I don’t think you will see NF offer a scope like that. They went a different direction with the NX8 and reduced weight has never been a priority.
I could maybe be convinced to get one if they made one that dialed.
I went through the thought exercise once, cause I am all for optimization of my gear. But, I personally can lose the pounds off my gut or ounces by dehydrating my wipes at home. Until then, my scope is 25 ounces. The few ounces might never be enough for me to use anything other than the 3.6-18 MK 5.
As understand it, shorter scopes create unique optical problems and are harder/more expensive to make. The shorter it is, the more lenses are needed, IIRC. I read or heard about it at Shot show when the MK5 3.6-18 and the Vudu 5-20 came out.
To get below 20 ounces, I think it’s not so much the weight of the glass, but the weight that has to be cut from the tube and internals. Simply shortening the scope isn’t an option.
To dial and be durable, I don’t know how they would do by cutting non glass weight. I know SWFA has their plain vanilla scope, so it is possible I guess.
But the other thing is demand. Most people want big glass and big magnification. I feel like it’s a niche or someone would have done it??? Someone could be the Arken/Athlon/Maven (are they going to create the market) and build their business on it.
Ultimately, if I had to get a lighter scope today, I would get one with a tree reticle that didn’t dial and use hold overs and limit myself to 500 yards, which is really inside the distance most stuff really gets shot.
My 6mm creed or 25 magnum would have good enough ballistics I would trust to hold over because I would not be too deep in the reticle. Slower cartridges would be harder for me to trust with the errors that come from holding over.
And, I could get away with a 3-9x inside 500 yards.
I have no need to get a rifle that light so far. I tested the proof of concept with the SWFA ultralight and it worked. I didn’t need the scope so I sold it.
I could maybe be convinced to get one if they made one that dialed.
I went through the thought exercise once, cause I am all for optimization of my gear. But, I personally can lose the pounds off my gut or ounces by dehydrating my wipes at home. Until then, my scope is 25 ounces. The few ounces might never be enough for me to use anything other than the 3.6-18 MK 5.
As understand it, shorter scopes create unique optical problems and are harder/more expensive to make. The shorter it is, the more lenses are needed, IIRC. I read or heard about it at Shot show when the MK5 3.6-18 and the Vudu 5-20 came out.
To get below 20 ounces, I think it’s not so much the weight of the glass, but the weight that has to be cut from the tube and internals. Simply shortening the scope isn’t an option.
To dial and be durable, I don’t know how they would do by cutting non glass weight. I know SWFA has their plain vanilla scope, so it is possible I guess.
But the other thing is demand. Most people want big glass and big magnification. I feel like it’s a niche or someone would have done it??? Someone could be the Arken/Athlon/Maven (are they going to create the market) and build their business on it.
Ultimately, if I had to get a lighter scope today, I would get one with a tree reticle that didn’t dial and use hold overs and limit myself to 500 yards, which is really inside the distance most stuff really gets shot.
My 6mm creed or 25 magnum would have good enough ballistics I would trust to hold over because I would not be too deep in the reticle. Slower cartridges would be harder for me to trust with the errors that come from holding over.
And, I could get away with a 3-9x inside 500 yards.
I have no need to get a rifle that light so far. I tested the proof of concept with the SWFA ultralight and it worked. I didn’t need the scope so I sold it.
