SmallCaliberCentral

What would make more sense for 100 yard shooting off a bench, a Leupold competition scope in either 40x or 45x...or...a Leupold VX-III long range 8.5x25x50? Is 40x+ too much or unnessicary for 100 yard shooting? My local gun clubs range only goes to 100 yards.

I would say that 20x is more than enough power for 100 yards. I have a leupold 6.5 x 20 and I shoot sage rats out to 500 yards. When I'm plugging away at say 200 to 300 yards I usually have the power down around 12x. Hope that helps. Gary

At 45 power you are really going to see your heart beat. Personally it would be really distracting to me.

I have a 6-24 scope on my Ruger No. 1, in 204, and usually have it cranked down to between 12-16 power when shooting at ranges of 200, and even 300 yards at targets and juice boxes.

I have a 12-42X56mm Nightforse on my custom rig. When I'm at the bench, I always have it set at the maximum magnification I can get away with. Sometimes mirage can make me back off the magnification a bit, but usually I will shoot through a little mirage. The bench is a little different than the field. Get a mirage shield and crank up the magnification as much as you can. At 100 yards I can fit the center dot of my cross hairs just inside the center ring of a benchrest style target. The actual crosshairs bracket the center ring. This would not be possible if I had to reduce the magnification.

At the bench, magnification is my friend. I wouldn't want to get stuck with a fixed power scope.

If you're working with a dedicated target/bench rest rifle with the sole aim of ultimate accuracy, the more power the better. If you are going to use the rifle for other purposes (varmints, hunting, etc.) a variable as you specified is a more versatile choice.

skipper wrote:I wouldn't want to get stuck with a fixed power scope.

Thats What I was thinking, I just wish I had a little more than 25x

No.1: You can always get any Leupold scope's power boosted if you really think you want a variable and want more than 25X. There are at least two places I've seen advertised that perform this service on Leupold's.

I agree across the board with the other posters, in that at the bench, magnification is the hot ticket, but for the field, you can't beat a good variable power scope for changing conditions and ranges.

The gun will be strictly a bench gun

No.1: In that case, a fixed power Leupold Competition scope may make more sense for your application, as they are designed for that specific purpose. If you go that route, heed the advice of the others, and get all the magnification available.....40 or 45X.

I'd also suggest checking out the BR equipment match results in Precision Shooting Magazine, as it lists all the equipment used by the top 20 BR competitors from the major BR matches held around the country. If these guys are using a certain product for bench work only, you will gain much valuable insight of what may work for you.

Thanks Rick.

Has Anyone looked through one of these compitition scopes? How are the optics? How bright are they?

Top of the line R#1. I looked at a Leupold once & it was crystal clear with very crisp crosshairs. The top BR shooters won't use anything that is not on a world class level.