Without getting too technical to be complicated, rifle scopes are available in a variety of setups, fixed magnification powers, adjustable power ranges, reticle types, unbiased lens sizes, and tube sizes among other attributes like metal surfaces, turret adjustments types for windage and elevation along with focus rings.
The key to choosing the most effective hunting optic for deer hunting is knowing exactly what functionality and capabilities are crucial for deer hunting. When evaluating rifle scopes for deer hunting, look for something with minimal to moderate magnification range, a functional reticle, high quality glass, and a compact build. The rifle scope market looks to be promoting scopes with more functionality and adjustability, but many appear to be geared more towards “tactical” and long distance shooters.
That being said, zoom, reticle and light transmission is the leading 3 features that you should be taking a look at in your choices for getting a scope as specified in the majority of rifle scope evaluations.
Performing technical, short, and long-range shots needs a rifle scope with application-specific functions and rock-solid build-quality to guarantee precise, trusted, and repeatable performance – each time you squeeze the trigger.
The old “gold standard” for rifle scope magnification, a minimum of for deer hunting, was and truly still is the timeless 3x to 9x. Utilizing 3x power, a hunter is able to properly take close shots at less than 50 lawns, which is a typical range in deer hunting.
These days, however, it is becoming more typical for hunters to be utilizing 6x-18x zoom, often greater – and the greater the level of rifle scope zoom, the narrower the field of view. Magnification can be anywhere from none at all up to about 8x but 6x is a more typical optimum These scopes are good for hunting and some of the more effective ones can make shots out to 500 backyards with little problem.
Even so, probably 90 percent of all the deer taken in the world are taken at ranges of 300 yards or less, with many being taken at ranges below 150 yards. With that being said, the vast majority of hunters will do very well with a rifle scope that features a 3X-9X power range. If you don’t feel that a 3X-9X is sufficient magnification, then consider a 3X-12X or a 4X-12X scope.
What about a high powered scope for deer hunting? You certainly could consider a scope with a higher power range, but Adjustable powered rifle scopes featuring a power range over 14X come with other challenges such as:
- A decreased field of view at the higher magnification ranges
- Potentially a loss of image quality as a result of lower light transmission at the higher magnification range
- Higher power magnification results in a heavier scope
The most popular rifle scope tube diameters are 1 inch or 30mm. There are some rifle scopes in the marketplace with a larger 34mm tube, but I’d probably stay away from those as 34mm scopes tend to be heavy, and 34mm rings can be really pricey.
Honestly, a good quality 1” rifle scope is really all that is required for most deer hunting scenarios. For those wanting or needing something larger than a 1 inch tube, though, a “happy medium” is scope with a 30mm main tube. There are plenty of excellent 30mm rifle scopes available on the market which would be an ideal choice for deer hunting.
What’s the best scope reticle for deer hunting? Typically the most popular reticle for deer hunting continues to be the tried and true duplex reticle. The duplex reticle has been in existence for many years and continues to be an excellent choice for deer hunting.
Yet another reticle that is popular for deer hunting is a mil-dot reticle. The mil-dot reticle provides the capability to perform just like a duplex, but also offers the ability to take longer shots aided by the mil-dots for hold-overs.
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