The right scope for a horse pack LR rifle

[Methow Packer]

Opinions needed for a scope that is not too tall, long or heavy. The rifle is a 270WSM with a 26"Brux #3 barrel. I carry scabbard rifles often and a lot of the time riding in hard hilly country. The rifle needs to be as light as reasonable for LR shooting. The scope needs to be smaller and lighter as well. 3x18x44 or 50mm with shorter MOA turrets are what I'm looking for. Larger bulky scopes don't work. My thoughts are Leupold VX6 HD or Huskemaw 5x20. Which would you choose or not and why. Both are smaller and lighter than a lot of others. Please what are some opinions. I realize it's hard to beat Nightforse but they're really large for this type of gun. Scopes smaller than 18 power to me would not be enough power.

 

[Deleted member 25294]

Opinions needed for a scope that is not too tall, long or heavy. The rifle is a 270WSM with a 26"Brux #3 barrel. I carry scabbard rifles often and a lot of the time riding in hard hilly country. The rifle needs to be as light as reasonable for LR shooting. The scope needs to be smaller and lighter as well. 3x18x44 or 50mm with shorter MOA turrets are what I'm looking for. Larger bulky scopes don't work. My thoughts are Leupold VX6 HD or Huskemaw 5x20. Which would you choose or not and why. Both are smaller and lighter than a lot of others. Please what are some opinions. I realize it's hard to beat Nightforse but they're really large for this type of gun. Scopes smaller than 18 power to me would not be enough power.

Vx6 for sure
I have one in 3-18x50 and it's the best scope by far that I've ever used.
I was at my parents place in Chelan for thanksgiving and took my 28 nosler out to 1330 yards with that scope.
Are you up the Methow Valley?

 

[karm]

swaro Z5

 

[trueblue]

Tagging in on this

 

[flowhnun63]

Try the 8-32X56 NF scope, very light and nice even my wife use it for horse back hunting

 

[Methow Packer]

Vx6 for sure
I have one in 3-18x50 and it's the best scope by far that I've ever used.
I was at my parents place in Chelan for thanksgiving and took my 28 nosler out to 1330 yards with that scope.
Are you up the Methow Valley?

VX6 makes a good sense. Rifles carried on a horse can be hard on them as well. I take people in the Sawtooth and the Passayten wilderness and the foothills of the Methow Valley. Very steep and rugged country. Packing all the gear a guy tends to pack can weigh heavy on horses as well as back packers. A hunting rifle needs to be heavy enough to absorb recoil and the barrel stiff enough to be accurate but once you add a large optic and get it into a scabbard it can be a lot to pack.

 

[jrsolocam]

I had a custom leather builder try to build a scabbard for a Mark V with a NF 5.5x22 and he couldnt work around the turrets. Just a thought....

 

[Methow Packer]

I had a custom leather builder try to build a scabbard for a Mark V with a NF 5.5x22 and he couldnt work around the turrets. Just a thought....

Funny you should say that. I'm a leather craftsman for horse tack, riding gear, holsters, scabbards etc. Lindsey's Leather. It is hard to make it work properly out of leather with larger higher turret scopes and larger objectives. Especially if you want to pull it in a hurry. I'll go with the lower profile VX6 HD. I built one for a guy with that scope and it maintained a more smooth and narrow profile

 

[jrsolocam]

He is my father in law and I didnt want to push it.....

 

[Plinker147]

To fit in scabbard horseback you definitely want a low profile turret and no larger than a 44mm bell. Any larger you will really have to cram in or get a scabbard made to fit. They can also get uncomfortable. I've carried all kinds of rifles a ton of miles horse back, I have a pretty good experience on this subject

I use a VX 3I with a 40mm bell on my horse back gun. I think a VX 3I, VX 5 and VX 6 are be perfect for horseback and carry. But I'm a luepy fan so........

 

[jrsolocam]

Plinker...I wish i had known that a couple years ago....but I know it now, thanks.

 

[Antonio m]

I don't hunt unless I am horseback. I carry a lightweight , streamline rifle for the job. If I had to carry a long range rig I would put it on a pack horse.

 

[jrsolocam]

Thats good stuff to know...

 

[WildRose]

Opinions needed for a scope that is not too tall, long or heavy. The rifle is a 270WSM with a 26"Brux #3 barrel. I carry scabbard rifles often and a lot of the time riding in hard hilly country. The rifle needs to be as light as reasonable for LR shooting. The scope needs to be smaller and lighter as well. 3x18x44 or 50mm with shorter MOA turrets are what I'm looking for. Larger bulky scopes don't work. My thoughts are Leupold VX6 HD or Huskemaw 5x20. Which would you choose or not and why. Both are smaller and lighter than a lot of others. Please what are some opinions. I realize it's hard to beat Nightforse but they're really large for this type of gun. Scopes smaller than 18 power to me would not be enough power.

I'm up to five VX-6's. My rifles get a lot of abuse bouncing around the the truck and riding on hard recoiling magnums such as the 7mm STW, 300wm, 300 RUM, and .375 Ruger.

I also have quite a few Lupold tacticals and MK4's on similar rifles and they have all held up very well.

My two VX-7's ride on an STW and .300 Rum that weighs only 7lbs.

I plan to slowly replace all of my zeiss, VX3's, VX-L's, and MKIV's over the next few years with VX-6's.

I have never had to return any of them for any reason or send one back to Leupold because of warranty or breakage issues, even those that bounce around a lot on my four wheeler or a horse.