Is a 9x scope enough for max 400 yard deer hunting.?

Iѕ a 9x scope enough fοr max 400 yard deer hunting.

Tags: Deer, enough, Hunting, scope, yard

7 Responses to “Is a 9x scope enough for max 400 yard deer hunting.?”

1. super61 says:

   June 11, 2011 at 10:21 pm

   If you have to ask I doubt you have the ability to make a humane 400 yard shot.
2. bill says:

   June 11, 2011 at 10:55 pm

   yup. i used to shoot prairy dogs that far with a 3×9 leo no problem.
3. indy says:

   June 11, 2011 at 11:23 pm

   yes but if you can’t get closer than 400 yards . . . . you are not a very good deer hunter
4. Sam Z says:

   June 11, 2011 at 11:26 pm

   Come on guys give him a break, for all you know he’s a young kid just starting out.

   Yes a 9 power scope would be plenty for shots beyond 400 yards. However there is a little more you should know about scopes.

   Initially almost all new gun owners start looking at the numbers and decide that they need the highest magnification possible. It’s real easy to think higher power equals more accuracy.

   Unfortunately this is just not true. Extremely high magnification scopes only have two uses. Extreme long range shooting at tiny targets and emptying the wallets of a new hunter. There are also a lot of cheap high magnification scopes on the market, these scopes tend to get so blurry past 15 power that you can’t even see your target.

   Your best bet for deer hunting out to 400 yards would be a variable power 3-9X40 scope. There are a couple of good reasons for this.

   A variable power scope allows you the flexability of using the advantages of low power through high power magnification.

   If your scope is always at high power you will have a difficult time finding your target quickly and making shots on moving game at closer ranges will be nearly impossible.

   If your scope is permanently set to low power you will have difficulty identifying your target at longer ranges and finding a good aiming point.

   The best way to get around this is to set your scope at lower power while you are carrying the rifle so you can make close up shots more easily. Then if you happen to spot a deer at long range you will have time to turn the scope up to maximum power for a long range shot.

   Generally if your in timber or thick brush set your scope to 3 power, if your in open terrain set it out to 6 power.

   This has been a formula for success for many hunters.
5. the truth says:

   June 12, 2011 at 12:15 am

   3-9×40 is what you want. And before you take any 400 yard shots out in the field make sure you do a lot of practicing.
6. John de Witt says:

   June 12, 2011 at 12:39 am

   If you need more than 6x, you’re too danged far away to pull the trigger. I suspect a lot of the recent popular trend to put target or varmint scopes on deer rifles comes from people who use it in place of binoculars or spotting scopes, and that’s a poor practice. I grew up in the age of aperture sights and fixed 4x scopes for deer rifles, when variables weren’t reliable, and then spent a decade putting 3-9x scopes on them, because that’s what everybody else was doing. Then I spent the next couple of decades putting lower magnification scopes on my deer rifles. The 3-9x variables are fine if you’re hunting largely in open areas, but I think you’ll find 2-7x and thereabouts is an even better choice if your hunting is more mixed, with a good deal of time spent in the woods.
7. dca2003311@yahoo.com says:

   June 12, 2011 at 1:20 am

   Yes, but i prefer my 20 power scope. *