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Rifle Scopes Lightest good quality scope for hunting beyond 500 yards

91Eunozs

The Man (Retired)
Supporter
Full Member
Minuteman
  • Jun 9, 2013
    2,162
    9,561
    south central Texas
    OK, I did a seach and got some ideas, but most of those threads were outdated and frankly most scopes described were way more than 2# without mount/rings.

    Looking for the lightest scope you’d actually take into the field on a 2-3 day hunt to engage targets at 500 yards and maybe out to 1K yards. Would also like to use this scope to punch paper out past 1K yards at some point too, but that’s not a primary need.

    Quality glass is the highest priority, followed by low weight. Price is not a consideration for this round.

    Rifle: MDT HNT-26 chassis with 21” Proof cf barrel chambered in 300WSM. Defiance Anti-X Action (Rem 700 short action clone).

    Prefer illumination, and a simple clutter-free reticle…no Horus, etc.

    Would like to get up to 25x magnification, but could probably make 18x or 20x work.

    Larger bells appreciated for dusk/dawn hunting, but a tertiary concern behind better glass quality and lower weight.

    Love my S&B and Nightforce scopes, so that’s what I consider “good glass” … But they’re both heavy as hell. Have a couple Leupolds that I like too, and I’d consider that quality of glass perfectly acceptable if it means getting the total scope weight closer to the 1# mark.

    Thanks in advance for your recommendations and ideas.
     
    That Kahles 318 is exactly the reticle I was looking for… thanks! Not real excited that they’re close to 2# (Zeiss is over), but starting to realize the long range game isn’t very conducive to light weight gear.

    Guess I’ve been in the AR game with small red dots too long! LOL

    Anyone know of something in this range closer to 1# out there?
     
    • Like
    Reactions: FuhQ
    I’ll second the Vortex LHT. The new 4.5-22 is badass. 21.7 oz. if you can do second focal plane, its little brother the 3-15 is 19 oz.

    The Leupold VX6hd 2-12 is 16 oz and change, and has no parallax adjustment. I dont think theres anything in the 16 oz range that will fit your requirements. I could be wrong.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: gnochi
    Damn…. Under 22 oz for the 4.5-22. Promising


    Never owned a vortex. How do they hold up?
    This is the Razor line, which is well regarded. The lower scopes have a mixed reputation.


    This is 7 lb 14oz without the suppressor. Very happy with the HNT and the scope.
    96467451-FB77-4CCA-BF95-5F3E205B5B5E.jpeg
     
    Only have a season on the FFP so far. No issues yet.
     
    If you can do without locking elevation, March is what you are looking for.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: 91Eunozs
    not sure of how good it is for hunting but for targets the arken is pretty sweet and at it's price point the 6x24 is dam nice .
     
    anybody run a series of drop test/ side impacts with the razor LHT?



    what's that reticle look like at 4.5 power compared to the LRHS?
     
    Check these guys out too. I have a RS.4 on my 300PRC. It’s build like a tank. And weighs about the same. The RS.5 is 25oz with a lot of great features. They have 20% off their bundle as well until the end of December.
     
    This is what I chose for my hunting rifle. Total rifle weight with scope comes in at just over 9lbs I think.

     
    • Like
    Reactions: Pronghunter
    If you want top titty glass the TT315M is it. Very light at around 28oz or so, great turrets, and glass is superb. 15x is plenty for steel out to 1,000 but if you wanted to go up in power and sacrifice a bit on the weight I would go ZCO 420.

    I use to hump my ZCO 420 around (before that the Kahles 318i) and they’re just too heavy for me. The TT315M was one of the best purchases I made. Plus I really like the Gen 2 Mil-Dot reticle.
     
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    Another vote for the Vortex LHT 4.5 x 22 . I just put one on my hunting rifle . Took some shots the other morning in non legal hunting light with the illuminated reticle and was very impressed…..
     
    • Like
    Reactions: casualfornow
    Tangent Theta TT315M Gen 2XR
    ZCO 420 MPCT1
    Kahles K318i SKMR
    S&B PMII 5-20US H2CMR
    S&B PMII 3-20US H2CMR

    I would add a bit of weight for the quality these provide any day.
     
    Last edited:
    • Like
    Reactions: CSTactical
    What are you hunting at beyond 500 yds?

    And I also recommend the Vortex LHT lineup in SFP and FFP. For SFP the Leupold VX-6HD are good too.
     
    For hunting I find a simple duplex in SFP perfect. You're not going to get a second shot at an animal in the exact same location twice, and you will range with a rangefinder not a reticle. You don't need to measure misses. If your hunting at 500 yards a crack shot isnt very likely to happen so you don't need a holdover. If you want one is a different story.

    Lighterweight SFP scopes are way easier to find than a lighterweight FFP in that mag range.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: 91Eunozs
    Tangent Theta TT315M Gen 2XR
    ZCO 420 MPCT1
    Kahles K318i SKMR
    S&B PMII 5-20US H2CMR
    S&B PMII 3-20US H2CMR

    I would add a bit of weight for the quality these provide any day.
    I've never shot a TT or ZCO, but I'm not a S&B fan. I own a Kahles. I strongly 2nd the Kahles K318i or K525i.