Need help/suggestions on scope and scoping a Henry BB 357 rifle - vision issues

[bedbugbilly]

I am close to 70 and have had diabetes for 55 years which has resulted in vision issues due to diabetic retinapathy. I was born right handed/right eye dominant.. Due to extensive laser treatment in both eyes, the central vision in my right eye is pretty much shot – in fact – my lens that was inserted in that eye during cataract surgery years ago dislodged and I recently had surgery on the eye to remove it and have a new lens put in – but – the new lens did not stay in place completely and rotated as if on an axis so I have surgery scheduled in September to go back in and correct it.

As a result of these issues, I had to start shooting using my left eye as the dominant eye – still hold my pistols in right hand but switched to shooting rifle left handed as well. My left eye still has decent central vision but my vision is not 20/20 – more like 20/40 with a sense implant from cataract surgery. I no longer drive and even with a set of glasses to help with the left eye, distances can pose a problem - but with a set of binoculars, etc. - it brings the distant view up close to where I can see a target. But, it is what it is.

I have a Henry Big Boy Steel Rifle in 357. I set this rifle up with a Skinner peep and have tried several different diameters of peep hole. The largest diameter peep hole seems to be the best. However, my issue is the difficulty in seeing a target out at a distance clearly and it is evident to me that it is time to scope the rifle if I am really going to enjoy shooting it. Here is what I have and what my needs/wants are.

Henry BB Steel 357 rifle (pre side gate/tube feed only - receiver top drilled/tapped for a Skinner peep or scope mount with Henry's screw hole placement/distances between holes)
Distances I want to be able to shoot at is anywhere from 25 yards to 200 yards – and no, I don’t expect to put them all in one hole – just would like to be able to shoot out to up to 200 yards at steel gong, gallon cans, etc., see the target clearly and be able to use the cross hairs. I no longer hunt and will strictly be playing with different cast boolits and loads from the rifle – in other words – a fun gun and fun plinker.

I know little to nothing about scopes or what kind/type of scope I need to do what I want to. In looking, it appears that my options, as far as mounting a scope, are either the Henry Big Boy Ring and Base Mount Set (sold by Henry) or a Weaver Picatinny Rail and Ring Set. My Henry came drilled/tapped so I am assuming that either of these could be used to mount a scope on the rifle.

I will also state that I have tried red dot/green dot type sights and I know that they will not do the job for me and my eyesight. I tried a friend's who had it on a pistol and I have issues with red and green as I am also somewhat color blind. I need a scope that will give me a clear and sharp view of an intended target from 25 to 200 yards. As I said, I know little about scopes so don't know if they adjust for focus at different distances?

I did a little looking and I see that there are “compact scopes” but I am unsure if this is something that will fit the bill or will work with either the Henry scope mount or the Weaver/Picatinny system to get it positioned in the correct spot for me on the top fo the receiver. My thoughts were that if a “compact” scope would work, it might be easier as far as toting the rifle around, shooting offhand , etc. If not, then a regular size scope would obviously be the only other option.

I purchased a Ruger 223/5.56 bolt action that I have out in AZ and I had a Leopold Freedom scope installed on it. I just have not had the time when we were out there to work with it due to Covid and not being able to go and shoot anywhere. I realize that there is a wide variety of scopes out there – price wise, design wise, etc. and that you “get what you pay for”. I will do what I have to, but also don’t want to tie up a lot of money in an expensive scope when a cheaper one might/would do the trick and allow me to see the target clearly at those distances and be able to see the cross hairs clearly. I realize that the rifle will shoot differently at different distances and with different loads, but I would sight it in at probably 50 yards and at longer distances, play and learn the sight picture and cross hair placement to allow for elevation as well as windage.

I don’t know how many have their 357 lever actions scoped, but I would sure appreciate some help and suggestions on which scope mount to get for the Henry BB and some suggestions on scopes that would do what I need.

Thanks!

[farmbif]

ive been very pleased with old leupold vx2 2-7 on a few marlins, if I had more money would not hesitate on vx3 2.5-8

[Randy Bohannon]

I put this Anthlon 1X4 mil dot on my 41 Mag. BB , I bought both the Henry and a DWG rail and ended up using the Henry as it matches the finish.

[1006]

You might like a Red Dot of some kind. One with a dot of 3moa or less. I have watched one of my shooting friends put some good groups on a 100yard target with a 3 moa dot.

I use a compromise between a dot and a scope. The AR Mod1 1-4 by Leupold with a small red dot integrated into the cross hair. The model is an AR Mod1 1-4x. I believe the Leupold Freedom line offers the new version. Mine has a heavy duplex reticle with a 10moa circle around it.I figured out that for me the dot has to be on at all times for the best results. The heavy duplex alone without the dot is less precise than with the dot. The dot is very small.

http://https://www.sportsmansoutdoorsuperstore.com/products2.cfm/ID/128285/115387/leupold-mark-ar-mod1-1.5-4x20mm-riflescope-with-firedot-g-spr-%28illuminated%29-reticle

[dverna]

My LGS will mount a scope at no charge. I just took a PCP rifle in yesterday looking for a mount that would just clear the magazine and give my as low a scope as possible. We had it figured out on the second set of mounts. I see you live in MI, so if you are near a Jay's that is where I went and they are great folks.

They also have a lot of different scopes you can try out to see what works best for you.

Good luck with your surgery and finding a scope that meets your needs.

[NSB]

Dverna gave you some very good advice, go to a gun store and let them assist you on this. That’s your best bet, they’ll get it right without having you to “guess” on the internet. My one big suggestion to you is this: get a scope with adjustable side focus for parallax. I damaged my eye two years ago driving my ATV without wearing glasses (on a wide open trail I’d driven thousands of time…until it snowed and the trees fell) and today I have a problem with my vision in dim light conditions. I’ve found that a lighted reticle is a tremendous help even in the daytime for me. I recently bought a Hawke scope for my PCP and it’s a very good scope for what you’d need. It adjusts focus from as close as 9 yards out to infinity. All Hawke scopes are rated for all types of recoil from spring air rifles (scope killers) to the heaviest magnum center fires. You can turn the reticle on or off, and most have parallax side focus. They make several different lines of scopes, but all are lifetime guaranteed and are exceptionally repeatable. Prices are from low to high depending on what your needs are, but they all have the same gurantee. Hawke scopes are now one of the largest scope manufacturers in the world. They are very clear, track very well, and are loaded with features to meet your needs. Check them out. I’m sure you can find exactly what you need without breaking the bank. Good luck.

[sukivel]

ive been very pleased with old leupold vx2 2-7 on a few marlins, if I had more money would not hesitate on vx3 2.5-8

This sounds like a winner to me!


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[MostlyLeverGuns]

Finding a small, light scope has become more difficult the past 3 or 4 years. I would propose a 2-7x32 or 1.5-5x to keep from overwhelming the rifle. Depending on budget Vortex and Leupold are most common. Recoil of the 357 will not beat up a scope. Simmons makes both 2-7x32 and 3-9x32 that would work on .357 as recoil is not an issue. I have a few Simmons on Marlin 30-30's and 32 Special's and they have performed well without incident. My vision is still OK at 72 but I have found that more magnification sometimes helps but for offhand shooting more than 6x can become a problem due to field of view and magnify the 'wobbles'. I have purchased optics from Natchez, Amazon with satisfaction. I like Burris but they do not have a 'light handy' scope. I have Bushnell and Weaver also, but now what they have for smaller lighter optics. When first starting with scopes, a 3 or 4 power is easier to learn to use quickly, with practice a low powered scope can be as fast a peep or open sight and more precise.

[Mk42gunner]

In my experience, you won't go wrong by getting a Leupold scope. Yes it is more money than the bargain brands, but it is also very much higher quality; which is important when you look through it.

I may be a throwback, but I like small straight tubed scopes on lever actions (and some bolt action rifles). The aforementioned 2-7X Leupold is a good scope too, my deer rifle has worn one for a couple of decades.

Robert

[bedbugbilly]

A big thank you to all that kindly responded and I greatly appreciate the help and advice!

I have a scope mount on the way from Henry - as well as a ambi hammer extension as I'm sure I'll want to put that on as well.

I talked with a friend out in AZ that I sometimes shoot with and explained what I was looking to do and he said he has two scopes that he took off of rifles that he sold that he would happily give me if they will work. We go back to AZ for the winter in October so the rifle is going with me and he'll help me with each of the scopes to see if one will dow what I need. If not, there is a LGS there I bought my Ruger 223/5.56 rifle that I bought a Leopold Freedom scope from - I know they usually have a number of scopes in stock as well as some used ones. The suggestion to take a trip to a LGS to get help is sage advice.

In the meantime, since my knowledge of scopes is very minimal, I am reading and watching a number of videos to become a bit better educzted concerning them. i greatly appreciate the suggestions as after reading and watching some videos, what the suggestions are makes better sense.

Thank you all again!

Jim

[meh]

The drop at the comb is pretty severe, so when I had a scope on my Big Boy Steel, I didn't particularly like the Henry scope mount. The Henry mount was designed to work on both the steel and brass receiver models, and that's important because the brass receiver requires the mount to clear a raised area at the front of the receiver that isn't there on the steel model. With the steel model, you can could use a lower profile rail like the one from Ranger Point Precision (https://rangerpointstore.com/rhino-picatinny-rail), which I see just now is out of stock. Gah! Oh well, the Henry ones work fine, but you might want a cheek rest. The Tourbon leather one on Amazon is OK. I found the Tourbon cheek rest to be a little high when used with the Ranger Point Precision rail with the lowest rings that worked but about right with the Henry mount. Maybe that helps a little.

One of the nice things about Leupold scopes is that they don't tend to add unnecessary weight. Most of my scoped rifles have lesser-cost Leupolds on them. I had a Vortex Crossfire II 2-7x32 that also had great optics, but it was a lot heavier than the Leupold 3-9x40 I replaced it with.

[farmbif]

in scope selection there more good glass out there than ever before. but I think you will find that both leupold and vortex stand behind there products if you ever have a problem. the way vortex will replace a broken scope is second to none and leupold has an outstanding reputation for fixing broken optics.
I only have one vortex, a diamondback 2-7 and it is an outstanding scope for the under $200 cost.