Rifle Scopes Lightest midrange hunting scopes

[happyfast79]

I'm looking for a light weight optic for my new hunting rifle in 7mm mag, shots will be under 600 yards.

I'm looking at leupold vx3hd, but would like a reticle that is can use for hold over.

Other one I'm looking at is a trijicon accupoint 3-9x40 with mil dot reticle. that's 13.4 oz

Any other scopes that are comparable that I'm missing?
Thanks

 

[FuhQ]

It's not 1995 anymore. You can do so much better than a shitty Leupold or a scope with a mil-dot reticle...

Get a Zeiss V4. They actually have adjustable elevation turrets and locking windage turrets, so you won't have to holdover. And with a 7mm RemMag, you won't have too much drop at 600 yards, depending on your load, so you don't need a ton of elevation adjustment, just a moderate amount.

I run the 6-24x50 versions on most of my hunting rifles...One of which is a 7mm RemMag, as well. Excellent scopes for the money.

Zeiss Conquest V4 4-16x50mm ZMOAi-T30 Illum #64 Ext. Elev. Ext. Locking Wind. Riflescope 522945-9964-090

Zeiss Conquest V4 4-16x50mm ZMOAi-T30 Illum #64 Ext. Elev. Ext. Locking Wind. Riflescope 522945-9964-090 For Sale at EuroOptic.com! | Call (570) 368-3920

www.eurooptic.com

Zeiss Conquest V4 6-24x50mm ZMOAi-T20 Illum #65 Ext. Elev. Turret Ext. Locking Wind. Riflescope 522955-9965-090

Zeiss Conquest V4 6-24x50mm ZMOAi-T20 Illum #65 Ext. Elev. Turret Ext. Locking Wind. Riflescope 522955-9965-090 For Sale at EuroOptic.com! | Call (570) 368-3920

www.eurooptic.com

 

[Tcorb734]

Your best bet is to go to a sporting goods store that stocks plenty of name brand scopes and look through them yourself. Your eyes will tell you what glass you like. Check out a leupold vx3hd, zeiss, swaro and trijicon all in the same settings. Each manufacturer makes crosshair options with hold points. Bass pro or cabelas usually has a good selection.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

The Swarovski BRH reticle is a simple mil based tree and you can get it in the Z3 3-10 that weighs 12.5oz. The glass is amazing and they’re rock solid. The wind brackets line up to about 10mph on a 7 mag.

 

[happyfast79]

It's not 1995 anymore. You can do so much better than a shitty Leupold or a scope with a mil-dot reticle...

Get a Zeiss V4. They actually have adjustable elevation turrets and locking windage turrets, so you won't have to holdover. And with a 7mm RemMag, you won't have too much drop at 600 yards, depending on your load, so you don't need a ton of elevation adjustment, just a moderate amount.

I run the 6-24x50 versions on most of my hunting rifles...One of which is a 7mm RemMag, as well. Excellent scopes for the money.

Zeiss Conquest V4 4-16x50mm ZMOAi-T30 Illum #64 Ext. Elev. Ext. Locking Wind. Riflescope 522945-9964-090

Zeiss Conquest V4 4-16x50mm ZMOAi-T30 Illum #64 Ext. Elev. Ext. Locking Wind. Riflescope 522945-9964-090 For Sale at EuroOptic.com! | Call (570) 368-3920

www.eurooptic.com

Zeiss Conquest V4 6-24x50mm ZMOAi-T20 Illum #65 Ext. Elev. Turret Ext. Locking Wind. Riflescope 522955-9965-090

Zeiss Conquest V4 6-24x50mm ZMOAi-T20 Illum #65 Ext. Elev. Turret Ext. Locking Wind. Riflescope 522955-9965-090 For Sale at EuroOptic.com! | Call (570) 368-3920

www.eurooptic.com

Thanks for the info. Only reason I was looking at those scopes was my main goal is to build the rifle as light weight as possible.

Those scopes you listed would be great, but they are 3/4 lb heavier than the ones I listed. I was hoping to keep the scope around 13 oz as I've already got alot of heavy rifles with decent reticle and good turrets.

Your best bet is to go to a sporting goods store that stocks plenty of name brand scopes and look through them yourself. Your eyes will tell you what glass you like. Check out a leupold vx3hd, zeiss, swaro and trijicon all in the same settings. Each manufacturer makes crosshair options with hold points. Bass pro or cabelas usually has a good selection.

Thanks for the info.
I don't really like bdc scopes so was really hoping to find something with a mil or moa reticle. And I'm wanting to keep it as light as possible so was hoping to get a general list of what scopesare in that 13.5 oz range, then head to the sporting goods store to check them out.

 

[happyfast79]

The Swarovski BRH reticle is a simple mil based tree and you can get it in the Z3 3-10 that weighs 12.5oz. The glass is amazing and they’re rock solid. The wind brackets line up to about 10.mph on a 7 mag.

Thats exactly the kind of info I'm looking for.
Thank you

 

[FuhQ]

Thanks for the info. Only reason I was looking at those scopes was my main goal is to build the rifle as light weight as possible.

Those scopes you listed would be great, but they are 3/4 lb heavier than the ones I listed. I was hoping to keep the scope around 13 oz as I've already got alot of heavy rifles with decent reticle and good turrets.

Thanks for the info.
I don't really like bdc scopes so was really hoping to find something with a mil or moa reticle. And I'm wanting to keep it as light as possible so was hoping to get a general list of what scopesare in that 13.5 oz range, then head to the sporting goods store to check them out.

Keep in mind, the lighter the scope, means the thinner, smaller, and lighter the internal components also are... And on a 7mm RemMag (or any magnum), especially a ridiculously lightweight one (sub-10 lbs.) the recoil will eventually (if not sooner, than later) break the damn thing. I have seen some ultralight scopes break in less than a box of ammo sighting it in on big magnums and ultralight rifles (personal experience).

I have an old 1993 Ruger M77 MKII all-weather ultralight 24" 7RM with the old synthetic "boat paddle" stocks that (before I did some recent mods to it), weighed around 8 lbs. scoped. I've had it for about 22 years now. And it has wrecked 2 scopes since I've had it. A few extra ounces in the optic are ALWAYS worth the additional rigidity and ruggedness, IMO.

Not saying that's going to happen to you, that's an extreme example, just something to always keep in mind when trying to hunt for the lightest this or that. Usually it's lighter weight for a reason, and that reason is almost always sacrificing strength and durability in the long-run.

 

[happyfast79]

Thats a good point. Ill keep it in mind.
Thank you

 

[happyfast79]

Keep in mind, the lighter the scope, means the thinner, smaller, and lighter the internal components also are... And on a 7mm RemMag (or any magnum), especially a ridiculously lightweight one (sub-10 lbs.) the recoil will eventually (if not sooner, than later) break the damn thing. I have seen some ultralight scopes break in less than a box of ammo sighting it in on big magnums and ultralight rifles (personal experience).

I have an old 1993 Ruger M77 MKII all-weather ultralight 24" 7RM with the old synthetic "boat paddle" stocks that (before I did some recent mods to it), weighed around 8 lbs. scoped. I've had it for about 22 years now. And it has wrecked 2 scopes since I've had it. A few extra ounces in the optic are ALWAYS worth the additional rigidity and ruggedness, IMO.

Not saying that's going to happen to you, that's an extreme example, just something to always keep in mind when trying to hunt for the lightest this or that. Usually it's lighter weight for a reason, and that reason is almost always sacrificing strength and durability in the long-run.

I typically hunt elk around 10,000 ft and am not a marathon runner type guy but like to do alot of walking, so figure if i can make my rifle good and light and reliable then that will help

I've got a 375 ruger guide gun with a tango6 2-12 on top and it's right at 10 lbs but don't think I would want that rifle any lighter as recoil is stout with 260 gr accubonds at 2950fps. But lugging it around the mountains is noticeable

Have a rem 700 sender's in 7 mag with a Gen 1 razor but it's still heavier than I prefer.


Have a tikka superlite in 6.5x55 swede with a midas tac and it's close to perfect. Just want a little more energy on target for elk,
So have a tikka superlite in 7 mag on the way and figure if I can make it as light as possible it would be a great elk rifle

 

[beetroot]

Lightweightest weight means Leupold VX3, Swaro Z3 or the Trijicon mentioned.

If you are willing to add more weight or certain features/specs, well that's a can of worms only you can open.

 

[clark33]

I have a couple NF NXS 2.5-10, really liking them. I’d go Trijicon over Leupold. The vx3 are notorious for wandering zero’s

 

[FuhQ]

The vx3 are notorious for wandering zero’s

Yup... Sent many of them back, back in the day for numerous issues, and not holding zero was one of the biggest. Weak spots in tubes and cracked internal lenses were the 2nd biggest reason. We had a couple of them crack right there on the bench using a proper torque wrench, while mounting a scope for a customer. Had to go grab another one off the shelf and send that one back to get it swapped-out. Granted, their CS was always on point, but still... The best customer service is one you don't ever have to use. I honestly cannot recall having ever sent a Zeiss back for a customer as a warranty claim. I've personally had about a dozen Zeiss scopes and never had a single problem or encountered any defects with any of mine. That's one big reason why I always recommend them for folks looking for lightweight hunting scopes with good glass and a quality build.

 

[Hickswr]

The Swarovski BRH reticle is a simple mil based tree and you can get it in the Z3 3-10 that weighs 12.5oz. The glass is amazing and they’re rock solid. The wind brackets line up to about 10mph on a 7 mag.

This is the way!

Eye relief on the accupoint gets short for a 7 mag IMO. Had one tap me on a light weight 308 in a hunting situation once .

 

[jbuck88]

I've played with the 1" tube swarovski a while ago and recall it being decent. That said my current favorite light hunting scope is the NXS 2.5-10x42. However it's about 20oz so probably too heavy for your application.

I think you are on the right path looking for a holdover reticle versus looking to dial in that weight range. The features to make dialing repeatable takes up weight.

I would like to try a Swarovski Z5i 2.4-12 with the BRH but it's a 30mm tube and still 17oz.

 

[rope]

March 3x24x42 weighs in @ 22oz. Built tough as nails, good turrets several decent reticles. Have them on 300wm, 338 wm and 300wsm. My first March has been in one snowmobile rollover and on 4wheeler end for end without losing zero.

Those Leicas look interesting also.

Good luck with your choice.