Alright, I'm gonna wager this topic hasn't
quite been beat to death yet, and I'm still on the fence so please chime in on my predicament.
I have new (to me) Rem 700 in 7mag that was given to me by my FIL, super excited for it but it's a pig. My current hunting rifle - a wood-stocked Browning X-bolt .270 with a Vortex Diamondback is 8.5lb with 9 rounds in the stock sleeve, while this Rem 700 is 9.5lb empty with an older Leupold 2-7x32. I want a bigger objective and a bit more zoom but would also like to trim (or at least not gain) weight.
With my Diamondback 4-12x40, I pretty much keep it at 5 and don't touch it. It felt like plenty of zoom for the 350yd shot on my muley this year, which was a touch back and hit the liver, and still felt like close to enough zoom at 475 for the finishing shot. However, the Diamondback is effectively useless at its top magnification, so maybe that's why I don't use it.
Here are my options, any scope will be in Talley Lightweights:
- VX-3HD 3.5-10X40 CDS-ZL ILLUM. FIREDOT TWILIGHT HUNTER (180627)
- 5 oz lighter is a bonus, I've never noticed glass quality hindering me hunting (do notice it on small targets), do I need 15x zoom?
- VX-5HD 3-15X44 CDS-ZL2 SIDE FOCUS ILLUM. FIREDOT DUPLEX (172368)
- 5 oz heavier is kind of a drag. I like the 3x bottom end for hunting tight timber. Do I just go all in and get a McMillan Edge to offset the extra weight? I'm not opposed...
Either option will be purchased through
@schmalts . Maybe if I'm lucky only 1 option is in stock and decides for me? Thanks for your input!