Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Scoping my lightweight rifle

Some folks are MUCH more in tune to their rifles or sensitive to balance than I am but I can't tell which rifle balances better or worse with the lightweights I have. One has a 8 oz scope on it and he other a 17 oz scope. I'd be danged I could tell you which balances better.

I use a lot of scopes so not sure which one you are referring to? "Heavy" or lightweight scopes on my lighter weight guns.

The 17 ounce scope.

Shhhh....

Keep the entertainment flowing and letting guys speculate. It's funny...

Of course the Kentucky windage guys it doesn't matter, as they just need a zero holder...

VX-6 2-12x42

Man those heavy scopes really mess up the "balance" with lightweight rifles....







Lot's of things people "know", just isn't so once out to the test....

VX-3 4.5x14x40 CDS, I think it weights 1 oz. more than the 3.5-10x40!

I recently replaced a rifle scope on my Tikka T3 that weighed 14.8 oz, with one that weighs 21 oz. The new scope has much better optics, more reliable tracking and better turrets. Honestly, I do not feel any difference in the rifle's balance; it just feels a bit heavier. I am willing to sacrifice a lighter weight rifle for a durable scope with a 30mm tube, better optics, and more reliable tracking.

The scope change (from a 3-9x42 to a 10x42 fixed power) was made for a NM antelope hunt coming up later this year. The new combination is only a 4 oz or so heavier than the rifle I used for hunting elk in CO just two years ago. Too old now for climbing mountains chasing elk.

Every year I build a lightweight rifle.
And every year, most of the animals I shoot, I am within 50' of the truck.

I have a couple of light rifles that I swap back and forth between a 6x42 Leupold LRD and a 6x42 SS when I'm wanting to dial. I don't notice the balance being effected. I do notice the 1/2 lb difference when I'm carrying it. When shooting offhand I can't tell a difference in how easy the rifles are to shoot between the 2 scopes, balance seems about the same. When shooting from a bench or prone the extra 1/2 lb makes them easier to shoot.

When going up the mountain, I don't want the extra 1/2 lb. When sitting at the bench or on a short/flat walk I don't mind it. Trade offs on everything. If I'm set on light, I want the 6x42 LRD.

Went through the same process a couple months back. Went with a Z3 3-10x42 on my Finnlight 6.5 Swede. Put a 2-12 Vx6 on it later to try and couldn't tell a difference in the time it took to swap them. I had the same issue comparing the 2 scopes. Unless i had them side by side, I couldn't see a difference in glass. Literally had to peep through each within a second of each other to notice a difference.

Like my Finnlight, I wouldnt say your Weatherby is a true ultralight and thus the weight of the scope within reason wont likely matter. I dint notice any "balance" issues. Perhaps maybe with my NF 5-22 but not any hunting scopes ive tried.

Well hell I wouldn't just make it up to have something to argue about.

No really I've had a few ultralights with scopes that were a bit much and to me it screws everything up. I put a 3-9x42 meopro on a Forbes 20B and it made me really dislike the way it felt and handled.
Currently I have a pair of Montanas......the .308 wears a VX-6 2-12x42 and the 7-08 wears a 2.5-8 VX-3. The 308 isn't nearly as nimble or handy to me as the 7-08. As a matter of fact, when you handle them both side by side the .308 starts to feel (to me) like a boat paddle. It even lays a lot better in bags (to me) than the .308. I've yet to figure that out but I can control it much easier and actually shoot better with it.
As far as the scopes go I prefer the VX-6 100 times Over the VX-3 but I tend to leave it at home as I much prefer carrying the rifle with a bit more suitable scope for its weight.
As mentioned earlier, I think I am one of those guys that is really sensitive about particulars in firearms so I tend to notice little things a lot more.

On a weatherby though I'm not sure I would notice much difference whatsoever. Once you start dropping below 6 lbs on a rifle every couple ounces starts changing the feel and it seems to increase exponentially the farther you go.

I went through a similar dilemma last week when scoping a Kimber Adirondack. I had four scopes I was pondering. As shown below : VX-IIc 4-12x40, VX-3i 3.5-10x40,Vari-X III 2.5-8x36 and Vari-X III 1.75-6x32 "shorty". The shorty made the cut but I am not sure if it will stay on there or not. I really like balance and compact feel though.

Good lookin rig cove

Thanks.

Agreed, wish the Finnlight was more forgiving of short scope tubes.

This short tube barely fit on this Kimber as well. I could only position the Talleys in the arrangement show to clear the bell. It's in lows now. I had it in extra lows, but had to file and bevel the edges of "bases" but just couldn't get enough clearance to feel comfortable with it.

What caliber is it?

6.5 Creedmoor. I had a Kimber Hunter in the same caliber and liked it a lot, so when Whittaker's was clearancing out the Adirondacks I couldn't resist.

Thank you gents, plenty of good ideas.