SWFA prairie dog scope?

[Clatta]

I have an old 6ppc Benchrest rifle I’m going to use for prairie dogs this summer. Was wondering if anyone used the 16x or 20x SWFA scope?

 

[PathFinder]

I've never used those two, but have used a 12x for 7 years or so. The glass is atrocious on the higher magnification models, but would probably work fine for prairie dogs. Mechanically, they're sound and work just fine.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

I have an old 6ppc Benchrest rifle I’m going to use for prairie dogs this summer. Was wondering if anyone used the 16x or 20x SWFA scope? View attachment 1011999

Not the 16x or 20x, but I used the 12x on my groundhog rifle for several years.

 

[Steve300xcw]

I wouldnt want over 12x in those scopes and prefer the 10x

 

[menhaden_man]

I have a 16x that I use for the range, took it prairie dog hunting this last season. We shot a couple hundred dogs out to 400 yds or so with 69 and 75 gr 223. It was good but the magnification felt too high for locating animals. I’ll use a 12 or 10x on the next trip - 16 is just a little much.

 

[rayporter]

your ppc will be great for 300 or so. i recommend very light bullets. a 6mm 55 bal tip is a favorite for us. we use a heavier bullet for longer shots.

no one in my group shoots anything less than 20x and 2 shooters use a lot more power. but we do like to shoot more than 300 yd.
edit
the later you go the longer the shots. the close ones will be educated [or dead]. close being less than 275yd or so.

a good spotter or binocular is suggested to help spot.

my bins are 25x and adams is 30x.
good luck

 

[huntsman22]

my choice...

 

[tstowater]

I don't know about everyone else, but I have run into a lot of mirage at times which limits how much resolution I can use. I use several 12x straight powers and a pile of 6.5-20x prairie dog shooting scopes. Generally going to have the variables at 12-15 power, and may be higher or lower with mirage. A straight 20x could be ambitious at times.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

Swfa 5-20 is a very good scope and covers all your bases

 

[BigCountry376]

Are they going to be releasing a new 5-20??

 

[ResearchinStuff]

No clue

 

[Ralphie]

I haven’t used those scopes but mirage is often an issue on p dog hunts. Id want to be able to turn a scope down lower than 16.

 

[Halleywood]

I am going to be using a couple 10x this year. Have used 20x variable powers historically but like others have said seem to run into mirage issues more often then not at higher magnification.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Been wanting to try a swfa

No time like the present!

 

[Gravel Road]

The SWFA 10x would work great. Shot prairie dogs for many years with a straight 10x. Lots of mirage on a dog town in the summer making higher power hard to use.

 

[dårlig jeger]

Are they going to be releasing a new 5-20??

I've asked a couple times and the answer is always a resounding 'no.'

10x is the best fit, imo. Too much zoom and the swfa glass is pretty rough. Picking a head out in the brush at 300+ is not the same as an elk on a hillside. It's also easier to have someone get you on the right dog with less zoom. Many, many a dog have been vaporized on the other end of a 3-9hd out to 400 yards.

 

[L1986]

My first swfa was a 16x on a 17fire ball….as others have stated I would not go with a fixed power higher then 10-12x. Mirage will kill you. Also finding the dogs in the scope becomes an issue. There is very few distinct “landmarks” in most dog towns so transitioning from bare eye or binos to the scope to find the dog you spotted can get tricky without being able to dial the power down. Personally I like a good zoom scope but if fixed is what your after I would get a 10x at most.

 

[Castle Rock]

I have an old 6ppc Benchrest rifle I’m going to use for prairie dogs this summer. Was wondering if anyone used the 16x or 20x SWFA scope? View attachment 1011999

Nice rifle. Poor choice of scope.
Disregard the bloke who said you are limited to 300 yards, maybe that is his limit.

 

[Bluumoon]

Nice rifle. Poor choice of scope.
Disregard the bloke who said you are limited to 300 yards, maybe that is his limit.

I use the 6x w a .suppressed 22LR on prarie dogs. First. rounds hits aren’t high percentage, but it’s not bc I can’t see em. The fun is in spotting impacts and figuring out the wind.

 

[ckt3]

Are they going to be releasing a new 5-20??

I want to say someone posted yesterday that they emailed SWFA and got a response about a revamped 5-20 in the works (?). Anyone else remember this or have the link to the post?

Edit: I realize the post I was referring to (below) is actually from you haha