Bad habits

[WKR]

My scope gets used as a carry handle...
The internet says its a cardinal sin, but I've never noticed any problems with it

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

My gun gets dropped/knocked over quite a bit. Evidently most people go their entire lives without that happening.

 

[WKR]

My gun gets dropped/knocked over quite a bit. Evidently most people go their entire lives without that happening.

Well...I'd venture to say 50%+ of the hunting population, the gun goes from the truck to a blind and then back into the truck...so I can see how drops are a low risk for that type of hunter.

 

[hereinaz]

It’s never a problem till it is.

 

[WKR]

It’s never a problem till it is.

You think its no good?

 

[hereinaz]

You think its no good?

Like everything, it depends.

It’s an aluminum tube. Within the tube are precision parts. The aluminum tube is held in place by an aluminum set of clamps. It shouldn’t slip inside the clamps. The clamps are held to a rail which is screwed into the action.

Heavy rifle, weak tube, lots of suitcase carry, I can’t see a good end to that.

You, or others reading this pick it up or might carry it by the bell, adding torque.

Don’t get me wrong, I will grab my rifles on occasion by the scope between the rings. It’s not fragile. But carrying it like a suitcase is unnecessary and the benefits can’t outweigh the possible costs.

 

[JGRaider]

Why would you want to is my question. Grabbing it to get a better grip is one thing, carrying it like that.......negative.

 

[jfk69]

I would never carry even the lightest rifle I own by the scope suitcase style.

 

[Felix40]

I’m more surprised that your fingers can fit between the action and scope comfortably. None of my rifles have high enough rings to make it work.

 

[Formidilosus]

My scope gets used as a carry handle...
The internet says its a cardinal sin, but I've never noticed any problems with it

Just like with everything, it depends on the scope. Surprisingly, scopes that lose zero from drops, also tend to lose zero from being grabbed and carried.

 

[WKR]

I guess In my head i don't see how 10-20 lbs of recoil force or general abuse is any less detrimental than picking up a 10 pound rifle by the scope.

 

[Antares]

I wish I was more disciplined about resetting my turret after a shot when hunting. I always remember, but sometimes not until I’m putting away the rifle (i.e., clearing the chamber, putting on scope cover, folding up bipod, etc.)

 

[MikeDeltaFoxtrot]

It has always seemed to be that the weak in links the system are the screws that hold the base(s) to the receiver.

Under recoil, the screws are fairly strong because the force is pushing sideways on them. They would have to sheer off to fail. If you are carrying the rifle by the scope, you are putting the weight of the rifle against the threads on the screws and receiver. That seems like a bad idea to me.

That said, I am merely speculating, as I have never carried a rifle by the scope.

 

[Shortschaf]

I guess In my head i don't see how 10-20 lbs of recoil force or general abuse is any less detrimental than picking up a 10 pound rifle by the scope.

I agree with this generally. If the scope is of the durable sort, using it as a carry handle is not worth losing sleep over.

 

[Shortschaf]

It has always seemed to be that the weak in links the system are the screws that hold the base(s) to the receiver.

While I don't disagree with this statement, I want to add some perspective

A single low-grade #8-40 screw has
>800 lb tensile strength
>450 lb shear strength

Even a #6-40 screw
>550 lb tensile strength
>300 lb shear strength

And my guess is that the supplied screws are grade 5 (twice as strong as I listed) or higher.

 

[JohnJohnson]

Go to 2:50 in the video below. I guess the caveat being that the rifle he's testing is much heavier than most hunting rifles. Probably a 19+ pound rifle if I had to guess.

 

[jfk69]

I neck size brass.

 

[WKR]

I wish I was more disciplined about resetting my turret after a shot when hunting. I always remember, but sometimes not until I’m putting away the rifle (i.e., clearing the chamber, putting on scope cover, folding up bipod, etc.)

Now that is something I obsess about and check constantly throughout the day. I think hitting the zero stop has turned into a ritual for me

 

[WKR]

It has always seemed to be that the weak in links the system are the screws that hold the base(s) to the receiver.

I think there is some validity to this, that's why I use actions with integral rails.

Edit: or are you saying the ring to rail connection?

 

[MikeDeltaFoxtrot]

I think there is some validity to this, that's why I use actions with integral rails.

Edit: or are you saying the ring to rail connection?

You have it right. I think integral rails are better, if they can be machined correctly. The main downside for me, though, is that for hunting rifles, I tend to prefer hinged floorplates rather than detachable magazines, all else being equal. A full length rail can make it hard to load and unload from the top. I often use two piece bases for that reason.