Winchester Featherweight - is this scope too big?

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fnslpmark112

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I am looking at a Winchester Featherweight Deluxe in 30-06. I already have a Leupold 3.5-10x40 VXIII scope. For general purpose hunting, do you think this scope will be too big for the gun? Is the size of the scope overkill?
 
Personally, that's more scope than I want on a deer rifle and it is a little out of place to put a large scope on a Featherweight.
 
;)

Personally, I think that's just about right. The classic optic is a 3-9x40, so I don't think that's out of place at all.

As long as it has low turrets (not tall target turrets) and a hunting appropriate reticle, I say leave well enough alone.

One other factor is where you hunt. Is it open country or very brushy? IMHO, in an open country situation, I prefer a flatter cartridge and a bit more scope to reach out farther....of course it depends on your capabilities too.

EDIT: For reference, I have a 260 Rem sporter mounted with a Leupold 4.5-14 VX-III with the B&C reticle. Of course, most of my hunting was in very open country.
 
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I have the VX-3 2.5-8x36 on my 30-06, which is a M70 Extreme Weather SS. With the long action and compact scope, your mounting options are a bit limited as the scope tube is short. The VX-3 2.5-8x36 is 11.4" long and weighs 11.4oz. The VX-3 or VX-III in 3.5-10x40, while a bit more magnification than some would want, is not a huge scope. Its 12.6" long and weighs 12.6oz. For comparision, a Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40 is 12.99" and 15.17oz. I think it would probably work fine and would probably be preferable if you need to mount it forward or back in the rings for proper fit for your eye.
 
I too have a 2.5-8 Leupold on my M70 Super Grade, but the 3.5-10 is a great scope. Given that you are getting a long-action rifle, if you go with the 2.5-8, you will need an extended base. I would go with the 3.5-10, and actually wish that I had done so.

Geno
 
There are those who prefer high magnification capability of their optics, and there are those that prefer low magnification, there are those who will want the 'biggest' objective they can get by with atop their stick, yet others wont go above a 40mm objective, some folks will even prefer smaller objective diameters.

Also, the 'larger' diameter optics stand off the receiver more, that is, the overall mounted height of the scope will be higher than if you chose a smaller diameter objective unit, the higher the scope is mounted above the receiver, the closer you get to having to install an a elevated cheek piece of some kind on your buttstock.

The question is... what do you want, or what do you expect to accomplish with 'your' optic?

Others will chose optics based on overall length and or the weight of the scope.

Then you have the 'features' offerd on the various optics....

Based on your question, and not knowing exactly 'what' your perimeters are, I would say that the Leupold VXIII 3.5-10X40 is the perfect optic for your application.

It is not 'too' large at the objective end but will offer adequate low light usability, and the magnification range is low enough at the lower end, and high enough at the upper end of the scale to allow you plenty of latitude for both close in shots and the longer shots you may take, also 10 power is good enough to allow for 'antler inspection' at range, well, at moderate range anyway.

As for the weight of the unit you inquire, it is not an excessively heavy scope, matter of fact, it is in the lighter weight neighborhood of scopes.

I think you have made an excellent choice, remember, don't skimp on the bases and rings, a good scope setting in 'cheaply made' mounts is a heartache waiting to happen. lol
 
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I have the old stand by VXII 3X9X40 on my 30-06. It's plenty of optic for about any kind of hunting your ever going to do with the 06.

The VXIII 3.5X10X40 is a good optic. It's IMO a tad big for a LW hunting rig but it will do a good job for you.
Will
 
I have a 6.5x55mm Swede chambered M-70 Featherweight that needed a scope for some load development.
The only scope i had available was a 4.5x14 with and adjustable AO. While it did work just fine for load development, it certainly ruined the slim and balanced lines of the rifle. A nice slim 2x7 would be just fine.

If it looks like a rocket launcher on top of your rifle, it is too much scope.
 
Leupold Scopes

The 3.5 x 10 - 40 objective diameter = 1.8"

The 2.5 x 8 - 36 objective diameter = 1.7"

so the difference is .1 " ... 1/10 of an inch.

The 3 x 9 -40 VII = 1.8"

Jimmy K
 
40mm is fine. When I saw the thread title, I just knew you were asking about a 50mm. 50mm is a little much.
 
Where do you hunt? What are you hunting? (I'm assuming whitetail, but there is a big difference between eastern whitetail and texas giants) Stand or Stalk? What are the rules in your state regarding hunting at dawn or dusk?

All of these play more of a factor in scope choice than caliber, magnification, or objective size.

40mm is fine. When I saw the thread title, I just knew you were asking about a 50mm. 50mm is a little much.
Click to expand...

4/10ths of an inch is too much? I would gladly take a 10mm larger objective with improved light gathering if it was available in an appropriate magnification range.
 
The 3.5-10X40 may only have a .1" larger front objective, but it is more than an inch longer and nearly 2 oz heavier than the 2.5-8X. I find that lower powers on the low end are much more useful than higher powers at the upper end of the range.

A scope that tops out at 6X or 7X will give you all the magnification you need to shoot big game out to more than 500 yards. Either scope will transmit more than enough light to shoot well after legal shooting times.

Either will work, but the smaller scope will look better and balance out the trimmer Featherweight rifle. The bigger scope will look out of proportion, think Dolly Parton.
 
4/10ths of an inch is too much? I would gladly take a 10mm larger objective with improved light gathering if it was available in an appropriate magnification range.
Click to expand...
Scopes don't "gather" light, they transmit light. 50mm objectives are notoriously difficult to get mounted and still have a proper cheek weld on your average sporting rifle. You're far better off to get a higher quality 32-40mm than a cheap 50mm. Quality trumps quantity every time and the exit pupil is more important than the objective diameter. Although the human eye can only use so much.

The 50mm and larger objectives were primarily designed for European hunters who can hunt earlier and later than we can.
 
I mounted a Weaver 2-10x38mm Classic V on my .243 Featherweight. It's perfect!
 
Some guys like the Dolly Parton look in rifles and women. Seriously either would work. As long as you don't go to extremes. I just hate to see a trim Remington 7, Mountain Rifle, or Winchester Featherweight with a huge tactical scope on it. The 3.5-10 is bigger than I would want, but I don't consider it extreme either.
 
I like the combo. I have a M70 in 30-06 with a 3x9-40mm Bushnell 3200 on it. I have hunted whitetail, muley's, elk and antelope with it. My only regret is that it has med height ring bases. I put low ring bases on the new M70 in 325 wsm I put together last year for a new elk rifle. Yes it has the same 3x9-40mm Bushnell 3200 on it as the 06.
 
Sounds about right to me. The scope isn't too heavy, nor too large, and has about the right magnification range...I don't see a problem. I would not, however, go much, if any larger.

:)
 
I can't argue about the 3.5 X 10 being somewhat longer and a couple oz heavier...

But the actual magnification is at the low power is 3.3 X, for the 2.5 x 8 it is 2.6 ... so only .7 X difference.
 
I have a leupold 4x12 with 50 mm lense. Would not buy another one. I needed to install a cheek piece to get proper cheek weld so I could see through it. I like the zoom of it but I would avoid a 50 lense in the future. Live and learn, it was on sale lol.
 
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