Optic for Revolver?

[hylander]

New to optics on a revolver (686).
50 yards for silhouette matches.
Only tried an inexpensive tru glo red dot so far.

I am looking to upgrade.
What are you all running. Be specific please, and pics are always appreciated.

[NSB]

I have a 686 6” bbl with a Burris FF3 on it. I’ve also had a Vortex Venom on it. Either one is a good choice. I’ve shot dozens of deer with this gun.
315230

[Baja_Traveler]

As my eyes got older I was having real issues seeing my sights, so I put on a Rail and Vortex Venom red dot on my Redhawk. Takes a little getting used to, but it really makes a difference in my silhouette scores. This site is being a pain and rejecting my uploading pictures for some reason...

[wilecoyote]

...if we talk about undrilled K-L-N frame S&Ws, maybe this can help:315234
1"rings, all steel, virtually indestructible_ won't mar your L frame 686_
same mount on a .44, but I won't choose again a 4x, because I wobble too much_ my next buy will be a 2x, for sure_

[hc18flyer]

I have a 686 6” bbl with a Burris FF3 on it. I’ve also had a Vortex Venom on it. Either one is a good choice. I’ve shot dozens of deer with this gun.
315230

My 7.5" .45 Colt Blackhawk wears a FF3 during deer season. It works GREAT for my old eyes! hc18flyer

[Forrest r]

I use a sightron 7x along with multiple dot sights on my 686.
https://i.imgur.com/im4jQKD.jpg

[brokeasajoke]

Just put a Burris ff3 on my Taurus with a weigand no drill mount. Not tried it yet as it's rain everyday since I put it in Monday. https://www.jackweigand.com/scope.html

[wilecoyote]

...just thinkin'about a sticky with the various options & rating about LER / EER, both new-available or out-of-production_ I've ever had the feeling that there are around more and more interesting options than advertising pages will ever show...

[rkrcpa]

I find them useful

https://i.imgur.com/tn5Hmbj.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/kCkNilI.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/M2EndEM.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Y8aRt5R.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/xdMCmIJ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/9gnJzHG.jpg

Red dot sights are easy to install on most handguns these days and won't break the bank. Scopes (mostly for hunting) are good choices also and easy to mount as well. With the no drill mount's that are available I would say give it a try and see how you like it.

[georgerkahn]

New to optics on a revolver (686).
50 yards for silhouette matches.
Only tried an inexpensive tru glo red dot so far.

I am looking to upgrade.
What are you all running. Be specific please, and pics are always appreciated.

I had similar challenges finding an optic which worked for me -- I was shooting a Smith & Wesson Model 625-3 Stainless“45 Cal of 1983” 5”Bbl .45ACP revolver. My first attempt was with a fairly low priced Bushnell variable strength optic, my thinking the 7x would be the "cat's meow". If we were shooting from rests, maybe... but even when turned down I was not seeing target as I had hoped to. Number 2 was a Leupold 4X dedicated handgun scope -- AWESOME!!! -- I still have it -- but, I "shook too much" for it to be really effective. Another fellow had exact 'scope except in 2X -- I tried his (albeit a different revolver/calibre) and was SOLD! I bought the 2X Leupold (Leupold M8-2x, Pistol-Scout) and (maybe a poor choice of words? :)) never looked back.
For me, if I was to put glass on any handgun, I'd again go for the Leupold 2x. 315240 They don't "give them away" -- fairly costly -- but one gets what they pay for. On that e- auction site most appear in the $300.00 USD range. When I was in initial market I had not considered the very delicate "balance" between magnification of the target versus steadiness to use it effectively. At 150 feet/50 yards -- 2X worked/works fine for me.
geo

[contender1]

For the Op,, I believe the question was more about red dot's over scopes.

Burris FF3's, Vortex Venom's, and for many of the serious handgun hunters with recoiling handguns,, UltraDot's,,, are ALL good choices.

There are many red dot's out there,, and in handgun competition such as USPSA,, I see about all the available models used. But heavy use,, recoil, and such,, makes a few stand out. Holosun is a well known name,, but I haven't seen enough of them on serious recoiling handguns to say they would pass the field test. Delta Point, and others,, all do perform very well. But the first 3 I mentioned,, seem to get the nod from more serious folks.
PS; I have in my stable Burris, Vortex, UltraDot, Leupold, Crimson Trace, C-More, Tru-Glo, and Aimpoint. The 3 I recommend,, all enjoy good customer service if necessary. (So far,,, only one has had any issues. I had a Burris FFII, and it went back for repairs. I didn't even mount it, and it stayed in my safe for a few years. I took it out to use, and again, issues. Burris replaced it with a FFIII. NO questions asked. Hard to argue with that kind of service.)

Weigand mounts are excellent too. Highly recommend them.

[boatswainsmate]

My Dan Wesson in 45 Colt 10 Inch Barrel with an 30mm Ultradot in Warne Rings on a factory Dan Wesson Mount. It's handled 340 Grain bullets with big amounts of 296 nicely.
https://i.ibb.co/3h1nSL6/DSCN5531.jpg (https://ibb.co/F76F8jZ)
My S&W 629-5 7 1/2 IN Barrel(Power Ported) with a 2 power leupold in a leupold mount. I've taken 3 deer with this firearm with Mihec's 432-640 Med HP Powder Coated.
https://i.ibb.co/XD96TNz/DSCN4502.jpg (https://ibb.co/gdGQCHD)

[charlie b]

As an upgrade to the red dot an EER scope can work. I had a 4x Leupold and a 3x T/C scope on two of my TC Contender barrels. I also used the 3x on my .357mag revolver for a while as well.

When shooting from a supported position they work very well. Off hand they kinda suck. Maybe a 1x or 1 1/2x would work, but, I found a red dot better if you are shooting off hand.

PS I am another who is partial to the FF3. Survived about 1000rnds from my 1911 (.45) before I sold it. A PA copy did not survive 100 rounds.

[black mamba]

The UltraDot 30 is known to be "bullet proof" on hard recoiling handguns, is quicker to acquire than a reflex sight, and only adds about 5 oz. with the supplied rings. I have them on both a 44 mag and a 454 Casull, and am considering a third one.

https://i.imgur.com/4L9Zgmk.jpg

[G W Wade]

I have an oddball. It's a Burris 2x(1.7) with an 8 min dot. These were sold by Gil Hebard years ago for Bullseye shooters. Mounted on my S&W 629, it wonderful rig. GW

[imashooter2]

If you go with a Burris, Leupold, J Point or Vortex mini dot, this is the mount you want. Can’t get any closer to the bore…

https://allchingunparts.com/products/smith-wesson-mini-sts-scope-mount.html

[Jtarm]

If you go with a Burris, Leupold, J Point or Vortex mini dot, this is the mount you want. Can’t get any closer to the bore…

https://allchingunparts.com/products/smith-wesson-mini-sts-scope-mount.html

If the OP goes with an RMR-style, he’ll want this one:

https://allchingunparts.com/products/s-w-micro-for-rmr-sro-holosun-c.html

I order the wrong one first time around. They graciously swapped it.

[imashooter2]

They’re great mounts and as I said, you can’t get any closer to the bore.

[Jtarm]

Model 66-7, Swampfox Justice, Alchin mount.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230624/4129cd58bfe0b35756c4eee4502c06e6.jpg

If you have astigmatism, the dot may look like a starburst and require some moving around of your head to get it focused.

For that reason, I’d be hesitant to put one on an SD handgun, but for slow-fire, it rocks.

A cool thing about dot sights is sight radius is no longer a factor, so I can carry shorter-barreled gun without forfeiting precision.

This sight was originally on GP100 10mm, but Ruger revolvers don’t play well with no-drill mounts. After a couple of range session it developed a case of “wandering zero”.

[murf205]

I have an oddball. It's a Burris 2x(1.7) with an 8 min dot. These were sold by Gil Hebard years ago for Bullseye shooters. Mounted on my S&W 629, it wonderful rig. GW

That scope is one of the best pistol scopes I ever owned. It is at least the equal of a Leupold and has better adjustments. I put a LOT of 250 gr boolits through a SBH with an embarrasing amount of H-110 and the Burris never hiccuped.
Highlander, if you can find one, those Ultra Dots are the cats meow for your purpose.

[wilecoyote]

please, Murf205,
let me know if you're talkin'about the same scope posted above by rkrcpa on a SA or this in my att.ment. below or what_
thank you
315421

[Gray Fox]

Can any of you tell me what height rings would be needed for that Burris 2x20mm scope and Weigand mount on a Ruger Blackhawk? I've bad astigmatism and really can't use the red dots with any certainty. Thanks, GF

[NSB]

Can any of you tell me what height rings would be needed for that Burris 2x20mm scope and Weigand mount on a Ruger Blackhawk? I've bad astigmatism and really can't use the red dots with any certainty. Thanks, GF
There’s no “cheek weld” when shooting a revolver so it really doesn’t make any difference. The actual difference in height between low, medium, and high is insignificant shooting a handgun.

[Forrest r]

There’s no “cheek weld” when shooting a revolver so it really doesn’t make any difference. The actual difference in height between low, medium, and high is insignificant shooting a handgun.

The difference is the amount of deflection that happens with operator error, namely canting the firearm. The higher the scope (further from the bore) the bigger the deflection from canting.

[NSB]

The difference is the amount of deflection that happens with operator error, namely canting the firearm. The higher the scope (further from the bore) the bigger the deflection from canting.

Which is minimal on a handgun. That 1/8” difference in height is negligible. After 40+ years of using a lot of different red dots on a lot of different handguns I’ve found it to be meaningless. I have literally shot over 200K of centerfire rounds out of handguns in both hunting and competition shooting. No one’s going to know the difference in ring height.

[murf205]

please, Murf205,
let me know if you're talkin'about the same scope posted above by rkrcpa on a SA or this in my att.ment. below or what_
thank you
315421

The Burris is the one I was endorsing. Those held zero better than any scope I had on that pistol and a friend has one on a T/C Encore pisto in 460 S&W. We zeroed that scope 1 time and since then he and I have put over 200 rounds of HEAVY loads through it, most of which have been with 290 gr NOE cast boolits at 2200+ fps! It has held zero with a death grip and that gun kicks hard enough to drain your sinuses! I have a 2x Leupold on my 9" SRH that has served just as well but I've had more experience with the Burris scopes. Their rifle scopes have been just as durable for me as well.
hylander, apologies for the hijack, but I have quite a few friends who, like me, need some optic help with aging eyesight and the Ultra Dot is the hands down favorite but is is a bit more like looking through a scope tube, which is more familiar to them and me.

[murf205]

Can any of you tell me what height rings would be needed for that Burris 2x20mm scope and Weigand mount on a Ruger Blackhawk? I've bad astigmatism and really can't use the red dots with any certainty. Thanks, GF

I used medium rings (dual dovetail) on my SBH because (1) that's what I had and (2) it gave me a bit more room to thumb the hammer. Sometimes, in a hunting situation, I liked the extra room to let the hammer down if I didn't take a shot.

[wilecoyote]

The Burris is the one I was endorsing. Those held zero better than any scope I had on that pistol and a friend has one on a T/C Encore pisto in 460 S&W. We zeroed that scope 1 time and since then he and I have put over 200 rounds of HEAVY loads through it, most of which have been with 290 gr NOE cast boolits at 2200+ fps! It has held zero with a death grip and that gun kicks hard enough to drain your sinuses! I have a 2x Leupold on my 9" SRH that has served just as well but I've had more experience with the Burris scopes. Their rifle scopes have been just as durable for me as well.
hylander, apologies for the hijack, but I have quite a few friends who, like me, need some optic help with aging eyesight and the Ultra Dot is the hands down favorite but is is a bit more like looking through a scope tube, which is more familiar to them and me.

Murf205,in the event, it is I who must first apologize to hylander for having here solicited and obtained the needed perfect answer. here we talk about 500 euro, new, Leu.or Burris, on special order basis only. At least, I hope my intrusiveness it will be of use to others too, before each purchase, other than as bad behavioral example to avoid_ thank you both for your availability and patience !

[wolfwing]

For you guys running the FF type Red Dots. I'm wanting to put one on a FIXED sighted Dan Wesson. I'm guessing that I will have to have my topstrap machined to fit a base??

[hylander]

Thanks for all the input.
Thanks for the scope as well as red dot suggestions.
Will be trying a red dot first and then maybe a scope.

[murf205]

For you guys running the FF type Red Dots. I'm wanting to put one on a FIXED sighted Dan Wesson. I'm guessing that I will have to have my topstrap machined to fit a base??

wolfy, those fixed sight Dan Wessons are a bit rare but it is yours after all.

[Jtarm]

They’re great mounts and as I said, you can’t get any closer to the bore.

Yes they are.

[Daver7]

I'm looking for a sight mount for a 586 no dash so it's not drilled and tapped for a scope mount.
https://allchingunparts.com/products/s-w-micro-for-rmr-sro-holosun-c.html
Those of you that have them could you share how they attach to the frame of a L frame Smith

[wolfwing]

wolfy, those fixed sight Dan Wessons are a bit rare but it is yours after all.

The nickel is peeling, so I figured WTH

[wilecoyote]

I'm looking for a sight mount for a 586 no dash so it's not drilled and tapped for a scope mount.
https://allchingunparts.com/products/s-w-micro-for-rmr-sro-holosun-c.html
Those of you that have them could you share how they attach to the frame of a L frame Smith
...reading the link, I assume that in your case you should drill & tap your upper strap...

[Forrest r]

Which is minimal on a handgun. That 1/8” difference in height is negligible. After 40+ years of using a lot of different red dots on a lot of different handguns I’ve found it to be meaningless. I have literally shot over 200K of centerfire rounds out of handguns in both hunting and competition shooting. No one’s going to know the difference in ring height.

WOW!!!!
Thank you for correcting me.

I had no idea the difference in height between low and ultra-high rings was only 1/8".

Sometimes things are hard to understand or grasp. SEE:
It's not so much the difference in ring height. It has more to do with the center of the scope's height above the center of the bore. Shooting 2000k+ rounds with the center of the scope +/- 1" above the center of the bore you would of thought you would of picked up on this at the +/- 100k mark.

Anyway when you aim small/at small things, everything makes a huge difference.
https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=e3b6d04d449da77eJmltdHM9MTY4Nzk5NjgwMCZpZ3VpZD0x OTgzZDhiMC1hNmU4LTZhN2MtMjEzMi1jYjgyYTc3YzZiMjAmaW 5zaWQ9NTIxOA&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=1983d8b0-a6e8-6a7c-2132-cb82a77c6b20&psq=bullet+drift+from+canting+a+firarm&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9mb3J1bS5hY2N1cmF0ZXNob290ZXIuY29tL3 RocmVhZHMvZWZmZWN0cy1vZi1jYW50aW5nLXJpZmxlcy1hbmQt YnVsbGV0LWltcGFjdC1jaGFuZ2VzLjM5MjI2NDcv&ntb=1

http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2009/02/canted-reticles-serious-problem-needs-to-be-addressed/

I could put hundreds of links on canting and the affects of canting but they are easy enough to find. Anyone can look them up with a simple google search.

Using setups like this really magnifies the affects of canting. A 10" bbl'd contender (22lr) setup for smallbore silhouettes (the ram is the 100yd target). The raised scope mount (5") is designed for taco holds. I use this setup to compete against the people using rifles, standing/offhand small bore silhouettes.
https://i.imgur.com/hbdvMXh.jpg

At the end of the day some people cant grasp canting:cry:

[NSB]

I seriously doubt this is what the OP had in mind when he asked his question. Your exaggerated rig may introduce some degree of canting if the OP chose to get something like what you’re showing. I’d bet 99.99% of all handgun shooters would never chose something like this other than for some very specialized shooting challenge. I’ve been shooting competition for forty+ years (I was INTERNATIONAL Class standing, Production Class, and Unlimited Class when I competed). Other than your pictured rig, I’ve never seen a set of mounts like yours on anyone’s handgun. I’m sure at your meets you may see them, but again, 99.999% of all handgun shooters won’t have a problem due to ring height. Sorry if you’re offended by my comments and experience.

[TurnipEaterDown]

The way I understood this elevator mount that forrest r shows is that it was an effort to move sight line intersections with bullet path to points that easily coincided w/ fixed range targets.
I used to see pictures in silhouette articles like this all the time, but I never shot those games just read some articles.

The 22 LR mentioned has a fairly rainbow trajectory, and if a person were shooting fixed distances where one was short & one longer range, you can play w/ the optics sightline to bore offset to pretty much make your two intersections of sightline and bullet path match two of your fixed target ranges.

This is very much like the practice I was told where people around here used to sight in their 30-30s at 25 yds, and assume a 100 yd zero as well for deer hunting. (Since I never did that, I can't vouch for it working well, or if it is intended for open sights or scopes.)

The elevator mount probably would work very well on a scoped hunting revolver to extend useful range of precise shot placement, but I never see people do it. It does create some other compromises.

Probably something most people don't think about often is minimizing the difference between optics sightline and bullet path with their chosen load & gun.
Most people probably just pick a mount they have confidence in and a ring height that makes everything package (objective bell to barrel, access to hammer spur, etc.), but doesn't mean there isn't advantage to doing otherwise.
When I say "most people" I am not implying people here -- just the general shooting public.

Every time someone I am around goes to shoot at something 3-5 feet away (like a scoped 22 exterminating a pest) and I remind them that the bullet will strike very low -- almost exactly the amount between scope C-L and bore C-L -- they look at me weird. Same phenomena: sight line vs. bullet path. Also, most people probably don't think about the sighting being the effect of a tangent of sightline to path, or intersections. Very few people I ever brought this up to didn't give me an odd look.

If a person doesn't know the differences in bullet path to sightline, you'll never really know where the shot will land at unknown distances, and never truly understand the trajectory tables some manuals give where they assume a (rather common) 1.5" offset between rifle bore and scope centerline at receiver.

[NSB]

Back when I was shooting three gun matches, some of the top shooters in the US were shooting some very odd rifles called “chin guns”. They had scopes that were very, very highly mounted and the guns were held quite low. These guys could shoot them very well at small steel targets at very long range (for a rimfire). As effective as they were, no one would ever suggest someone take them squirrel hunting or mount a scope on their favorite rimfire rifle that high over the bore. Holding a handgun with a scope or red dot on it, there is no noticeable effect between any ring height chosen. There’s a world of difference between theoretical and practical. Just saying.

[Forrest r]

That's just another example of a scoped/optics for firearms.

I used tasco pro point redots on a s&w 617 and still use 1 to this day on a s&w 629. They are on the large side along with the mount that is need to install them. That puts the dot +/- 1 1/2" above the bore.
https://i.imgur.com/kadBNYC.jpg

When shooting dirt colds @ 10 paces or 6" plates @ 50ft canting doesn't matter. Heck you can hold the revolver sideways "gansta" style. Try canting the revolver with this setup on the 50yd line and see what happens.

Same with this pair of 1911's, at close range it canting has little affect on accuracy.
https://i.imgur.com/8NOmyg6.jpg


Stretch out a little bit and everything comes into play including canting.
https://i.imgur.com/77VoPsa.jpg

At the end of the day canting only comes into play if you're trying to hit small targets or keeping score.

Simply putting out there that when using optics other things can come into play that will affect accuracy.

[Jtarm]

I find them useful

https://i.imgur.com/tn5Hmbj.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/kCkNilI.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/M2EndEM.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Y8aRt5R.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/xdMCmIJ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/9gnJzHG.jpg

Red dot sights are easy to install on most handguns these days and won't break the bank. Scopes (mostly for hunting) are good choices also and easy to mount as well. With the no drill mount's that are available I would say give it a try and see how you like it.

What mount do are you using on that Bisley?

[rkrcpa]

What mount do are you using on that Bisley?

The scope mount is a Weaver No-drill mount. The red dot mount is a Raptor Engineering (no longer in production)

[umwminer]

rkrcpa , would you mind telling where you got the mount for your Ruger mk4 ?

[rkrcpa]

rkrcpa , would you mind telling where you got the mount for your Ruger mk4 ?

https://lobos-industries.com/products/ruger-mark-series-low-profile-mount