Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Smallest/lightest/toughest scope options?

Putting together a short, light encore 'pack' rig, with 16-17" tubes for hunting, and thinking a Leupold 2.5x HD for my .35 Max bbl, would be about ideal.... But I'd like to hear if there's other/better options? Fixed or say, 1-4 variable? Tnx

Theoretically a fixed power scope will tolerate more recoil because it doesn't have any parts that move. But I have a Leupold 1x-4x on my 458 and haven't had any problems. I don't shoot it much anymore but at one time I shot it quite a bit.

I love me some 2.5x Leupies. I'd go that direction in a heartbeat.

I vote a 2.5x Leupy, though a 4x is not much bigger/heavier and has a very nice view. Owned all fixed from 2.5 thru 12, and a 24. I'd take a 4x first, but a 2.5 would a good job, popped a doe at 75 yards in dark timber a few years ago on a 357 Marlin using a 2.5....I'd vote heavy duplex for low light reticle contrast.

I'm building basically the same gun in a contender now. Leaning hard toward a 4x33 Leupold. I've run a bunch of them and haven't been disappointed yet.

I like the 4x Leupold. Small, light, seems very reliable, and a good combination of FOV for close and running game and for shots out a couple of hundred yards. I have one on a 9.3x74R double rifle and have shot a number of pigs and a number of water buffalo with it, many running, at ranges from a few yards to nearly a furlong away.

Two advantages of the fixed power: it has fewer lenses, so (all else being equal) can pass more light, and it has no zoom mechanism, so there's less to go wrong.

Having said that, I do have variables too, and have only had two of them fail in the roughly 35 years since I started using scopes. One became completely unusable in the field when the internals came adrift inside, the other's tracking became suspect, and so I lost faith in it. OTOH I have others that have given, in some cases, decades of good service.

4 or 6 x 33, will be a better fit for the 16.5", .223 'second' barrel that I already have. This one may sport a folding stock, and be a pack gun system. I've got other, 'normal' Encores. My 20" .356/.358 rig wears a Leupy VX3, 1.75-6 HD, and my 24" .243 wears a Big Sky 6x42. I may opt that one over to a 4.5-14, for more coyote and other varmint work. I just haven't played with the 4x Leupold in years, or the 2.5x Leupold, ever....so I appreciate the input there. I have noticed that the 1-4 Leupolds were small, also.

I've felt like the 2.5 and 3x were lacking a little with the 20mm objective. Only time I haven't liked my 4x was at the range doing load development.

the 2.5x UL is the KING of smallest/lightest/toughest.

nearly 5" of eye relief is a bonus.

If It were me I would likely go 4x33 Leupold.

If you don't mind looking in the used market, there are a few that also might work.

the 4x burris short mag, is a 4x20 (or 25) same size as the 2.5X leupold, buy extra X's

The discontinued Sightron 4x32, Its even smaller and more compact than the Leupold and in my eyes indistinguishable optically. Its one flaw was it was so short it was hard to mount. I have one on a marlin 94.

Leupold FX-2 3x from SWFA.

Couldn't find it, but it'd be nice.

http://swfa.com/SWFA-Exclusive-C4077.aspx

It is a great scope and real good value. I might even get another to replace the original M8 3x Leupold on my .375, I like it that much.

toad;
Good afternoon to you sir, hopefully this finds you well.

Though I've only owned a single example of the 2.5X Leupold, our experience with it mirrors yours.

I'd note too however that folks like Phil Shoemaker speak very highly of them and if I'm not mistaken his .458 Mauser "Old Ugly" wears one.

We've had good success with the 4X Leupold and the old 2.5X and 3X El Paso Weavers too, but optically the older Weavers aren't super bright and of course are heavy with their steel tubes.

I don't think I've ever played with a scope that is as quick to use as the 2.5X Leupold is. It would be my first choice for a designated grizzly rifle built for wading into the shin tangle and pucker brush.

Merry Christmas to you toad and to the OP as well.

Dwayne

I've no burning desire to make this rig for chasing big Bears, but it'll probably see time still hunting/stalking hogs in river bottom privet and briar thickest. While not as dire, it's definately a deal you don't want on the sharp end of, in stuff that limits visibility to a few feet, on occasion. Whatever is on top of it will take a beating from launching 180-250 grain stuff from a 5# rig, and the bumps and bruises natural to climbing in, over, and around in thick stuff. My other real consideration is the vx2 1-4, at 8.5oz and 10" long.

I'm a heavy duplex or other thick reticle fan, for this.

I'm definately leaning 2.5x, due to the size/weight in a stout package, and being able to get the HD, w/o special order.

Thanks, oncet more.

...on the other hand, a dot sight might work, too.

I was just about to.make a thread but I think this one works for my topic.

I've been trying to decide on a scope for my CZ527. While 2-7 works fine I really just want the a very simple no frills tough little fixe power scope. So far I have purchased a Nikon 4x32 which seems to da the job. I think I could live with it and it did pretty good imho. But for whatever reason I am hoping to find something a little better. And I recently purchased an old Meopta 4x32 which seems to be maybe slightly better in some areas but overall my first impressions are that they are about equal. Now that sort of leaves me with just a couple options. One is an IOR 4x32. I like that German reticle and all but more so I want want to find a clear and reliable tough little scope I can bolt and leave alone. And I may have to purchase a Weaver 6x38 just to compare them all to.

For whatever reasons I have no interest in Leupolds.

Burris mini-compact 4x or 6x
Leupold UL 2.5x or Rimfire Compact 4x with the factory readjusting parallax.