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Lightweight FFP Mil scope that tracks reliably

chungus

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Minuteman
Jan 8, 2022
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26
Texas
I am looking for a lightweight scope preferably under 20 ounces that is FFP, Mil, tracks well, and has a graduated reticle. Power is not super critical but ideally would like at least 15x on the upper end. This is going on a long range hunting rifle. I love my ATACRs but I don’t want to pack around a 30 ounce scope. Any recommendations? No particular budget in mind but I am looking for something high quality that I can count on.
 
Gotta be more specific on intended usage.
I want this also, but for my wants it doesn't exist so I deal with the extra 6 or 8 ounces that do.
It is going on a hunting rifle. Possibly a 6.5 PRC. I walk around a lot with the rifle and want it is as light as possible. Shots will be as close as 100 yards and as far as 600 yards. No use for the rifle other than hunting.
 
Under 20oz? o_O
If possible or if not close to it. I am not in the greatest shape or young anymore and every ounce seems to matter when walking several miles.

I like dialing for elevation on longer shots and then using the reticle for wind holds.

The March F 3-24x42 weighs in at 22.58 ounces. Not under but it is close. Their 1-10x24 LPVO weighs 19 ounces and checks all the boxes except only being 10x on the high end.
I just wondered if there was something else out there on the market that I was missing.
 
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Spend more time working out.
Weights and cardio.
Eat better
If 6-8 oz of scope are the difference, you are doing it wrong.


And yes, I spend long miles in the CO mtns and weigh everything.
I also run 3-4 days a week, hike with a 30+ lb pack a lot, and lift 3 days a week.

I still run the Bushnell lrhs 3-12 for my mtn rifle.
Works perfect for me every darn time.
 
It is going on a hunting rifle. Possibly a 6.5 PRC. I walk around a lot with the rifle and want it is as light as possible. Shots will be as close as 100 yards and as far as 600 yards. No use for the rifle other than hunting.
I would not need a ffp scope for those distances.
I'd go Leupold vxV 3x15x44 with mil adjustments. Eveytime I mention that scope I get flamed, but there is a reason it has a cult like following in the world of ultralight mountain rifles.
 
Spend more time working out.
Weights and cardio.
Eat better
If 6-8 oz of scope are the difference, you are doing it wrong.


And yes, I spend long miles in the CO mtns and weigh everything.
I also run 3-4 days a week, hike with a 30+ lb pack a lot, and lift 3 days a week.

I still run the Bushnell lrhs 3-12 for my mtn rifle.
Works perfect for me every darn time.
You are not wrong. My situation is complicated. I have severe asthma and any time I over exert myself I wind up in the hospital. I also have an autoimmune disease which attacks my joints. Some days me knees and back hurt so bad I can’t get out of bed. That being said I am not obese. I am 5’10” and weigh 170. I do what I can but I am limited. You are right 6-8 ounces are not a deal breaker I am just looking at every component to make a rifle as light as possible so I can continue to enjoy what I love. If I over work my arms the autoimmune shit starts going after my elbows. It sucks. I am sure there are tons of people that have situations way worse then mine I am not trying to bitch about it I just want a setup that allows me to do as much as possible. Carrying around a heavy rifle fucks me up.
 
You are not wrong. My situation is complicated. I have severe asthma and any time I over exert myself I wind up in the hospital. I also have an autoimmune disease which attacks my joints. Some days me knees and back hurt so bad I can’t get out of bed. That being said I am not obese. I am 5’10” and weigh 170. I do what I can but I am limited. You are right 6-8 ounces are not a deal breaker I am just looking at every component to make a rifle as light as possible so I can continue to enjoy what I love. If I over work my arms the autoimmune shit starts going after my elbows. It sucks. I am sure there are tons of people that have situations way worse then mine I am not trying to bitch about it I just want a setup that allows me to do as much as possible. Carrying around a heavy rifle fucks me up.
Hey brother you get out and enjoy as much as you can. The scope I recommended is 21 oz and should cover all your needs

I too have gone to lighter gear because of injuries in my case. The LT Razor is a really good light optic. Far better than any Sniper type scope I used in 1980-1990’s when I used for real. lol. I run one on my hunting rifle and my SPR these days.
 
The only one I can think of is one of the SFP Trijicon Credos @ 17oz. They might have an FFP around that weight too.

SWFA has some options that also comes around that weight.
 
I am looking for a lightweight scope preferably under 20 ounces that is FFP, Mil, tracks well, and has a graduated reticle. Power is not super critical but ideally would like at least 15x on the upper end. This is going on a long range hunting rifle. I love my ATACRs but I don’t want to pack around a 30 ounce scope. Any recommendations? No particular budget in mind but I am looking for something high quality that I can count on.
Using just the ret is much faster and most of the time more accurate than dialing. Once you do it a few times you'll never dial again, although with a mil scope you have to be able to break the ret down with your eye to a finer degree than a moa. Some folks take longer to break either ret down when unstable, than dialing though.
 
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Thinking about it the PST G1 2.5-10x32 is under 20oz.
Also not readily available and a spotty history on reliability.

I've had one for a few years now and really like it, not had any reliability issues and glass is surprisingly good.
 
The SWFA 3-9 mil-quad is the closest thing I have to what you describe.

The NF NXS 2.5-10x42 is SFP but is a great lightweight hunting scope. SFP is not a big deal in a 10 power scope IMO. It has adjustable parallax and is illuminated.
 
You are not wrong. My situation is complicated. I have severe asthma and any time I over exert myself I wind up in the hospital. I also have an autoimmune disease which attacks my joints. Some days me knees and back hurt so bad I can’t get out of bed. That being said I am not obese. I am 5’10” and weigh 170. I do what I can but I am limited. You are right 6-8 ounces are not a deal breaker I am just looking at every component to make a rifle as light as possible so I can continue to enjoy what I love. If I over work my arms the autoimmune shit starts going after my elbows. It sucks. I am sure there are tons of people that have situations way worse then mine I am not trying to bitch about it I just want a setup that allows me to do as much as possible. Carrying around a heavy rifle fucks me up.

Well, thats a very different story than simply chasing ozs.
Sucks and sorry your body gives you such hard times.
And glad you can still get out and do stuff.

I have asthma too, but with Advair, I can quite stay active.

I would pay attention to Mike Miller and abn31c.
My first trued up and very accurate rifle was bought used from Mike. Wish I had never sold it. His reputation precedes him.
Abn31c is a friend of mine and an impressive shooter and hunter. His advice over the years has proven true for me.

So much Im lookin at the vx5 for my hunter to free up my lrhs.
 
Well, thats a very different story than simply chasing ozs.
Sucks and sorry your body gives you such hard times.
And glad you can still get out and do stuff.

I have asthma too, but with Advair, I can quite stay active.

I would pay attention to Mike Miller and abn31c.
My first trued up and very accurate rifle was bought used from Mike. Wish I had never sold it. His reputation precedes him.
Abn31c is a friend of mine and an impressive shooter and hunter. His advice over the years has proven true for me.

So much Im lookin at the vx5 for my hunter to free up my lrhs.
Thank you for kind words. Those smaller Bushnell Tactical elites are a good choice also but they don’t make them anymore. I like the MK5 Leupold but keep hearing of failures, allthough all the ones I have seen of student work great. The SWFA 3-9 is a good scope also but I believe the Razor LT is way better
 
I’ve had great luck with multiple razor LHT 4.5-22x. All tracked true and great glass. Controls are smooth but not tactile. Won’t matter much if it’s a hunting gun where you’re not constantly turning knobs.

The new Leupold mark4hd will be worth a look too. They are supposed to be shipping most models by the end of the month
 
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Thank you for kind words. Those smaller Bushnell Tactical elites are a good choice also but they don’t make them anymore. I like the MK5 Leupold but keep hearing of failures, allthough all the ones I have seen of student work great. The SWFA 3-9 is a good scope also but I believe the Razor LT is way better
Mike, I've seen a mkV 3x15x44 that tumbled down a mountain side over in sumfukistan on a pretty expensive Marco hunt. Turret all bent etc...still tracked. They are pretty durable, but anything can fail.
.02
 
You are not wrong. My situation is complicated. I have severe asthma and any time I over exert myself I wind up in the hospital. I also have an autoimmune disease which attacks my joints. Some days me knees and back hurt so bad I can’t get out of bed. That being said I am not obese. I am 5’10” and weigh 170. I do what I can but I am limited. You are right 6-8 ounces are not a deal breaker I am just looking at every component to make a rifle as light as possible so I can continue to enjoy what I love. If I over work my arms the autoimmune shit starts going after my elbows. It sucks. I am sure there are tons of people that have situations way worse then mine I am not trying to bitch about it I just want a setup that allows me to do as much as possible. Carrying around a heavy rifle fucks me up.
Fibromyalgia?
I have this, pure PITA.
 
Spend more time working out.
Weights and cardio.
Eat better
If 6-8 oz of scope are the difference, you are doing it wrong.


And yes, I spend long miles in the CO mtns and weigh everything.
I also run 3-4 days a week, hike with a 30+ lb pack a lot, and lift 3 days a week.

I still run the Bushnell lrhs 3-12 for my mtn rifle.
Works perfect for me every darn time.
God I hate this ridiculous and overused response. There are people out there bigger than you, faster than you that can carry much heavier weight than you that still want a lighter scope.
 
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Went through a similar quest last year and had to make some decisions on what I was willing to give up to get a lighter scope to go on my lightweight backpack folder; wound up with a non-illuminated Swarovski 2FP with a 1” tube.

IMG_5769.jpeg


So you may need to prioritize your wants vs. needs…for me lightness was > FFP

Man, I’d love to find a quality FFP scope (and not made in China) with at least 18x magnification under 20 ounces
 
I too have the Razor 4.5-22, it's serving it purpose, in a similar role, until that unicorn comes along. My only real complaints are that it's not alpha glass, the turrets are a bit mushy and I wish they were at least 10mils in revs.
 
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Well, thats a very different story than simply chasing ozs.
Sucks and sorry your body gives you such hard times.
And glad you can still get out and do stuff.

I have asthma too, but with Advair, I can quite stay active.

I would pay attention to Mike Miller and abn31c.
My first trued up and very accurate rifle was bought used from Mike. Wish I had never sold it. His reputation precedes him.
Abn31c is a friend of mine and an impressive shooter and hunter. His advice over the years has proven true for me.

So much Im lookin at the vx5 for my hunter to free up my lrhs.
Thanks. My asthma is strange. When I was a child I went to the ER 3-4 times a year due to it. I went through an inhaler a week and had a nebulizer machine at home. When I was really young I spent two weeks in an oxygen tent. As I have got older it has got much better but if I try to run or something I will get a crazy attack. I am not incapable of things because of the asthma I can walk several miles no problem but if I push myself and get my heart rate up doing something strenuous an attack hits.

Really my biggest problem is the ankylosing spondylitis. On a good day I feel fine and can do anything and sometimes go hiking several miles. On a bad day I can’t even hardly move. I don’t understand it and neither do my doctors. There is no rhyme or reason as to when it is good or bad. A couple of years ago a coworker got lost at work and I hiked about 6 miles in very mountainous terrain looking for him and just a few months later I was so stiff and in so much pain I couldn’t tie my own shoes.
 
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Thanks. My asthma is strange. When I was a child I went to the ER 3-4 times a year due to it. I went through an inhaler a week and had a nebulizer machine at home. When I was really young I spent two weeks in an oxygen tent. As I have got older it has got much better but if I try to run or something I will get a crazy attack. I am not incapable of things because of the asthma I can walk several miles no problem but if I push myself and get my heart rate up doing something strenuous an attack hits.

Really my biggest problem is the ankylosing spondylitis. On a good day I feel fine and can do anything and sometimes go hiking several miles. On a bad day I can’t even hardly move. I don’t understand it and neither do my doctors. There is no rhyme or reason as to when it is good or bad. A couple of years ago a coworker got lost at work and I hiked about 6 miles in very mountainous terrain looking for him and just a few months later I was so stiff and in so much pain I couldn’t tie my own shoes.

Our youth with asthma sounds similar.

Mine just got better as I got older.

Not sure if you have, and see about seeing a naturopath or chinese medicine person.
Several folks I know have found better living through some different medicine vs normal western medicine. No medicine actually.
Eliminating aggravating things from diet, the right supplements, etc.

I pay the bills with western medicine and will be the first to say exploring alternatives is a very good idea.
For a lot of issues vs another pill or no good answer from a doc.
 
I am looking for a lightweight scope preferably under 20 ounces that is FFP, Mil, tracks well, and has a graduated reticle. Power is not super critical but ideally would like at least 15x on the upper end. This is going on a long range hunting rifle. I love my ATACRs but I don’t want to pack around a 30 ounce scope. Any recommendations? No particular budget in mind but I am looking for something high quality that I can count on.
Are you looking for the lightest weight all up as possible? I spent the last year chasing that, trying to prove the ultra light rifle concept. I ended up with a 5lb 10oz all up rifle, it was a joy to hike with but super hard to drive. It exploits every compromise in fundamentals. I’ve now had a rifle built that is in the 9lb realm and find it to be the perfect compromise in precision/accuracy and great to pack. The optic I chose for the ultra light was the triji accupoint 3-9 with mildot, using holdovers only, 13.4oz, it worked for that.

I’m now in a similar boat and looking for a new crossover. Seriously considering the nx8 2.5-20, maybe the razor lht 4.5-22, the triji offerings are also attractive. Anything in the 25 oz range works for my purposes. The lightest option I would consider but doesn’t check all of your boxes is the nxs 2.5-10 at 20oz.
 
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Went through a similar quest last year and had to make some decisions on what I was willing to give up to get a lighter scope to go on my lightweight backpack folder; wound up with a non-illuminated Swarovski 2FP with a 1” tube.

View attachment 8328362

So you may need to prioritize your wants vs. needs…for me lightness was > FFP

Man, I’d love to find a quality FFP scope (and not made in China) with at least 18x magnification under 20 ounces

This.

The BRH reticle will take most decent chamberings to 700 yards or better and is a very simple mil tree with wind brackets.