Thread: Hunting with a lower powered scope

Does anyone here hunt with lower power scopes?
I have been offered a Zeiss Duralyt 1.2-5x36 for a very tempting price, and am just wondering if anyone uses something similar? My hunting is generally more open, alpine scrub and tops. I have a self imposed limit of 300m.
The minimum mag I have used is 3-9, so am wondering how the lower mag would go.
My 708 has a vx3 2-10 on it, and .223 a vixen 4-12.

Appreciate your thoughts.

I tend to prefer the lower power scopes, but I like good glass. And that makes a huge difference. Shot more animals in a 5 year period with a 222 fitted with a 3X than all my other rifles put together. tahr @250, rabbits 200, deer out to 350, pigs to 300. A few years back I shot a long range course, walking it from the furtherest target and back to the mound so all the targets were at different positions etc. Shot out to 840 on 3X. The Zeiss Duralyt scopes are some of the better Zeiss scopes around and a 1.2-5X sounds good. So I'd buy it just to have it, even if you decide you need more power later on. Will be a good all round scope and 300 on 5X is easy peasy.

I really like low powered scopes for bush work. Until recently was using 1.5x5 but now 2.5x8 but most of shots are under 50m. No problem on 5 out to 200 though.

Simple solution is to buy the scope and then a bush rifle to put it on.

I'm pest control rather than hunting as such, but I happily used 1X red dot on the old E cat out as far as the calibre would reach, now using a 1-8X scope on my new pest control rifle, and have not yet gone over 3X with it, except occaisonally going up to 8X to identify something. Irons and LPVO still work, I find even 3X is too much for bush work.

I have always hunted with lower powered scopes. The vast majority of deer I have shot have been on 2.5 power. At 300m 5 power will be plenty.

For a long while I had a 3x Leupold on my 308. Unbelievable for bush or the odd running shot. That model Leupold had a substantial field of view. I think it may have been a true 2.75x with Leupold rounding up as they used to.

And I didn't feel that disadvantaged for longer shots either.

An older 1 - 4x Leupod has come my way. Looking thru it at 1x I'm most impressed and I think I could have no problems shooting on that setting in bush/close up.

Went from 3x9 with 42mm obj to 2.4x12 with 50mm obj, major improvement for close work. Added bonus of illuminated centre for lower light situations

Started with the 4x32
Now have this sightron scopes but as you can see it’s not exactly bush……still have the 4x32 for the bush

2.5-8 currently on my 300wsm and shortly hope to have 2-10 on my 308. 2-7 on my other 308.
Bit of a reoccuring theme

I had a 2.5x fixed power on my 308 for over 25 years (now it's got a 2.5-8x), zeroed at 200m and never had any issues, so double the magnification would be fine to 300m.
I have another rifle a with 1-4x (16" 30-30), I haven't shot that to 300m at the range but 4x is plenty for 200m.

The two scopes on the BLR are fixed powered 4x32 scopes been upgraded rifles still the same

Bush scope is 1.5-5x20. Maximum distance shot is 50m, usually less than 25m. At 1.5x, the suppressor fills the bottom quarter of the view. It annoyed me at first, but I've got used to it now.

I have a couple of low powered 1.5x6x42s.I shot a 4 inch group at 400 yds on 6x thru the Jaeger compact scope last week.Big FOV makes for quick target aquarsition.

Saved my 1-6 strike eagle off the naughty rifle, now it's on a 7.62 x39 sometimes I use it on 6, mostly on a lot less.
Thinking about it even with my higher powered scopes I rarely shoot things at over 6x the higher magnification can be used for checking things but I dial back to shoot.

Use 2.5-6 on both my bush rifles which cover out to 250 meters. Spend most their time on 3x. Both are FFP.