Pistol scopes

[Frank46]

OK, i'm pleading total ignorance here. I would like to put a 4 power scope on my ruger MKIII and if money holds out ditto for my redhawk in 44 mag. I have a little simmons in 2x that is not marked with its eye relief. And saturday shot another shooters 44 blackhawk in 44 mag. He had a variable ler (long eye relief) by leupold. I had to extend my arms almost all the way out just to be able to see through the scope. Then they have ier scopes (intermediate eye relief) that can have an eye relief of from 11" to about 17". Guys I need help. The redhawk I would like to have a variable for different shooting conditions and the ruger 22 is for plinking. SOOOOOOO, if anyone can help me with this dilemma I'd sure be greatful. Frank

[45nut]

The eye relief IS adjustable by turning in or out the objective bell....I have a lot of scoped pistols and even a couple scout scoped rifles and it really doesn't take much of an adjustment to make a difference.

And the full extended arm position is what they were designed for,don't want a 44 recoiling up and smackin ya in da head..

[Dale53]

I find that a 2 power scope is best (for me, at least) for two handed standing and hunting in the field. The most important part of the equation is being able to "find the hole" in the scope and put it on the target. I have used higher power scopes and off the bench the higher the better. However, in the real world with most pistols (I am talking pistols and revolvers here, not TC's with 14" barrels, etc) the two power is by far the best choice.

Remember, open sights have no power. If we were youngsters with perfect eyesight, issue sights would work just fine. I can remember those times:[smilie=1: , I really can. The lower power has more latitude in eye relief making it much easier to acquire a target. This is particularly important while hunting.

Your mileage may vary...

Dale53

[versifier]

I have the Leupold 4X LER scope. It is fantastic for target work, but too much for hunting, target acquisition for me was much too slow. I did take a woodchuck using it on a .223 Contender, but he didn't know I was there and I had all the time I needed. I also have the Leupold 2X LER on my 686 and am very happy with it for target and hunting. I have not used a variable on a hunting handgun, but have had a chance to play around with several at varying ranges at our club and would not hesitate to hunt with one - I liked the Leupold and Burris offerings. I am also a big fan of red dot optics on big game handguns and rifles, and my ancient Aimpoint has been used on everything from handguns to scout mounts to rifle mounts and as long as the range is within 150yds or so, I prefer it to a magnified unit as it's so much faster on target.

[KYCaster]

Frank: Have you considered a red dot sight? IMO they're the best sight available for a .22.
I've had a Tasco Propoint on my S&W 617 since day one till I decided to try a Redfield 2X EER. I used it for a year to give it a fair comparison and went back to the red dot.
The only thing the scope does better is shoot groups off the bench.
With the red dot, I can get consistant hits on golf balls out to 25 yds. and more. With scopes, the magnification makes it hard for me to track a moving squirrel and the crosshairs tend to get lost in the background.
In Steel Challenge type competition, the red dot is a BIG advantage over the crosshairs, allowing much quicker target acquisition.
Eye relief is infinitely variable (a big help in field positions) and there is no paralax.
The only down side to the red dots is they're battery opperated.

Hope this helps
Jerry

[boogerred]

yes sir,kycaster. my experience to the letter. i have a 2x simmons i bought yrs ago and mainly use now for bench testing new loads. i have reddots on guns i carry at the ranch and find them much faster for field shooting.

[Frank46]

Jerry thanks for mentioning the red dot sights. I have a aimpoint M2 that came with my ar15 and right now its just sitting in the safe. Thanks guys for the suggestions. Just for the heck of it will try the 2x simmons and see how it works.
Thanks again, Frank