Zero a hunting scope on highest or lowest power?

[USMC88-93]

If you have a 3x9 do you zero it on 3 or 9 power?

[w748]

Both. I dont want to be a smart a** but there should be no difference in POI across your zoom range. If there is ,zero it at your most likely to be used magnification (4x say), leave it there, and start saveing for better glass.
Best luck to you.

[USMC88-93]

I have this scope, Leupold 3x9x50 VX II, no longer top of the line bet at the time of purchase it was considered to be a quality optic.
http://www.leupold.com/hunting-and-shooting/products/scopes/vx-ii-riflescopes/vx-ii-3-9x50mm/

I would consider it a quality optic for the price point it sits at.

I guess I ask the question in more of a technical sense rather than actual use. I am curious which way is actually more accurate to use with the more upper end(higher quality) scopes and those that actually use scopes on a day to day basis at work or otherwise which way they use.

[w748]

The higher magnifaction would yield better target definition so that is what I use for load testing from the bench. For field use I prefer the wider field of view of the bottom end of the range. As for Leupold ; I've had a dozen of them and never had any problems. I dont consider them inferior in any way.
Given that your POI will not change through the zoom range only your circumstances can determain your mag setting. Best, John.

[pickenup]

Like John said, your point of aim will not change whether you are looking at 10 yards, or 1,000, on 3 power or 9. For practical purposes, many of the people that I know, that use a 3X9 for hunting, end up leaving their scope set on 4-5 most all the time.

Too much magnification, will cause you to not have a wide enough field of view, which can make it hard for you to find your target in the field. Too little, and accuracy is hampered. Since “most” critters here are taken “around” 100 yards or so, the 4-5 power setting seems to work well.

Lots of guys I know, have gone to a straight 4 power scope, instead of a veritable power, then carry a good pair of binoculars to see if there are 2 or 3 points on the antlers, instead of dialing their scope up and down.

Practice, and knowing where your bullet is going to hit, is often times more important than which power you are using. Once zeroed in, lets say at 100 yards, you have to know where it will hit at 25-50-200-300 yards. It is amazing how many people will shoot “over” a critter @ 50 yards, which I’ve seen and heard of MANY times, because they don’t know their bullet trajectories.

[Colorado Osprey]

"When you adjust the magnification of the rifle scope a small error is introduced call parallax error. Lower powered scopes are less affected by parallax error than high power (12x or more) scopes."
http://www.theriflescopestore.com/howtochsc.html

Most quality scopes this is marginal. An easy check is to site in at a certain distance under highest magnification and agin at lowest magnification and check for a shift in POI.

Some cheaper (older) scope rotated your eye piece lens when adjusting magnification and some of these scopes would move off a target at 100 yards. Most newer (modern) scopes do not change the alignment of the lenses just the distance between them to change magnification.

Most viariable power scopes will have a pre-set parallax setting of 100 yards. greater or less and POI can change. The way around this is to get an adjustable objective lens to compensate, but most people don't like to have to adjust them. The adjustable objectives are usually only available in scopes with a max power over 12x.

Another way to check parallax in your set up is to set in in a vice or stand and zero it on an object at 100 yards. Now move your eye from side to side and forward and back. The site picture should move but the cross-hairs should remain where the rifle was set...if it moves you are witnessing parallax error. You can do this a various power settings to check variable scopes for their parallax error as well.