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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.
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Luke,
Which scope are you using?
I use a lot of scopes so not sure which one you are referring to? "Heavy" or lightweight scopes on my lighter weight guns.
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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 will be danger if I could tell you which balances better. 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...
- Greg
Success is found at the intersection of planning, hard work, and stubbornness.
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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....
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VX-3 4.5x14x40 CDS, I think it weights 1 oz. more than the 3.5-10x40!
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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.
Start young, hunt hard, and enjoy God's bounty.
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Every year I build a lightweight rifle. And every year, most of the animals I shoot, I am within 50' of the truck.
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. -Ernest Hemingway The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything.-- Edward John Phelps
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I don't get why a 11-13oz scope is ideal and a 19oz scope is "so heavy" but if it has to be light it would be a 6x42 with LRD.
If you tell me that you're a back pack hunter and count every single ounce I stand corrected. Most that fret over a extra 7oz on their scope is just playing mind games. I disagree. 6-7 extra ounces sitting right over the top of the action makes a big difference in the balance of a featherweight rifle. I would think a 3.5-10x40 VX-3 with CDS would meet the OP's needs pretty well. Ive never noticed any problem in how well I can shoot a rifle be the scope heavy or lite. I do however often hike over 10 miles on various hunts and sometimes steep ground is involved. I can say on a long hike I notice a half pound a lot more than one would think. It might only be a half pound but its a half pound carried over one shoulder off center. The liteweight mountain rifle in my experience is a concept that a lot of hunters who hike mountainous terrain appreciate. A lite scope is part of the package whether one is hiking 1 mile straight uphill or 10+ miles. Trystan 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.
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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.
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Do you know this because you've done it and formed that opinion? If the answer is yes then I respectfully say we have a difference in opinion.
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.
Last edited by m_gallopavo; 03/11/17.
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One too many hobbies....
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One too many hobbies....
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Agreed, wish the Finnlight was more forgiving of short scope tubes.
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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.
One too many hobbies....
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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.
One too many hobbies....
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Thank you gents, plenty of good ideas.
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