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Rifle Scopes Carbon Fiber for Riflescope main tube

rimfire22lr

Sergeant of the Hide
Full Member
Minuteman
Oct 24, 2018
212
316
Has this been done successfully, or is it being explored? If not, by not? Seems to me there might be some advantages to CF for lightweight scopes, but I am not knowledgeable. Just wondering.
 
almost too many reasons to list why not.

1. much more expensive.way more time consuming to make and harder to get to exact dimensions with current manufacturing methods.
2. Not strong enough with current scope dimensions to fit the lenses needed and other parts in the smallest dimension of the tube. (34mm tube)
3. Epoxy used in CF is brittle and would chip/crack quite easily causing issues
4. Machining carbon fiber Annoying with a coating of epoxy often needed to refinish

the weight of the scope is not heavily influenced by the aluminum tube. They are extremely light. The weight is more affected by the glass lenses and steel machined parts. You’d be better off moving to polymers for lenses and mechanicals to save weight but then you’d sacrifice image quality and robustness.
 
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I would think that carbon fibre is to brittle and does not have the flex that is required for the amount of g's that a scope goes through.

Also the glass seems to be the heaviest component of the scope. If you look at the ultra short options, they are all basically just as heavy as their longer counterparts.
 
There are plenty of expensive high strength to weight materials out there. Aluminum is a good mix of strong enough, light weight and cheap. Other materials miss the boat in one or two of those areas.
 
Tried? Yes.

Successful? No.

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They also had at least two that were square-ish/rhomboid.

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I'd think the only use for CF on a scope is as a wrapping. Specifically, a scope with electronics in it, and the intent is to mask/deaden some of the EMI of the electronics. Since there are two hole s at each end, I'm not sure it'd work real well (unless the scope caps were closed and made of CF too). Short of that, I can't think why any one would really even try.
 
So when I wrapped my STI hood with a dry-carbon I found that my car was 75lbs lighter. This is because carbon fiber is lighter than its underlying material. The carbon fiber then combined the strength from the hood and the light weight properties of the carbon fibers, making a light weight and stronger product.

Why wouldn’t this same thing happen with a scope tube. Lighter and stronger using only like $10 in material from eBay.
 
So when I wrapped my STI hood with a dry-carbon I found that my car was 75lbs lighter. This is because carbon fiber is lighter than its underlying material. The carbon fiber then combined the strength from the hood and the light weight properties of the carbon fibers, making a light weight and stronger product.

Why wouldn’t this same thing happen with a scope tube. Lighter and stronger using only like $10 in material from eBay.


Best read of the day so far !!!
 
Where is the dumbest thing I've heard thread?

You added material and that somehow made the car lighter?

I remember before weigh-ins our 171lber was standing on the scale holding a water bottle trying to figure out how much he could drink and still make weight. He didn't understand that it didn't matter if he holing in in his belly or in the cup.