Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Why put a black scope on a stainless rifle??

Several folks told me my 300 RUM in stainless between black stock and black lupy with bright nickle rings looked great. Unfortunately, one finally offerd more for it than i could refuse.

Bright barreled action and bright scope never looked great to me and i wouldnt want all that bright stalking through mesquite flats or mountain juniper ridges of Pecos River canyon country of West Texas.

As it was, the barrel often sported a couple 20 or so inch longitudinal strips of black electrical tape.

My late, lamented, Kimber Longmaster, wore nickeled rings and bases with the matte black scope, because that's what the dealer had in stock, and it looked pretty spiffy. The rings had just a touch of that nickel-yellow tint, but it only really showed up close. I also liked the matte, fluted stainless barrel against the nice walnut.

Might have to get another someday, but in .223 this time (yes I know it has a 1-9 twist and can live with it) after I recover from my recent buying binge.

Who the hell color coordinates rifles unless they are gay?

Have no problems using black scopes on SS rifles, or silver scopes on black rifles. I use what I have and trust. Never met a deer that preferred to get shot with a color coordinated weapon.

I've always used black rings/bases and black scopes on stainless guns cause none of the the silver rings/bases and silver scopes ever exactly match in shade to the guns. I'd rather have the opposite colors than off shades.

I greatly prefer silver scopes on stainless rifles with wood stocks. But if a stainless rifle has a black plastic stock it may as well have a black scope, A black scope might even look better to me. I recently bought a silver Weaver 2.5-7 scope for a Ruger M77 stainless RSI in .250 savage. It was fitted with a black scope to start with, but it just looked wrong to me.

I'm one who certainly prefers silver scopes on stainless rifles with nice wood stocks... if the finish on both is at least somewhat similar. I think it looks better than matte black, even if it doesn't exactly match the barrel/receiver color/finish.

That said, on stainless synthetic rifles, I like the look of a black matte scope best. This, unless the silver scope finish exactly matches that of the rifle... which seldom ever happens.

BTW, I don't see why folks think it's odd to try make a rifle/scope combo look as pleasing to the eye as possible. Perhaps being a cameraman has skewed my point of view somewhat....?

My brother-in-law shot a hog using a wood stocked rifle with stainless receiver and barrel topped with a black matte scope and mounts. Right before expiring the hog looked at the rifle and then said to me: "He is such a [bleep].

I guess the obvious reason is that I had several spare scopes that were black!