For the most part, hunting rifles wear glass nowadays.
And, most rifles seem to be tapped straight and CNC manufacturing seems to produce some excellent rings.
Its not outside the realm of possibilities for a person to be able to mount a scope and zero it for hunting distance within 10-15 clicks either way of center.
So, what advantage, if any, does a modern 30mm have over the same objective diameter 1" tube scope? Equal power and quality of glass assumed.

For those that dial, more elevation travel, for those that don't none.

John

On paper the 30mm tube that has the same wall thickness as a 1" tube will be 'stronger.' I have no idea if this would benefit any one in the real world...

I'm with you. A 30mm scope seems to have a big disadvantage. It prevents switching scopes without switching rings, too.

I've heard 30mm is a standard for European scopes. I don't know whether that's true or not, but I see a lot of Euro scopes with 1" tubes. On the theory that a 30mm is stronger than a 1" tube of the same thickness, I have my doubts. If that were true, wouldn't a 4-foot pipe with the same thickness of a 1" pipe be stronger than the 1-incher?

Another disadvantage is that the 30mm is heavier.

Steve.

All the inbreds down here will tell you with 100% certainty that they "gather way more light."

bloodworks,

Everyone knows that. Did you know any reason for a 34mm?

If I asked a random inbred they'd say it's essentially night vision.

One advantage to the 30mm tube is that you can fit more stuff in there making 6x and even 8x zoom ranges possible (Swarovski Z6, Leupold VX6, etc.) so instead of a 3-9, you get a 3-18.

There can theoretically be an optical advantage if the manufacturer uses 30mm internals because a larger lens is easier to make correctly and is more efficient. Having said that, most 30mm tubes have 1" internals to provide more range of adjustment.

kilmer,

Speaking of Swarovski and Leupold.....

Today I compared the Swarovski z5 5-25X52 (1") with a Leupold VX-6 4-24X52 (34mm) on deer antlers 131 yards away in the woods and 127 yards away on an "eye chart".

It was about 1:45 with an overcast sky. I adjusted the side focus and magnification as best I could and still see a particular point on an antler.

VX-6 - 8X
z5 - 9X

bottom line on "eye chart"
VX-6 - 17 1/2X
z5 - 18 1/4X

A 4' pipe of the same wall thickness is undoubtedly stronger (will carry more of a load) than a 1' pipe
Effort to punch through the pipe is likely the same, but bending strength is way higher.
There is more steel in the 4' pipe.

But from the inside out, pressure wise, isn't the thinner cylinder stronger?
Not sure that has anything to do with the ability to maintain a seal.

But, of equal quality glass, a "set it and forget it" scope, the 30 offers zero advantage?

From a business standpoint, there is a big advantage. First you convince everyone that they need to replace their 1" scopes with a 30mm scope. Then in the future you convince them that they need to replace their heavier 30mm scope with a lighter 1" scope. That is a big boost in sales.

This.

You will have to ask the owner of a Swarovski Z5 and a Z6 one that has a 1 inch tube with 1inch internals and the other with a 30mm tube and 30mm internals and yes the same exact zoom range.

Provided the 30mm has 1 inch internals there is more room for w/e adjustments . No european scope from the big 3 has 1 inch internals.

Seems like 34MM is the new ultra diameter.

Not necessarily look at a Zeiss Victory HT with its glass and optics and compare it to a 1 inch model from the same manufacturer. It is lighter.

Switching scopes without switching rings...I use Talley detachable screw lock rings , I can put anything I want on my rifle depending on where I am at.

Which 30mm scope made by the big 3 alpha companies has 1 inch internals?

The inbred hunters in Europe use them quite nicely at Night.

Not a Swaro, but when comparing a 3.5-10x40 VX3 (marvelous hunting scope IMO), with a 2-12x42 VX6 (marvelouser hunting scope) 1" vx 30mm (obviously), I can report the following:

VX6 advantages: more forgiving eye box across the zoom range, especially at highest mags, best of any scope maker anywhere at any price that I've personally seen. Better glass, better reticle, more W/E range, relatively lightweight for a 30mm tuber.

VX3 advantages: smaller package, W/E adjustments are "clickier".

Those VX-6 scopes are done right that is for sure..tremendous w/e adjustments for a 30mm scope with 30mm innards.

Reasons listed so far ,
adjustment , this also varies greatly among brand and model with same size tube
light gathering , glass quilty trumps size , now same glass quilty in a bigger tube and obj. will gather light better , but can your eye tell it ?
If one really wants a side parellax than a 30mm is the choice

Why are people averse to a 30mm tube? Why is a 25.4mm tube so appealing?

I like my scopes to look like a headlight on a model T.

I'm of the same mind. I like 30mm tubes and see no advantage to 1" scopes. Weight isn't a factor, the difference is insignificant and looking at leupold's lineup they actually show some 30mm tube scopes (4.5-14x50) to be a half oz. lighter than the same scope with a 1" tube. All things being equal the 30mm tube is going to be stronger, simple physics dictates that. I don't see a downside to a 30mm tube.

A 30mm tube is stronger than a 1" when they weigh the same?
I would think the wall thickness would be a higher value on the smaller diameter tube when the weight is equal.
So increasing the diameter and decreasing the wall thickness makes a tube stronger?
And stronger meaning ability to resist flex, or what?
I don't know the answer, just asking the question.
Seems like it would be somewhat of a wash.

Target acquisition is faster-with 40% bigger viewing area through the tube.

that is funny. 30mm allows for a more robust erector that has more travel. I personally think 30mm should just be standardized it doesn't really add any weight. for your average run of the mill hunting scope 30mm offers no advantage.

the big joke is the 34mm tube scopes. in many cases they have no extra travel than a 30mm scope and when we are talking needing to shoot that far. its likely to only take a rifle from say 1700 yards to 1900 yards.

I thought it was because bigger is better, like calibers, no?

https://www.roguefab.com/calculator.php

This is a calculator that I found to calculate load factors on tubes with different materials. If you play around with it you'll see that if you go from a 1" tube of aluminum with a 6" span (roughly a scope) it takes almost twice the tubing wall thickness for a 1" tube to equal the same yield strength as a 1.25" tube (closest to 30mm that the table goes). For the yield strengths of the 1" tube to be equal to the 1.25" tube the weight of the 1.25" AL tube is .28 lb/ft vs. .38 lb/ft for the 1" tube. This is assuming the same yield stress for both, which means the pressure level a material can take before it starts to bend and not return to its original shape after the force is removed.

Take a 6" tube of 6061 aluminum that's 1" in diameter with a wall thickness of .120". Compare that to a 6" long 1.25" tube with a wall thickness of .095" which weighs roughly the same (3.04 vs.3.2 ozs.) and the 1.25" tube is 40% stronger.

So in other words, a 30mm aluminum tube of the same weight will be stronger than a 1" tube even though the 30mm tube will by necessity have a thinner wall thickness to maintain that weight.

Physics is funky sometimes