Who makes a compact long eye relief scope?

[woof]

This is for a project rifle. It is a Remington 760 in .35 Rem with barrel cut to 18 in and a carbon fiber stock and slide. The application is dense woods whitetail hunting and weight is important. I once saw an old Weaver shotgun scope, 2.5 power, about 8-9 inches long and 8 oz and very long eye relief. That would have been ideal. By the way, when I say long eye relief I don't mean I want to forward mount it like a scout scope, I just like the fast target acquisition of scopes like shotgun scopes with longer ER. I'm not physically able to do much banging around, don't hunt in the rain and have a back-up rifle. I might pay 200 but 300 I doubt.

 

[woof]

Is this a tough question or a bad question or what?

 

[taliv]

not a bad question at all. just a difficult combination of requirements

 

[Dirtpile]

Try here: http://www.swfa.com/

And here: http://www.opticsplanet.com/

Find something that fits your needs and ask about it if you're unsure about it.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

For that criteria, without considering price yet, I'd take a hard look at these 4, espec. this first one:

1. Nikon Omega, 1.65-5x36mm (claims to have 5" of eye relief, and looks like a great-looking scope) - http://www.swfa.com/pc-14457-1094-nikon-165-5x36-omega-muzzleloader-riflescope.aspx

or

2. Trijicon Accupoint, 1.24-4x24mm with 1" tube (4.8" of ER and I know from experience it's actually more than that; but do NOT get the 30mm tube version of this scope with has much less ER) - http://www.swfa.com/pc-4423-227-trijicon-125-4x24-accu-point-rifle-scope.aspx

or

3. Leupold VX-2, 1-4x20mm (4.3" of ER) - http://www.swfa.com/pc-3451-86-leupold-1-4x20-vx-ii-riflescope.aspx

or

4. Leupold VX-1, 1-4x20mm (4.3" of ER and $100 less than the VX-2) - http://www.swfa.com/pc-3638-89-leupold-1-4x20-vx-i-shotgun-muzzleloader-scope.aspx

or

5. Leupold Fixed Power 2.5x20mm (4.9" of ER) - http://www.swfa.com/pc-3607-94-leupold-25x20-fx-ii-ultralight-riflescope.aspx

#1, #4, & #5 are best for you, given your budget constraint - I'd go with #1, since I like the 3-9x40mm Omega so much. I have #2 and #4 and like them both very much.

P.S. I was gonna mention the Burris "Short Mags", but it appears they have gone the way of the dodo?

 

[Leadhead]

Weaver V3 is a pretty nice little scope.....made in Japan 1-3X with a true 1X and reasonably priced around $120.00 or so.....

 

[lipadj46]

The Nikon Omega looks decent, the glass looks to be the same as the Buckmaster line and claims to have a constant 5" of relief which is great.

http://www.swfa.com/pc-14456-1094-new-nikon-165-5x36-omega-muzzleloader-riflescope.aspx

Here is another good one:

http://www.swfa.com/pc-14270-2736-leupold-15-5x20-vx-3-riflescope.aspx

 

[woof]

I never paid any attention to B Square scopes but they have one, 8 inch and 8 ounce and 6 inch eye relief. But at $91 you gotta wonder.

PS I have a Burris short mag 4x on another rifle and it is great. I can't understand why they stopped making it, perfect for compact close range rifles.

 

[Jim Watson]

Interesting thought. I have always wondered what there was about the old Noske, which had about 6" eye relief and could be mounted with the ocular bell ahead of the bolt handle, that could not be done newer and better now.

 

[rbernie]

What specific eye relief are you looking for? I don't know that anyone can answer the question without more information....

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Hey Jim, my Trijicon Accupoint is mounted like that on a turnbolt .22, where the handle is completely behind the ocular bell. Also, BOTH scope rings are on the scope BEHIND the saddle (had to do this to get them on the dovetail). It looks funny, but with the great eye relief of this scope, it works fantastically.

It is truly hard to believe how much eye relief the Nikon Omega 3-9x40mm has. Like the Accupoint, it has much much more than even claimed - closer to 8" when on 3 power before getting ANY blackout around the edges - remarkable.

Sooooo, *IF* this new 1.65-5x36mm Omega is the same way (undersold marketing), then it's gonna be a REAL gem for all kinds of rifles, whether lightweight or not, including:

1. Muzzleloaders
2. Shotguns
3. Handgun-round carbines
4. EBR / Fighting Rifles
5. Big bores, like .45-70s
6. Hunting .22s
7. Even DG rifles
8. Rifle-round short leverguns

etc.

Can't wait to get my hands on one!

P.S. My Omega 3-9x40 is on a muzzleloader at present, but you could actually truly even use it as a IER (or "EER") scout rifle scope, provided you didn't want to go past 3 or 4 power - that's how much eye relief it has. That's why I cannot wait to see if this new 1.65-5x36 might actually work for my scout rifle, to replace an NC Star IER scope.

 

[ArmedBear]

Yes. By "long" do you mean 5", or do you mean a "scout scope", aka IER scope?

Leupold makes what you want in an IER scope:

That wouldn't work well if you just want an extra inch of eye relief, though.

 

[lipadj46]

From the OP's 1st post:

By the way, when I say long eye relief I don't mean I want to forward mount it like a scout scope, I just like the fast target acquisition of scopes like shotgun scopes with longer ER.

 

[ArmedBear]

Oh, well then.

I read it, but my brain must have buzzed over that part.

 

[Maverick223]

It looks like the Nikon Omega may be the best option (at least for your budget)...but there is one in 3-9x40 available for about $20 more with the same specs, if you want a bit more magnification.

 

[Legionnaire]

If you're in dense woods and the range is short, why not a Millett SP1 red dot or something similar? Very light weight, not very expensive, the red dot is great against dense foliage, and the eye relief is virtually unlimited. I have one on a turnbolt .22, and also have one on a Browning Buckmark. No problem with eye relief in either case.

 

[woof]

I may end up considering a scout scope even though that's not what I wanted. I'm pretty set on the length ( 8 or 9) and weight, also 8 or 9 oz. I want a compact scope that looks right on this now compact rifle, and weight matters. I'd like to keep the whole rig under 7 lb which is possible with the weight the barrel and stock saved. I'd also like fixed length rather than variable and 2.5 would be plenty.

The eye relief is tricky. I tried a Leupold 2-7 but found it not so fast with target acquisition. The old Weaver shotgun scope I tried was great in that aspect because the ER was so forgiving. If I can't find a scope I like I may try ghost ring.

I have thought about red dot too, but have no experience with them. I guess I wonder how, with a dot that covers so much at the 40 yds where my shots are typical, I can draw a fine enough "bead" for good shot placement. I also note that some red dots now have 2x magnification and I wonder how those are?

 

[ArmedBear]

The IER scope really worked when I tried it.

If the gun fits (something I insist on anyway, as a shotgunner), acquisition is like a rib and a bead, but with a crosshair and magnification.

If Ruger had made their Mark II with a 20" lightweight barrel and a scout mount, I'd have bought one.

Now they've discontinued the Frontier and replaced the Mark II with the awful Hawkeye. Oh well.

I don't really want to pay for a custom rifle...

 

[woof]

The compact rifle that I love is the CZ carbine, if only they would chamber it for something else like 6.8.

 

[Leadhead]

Woof,
My red dots are 2-3moa so at 40 yards they would cover around 1-1.5 inches....you can get red dot's with 1 moa dots but they are usually a bit more money.

Oh ya, in case you missed it,

Weaver V3.....

http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm?contentID=productDetail&prodID=SN849400