Are most muzzleloaders overscoped?

[sqezer]

It all depends on the terrain you hunt in, all my .45s wear 3x9x40 or 4x12x40, most all my shots are with the lower powers but it's nice to have the higher mag if it was ever needed. Just my .02 cents.

 

[Aquastang]

From my own experiences and then experiences with helping friends get into the sport I would say yes. Probably because it makes people feel better about the shot if they see a larger target in front of them. The drawback is the lack of light coming in when on higher mag. I go on alot of afternoon/evening hunts and keep my 3-9x40 set on 4. I have an old beater Simmons 4x32 on my LK-93 and shoot 240 gr. XTPs and to date it has taken 36 deer. In the areas I hunt, we don't take many shots over 125 yds anyway, so I've never really worried about upping the magnification much.

 

[doc25]

On the range I would want the highest magnification possible. In the field I usually use the least. If I want to turn it up I can. Right now my ML has the 3-9 that came on it. I would probably rather have a 1.5-6 or so. I live in the west and both my deer have been taken under 50yds so far. One with the bead of my shotgun the other with th 3-9 on my ML. But I do like the 6-24 on my Tikka at the range (wish it was a better scope (yes it's a tasco)).
Conditions of the shot are important. If you are stalking deer through the woods you will probably want lower power. If you are spotting them across open fields then higher will probably be better. Scope your rifle the way you will use it!

 

[moridgerunner]

Simple question, simple answer--> NO

 

[Oberhaz]

I feel it depends on a few variables. For example, I hunt in the Maine woods. Not sure if that means a thing to you but we very seldom have long shots in my neck of the woods. For many, scopes wouldn't even be necessary up here. Where I hunt a 100 yard shot is a LONG shot, yes we have fields, but most hunt in the woods. Therefore a forty yard shot is considered a long shot.

I'm new to muzzleloading, so right now I hunt with a peep sight. The advantage is how well the gun handles and it shoots pretty good too. The disadvantage is low light situations. And we have plenty of that. So, I'm still wondering about scoping my gun. If I do, it will be a low powered scope. I just have such a thing in a Leupold VX-1 1-4. I've used it on my guide gun. I've never turned it up above 1.

 

[guitarpicva]

I would agree that it depends on where you hunt. Wood lot? I'd prefer open sights or a holographic, particularly for weight reduction. Open fields, a 3-9x might be nice.

 

[Widude]

I've been happy for years with my Leupold 1.75-6 scope on my main M-L. As of late I have been setting up for more precision at slightly longer ranges. There sat a Zeiss 3-9 on a 223 I hardly ever use. I put this on my new 45 cal Knight. It's very crisp & clear & I am looking fwd to trying it at the longer ranges. I only did an initial 25 yrd sight-in so far.


I've been prairie dogging a few times in SD. From that & setting up for it one can shoot more precisely at longer ranges with clear, higher power magnification.

Like a poster above said, since I can't use a center-fire, I'll set up the M-L the best I can.

 

[bob g]

i would say most are overscoped, but then again it all depends on what the users goals and needs are.

me i use a 6-18x50 bushnell banner, because i am not able to walk back and forth from my target to find where the poing of impact of the last shot was, so i can make scope corrections, or alter loading parameters.

at 100yds i just can't make out the shot placement unless i am using some of those new and expensive glow in the dark colored targets

so i shoot at 6-9power and dial up to max power to see where things are at and go back down again for the next shot.

yes i could use a spotting scope but that is just that much more stuff for me to pack in and out of the range, and my back is just not agreeable to that sort of thing anymore.

when it comes to hunting a deer, i will likely remove the scope and go with open sights, because i can do that quite well at 100yds of less.

bob g

 

[Nimrodder]

I agree with Doohan. When it comes to quality I'd say yes magnification no.

 

[GregK]

I don't think they are. You have to consider that different manufacturers have zoom ranges & different fields of view throughout them. Then you have to consider the size of the objective & how much light you can gather in dawn & dusk settings. Next is the quality of glass. Looking thru the new Zeiss HD series at 15x shows very little shading. The same can be said of my Steiner binocs. I personally am shooting my CVA Apex muzzleloader & my Ruger American .243 with the Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 4.5-14x44 & I love them just as much as my Zeiss Conquests. I normally only use the higher end settings for long range daytime shooting & like most everyone else that I know, as the light dims, the power gets turned down. So it boils down to using the scope that you like the best, just like your favorite gun. It helps to build your confidence & your success.

BOTTOM LINE.......shoot what you like & not what someone else tells you to shoot.