I've not found any need for more than 3-9x or 4-12x. For me, it's what do you want to see. I don't need to see much to cover bullet holes. On the other hand, too much is more of a problem when you can't see anything but fur.
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Like the title says when you are shooting offhand, what's your favorite magnification and up to what distance you consider yourself reasonably accurate?
Photos of sling use?2 MOA reflex sight
If the rifle is light enough I've found that more magnification doesn't make me any steadier, and in fact the scope makes it heavier which probably negates most advantages.
If the gun is light enough to be shouldered and shot accurately I will then focus my efforts on dialing in that 2 MOA dot precisely.
I also suggest you use a sling and wrap it around your arm, for me right handed shooter my sling is on the left side and I can very quickly wrap it around to pull and tension the rifle. Adjust the length of sling until you have this movement dialed in and holding your aim steadily will take a lot less effort.
I do have a 4x magnifier on one of my "offhand rifle setups" now as well. I am not so sure it increases accuracy as much as just a better view.
Thanks for starting this thread. It’s useful for rifle newbies like myself, who plan to buy a scope in the not-too-distant future. I do know from using binocs that more mag can be disorienting.Like the title says when you are shooting offhand, what's your favorite magnification and up to what distance you consider yourself reasonably accurate?
I have recently come to the same conclusion. When I started I always liked 8x for the best compromise, still kinda do, but I use fixed power scopes and recently moved from a 10x to a 16x so that I can finally shoot further at the tiny targets I am shooting at.A long-standing myth is that higher power scopes make the rifle harder to hold steady and shoot accurately. The rifle isn't moving any more with a 40X scope on it than a 4X. The higher power scope will, however, demonstrate how lousy your hold is (speaking only for myself of course). At some point, you want to use a scope of sufficient power to tell you precisely where you are on the target, otherwise, why use it? I would suggest using the highest power scope you can tolerate, while maintaining your hold generally on target. When I shoot my air rifles or rimfires from various positions at 50 yards, I use 16X. As a woods rifle, I would dial it back, because I want a larger field of view if I'm watching something move around.