24hourcampfire.com
24hourcampfire.com
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Hop To
Page 1 of 4 1 2 3 4
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,416
B
Campfire Regular
OP Offline
Campfire Regular
B
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,416
The title says it all. What is your selection of the most "recoil proof" RIFLE scope (that you have used)?

Share the reason "WHY?".

Share the rifle, the chambering, and load ( bullet weight and MV).

This does NOT mean the reason " why" is "because xxx scope has lasted 600 rounds fired on my such and such chambered rifle.". The " WHY? " means specific DESIGN FEATURES of the scope you are claiming being "recoil proof" or "tough."



"Behavior accepted is behavior repeated."

"Strive to be underestimated."
BP-B2

Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 20,824
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 20,824
Leupold compact 2.5X. Weighs 6 oz that's why


Originally Posted by Judman
PS, if you think Trump is “good” you’re way stupider than I thought! Haha

Sorry, trump is a no tax payin pile of shiit.
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 13,292
R
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
R
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 13,292
Well as for tough I have to say some of the old steel tube weavers could take a licking and stay sighted in. The 3 and 4 power K4's never let me down. Glass only so so.


[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]



Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 1,326
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 1,326
Whatever happened to the old Burris posi-lock? Seemed like a good solution. I liked the compact Burris scopes too but they were discontinued. I recall they had steel on steel adjustment and double springs. Have a 3x9 compact on a .338 WM. Haven't adjusted since sighting in about 25 years ago. Still hits two inches high at 100.


God Bless America
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 7,195
K
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
K
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 7,195
The std Burris Signatures are battle tanks, and the Posi Lock were sure nuff a battle tank. I have a 3x12 Signature that has proven to be battle tough.

IC B2

Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 1,313
W
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
W
Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 1,313
I had a Remington Model 660 in 350 Remington Mag. I had a Redfield 2-7x32 on it that never had an issue. It now sits on a Marlin 1895XLR. Both generate plenty of recoil for me.

Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 13,747
J
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
J
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 13,747
Not truly a recoil test but I use a S&B PMII 6x42 that I did a drop test on....unintentionally. I'd venture that scopes that handle any type of "beating" well will carry over to recoil too. 6.5 CM, 129 gr, ~2750 fps....so not much on this one for recoil. Story/pics below:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/14273537/s-b-6x42-pmii-drop-test

I think the scope mentioned above is durable/recoil proof because of the following:
1. Quality build - well machined parts that are assembled well
2. Fixed power - less moving parts
3. No parallax - less moving parts
4. Lighter weight - compared to some, not all. Heavier scope = more moment of inertia(?)....lighter scope would be less.

I use several NF NXS 2.5-10x42 (and x32) scopes on a variety of rifles from 375 Rugers to 223's. I think they are very recoil proof due to the following:
1. Quality build - same as above, also have "bonded" lenses....I'm not sure the details on this but NF thinks it's important. I believe NF also uses a thicker tube than most manufactures.
2. Lighter weight - again, for the type of scope.
3. Short tube and OAL length - a shorter scope of the same build quality "should" resist deformation more than a longer scope
4. NF testing

I think reliability can be helped on any scope by mounting with rings spaced near the ends of the main body tube to reduce unsupported areas and make the levers "shorter".

How much any or all of these matter I'm not sure but they're my "why" on design features.

Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 4,648
B
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
B
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 4,648
Michael McCourey, who used to be Michael458 on the AR forum, developed the 500 MDM and other heavy caliber wildcats. He has done thousands of rounds of testing and load development on these and other African-size rounds. He settled on the low-power Nikon scopes as the most tolerant of continuous heavy recoil.

Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 14,435
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 14,435
From a physical perspective, the whole concept of lighter scopes being more recoil proof is actually a bit of a fallacy. What damages things is acceleration. For a given amount and direction of recoil force, a lighter scope accelerates more and a heavier scope accelerates less. Heavier scopes have more inertia, which means that they are harder to accelerate. But that also means that they put more strain on the mounting system than a lighter scope. So heavier scopes are harder on mounting systems, but are more resistant to damage from recoil. Of course this assumes that a large part of the weight increase is in the tube and not lenses or other parts that also stress connection points and fastening methods within the scope. A simple analogy would be comparing the damage done by the acceleration of a child versus a large man when an identical force is applied (like a body check). The child would go flying across the room, while the large man might stumble back a little.

In terms of the most recoil-proof scope, I agree with JCM that most of the design features he mentioned would increase resistance to deformation and damage, and would add to the list the feature of having a small ocular and objective housing. By positioning the mass of the scope closer to the center of the scope tube, there is less torque applied on the tube. So with no way to qualify this, I would guess that the NF ATACR 1-8x is probably one of, if not the most recoil-proof scope on the market.

Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 13,747
J
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
J
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 13,747
Originally Posted by Jordan Smith
From a physical perspective, the whole concept of lighter scopes being more recoil proof is actually a bit of a fallacy. What damages things is acceleration. For a given amount and direction of recoil force, a lighter scope accelerates more and a heavier scope accelerates less. Heavier scopes have more inertia, which means that they are harder to accelerate. But that also means that they put more strain on the mounting system than a lighter scope. So heavier scopes are harder on mounting systems, but are more resistant to damage from recoil. Of course this assumes that a large part of the weight increase is in the tube and not lenses or other parts that also stress connection points and fastening methods within the scope. A simple analogy would be comparing the damage done by the acceleration of a child versus a large man when an identical force is applied (like a body check). The child would go flying across the room, while the large man might stumble back a little.

In terms of the most recoil-proof scope, I agree with JCM that most of the design features he mentioned would increase resistance to deformation and damage, and would add to the list the feature of having a small ocular and objective housing. By positioning the mass of the scope closer to the center of the scope tube, there is less torque applied on the tube. So with no way to qualify this, I would guess that the NF ATACR 1-8x is probably one of, if not the most recoil-proof scope on the market.


I think you are correct. In my stuff above any extra stress from weight related inertia (starting or stopping) would be on the mounts.

IC B3

Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 20,824
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 20,824
Originally Posted by Jordan Smith
From a physical perspective, the whole concept of lighter scopes being more recoil proof is actually a bit of a fallacy. What damages things is acceleration. For a given amount and direction of recoil force, a lighter scope accelerates more and a heavier scope accelerates less. Heavier scopes have more inertia, which means that they are harder to accelerate. But that also means that they put more strain on the mounting system than a lighter scope. So heavier scopes are harder on mounting systems, but are more resistant to damage from recoil. Of course this assumes that a large part of the weight increase is in the tube and not lenses or other parts that also stress connection points and fastening methods within the scope. A simple analogy would be comparing the damage done by the acceleration of a child versus a large man when an identical force is applied (like a body check). The child would go flying across the room, while the large man might stumble back a little.

In terms of the most recoil-proof scope, I agree with JCM that most of the design features he mentioned would increase resistance to deformation and damage, and would add to the list the feature of having a small ocular and objective housing. By positioning the mass of the scope closer to the center of the scope tube, there is less torque applied on the tube. So with no way to qualify this, I would guess that the NF ATACR 1-8x is probably one of, if not the most recoil-proof scope on the market.



Crazy talk.... you Leupold hater you.... smile
This is what an education will do to you.... ha


Originally Posted by Judman
PS, if you think Trump is “good” you’re way stupider than I thought! Haha

Sorry, trump is a no tax payin pile of shiit.
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 15,455
N
Campfire Ranger
Online Content
Campfire Ranger
N
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 15,455
Jordan, as you said a heavier scope puts more strain on the mounting system because of inertia but it’s the combined weight of the rifle and scope that determines how many g’s the system (scope included) will experience.

A given scope on a heavy rifle will be subjected to less acceleration/fewer g’s than the same scope on a light rifle.

On the other hand, on the same rifle, a light scope will be subjected to more g’s than a heavy scope because of the combined mass of the rifle + scope, not just the weight of the scope.

It’s similar to a question I ask our students. “In an ejection seat, who experiences more g’s, a light guy or a fat guy?” Intuitively you would think it would be the fat guy but the light guy will accelerate faster and experience more g’s and go higher.

Last edited by navlav8r; 07/25/21.

NRA Life,Endowment,Patron or Benefactor since '72.
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 14,435
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 14,435
Originally Posted by navlav8r
Jordan, as you said a heavier scope puts more strain on the mounting system because of inertia but it’s the combined weight of the rifle and scope that determines how many g’s the system (scope included) will experience.

A given scope on a heavy rifle will be subjected to less acceleration/fewer g’s than the same scope on a light rifle.

On the other hand, on the same rifle, a light scope will be subjected to more g’s than a heavy scope because of the combined mass of the rifle + scope, not just the weight of the scope.

It’s similar to a question I ask our students. “In an ejection seat, who experiences more g’s, a light guy or a fat guy?” Intuitively you would think it would be the fat guy but the light guy will accelerate faster and experience more g’s and go higher.

Yes, exactly.

Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 14,435
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 14,435
Originally Posted by irfubar
Originally Posted by Jordan Smith
From a physical perspective, the whole concept of lighter scopes being more recoil proof is actually a bit of a fallacy. What damages things is acceleration. For a given amount and direction of recoil force, a lighter scope accelerates more and a heavier scope accelerates less. Heavier scopes have more inertia, which means that they are harder to accelerate. But that also means that they put more strain on the mounting system than a lighter scope. So heavier scopes are harder on mounting systems, but are more resistant to damage from recoil. Of course this assumes that a large part of the weight increase is in the tube and not lenses or other parts that also stress connection points and fastening methods within the scope. A simple analogy would be comparing the damage done by the acceleration of a child versus a large man when an identical force is applied (like a body check). The child would go flying across the room, while the large man might stumble back a little.

In terms of the most recoil-proof scope, I agree with JCM that most of the design features he mentioned would increase resistance to deformation and damage, and would add to the list the feature of having a small ocular and objective housing. By positioning the mass of the scope closer to the center of the scope tube, there is less torque applied on the tube. So with no way to qualify this, I would guess that the NF ATACR 1-8x is probably one of, if not the most recoil-proof scope on the market.



Crazy talk.... you Leupold hater you.... smile
This is what an education will do to you.... ha

LOL. Blame the laws of physics, not me. grin

Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,547
H
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
H
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,547
My experience has been best when I just keep my recoil reasonably low. Thus if I really don't need it I don't shoot shoot the higher recoil stuff. 6.5 Grendel & 6mm Arc are my higher recoil guns for the past 5 years. Then the scope choice is less critical I suppose. The area I hunt consist of whitetail maybe a mule deer if I venture out west a fair bit & as far as dangerous game Cougar / Mountain lion is a very rare sighting by nearly anyone in my stomping grounds. So 30 grains of propellant pushing projectiles generally less than 129 grains or so just gets the job done quite handily with out much fuss.

Your milage may vary.


love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control

& Proverbs 21:19
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,313
L
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
L
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,313
Just pick anything with a long track record of success on 50 BMGs. Swarovski made a 10x42 specifically for that purpose. The SWFA fixed power and Nightforce NXS have done very well. So has the Leupold MkIV.

Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 285
J
JJF Offline
Campfire Member
Offline
Campfire Member
J
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 285
I am by no means an expert on this subject, as the other posters I'm sure have more experience than I do. So, I can only comment on what I have experienced. In my limited battery of scopes, the most durable (and recoil proof) scope I own would have to be an old Leupold FX-III 6x42. It has withstood years of use on rifles with muzzle breaks (very hard on scopes) . It even survived a fall from a 20' treestand (no, the rifle was not yet loaded) where it hit a cypress knee. The main tube was scratched and slightly dented but all I had to do was resight it and it was good to go. A few years ago it finally started fogging up but a trip to Leupold solved that. I have other scopes (all fixed power like a S&B 8x56, Leupold FX3 6x42, IOR 4X and Weaver Grand Slam 4.75x40) that in theory may well be just as durable but these haven't yet seen the use of the FX-III 6x42. As you can see, I am not a Leupold fanatic but merely reporting what I have experienced. YMMV.

Last edited by JJF; 07/25/21.
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 1,357
F
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
F
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 1,357
Originally Posted by Llama_Bob
Just pick anything with a long track record of success on 50 BMGs. Swarovski made a 10x42 specifically for that purpose. The SWFA fixed power and Nightforce NXS have done very well. So has the Leupold MkIV.


The Schmidt & Bender has been mounted on top of the Barret Light 50 from early on. It also has a reputation for reliability by our snipers. It is a survivor also.

Joined: May 2017
Posts: 4,855
W
WAM Offline
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
W
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 4,855
The scope that has tolerated the recoil of .300 Weatherby shooting 180 gr loads, .35 Whelen with 225 gr loads, and 7mm Weatherby with 150 gr loads has been a Sightron S-II 3-9x42. It is my true scope for working through accuracy issues. I’m sure there are others just as good.


Life Member NRA, RMEF, American Legion, MAGA. Not necessarily in that order.
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 28,522
Campfire Ranger
Online Content
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 28,522
Originally Posted by Hunterapp
My experience has been best when I just keep my recoil reasonably low. Thus if I really don't need it I don't shoot shoot the higher recoil stuff. 6.5 Grendel & 6mm Arc are my higher recoil guns for the past 5 years. Then the scope choice is less critical I suppose. The area I hunt consist of whitetail maybe a mule deer if I venture out west a fair bit & as far as dangerous game Cougar / Mountain lion is a very rare sighting by nearly anyone in my stomping grounds. So 30 grains of propellant pushing projectiles generally less than 129 grains or so just gets the job done quite handily with out much fuss.

Your milage may vary.


I’ve begun to see that light, not so much for scope longevity, but simple economics. A Grendel-class round squeezes about 60 more loads out of a pound of powder and barrel life should never be an issue for most. Still have a few rifles for “standard” rounds, but I’m headed towards my Grendel as my working gun, with a couple of 6mms for when I might need to go longer. Lighter guns are easier on granda’s legs too. The easy answer to tough scopes is a lot of heavy parts, but light ones can be tough too when well-designed with good innards. Obviously they’re also easier on mounts, and it’s the whole system that determines reliability.


What fresh Hell is this?
Page 1 of 4 1 2 3 4

Moderated by  RickBin 

Link Copied to Clipboard
YB23

Who's Online Now
650 members (1234, 257 roberts, 1lessdog, 2500HD, 257Bob, 75 invisible), 2,759 guests, and 1,316 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Forum Statistics
Forums81
Topics1,187,650
Posts18,399,153
Members73,817
Most Online11,491
Jul 7th, 2023


 







Fish & Game Departments | Solunar Tables | Mission Statement | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA
Hunting | Fishing | Camping | Backpacking | Reloading | Campfire Forums | Gear Shop
Copyright © 2000-2024 24hourcampfire.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5
(Release build 20201027)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.3.33 Page Time: 0.090s Queries: 14 (0.002s) Memory: 0.9075 MB (Peak: 1.0661 MB) Data Comp: Zlib Server Time: 2024-03-28 18:23:59 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS