Pistol scope question

[PBSmith]

Curious to see how well my .38/357 revolvers will shoot off a rest. My deteriorating vision gets me to the range but not much more. Found a scope mount for one of my Colts. Need a scope that will work out to 50 yards. All I hope to accomplish is best possible paper.

Is a 2X Leupold going to work for this, or should I go for more magnification? Will be buying used in all likelihood.

Look forward to your comments. Think low budget. Thanks.

[M-Tecs]

With lower power scopes target design is very beneficial for testing accuracy. I have a 2X on one of my .223 Super 14 barrels. Off the bench I can hold 3/4" for 5 shots with it.

For offhand most people are best suited with a 1X or 2X. 4x shows a lot of movement. Highest power pistol scope I have is 12X. It makes shooting prairie dogs at 300 yards relatively easy but it does real improve group size of lower power scopes providing you are using well designed target's.

[bosterr]

I have nothing but variables on my revolvers, Contenders and Encores which total 13 in all. I like shooting little groups at 100 yds. and further on the highest power and I hunt on 2 or 3 power for the field of view. I have a 4X Leupold that lives on the shelf

[tazman]

I purchased a 4X pistol scope but after using it, I would rather have a 2X. The field of vision makes the 4X a little hard to get on target at all quickly.
They do make variable scopes for handguns now. A 2-7X would get you where you wanted to be and not have to worry about getting the wrong power.

[Martin Luber]

Power isn't your friend in a pistol scope. You end up with a narrow field of view that can't be aligned without a superb grip and stance. 1-2x is good. If you want better discrimination, use a smaller dot or reticle. Good luck

[silhouette_shooter]

Check out a red dot scope, less weight, less distraction. I have a Matchdot Ultra Dot II which was made in Japan which works better for me when it comes to 25 yard bullseye offhand. I don't see the shiver and shake like I do with a 4x scope.

I put a 2x Weaver scope, also made in Japan, on my Super Blackhawk Hunter. The weight of the scope with the rings made the revolver to heavy for me to shoot offhand.

[smkummer]

I have a colt python hunter. 2X Leopold was supplied. 200 yard shots are easy. I would not want more magnification.

If it’s only 50 yards, I would go with a red dot like the c-more sight. Attach to any weaver rail.

[kungfustyle]

Have a 2x Leopold on my super Black Hawk and never looked back. Has done the job for about 5 years now. My avatar show the gun/scope combo and the target is a 4" target that I shot at 75 yards. Very happy with the set up.

[rbuck351]

I have a couple of hand guns with the old 2.5x Bushnell Phantom scopes. That is about all the magnification you can use without a rest. It's also enough for small game to 50 yds, more with a rest. I just mounted an NCstar 2-7x on an old Ruger MKI T but haven't had a chance to try it yet. Looks like it's going to work out well. 2x for offhand and crank it up with a rest.

[Iwsbull]

I have a Leupold 2x on one revolver and a Ultradot on another and iron on another, the 2x is nice offhand and very good off of a rest. I really like the Ultradot for hunting as it is fast on target and doesn’t magnify your shake. The iron sights don’t get much use anymore, I had a variable power on at one time but anything above 4x I seemed to shoot worse as I paid too much attention to my wobble.

[BigboreShooter]

A 2x will do just fine. I have used many leupolds over the years. The only complaint I have is the Leupolds 2x is not a true 2x.Actual magnification is much lower!! So over the years I 've switched to Burris. I now have many Burris scopes and one Leupold !

BigboreShooter
I

[winelover]

My 2X Leo, sits on the shelf. Worthless, for that first half hour before dawn to dusk, went deer tend to move the most. I went with red dots many years ago and haven't looked back.

Winelover

[cainttype]

The 2x Leupold is my favorite field use pistol scope.
I’ve used them, and many others, for 4 decades and always return to the Leupold as the standard.
Burris (USA) made a good scope, but the steel tube vs Leupold’s aluminum is noticeable to somebody that uses them a lot... and the balance changes drastically on anything but a pistol that’s probably too heavy to begin with.
I’ve busted two Burris scopes on guns that Leupolds never quit on. Burris has a good warrantee, but the best warrantee is the one you never need.

[Hickory]

My 2X Leo, sits on the shelf. Worthless, for that first half hour before dawn to dusk, went deer tend to move the most. I went with red dots many years ago and haven't looked back.

Winelover

This is true.
I had a 2x Leopold wasting away for that day when I will need it, and have reflex dot sights on two of my hunting handguns.

[murf205]

My choice, along with a lot of others, is a 2x. I have owned a Lupy, several Burris's, and a Simmons. The Simmons resides on a 357 686 and it has worked fine but I would hesitate to mount it on a big bore hardenkicken louden boomer. The Leupold has took a ride on 4 different 44 mags and never failed once. Ditto for the Burris scopes. I hear a lot of good things about the new Weaver pistol scopes as well. The secret to using a 2x pistol scope if you want to shoot small groups is to use a target big enough to get good sight resolution. I made this one and it works for me. It's on a full size piece of copy paper.258726The 4x scopes let you see all the distracting wiggles.258727 This was shot with my Ruger SRH and a 2x Leupold

[PBSmith]

Excellent reports - appreciate your posts. Will have a look at the red dot before proceeding. Thank you, gentlemen.

Murf, I'm another target homecrafter, so I understand what you're talking about. It amazed me how much better I could shoot certain firearms if I customized the target.

Would you mind telling me the diameters of your 2X scope target? Thanks

[charlie b]

If all you are shooting is 50yd then I suggest a red dot. Get a good one. I've shot out two cheap ones before I got a Burris Fastfire.

I've had 4x and 2x on pistols of various types. They were only really useful to me if shooting out to 100yd or further.

[7br]

Here is my .02 . This year I learned that 4x is too much power if you are hunting from a tree stand. Variable power scopes have their place, but they are heavier. Also, with my Burris 2x7, the eye relief shortens as the power goes up. In order to shoot creedmore, I have to leave it between 2x and 3x. I can't hold it steady enough to shoot it standing on any power greater than 4x. It does work well off of a rest though. I have a couple of Leupold m8 4x scopes. I love the light weight and short overall length, but are really overpowered for a revolver. I am currently keeping my eyes open for a quality 2x scope. I don't have experience with red dot sights, so I can't help you there.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[uscra112]

I have a couple of hand guns with the old 2.5x Bushnell Phantom scopes. That is about all the magnification you can use without a rest. It's also enough for small game to 50 yds, more with a rest. I just mounted an NCstar 2-7x on an old Ruger MKI T but haven't had a chance to try it yet. Looks like it's going to work out well. 2x for offhand and crank it up with a rest.

Ditto. I also have two rifles set up with Phantoms as scout scopes. The mount is a little odd, but actually better for handguns than rings.

[rfd]

a picatinny rail red dot on an easy to install weigand mount is all that's needed for a smith wheelgun, and fine even out to 100 yards if need be. red dots are my answer for shooters with the dreaded "old age" presbyopia and the problem with lenses and handgun eye-to-front-sight issues.

258868

[high standard 40]

I can highly recommend a Bushnell Elite 2-6X handgun scope. You have the choice of lower magnification when desired for field of view and higher magnification when needed for accuracy testing. The scope adjustments are accurate and repeatable and can be done with only your fingers. Eye relief is one of the best among handgun scopes and does not change between 2X and 6X. This scope would have to be found used, Bushnell no longer offers it. But for my dollar, it's the perfect handgun scope.

[Dale53]

I have used two power scopes for deer hunting for many, many years.
Here is my 8 3/8" barreled Model 29 Smith with a two powered Leupold:
https://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj80/Dale53/DalesPistolsRevolvers5Selects-2.jpg (https://s269.photobucket.com/user/Dale53/media/DalesPistolsRevolvers5Selects-2.jpg.html)

My "bad weather" hunter is a Ruger Red Hawk with 7.5" barrel and a similar Burris two power scope. The Burris has a "big dot" reticule that, at the time, was only available from Gil Hebard Guns. The "Big Dot" turned out to be the absolutely best reticule for deer hunting under a variety of conditions. That dot seems to pull the scope and gun into the "perfect shot" under hunting conditions.

In later years, as my vision faded, I came to really enjoy using Red Dot sights. The Red Dots (I have all tube types) are much lighter in weight, smaller and I can use them on targets as well as hunting without issue. They gave me back my skill level that had dropped due to poor vision.

When using a scope type red dot sight, I learned that the 30mm size seemed to be the perfect compromise between field of view and bulk. I found a number of Simmons Red Dots available at close out prices. A Simmons tech that I met at the NRA Convention told me they would work fine for .44 magnum but to not try to use them on anything heavier in recoil. I have never had a failure with any of my Simmons Red Dots. However, I have a couple of Ultra Dots and they have proven to be more resistant to heavier recoiling pieces based on reports from the field from people I trust.

FWIW
Dale53

[jonp]

I had a 2x Nikon on a Super Blackhawk and it was all I needed out to 100yrds which was my distance limitation.

[murf205]

Excellent reports - appreciate your posts. Will have a look at the red dot before proceeding. Thank you, gentlemen.

Murf, I'm another target homecrafter, so I understand what you're talking about. It amazed me how much better I could shoot certain firearms if I customized the target.

Would you mind telling me the diameters of your 2X scope target? Thanks

They are as big as I can fit on a piece of copy paper for my printer. The white center section is a must for me because I can see the contrast of the front sight or cross hair.259829 I never could see the S&W red ramp or target black front sight worth a darn even when I had good eyesight!