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Hunting & Fishing 5 pound scopes on 6 pound rifles?

Slab74

Bullets, BBQ, and Bourbon Connoisseur
Full Member
Minuteman
Dec 23, 2019
497
696
Now I live in the back woods of Northern California, but there seems to be a trend at my local range. As guys gear up for deer hunting season, which starts as early as mid August in some zones, I’m seeing a lot of light weight hunting rifles with huge tactical scopes on them. All black tail hunting in my area is stalking, so no one really uses tree stands or blinds. Is this just my area or is it a new fad? I used to see maybe one or two a year at my range and during my last trip over half the hunting rigs had massive pieces of glass in them.
 
Sounds like your neighbors are getting longer shots than you are, or they are idiots.
 
Here I am with a gen 2 PST 3-15 for deer hunting in the Wyoming hills thinking this scope is huge. Can’t imagine trying to use a 4.5-27 razor on top of my hunting rifle.
 
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@ 8.75 pounds loaded it is a lot lighter than the AI I used to pack for miles and it works just fine from 8 to 800 yards

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Now I live in the back woods of Northern California, but there seems to be a trend at my local range. As guys gear up for deer hunting season, which starts as early as mid August in some zones, I’m seeing a lot of light weight hunting rifles with huge tactical scopes on them. All black tail hunting in my area is stalking, so no one really uses tree stands or blinds. Is this just my area or is it a new fad? I used to see maybe one or two a year at my range and during my last trip over half the hunting rigs had massive pieces of glass in them.
I'd like to know what scopes you're seeing that weigh anywhere close to 5 lbs??
 
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I've noticed quite a few guys on the interwebs and YouTube showcasing sleek hunting rifles with heavy tactical scopes. I think that is is becoming much more of a trend these days........... Just like the dudes who sit five feet behind their kills...Alright jethro, we know you didn't shoot a 500lb whitetail.

But these guys have to pack their own gear around. When they do it more than a couple of times they'll figure it out.
 
And I dont understand deer hunting w a suppressor either. I dont want my hunting rifles to be 7” longer either
 
Wow, bunch of bashing going on here....

I hunted Dall sheep in Yukon a couple years ago. The couple hunters before me wasted $25k each and ruined their hunts and my hunt by missing 8 sheep because they showed up with their Walmart scopes and rings. Neither could hit an animal at 100 yards. I’ve humped my hunting rifle with a 30 oz “tactical scope“ over dozens of mountains and hills in a handful of countries and don’t have to worry about a bump knocking it off. I‘ll take a pound off my belly and add it to my scope.

As for the suppressor, I don’t enjoy saying “huh?”...
 
And I dont understand deer hunting w a suppressor either. I dont want my hunting rifles to be 7” longer either

I don't like 30"+ long barrel/suppressor combos for hunting either.

That's why I just cut the barrel shorter.

With free bore boost from a suppressor you don't lose much muzzle velocity despite the shorter barrel and you get to keep your hearing. Makes sense to me 🤷‍♂️
 
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This is about as light as I’m willing to go. 7 lb rifle with a 2 lb optic and 11 oz can. All together it’s just a bit over 10 lbs, and I’ll skip out on the bipod to save some weight when rucking it. I’ll sacrifice a couple lbs for its abilities.
 

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To each their own but my tactical scoped sleek rifles didn't hinder my woods skills when I filled my over the counter tags last year.
300 yard 6x7 with the 3-18 MK5
700 yard bull with my 5-25 MK5
And I wasn't hangin 5 feet back..
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I was not making a judgment on my fellow hunters. Many may be going out of state to shoot 500+. I’m guessing that the light fluted barrels were not being used to bag steel all day. It was just a new thing in my area and wondered if this was a local thing or a wide spread theme. I could personally care less if you want to pack around a boat anchor to shoot deer. It just looks weird to see a scope on a sleek hunting rig that makes the rifle look like a toy.
 
I think it’s great. Bridging the gap between “Fudd” and “Tacticool”. I’ve come a long in my education of firearms, I started out hunting with a Rem 700 ADL .243 and a Bushnell scope. I wasn’t born into a hunting/shooting family so everything has been an educational journey for both hunting and firearms. A lot of these guys I suspect are just cutting their teeth and learning the role a proper scope can play in engaging longer range targets.
 
I would have to have one to try it. I think the 3-15 with its 44mm objective makes it just small enough to pack around without giving up too much

the 4.5-27 is severely lacking in low light performance IMO. They’re great optics for match rifles and target guns, but in their price range there are so many more viable options. Between it’s low light performance, weight, and size it’s non starter for me.
 
I was not making a judgment on my fellow hunters. Many may be going out of state to shoot 500+. I’m guessing that the light fluted barrels were not being used to bag steel all day. It was just a new thing in my area and wondered if this was a local thing or a wide spread theme. I could personally care less if you want to pack around a boat anchor to shoot deer. It just looks weird to see a scope on a sleek hunting rig that makes the rifle look like a toy.
I bet those scopes are mounted on their new 6.5 Kardashians.
 
Nice pictures Westernhntr !!

I don't have the experience that many do here, but I'm also using heavier more durable / repeatable scopes than I did hunting 10 years ago. I got really spoiled using match scopes that held zero with repeatable tracking, and I was frustrated that not all of my older hunting scopes did that.

In my case I now generally use a featherweight with SWFA 3-9 or Bushnell LRHS 3-12.

I have used an older USO 3.2-17 x 44 or Nightforce NXS in the past, though might not be optimal for a back country backpack hunt where you would be counting ounces.
 
My go to rig for deer and sometimes hogs is not exactly a 6lb rifle or a 5lb scope. It is heavy for some folks, and I wouldn’t dare hunt without the suppressor. I make up for the added weight with lighter footwear.

View attachment 7393142

Hog hunting in your Jesus sandals! I like it. The weight you gain with a suppressor is also offset but the foam earplugs you no longer have to carry.
 
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And I dont understand deer hunting w a suppressor either. I dont want my hunting rifles to be 7” longer either
Really? Why do you use a suppressor on the range?
 
All joking aside, it’s just a matter of preference and priority. Of the guys that do hunt with suppressors, a large percentage on this forum use an Ultra 7 to keep weight down. I’m likely in the minority that likes some extra weight on the end, so I hunt deer with a Sandman L. When I burn through the barrel on my rifle pictured above, it’ll be replaced by one a little heavier. The price I pay in weight for a scope w/a 34mm tube + suppressor on the barrel is worth the ability to spot my hits and see what direction an animal goes into the sticks. It’s fairly flat and the brush is thick here. I have 500 yard long clearings, and and I like to see and shoot to the end of them. If I hunted open plains or mountains maybe my priorities would change a little.
 
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