What Magnification for 22-250 Sporter?

TimM

New member
I have a 22-250 sporter that I am setting up for coyote and bobcat hunting. What power magnification do you guys recommend for the optics? 3-9? 4-12?
 
Tim, when calling, all kinds of critters come in. It is nice to be able to pick off a crow at 300 sitting in a tree. The crows will often hang up at the 300 yd mark, giving you an excellent shot.

So, for this reason, I like the 4-12 or a Bushnell 4200 in 4-16 even better. If you can find an old Burris Signature in a 3x-12x it is a bullet proof scope(ebay).

I never felt handicaped at close range with a scope set on 4x. Also, the 16x will put you in the running on longer shots on Dog towns.

The only down side is that the 3-9's are cheap while the 4-16 gets up there in price. My philosophy is to buy it once, less pain in the long run.

Check ebay and www.bearbasin.com

Good luck
 
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i agree w/ A-man, "never felt handicapped at close range",plenty of preds taken at single digit yard distance on 6x,i'm not bragging but i'm fortunate enough 2 still have 20/20 vision, but i really like 2 see what i'm shooting at,or maybe i like the target bigger, 6-20X is the average power of all my scopes, never skimp on optics, u get what u pay for.
 
I have a 6.5-20 Leupold on my 22-250 Sendero, I probably wouldn't put such a large scope on a sporter. I have a 4.5-14X56 Leupold on my .243 M70 sporter varmint and I really feel you'd be hard pressed to find a better "any situation" scope. Should've just put one on the Sendero, only time I ever use 20x is long range target shooting.
 
In my experience:

Anytime you hunt in brushy areas or will have running shots, you want a 3-9 or less for the field of view. (35+ ft field of view at 100 yards). I put a 2-7 on my deer rifle after having trouble finding a moving deer in the brush with a 4.5-14. I got the deer, but realized my scope was a handicap.

If you expect standing shots or longer distances, magnification is nice, but I wouldn't go higher than 4-16, unless it is a dedicated long range gun.

I think the ultimate deer hunting scope would be a 2.5-10 Nikon monarch with the BDC reticle. Wider field of view than a 3-9 with more top end, and the optics are awesome. I don't see any reason why this wouldn't make a good coyote hunting scope.

They make a 3-12 also, this may even be better on a .22-250. As a bonus this one has side focus.

I have a 4-16 on my .223. It isn't a bad scope for me, I hunt coyotes in some pretty wide open areas. Unfortunatley, it is a cheap BSA. Pretty good for the money, but I'd like to upgrade.

Bottom line, I think field of view is important wihen stuff gets clot.

2-7, 2.5-10, 3-9 for close in shots
3-12 up to 4-16 good all around
6-18 or 6-24 for long range. (will be a handicap on close in or moving stuff)

This is why you need two guns, one setup for the more intimate surroundings, and one to deliver mail to the next zipcode.
 
Originally Posted By: TimMThanks for the input guys.

Now... what about objective size. 44 vs 50. Any thoughts on that?

Divide the objective size by the highest power. Example 3-9x40: 40/9 = 4.44 This is the diameter of the exit pupil.

I think the rule of thumb was to keep this number around 4 because your eye cant open more than this. You see that this isn't possible with high power scopes, which is why they appear brighter at lower power settings when it is dark. Better quality scopes will help for low light.

4.5-14 x 40= 2.85
4-16 x 44= 2.74


Do a google search on twilight factor. Keep in mind that glass quality is far more important in low light.
 
I have a leupold 3x9-40mm on my No.1 in 22-250 and realy like it for hunting. It has done me well for the last six years. It all depends on when and where you hunt. If I had to choose between 44 and 50 I would not hesitate to go with the 50 for the light gathering in the early morning and late evening.
 
I have the buschnell 3200 fixed 10 on my Ruger 22-250 sporter and like it alot... then again we are shooting in the bald prairies of Alberta... lots of dogs hanging up at 300-500 yrds.... next scope for me will be up to 20 or more maybe......
 
For objective size in higher-power scopes, bigger is always an advantage. While you might be "wasting" that big objective's ability at low powers, once you're up around 12X and higher, you need all the light-gathering you can get, plus some.
 
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