Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Is your scope a handle?

Don't blame your fat fingers on something like that...

Yes I do often.

Was it Groucho Marx who said? "Sometimes a scope is just a scope."

I believe that he said that he loves his scope, but that he does take it out sometimes.

Aha.

No, just a stupid belief. Not sure how I've managed to kill shiet without a sling all these years, must be doing something wrong.

The point being you make it sound like it's an absolute, which it ain't, only a preference, which is fine.

An absolute with me. Slings not mandatory for your stand hunting, obviously.

I tend to look at my scope and mounts with a degree of suspicion, paranoia, and a little bit of awe and usually try to suck up to the whole works a bit by saying nice, reassuring things to them.

One time I slipped on a shale slide and banged my rifle and scope on the rocks as we slid down about eight feet. I then later missed an over 350" bull at 350 yards by about two feet due to my scope being whacked--it now was off a foot to the right at about a hundred yards as verified later.

The scope and the mounts took it out on me as I see it; it was pure retribution for being dropped. I kinda see them as royalty--not to be touched or treated commonly so I use a sling and try not to make direct eye contact until at the last moment.

I'll carry mine by the scope. If the scope, mount, and rings can't handle that I'm not sure I'd trust them to hold up to a long car ride, much less being used in the field.

1 inch carry handle, you betcha.

Now we know what those extra-high scope mounts are for- clearance for scope carry in the winter, with heavy gloves on........

Well, you use rifles (well, Savage at least) as a crow bar too!

No I do not carry my rifle by the scope.
I either carry the rifle by holding the pistol grip in my hand and resting the rifle on my shoulder or have the rifle cupped in my right hand or carry the rifle cupped in the crook of my left elbow and holding the rifle grip in my right hand.Or I carry in a ready position with the rifle pulled close to my body and all I have to do is raise the butt of the rifle and shoot.
About all I use a sling for is when I climb into a tree stand.

I dont see how a person could carry a rifle by the scope unless it was in very high mounts,only way I could carry any of my rifles by the scope is the scoped AR I have.
Mt other rifles are scoped bolt actions and there is room for only my fingertips(fingers will not slide between the rifle and scope) to go under the scope in a curling or pinching, fashion with the tip of my thumb from the other side.
Not very Much control of the rifle and I would have muscle spasms in my fingers in probably less then 20 steps !

And I have average to small hands and fingers.

I just tried an Old Mauser 98 with a Leupold 4x28 in higher mounts so bolt handle can clear scope and I can If i wanted to carry it by the scope.
Cant see me wanting to though as it would be much slower to bring into action and the weight of the rifle would bearing on a much smaller area of my hand than the other ways of carrying.

Of course. That way you can save the 2 ounces and leave the sling at home. When you get tired simply carry your rifle over the shoulder like a hobo's stick ...

Best way to always get those fat fingers under is switching to see-through mounts


Jokes aside, 90% of the miles and 70% of the time my rifle is carried in/on my pack; the remainder by the sling. When I hunted tree stands exclusively, and it always took less than a hour to get to stand, I used the sling 95% of the time.

I've Carried One, A lot Miles By The Scope. Never The First Problem.. Most Miles Have Been With Swarovski AV In A Set S&K Rings And Bases. Have Also Used Talley And Leupold D.D's With No Problems... I Hate Slings..

I prefer to carry my scoped rifles that way, Idont use my sling near as much as I use too.

I carry by the scope some, not much though just because I don't really like the way it feels for a long haul.. I prefer to(if the scope up enough)stick my thumb betwixt the scope and action..... But I grab by the scope all the time getting in and out of a truck, etc.

Mostly I carry my rifle on a sling.

I'm sure most of us are in the same boat as you. We just like fu cking with the op . Honestly, for me, carrying the rifle by the scope is a bad habit. I'll do it just as you do, but then remind myself that it isn't a carry handle. I also want to add that none of my scopes ever lost zero or suffered any harm by carrying them a short distance by the scope. Good scopes and good mounts/rings are key here...