max power for "hunting" .223 rifle ???

most of my scoped rifles wear a 4-12x40 on them.

but a lot of that is related to my eyesight - im near sighted. if i'm shooting at distance that 12x is nice, although i often find myself at around 8-10x in the field, depending on lighting conditions.


if you're gonna be hunting close, i could see where a 2-8 or something of that nature would be helpful, but if you're gonna be doing both short and distance shooting - having the ability to get into double digits is helpful - especially when punching paper for load developement or zero confirmation at longer ranges and trying to see those tiny little 22 caliber holes past 100 yds.

my optics are a mix of vortex and leupy's for the most part. So i'm not using $50 scopes as my benchmark by any means.
 
I run a 2.5-10 Nikon on my .204 for foxes and bobcats and I run a 4-12x40 Coyote Special on my .308 coyote rifle. Either one works good up close, and I have dropped coyotes at 300 yards with the 4-12. Both are light scopes. My .308 comes in at 11lbs fully loaded with a 8.5in suppressor on it.
 
Thanks Everyone.

I decided on the Kimber Montana in .223 (despite the new green stock color) with Tally LW rings and the 2-10x40 Vortex Razor HD LH Hunter with the G4 BDC reticle
http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vortex-razor-hd-lh-2-10x40-g4-bdc-riflescope/reticle

I gave the 1.5-8 a real serious consideration. At the end, I gave up two ounces for 25% more mag at the high-end. I can live with the 2x Vs 1.5x at the low end. I called Vortex. It is not in their docs anywhere, but the tip of the bottom post is at 2 MOA. If only the center dot was illuminated and there were some windage dots on the BDC ... are you reading this Vortex?

Now waiting for my Kimber and the f...ing CA rules.
 
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That's not a bad reticle, though I do much prefer the short "Charlie Brown's" Xmas tree reticle in the 1-8X. I have a 3-9X Burris Timberline Ball. Plex in my "long-range predator" AR system, and love it, which would be very similar to the 2-10X setup you chose.
 
OK. So the Kimber has arrived. It is the 2016 model. It is not so gray or green. I guess the 2017 is much more green. I now have to wait for the CA 10-day rule to pick it up. And I ordered the Leupold VX-6 2-12x42 CDS-ZL Fireplex with WindPlex reticle.
https://www.natchezss.com/leupold-vx-6-2-12x42mm-cds-zl-firedot-wind-plex-matte.html

I made 5 loads (25 total) for speed and accuracy testing - new Lapua brass, AA2230, Sierra 65gr GK SBT. Will report back on the results.
 
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I find 1.5-5 slightly under power, as I dial it up often. 2-7 is perfect. 2.5-10 is also perfect, but the scopes get much bigger and heavier. Less is more... I only hunt coyote, jacks rabbits, and hogs...
 
I must say a buddy is running Leupold's VXIII 4.5-14X VH reticle on his 8-twist AR, and is always pressuring me to put mine on my AR as well. I watched him snipe 3 cottontails off a ravine edge after a failed coyote stand one cold morning using 77 Sierra TMK and 75 A-Max's (both loads believe it or not) in 6 or 7 shots at 700-730 yds. He always tells me the old cliche' (you can turn the 4.5-14 down, but you can't turn the 3-9X higher...). He's probably convinced me now, since that experience was so much fun shooting and spotting for.
 
I started hunting as a kid with a 2-7x then a 3-9x on borrowed rifles, then when I bought my own rifle, I started with a 4-16x44mm. Fast forward over 20yrs, my taste for hunting still trends towards that span. I really don't like going below 14x on my top end, at least a 12x, especially for small game rifles, but I don't like getting stuck over 4-4.5x at the bottom end.

I really like 4-16x44mm scopes, especially in 30mm, but a 1" tube 4-12x, 4.5-14x, or 4-16x40mm scope can feel smaller and lighter. I have Nikon Buckmaster II 4.5-14x40mm scopes and Buckmaster 4-12x40mm scopes on a couple rifles which suit my needs very well, and were very inexpensive. I'm very happy with Leupold VX3 and VX3i 4.5-14x50mm and SigSauer Tango4 4-16x44mm scopes. These are generally what I consider "ideal" for my hunting needs.

For context, in general, I consider "hunting" bread and butter as 30-300yrds. If something gets under 30yrds, I should have had multiple opportunities to kill it, so I don't need to get closer than 20-30yrds. But I also know I don't have to practice much, if at all, to take game at 300yrds. So I like to have a scope which allows me to judge my game and pick my POA precisely even out to 300yrds. If I'm shooting a rabbit at 300yrds, a guy has to realize how small the animal will really appear - which presents a challenge to how well the shooter can place their POI. When you're talking about a bunny standing 4-5" tall at the backline, sitting out there at 300yrds, it's nice to have a bit more zoom - remember, a bunny is only half a mil tall at 300, so a .2mil will cover their entire head or entire vital zone. And that's only at a measly 300yrds.
 
You made a good choice - hard to make a bad one from all the suggestions. Now, for your next optic choice and there probably will be another optic in your future - - if you find that "stock crawling" is more your style - than a 1-8X24 might suit you better. If you carry by hand and not a sling, you might think about a red dot - an Aimpoint with 2moa dot on a high mount is terrific.

Shooting coyotes/deer hogs etc out to 300 yards that red dot will serve you well - and there are less expensive ones on the market than the Aimpoint. If your target is moving fast and you might have to "snap" shoot at predators - the red dot is faster and just as accurate to 100/125 yards as a 2X scope - in my opinion anyway.
 
I do believe you made a great choice. That looks to be near ultimate in all around predator hunting scope(big game too). Lot's of FOV to wade into the thick stuff and enough X's to reach out across the canyon and touch one.

I never pick a scope for the caliber, it's intended use is what determines what I choose. I hunt alot of high sage, one coyote I might not get a look at until he sticks his head out from behind some brush 20 feet(some closer than that) away and on the same stand the coyote might be hung up sitting on a rise 300 yards away just looking over the whole situation. So I tend to scope for the close in shot and keep my scope on the lowest power on the stand as I think there is alway time to turn it up and none to turn it down.

Have a good hunting season and let us know how you feel about the scope after you've blooded it.
 
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