Need help deciding which scope to get

Miller

January 24, 2003 12:29

I am thinking about buying one of the Shepherd scopes. Either the
3-10x or the 6-18x. Can't decide which one to get. I'll be using it for coyotes, hogs, javelinas, turkeys, and maybe deer. My personal preference would be a 4-14x scope. So Im kind of stuck right in the middle. Any opinions would be of a great help.

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  He Dog

  January 24, 2003 12:51

  I assume you are talking about magnification here. I tend to buck the trend for high magnification. If you are not shooting p dogs at 600 yards you really do not need high magnification. you need to be able to get a bullet into the engine room of a deer or hog or javelina and for the most part if you can drop a bullet in a 4 inch circle at 100 yards you can do that. thus a scope of only 4x will work nicely for the job. The trend has been to 3x-9x and higher, but remember than you get a smaller exit pupil (less light through the scope) at higher magnification making low light situations tougher to deal with, you get a smaller field of view. That can make getting the scope on the target more difficult. You can always roll down teh magnification but then you have really wasted your money for the higher magnification. I have some 3x-9x scopes and find I only use magnification higher than 6 at the range because I am lazy and it is easier than leaning over to the spotting scope to see where the bullet hit. In hunting I have never used more than 6x and generally 4x or less. I tend to buy scopes of fixed magnification or variables in the 1.5-5 range. That said, I know I am bucking the trend here, with higher power variables being in vogue. $105 sneakers are in vogue too. I think the real use for high magnification scopes is in bench rest shooting and varminting. My .02, enjoy whatever you get!

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  Guns & Glass

  January 27, 2003 05:36

  Three advantages of high quality variables:
  > The ability to see targets better. Especially different sizes.
  > The ability to range targets.
  > The ability to shoot more precisely. Kill zones are size related.
  
  Additional benefits can be the abilities to use as a BDC scale for even more preicision.
  
  If you miss with a Shep', don't blame the scope.
  
  Lost both your emails, and my replies.
  Please recontact.
  Thanks.
  
  Happy Bullet Holes!

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  Repairman

  January 28, 2003 18:04

  I use Shepherd scopes on several of my own rifles.All my scopes are
  3-10x.I have had no trouble seeing and when I do my part, hitting
  targets to 700yds. ie; milk jug at 670+ yds. Higher powers on scopes are fine for target shooting, but for hunting with all of the varying light conditions, I have found that about 10-power is maximum for overall use. Sure, on perfect days 12, 14, 20-power might be used. But, how many perfect days have you ever been hunting on? Also, early in the morning and late in the evening, even 10x can be a bit much. A these times, you usually have to go with 5-7x, depending on light. And I have to agree with Guns & Glass: if you miss with a Shepherd, don't blame the scope. I've seen their 6-18x, and if I were to hunt a lot of prarie dogs I would probably go to one. Otherwise, I would go for the 3-10x. Hope this helps.
  
  Tip Burns/
  Burns Gun Repair
  830-935-3338
  www.burnsgun.webpointusa.com/
  Email: tdburns@gvtc.com

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