Led sled

[quest4170]

I heard once that the led sled was hard on scopes any truth to this ?

[10ga]

The sled is pretty inanimate. The rifle and load is what's hard on scope or your shoulder. 10

[jims]

I have never had any problem with mine after 10 years or so but I do not shoot much other than siting in. Richard has used his for 1000s of shots but his has more of a modified sliding system.

[12ptdroptine]

When a gun is fired it needs to recoil and disperse that energy"somewhere" . Load the sled down with 50 lbs of sand. Put a "Hard Kicker" in it. Time will tell. I no longer use mine. It took its
Toll on some good scopes IMHO
Drop

[dannoboone]

Apr 3, 2019 9:23:43 GMT -5 quest4170 said:

I heard once that the led sled was hard on scopes any truth to this ?

Just once??

I have a hard time understanding the argument that a recoil
reducing system such as a lead sled is hard on scopes. If you
were to put a "thumper" rifle butt up to a tree and pull the
trigger, the scope would not move and recoil should have "0"
effect on it. Would such a situation increase "barrel whip"
and its effect on the receiver transfer to the scope? Who knows?

Put a scope on a heavy recoiler, and by way of a lead sled
reduce recoil to the shooter so as to give similar recoil of
a .243. If that's hard on a scope, then is a .243 hard on a
scope?

Was there never a scope which failed prior to the invention of
the lead sled?

[quest4170]

Thanks to all for their input it all makes good sense , Now I have one more question when shooting off the bench I also have been useing a bulls bag which is about 12 inches long , is this a good bag to use and whats some others  use Thanks in advance

[jims]

I have used my Bull Bag but prefer the lead sled. Just works better for me, others may differ.

[12ptdroptine]

I belivve the sled isnt a recoil reducing system. I believe it is a recoil absorbtion system. I see a difference. How you absorb that recoil and disperse that energy is relevant to scope and possibly stock failure. Out through the but stock? Or Harmonics through the metal parts of the firearm. Will it kill all scopes in a handful of shot's? Probably not . But I seen enough on my own guns through exclusive use of the sled ...that I retired it. That being said I wasnt using it for its intended application. Used it as like bench rest...more than a sighting in aid. I am quite convinced in my mind that if you were to take a heavy kicker and the average quality scope. Hold the butstock against a solid tree...or concrete wall. That you would incur scope or stock damage. How soon? All variables that I am not willing to attempt trying to prove my point
Drop

[epanzella]

If you add a 10 lb lead sled to a 12 pound rifle I would think it's the same as shooting a 22 lb rifle. I don't see how that would harm the scope.

[10ga]

As an added anecdotal insight I have had several scopes fail. All were done in before I ever had a sled. Major offender was a SS fluted 20 ga rifled slug barrel on Encore frame - failed 2 scopes with that rig, otherwise failed scopes on 2 different MLII X 50 cal rifles. No failures with my 45 SML arsenal or CFs and that has been plenty shooting from the sled in the last 5 years. 20 ga slug barrel gone to another home but the MLIIs are still "kicking", but in my sled. 10

[ported45]

Apr 5, 2019 7:53:16 GMT -5 12ptdroptine said:

I belivve the sled isnt a recoil reducing system. I believe it is a recoil absorbtion system. I see a difference. How you absorb that recoil and disperse that energy is relevant to scope and possibly stock failure. Out through the but stock? Or Harmonics through the metal parts of the firearm. Will it kill all scopes in a handful of shot's? Probably not . But I seen enough on my own guns through exclusive use of the sled ...that I retired it. That being said I wasnt using it for its intended application. Used it as like bench rest...more than a sighting in aid. I am quite convinced in my mind that if you were to take a heavy kicker and the average quality scope. Hold the butstock against a solid tree...or concrete wall. That you would incur scope or stock damage. How soon? All variables that I am not willing to attempt trying to prove my point
Drop

In the tree/wall scenario, until the stock breaks, the scope should experience practically no energy impulse from the fired gun.  Carried farther along the same lines of thought of reduced energy imparted upon the scope, the most force the scope would experience would be under full recoil without a sled or shoulder either one to help mitigate the recoil.

I fully agree that the sled has probably led to the early demise of weak stocks because of the need for the stock to soak up more of the recoil that would normally be absorbed by the shoulder, but I just don't see the sled to be the cause of scope failure.

[mrbuck]

Ok . Now how can the recoil of a spring powered pellet gun wreck scopes ? It's just reverse recoil . When Led Sleds first came out a few years ago , a very knowledgeable member of my shooting club said that shooting slugs in a scoped shotgun using a Led Sled was shooting the internal parts of scopes loose .
Chris

[ported45]

Most scopes are designed and reinforced to deal with unidirectional recoil. Springer airgun scopes are designed for the reverse recoil. That is why most rifle scopes cannot be used on a Springer airgun.

[12ptdroptine]

Have it your way....Im done
Drop