[masraum]

Originally Posted by Eric Hahl

Thanks, yes, seems 10mm isn't so much but it more the weight of the objective and the overall focal length. A 130F7 scope has a native fl of 910mm. You can add a reducer to make it an 728mm f5.6 but that's just adding more glass to the mix.

This one is where I want to be without adding a reducer at 780mm.

Guess I should clarify. I will be adding a field flattener to this setup so in essence I'll be adding more glass. However, the field flattener is sharper than the focal reducer/flattener combo.

Also, this scope is 15.8 lbs, a similar 130 is about 20. The less weight on the mount the better.

Ok, so not a huge size difference, but sure different focal length (I can see that shorter is probably better for AP as a rough generalization), and weight, but not tons of weight. It sounds like it's more about functionality and the mount handling the weight than size and you having to lug it around. Got it.