22-250 - How Much Magnification For The Optic

[Calcoyote]

I have a 22-250 with a 1/10 twist barrel. I am finishing load development on the 55g Nosler BT and will also work up a load for the 65g Sierra Game King. When finished I will take off the 6x24 load development scope that I use and mount a hunting scope on it. How much magnification is enough? I have a Vortex Viper 3x9x40mm sitting on the shelf that has good light gathering properties and good clarity. On one hand I like the lite weight setup but on the other hand my other coyote calling rifles (two 243s and one 260 Rem) have 4x16 magnification. Is 9 power enough for calling coyotes in sage brush country and sage brush with a mixture of timber?

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

With predator and varmint hunting you’re getting into that niche territory that can require extra magnification.

For coyotes you won’t need any more than 12X. For ground squirrels, prairie dogs, rock chucks, rabbits, hares, etc. depending on proficiency, I’ve liked 18x or even more for extremely long range shots. This is not only because of size but because of how well they blend in.

Remember that in predator and varmint hunting you normally get a whole lot of follow up shots, so zooming in too far and eliminating FOV can be hurtful.

When I was shooting varmints competitively (yes it’s a thing haha) you learn to get very proficient with zooming in and out. Find an optic that is intuitive in this regard, as no other shooting discipline will have you changing zoom range so often and quickly.

 

[TaperPin]

At least in the open plains and sage covered foothills of our little corner of Wyoming, around 12x has always been the go to magnification. I can imagine more brushy areas having closer shots and requiring a variable or less fixed magnification. I still have a fixed 12x for the 22-250 or 22 creed, but it’s pretty marginal for small varmints and 20x or more is much better if the gun is also going to be used for them.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

All my varmint/coyote rifles have 5-20 or 5-25 power scopes on them. My 223 has a tenmile 5-25, 6 ARC has a trijicon 5-20 and my 6 CM has a nightforce NXS 5.5-22x56.

 

[MHWASH]

I like a variable that starts at 3x for those times when coyotes come in close.

 

[Skerhunter]

9x/10x max works fine for what I do. Most shots will be 100-150 max (can’t really see any further most stands). More open country I would have at least 12x - 14-16x ideal and 18-20x would be fine also. Right now I have a few 2.5-15x trijicons on the varmint guns and like them.