alterted the one on my 243 for at least 2 years think its set about 7x the one on my 6.5 I put it on the new rifle a week or two ago and tried zero at bot max and min x then put it to 8 and it will probably stay there if my S&B had been a finer reticule 8x50 it would have been left on most used rifle so I now have it on one I call estate rifle.

 

[shbangsteve]

for woodland stalking, a 6-8x fixed is all you'll ever need ,however if you use the same rifle for foxing (or rabbits like some folk on here) a variable comes into its own

 

[jcampbellsmith]

Dusty

I shot with Swarovski 8x50s for about 10 years. It was getting into load development that moved me on to variable scopes. I agree with John's comments above. Sometimes on a well rested shot, I will crank the scope up to x15, but normally it sits at 7.5. Buy the best you can afford and unlike rifles, you will be pleasantly surprised when you trade them in eventually for something better. I think I got almost the same trading in both Swarovski 8x50s as I originally paid for them.

Good luck. JCS

 

[devonoak]

very happy with my fixed 7x50 meopta. A friend has the 6x42 version, thats good too. Both have the little roe rangefinder that gives you an idea of distance too. Not very expensive but not bad glass at all.

 

[JC275]

They do have many uses.
Although a fixed x7 or x8 will do everything.
Low power x2-4 close in and for follow ups where the deer may run.
Med x5-8 for general stalking at all light levels.
High x9-12 for well rested longer shots.
What I will say is if you cannot afford a top end zoom then buy a top end fixed rather than a cheap varible.

Spot on. I reckon John has done this stalking deer thing before! JC

 

[Sinistral]

Nothing wrong with a variable, but I would stop at a 1.5-6x. These are getting a bit rare now, so maybe 'nowadays' anything beyond the standard 3-9x is more than you really need. The problem to me is getting an aiming image of roughly the same size as you see in your binoculars.

Like everyone else I spot with the naked eye, which gives me an instinctive range marker. Then I use Habicht 7x42's to confirm what I've seen is safe and OK. From that point on my mind's made up, and I'm trying to get it into the sight for the shot. At this point I don't want to be have to be fiddling about making mental or manual adjustments, so a fixed 6x is all that's needed to do the business out to 200yds. The only time this doesn't work is if somethings pops up startled at close range ... say 40yds when you may not have the time to frame it in a 6x 'scope.

 

[bewsher500]

I spent 20yrs shooting a 270 with a 4x32 on it.
It is perfectly for deer especially as the bulk have been red inside 100yds
BUT....I find it difficult to get a proper centred bead on a 4-6" bull on paper with the scope I have.
mainly as the no.4 reticule obliterates the bull at 100yds. a variable in those circumstances is perfect.


I have a 2 variables on a rifle i use for rabbits
one for .22 barely moves from 6x (only goes up to 9x anyway)
the one on my HMR gets wound all the way from 6-20 depending on the situation. very handy to pick out the best bunny out of a bunch of three as once you shoot one you dont tend to get another chance!
I shot one that was blind in one eye last week, couldnt tell that through the 8x42 bins but once I had zoomed in it was obvious.

 

[Offroad Gary]

i wound my 6 - 24 x 50 pvi2 high grid up to 24x this morning and settled the first bar down on the target, as it walked past the hedge which i'd ranged with my leica i let go and my target dropped on the spot. there is a time and a place for these gadgets! (its about 06.30 or 23.00 with an archer on the back). i still love my 8x56 though!

 

[Harry mac]

With the way zoom scopes have come on in the last 30 years, I reckon you'd be daft not to go for one. If resale is not your top priority (the top end scopes really do retain their value) then a perfectly good scope can be had from the mid price manufacturers such as Nikon/Burris/Leupold or Meopta.
My own variable is an old Tasco Titan 3-12x52 that's been trouble free for 14 years. As has been said before, the zoom comes into it's own either on the range or when you're trying to shoot that 120+ yard muntjac.

 

[JabaliHunter]

I'm not sure I totally buy it. For example if you are sitting in a seat actually looking for a big muntjac, it might come out at 10 yards or 150 yards. I wouldn't be sitting there with a variable set on 10, 12, 16 or even 24 power in that situation. more likely 6 or 8 power. If the buck is crossing a ride, I also wouldn't have time to adjust the power ring before it disappeared. In that situation, the variable feature is redundant. The scope is also heavier.

However, in a more open setting where you have more time for the set-up, clearly there are benefits to cranking up the mag if you have the time and need to do so. It is of benefit in load testing too. Don't believe though that you need high mag to shoot long range though. Lots of mountain hunting is still done with fixed 4x or 6x scopes. I just read a report of a desert bighorn hunt where the shot was 350yards with a fixed 6x Leupold on a 6.5-06. The hunter was a very well respected US custom gunmaker who has access to any scope he desires.

I use a 8x50 Swarovski PFi and a 2-12x50 Z6i on my deer rifles, the fixed power on my woodland rifle, the variable on my open country rifle. I can't ever imagine selling the 8x50. If I were buying a variable again, I would prefer a narrower but more user friendly zoom range on the variable, e.g. about 6-18x42 with a front focal plane graduated reticle. Ok thats is just personal - just goes to show that you can't please everyone!

Off topic, but I have some pet peeves about the z6 range - the fact that only the models with 15x and higher magnification are HD glass (what is the justification for the high price on the lower power models?) seems like a con to me; the 2-5 power range on my z6 (2-12x) is redundant IMHO; and the high zoom range makes eye relief more critical than other variables I have owned...

 

[Dickyboy]

I love my 6 - 18x swaro used to leave it on 8.5 but now more often use it on 18x you get used to putting the rifle up in the right spot. I love to see exactly where the bullet will hit and if i'm wobbling at all.

Completely agree with yorkshireroe stalking.

and if you can get top vari then do, it is good, if not get top fixed not cheap variable. I have a cheap vari and th poi changes when you move the zoom!

 

[Dusty Miller]

Thanks for the posts. Very helpful.

 

[Selous]

I started out with a 6x42 nd found it fine on roe up to 100 yds or slightly more, I since changed to a 2.5-10 and found it a big improvement. I dont think the average shot has got longer but when a 150 yard shot crops up it makes it so much easier when you can clearly see your point of aim. Now I mainly shoot with two higher powered variables (S&B 4-16 and a Nightforce 5.5-22). I find that when there is adequate time and a solid enough rest it is really nice to wind the magnification up to get a perfect sight picture. Mind you they do tend to stay on the 6-8x mag most of the time for average stalking. My ideal range for stalking is the 4-16 as I dont find the 10 or 12x quite enough.

S

 

[bewsher500]

I would prefer a narrower but more user friendly zoom range on the variable, e.g. about 6-18x42 with a front focal plane graduated reticle. .

think that is a valuable point.
FFP and RFP reticules
Front Focal plane is the only way I would get a variable (reticule stays the same size when zooming).

 

[Jason]

I use the full range on my variable scopes 3/6x56 when foot stalking through the wood 12x from the high seat and observation. For the hill my scopes more or less perminatly dialed upto 12.

 

[Dawnraider]

Wouldn't be without mine as far as i'm concerned it has three settings low,med and high,general walk about on 7-8 need a longer shot crank up to 12,aproaching shot deer turn down to 3,if i'm stalking woodland depending how dense it is would be on 3-5,but as others have said rather have a quality fixed than cheap variable,3-12 is ample mag for stalking.

 

[Effnjeff]

SNIP
Front Focal plane is the only way I would get a variable (reticule stays the same size when zooming).

I think you have it a backwards there.
If you want the reticle to stay the same size, then you need a rear focal plane reticle, also known as 2nd focal plane.
A reticle that grows and shrinks in size along with target with magnification changes is front or first focal plane. More info below:

http://www.leupold.com/corporate/resources/faqs/#WhatIsTheDifferenceBetweenAFrontFocal