Large caliber handgun scopes

[russ]

Red Dot vs. tube style for the recoil of a large caliber handgun. Which do you prefer?

[mechanictim]

Years ago I put a Burris 3x9 posi-lock scope on a 44 Mag Smith & Wesson model 629. The scope stood up to hundreds of 300 grain H110 max loads. I shot several deer and other game with it. That scope is now on a Weatherby Compact Firing platform in 7MM08 and still going strong. I have since put a Bushnell Holo sight on the revolver.

I really like the magnification of the Burris but the big draw back was it was slow to get lined up on game in the field on the revolver . You have to line up the scope just right to even see out of it and then find the target and then put the cross hairs on the spot your wanting to hit, all while keeping it lined up with your eye, and it just takes a while with a revolver.

The Holo sight is much faster. Your looking through the sight at the target almost from the time the gun is front of your face. The Reticle just about looks like it is siting on the target at fifty yards or less.

The Burris works great on the bolt action Weatherby because the fore stock really helps in lining everything up. And since the range of the 7MM08 is much more than the 44 mag the magnification really can be put to good use.

The big drawback to the Bushnell Holo sight is that it uses "N" batteries. Can get them at Walmart but they are an added expense at something that can die at a bad time. Bushnell no longer sells the Holo sight but the company that made them for Bushnell is EOTech and they still sell them.

Both of these sights have stood up to a lot of rounds with some pretty stiff recoil and have performed flawlessly for me.

Most of the "dot" sights on the market these days are pretty much junk till you get in to the higher end models. They, the cheaper ones work OK for 22's but don't hold up very long on anything bigger. If you look through a dot sight and the dot is not a perfect circle it is a low end model and you should probably pass.

So for me if setting up another revolver I would go with an EOTech. If a Thompson contender or a bot action handgun I would put a another Burris Posi-lock on it. Both of these can be bought for between 300 to 500 dollars.

[russ]

Yeah, I've seen the lower end 'dot' scopes, wasn't real impressed. The idea of quick target acquisition with a quality dot scope is a major factor.

[Archerysniper]

I put a ultra dot on my .480 Ruger and it didn't last a year, now I shoot iron sights.