aaron airgunner Posted April 28, 2010 Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 hi all, i have been allowed a new scope for my 14th birthday (teh day i can fianlly shoot by myself) and i have narrowed it down to an mtc mamba lite. as the name suggest, MTC optics have tried to make this scope as light as possible with very few add ons just the way i like it. now i am left to which mag: 3-12x44 or 4-16x44. i will do most of my shooting off a bipod so i have a pretty steady rest but i still want to keep the settup light. which should i go for? now a lot of hunters say they stay on 6x all the time but i have tried this and always find myself keeping my mag on 10x and wanting more magnification. i maily hunt but i dabble in HFT which i'm getting increasingly better at. which mag should i go for? one note is that this scope has sidewheel parralax adjustment and as any hft shooter knows, the higher the magnification the more accurate the rangefinding. this would save me having to buy a rangefinder as well. thanks, Aaron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbo33 Posted April 28, 2010 Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 (edited) 3-12x44 for me and I use my scopes on 6xmag. I find the accuracy too unstable in the higher magnifications, mind you it could just be that I am old!! Edited April 28, 2010 by turbo33 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron airgunner Posted April 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 aahhh but you see i'm shooting from a rock solid bipod so its not like the exxagerated movment you get from sitting or kneelijng from a high mag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davy Holt Posted April 28, 2010 Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 Hiya, I used to always shoot on 3x but recently moved up to 6x on both 12ftb & FAC and have found it far better magnification to work with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron airgunner Posted April 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 i seriously dont get why everyone stays on such low mag? 80% of my quarry is shot on 10x and i'm always thinking "i could have had that pigeon/squizzer/rabbit if i had higher mag" you get a much more detailed view of your quarry and much more accurate rangefinding with a sidewheel parrallax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davy Holt Posted April 28, 2010 Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 Hiya, i seriously dont get why everyone stays on such low mag? 80% of my quarry is shot on 10x and i'm always thinking "i could have had that pigeon/squizzer/rabbit if i had higher mag" you get a much more detailed view of your quarry and much more accurate rangefinding with a sidewheel parrallax. Quite simple really.. the lower the mag on the scope the less wobble you get when taking standing shots, which in the past was around 90% of my shooting. Nowadays it's probs about 50% free hand 50% bi pod hence the reason for upping the scope mag, well that and the fact that I'm now doing long range stuff with the FAC Rapid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbo33 Posted April 28, 2010 Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 (edited) It sounds as if you enjoy a reasonable amount of vermin shooting. With Squirrels and pigeons up a tree, the bi-pod is largely unusable so you will be free standing or poss leaning against something solid, tree trunk, fence post whatever. Do a back to back with a 1" kill zone target, say 10 shots on 6x and then turn the mag up to your favoured 10x and go again. I would put a bet on what would be the more accurate shots. Don't forget that magnification isn't that simple. Whilst the quarry is more detailed (magnified) so are the movements. Thats why as you said in your first post a lot of hunters stay with 6x. But its sounds like you want the 16x so go for it, its your birthday. Edited April 28, 2010 by turbo33 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted April 28, 2010 Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 i seriously dont get why everyone stays on such low mag? 80% of my quarry is shot on 10x and i'm always thinking "i could have had that pigeon/squizzer/rabbit if i had higher mag" you get a much more detailed view of your quarry and much more accurate rangefinding with a sidewheel parrallax. Its very simple ...I can put a .243 in a deers head at 200yards on 6x, so can many others!!! Magnification is what you want and get on best with...end of! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron airgunner Posted April 29, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2010 It sounds as if you enjoy a reasonable amount of vermin shooting. With Squirrels and pigeons up a tree, the bi-pod is largely unusable so you will be free standing or poss leaning against something solid, tree trunk, fence post whatever. Do a back to back with a 1" kill zone target, say 10 shots on 6x and then turn the mag up to your favoured 10x and go again. I would put a bet on what would be the more accurate shots. Don't forget that magnification isn't that simple. Whilst the quarry is more detailed (magnified) so are the movements. Thats why as you said in your first post a lot of hunters stay with 6x. But its sounds like you want the 16x so go for it, its your birthday. thanks for that! well err actually my bipod is usable for squirrels and pigeons up trees as it is a 13-27" tilt bipod and perfect for the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mart46 Posted April 29, 2010 Report Share Posted April 29, 2010 I've just bought a Simmons Pro Hunter 3-12 x50 and I keep it on 12x, even in low light. I even had a rabbit last night in the woods at 8.25 when it was nearly dark! So, I'd suggest the 3-12x ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted April 29, 2010 Report Share Posted April 29, 2010 thanks for that! well err actually my bipod is usable for squirrels and pigeons up trees as it is a 13-27" tilt bipod and perfect for the job. Is it on a Air gun? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron airgunner Posted April 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George1990 Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 Go for the lower mag. Get larger exit pupil, better field of view and a clearer image. You really shouldn't need a high mag for field use at air-rifle range. Ask to look through one and see if you like how zoomy it is. I don't go above 12x and shoot to 150 yards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colster Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 (edited) I found high mag a bit of a pain on anything that was likely to move. At high mag you have a much narrower field of view so things can easily move out of the scope completely. I've fiddled about with high mag scopes (my current LR one goes up to 20x) but I stick with 6x now, even off a bipod. The lower mags give you a better image in fading light too. Having said that I'd probably go for the higher mag one for spotting, just turn it down again to shoot. Edited April 30, 2010 by Colster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron airgunner Posted April 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 i really do shoot better at higher mag. i placed a target at 40yrds and took a few shots with it on 6x mag and a few with 10x and i had better grouping with 10x. i could see the target in so much more detail. if having a higher mag dose not improve your accuracy then why do hft shooters have massive amounts of mag some going up to 30x? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 i really do shoot better at higher mag. i placed a target at 40yrds and took a few shots with it on 6x mag and a few with 10x and i had better grouping with 10x. i could see the target in so much more detail. if having a higher mag dose not improve your accuracy then why do hft shooters have massive amounts of mag some going up to 30x? You don't need to see a target in detail, just the middle of it! They also practice a lot and shoot at known distances with known ballistics. Most Field shooters will getter better results with lower mag. Life is full of generalisations, you shoot at whatever mag suits YOU best! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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