Handgun hunting with 3-12x scope?

[brant]

Who is using the higher magnification scopes like the 3x Burris on hunting handguns? What guns do you use them on and what hunting conditions?

I have mainly used 2 and 4x fixed power scopes but this year have a couple of 2-7x scopes and tend to keep them around 3x while hunting. Haven’t used one on game yet. I Jove a couple of contender barrels that need scopes and will probably add a 2-7 to each, but just checking in on if the higher magnification is practical.

[sixshot]

It all comes down to the caliber of the gun & the terrain you are hunting. Most times you can get by with a 4X scope on a handgun but when you step up to a single shot or maybe a hot stepping revolver then once in a while a higher power scope comes into play. I have a 2 1/2X8 Leupold on my 10" barreled FA 41 magnum & the gun is capable of taking advantage of that much scope power in certain hunting situations. Most times you don't need it but once in a while it's nice to have it.
I took that set up to Africa in 2021 & I turned it up & down several times but in the end when I shot a nice Gemsbok the scope was turned down to 2 1/2 power because the bull had been spooked by a Wildebeest & it happened to run closer to me, not farther away, it happens.
I think most times, because I like revolvers that a 1 1/2X4 variable would suit me fine but again you're rolling the dice. My all time favorite pistol scope is the straight 5X Burris. Sure wish I had a couple of them back, I think Tyrone pilfered mine when he was here, he was suppose to leave me a bent barreled Vaquero.

[wheelnut]

I haven't hunted with it but I've done plenty of shooting with the Luepold 2.5-8x at steel plates out to 300 yards. Beyond 4X the eyebox gets really small and I imagine would have even less utility out in the field. A fixed power 4X is most likely the highest practical magnification on a handgun.

[Randominator]

I have two of the Burris 3 x 12 scopes. One is mounted on a Savage Striker chambered in 260 Remington and the other on an Encore pistol barrel chambered in 310 GNR. The only time I dial them all the way up is shooting off the bench at long range. I did take a deer with the 310 GNR at 186 yards, I believe I had the scope cranked up to about 9x.

[bigbore5]

I use the Burris 3-12× on the Contender 17Rem and 222 barrels, also on the xp100 221FB for varmints. A 2-7× works just fine on the single shot big game barrels.

I've never scoped a revolver and as long as I can see well enough, don't plan to.

[bigbrowndog]

Burris 3-12x and 3x9x here but both are on bolt action handguns 223 and 7-08. Like Sixshot 4x is the most I use on a traditional caliber handgun, and find a 1.5-4x perfect for me. Since they don’t make them anymore I use 2-7x and just keep them set on 4x. If I’m hunting in tight cover and shots will be less than 75 or 50 then a red dot or irons gets used.

Trapr

[junebug]

My variables stay between 3x and 4x . I find I always have time to turn them up if needed, but rarely time to turn them down. If a fixed power is used it is a 4x.

[brant]

I’ve got to stay away from the internet at night! I remember everything about posting this except why! I don’t even have a 12x scope an any rifles that I own! Just like my handguns, they typically wear a fixed power or 2-7x. Even then they are set to 3 or 4x and I can’t remember ever changing magnification before shooting at game out to 200 yards.
Not one of my hunting and shooting buddies agree with my choices of rifle scopes. I am the lone handgun hunter. It seamed like a shame to mount a nearly 2 pound large power scope on the trim little Kimber classic 308. So I added an older Burris compact 4x. One person was legitimately concerned that something had happened to my scope and the end had broken off.

I think that the 2-7 handgun scopes will work for me fine on my contenders. I’ll use them just like I do my rifle scopes. Keeping on one of the lower settings that looks right to me and forgetting about it.

[contender]

I have a few 2x-7x scopes on a couple of my Contender barrels. As noted above,, it depends a lot upon how & where you hunt as to their usefulness. I usually hunt in areas where 100yds or less is normal. HOWEVER,, on my favorite combo,, a 7x30 Waters & a 2-7X combo,, my preferred use is to make a neck shot. There is where a bit more magnification can help. Not a shot I recommend for anyone who can't pass on a shot that aren't confidant they can make. The neck shot,, (normally for me is just under the skull area) is a small target, and can move. You have to pass until you get a solid chance. And the gun must be accurate too. The extra magnification helps in this type of shooting.
But I also have several 2x or 4x fixed handgun scopes I use as well.

"My all time favorite pistol scope is the straight 5X Burris. Sure wish I had a couple of them back, I think Tyrone pilfered mine when he was here, he was suppose to leave me a bent barreled Vaquero."

I don't think I slipped any Burris 5x scopes out of Idaho,, but I'll have to double check. That bent barreled Vaquero clings to it's brethren like a lost puppy. Just can't get it to leave here.

[bigbrowndog]

Brant, I too feel that optics have gotten ridiculous in size on guns. The long range craze has infected more shooters into thinking they NEED big glass. Like you my feeling is a handy little rifle needs a small 1-4x or 2-7x to keep it handy and nimble. That said, in speaking with my contacts at Burris their number one selling product item is a 4-20x scope, with number two and number three best sellers being a 3-15x and a 5.5-25x. Number one is selling more than two and three combined!!! I keep trying to get them to make more 1-6x scopes but dollars drive manufacturing. Personally I think the 2-10x is about perfect for an all around magnification range and size can be kept small, but it seems everyone wants bigger, more, heavier. Television and the Internet shows have not helped, the only hunting/shooting show I know that doesn’t advocate big glass is Wild Boar Fever, but it is produced by Aimpoint so that makes sense.

Trapr

[parallaxbill]

I run a Tasco Pro Class 30mm tube, 1.25-4X scope on my Super 14 T/C Contender in 35 Remington and found after many kills that it is a good setup for my use.

[James]

More then once, while using variable scoped handgun, I turned up the power from 2x while looking at the game and not at the power numbers, and later I found that the power was 5X.... Bought a fixed 5X thinking it would make things easier but it did`nt..... I keep number at 2X and if more power is needed I can turn it up and usually the game will not notice... Only had it set to 8X once when I neck shot turkey.... that was a tough shot

[bigbrowndog]

Not to tough for a stepper like you!!!

Trapr

[brant]

Bill, I have a 2x 30mm Tasco that is a favorite!

[Ken O'Neill]

I have used 3-12X Burris scopes on a .223 XP-100, and a SSK custom .225 Win. Contender barrel, with both used for groundhogs, prairie dogs and rock chucks. Both scopes have ballistic plex reticles, and are usually set on 10X maximum for the longest shots. I get some distortion and too much breathing wobble at the 2 higher powers. I've been satisfied with these scopes on these small targets.

Personally, because of their weight and size, I see no use for them on medium or big game guns, although Dr. Larry Rogers has used them happily on such larger bores. I much prefer the Bushnell 2-6X or Burris 2-7X (preferably with a ballistic plex reticle) on big game single shots. The Bushnell is smaller and lighter. Both have proven equally tough on my guns. I usually have these set on 5X

For revolvers and straight wall single shots, I use either Leupold 2 or 4X. In my area of woodlands, squirrels require 2X, due to their erratic movement, and the need to quickly capture them in the FOV again. For medium or big game on such guns in more open areas as in much of the west, the 4X is my choice.