The American Beagler Forum

I bought a new pistol this year for deer hunting. I shot over a box of shells through it just practiciong and sighting it in. I killed a deer with it the first day out but I am not satisified with how well I can shoot it(Its not the gun, I need more practice). The guy I deal with on guns highly recommended getting a red dot scope for it and said it would improve my accuracy alot.
Just wondering if anyone on here has any experiences with scopes for pistols. I have always shot a scope on my slug gun and rifles so I am used to shooting a scope. I want something like a red dot because I dont want a scope that is very big. I also want something with a decent field of view, anti glare and no funky colored lenses. I looked at a couple different red dot scopes at a sporting goods store but the only one they recommended I didnt like due to it having a small field of view and a green lens which made everything look green. Cost isnt a issue because I am willing to spend the extra money for something that is a good quality scope that will last!

i use a cmore red dot sight on a ar15 i dont know if they make one for a pistol but it would be worth looking in to because it wasnt a scope its like a flat peice of glass so it has great field of view

Forget the Red Dot and get you a Leupold 2X pistol scope. I use one on a 44 mag Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter and it is deadly accurate. I couldn't hold a tight group with iron sites but with the Leupold it is amazing.
If you really are determined to buy the red dot Millet used to make a smaller one that was good quality with a low price tag. There is really not much to a Red Dot scope, mechanically speaking.
Red Dots do not offer any magnification whereas a 2X will give some magnification and gather light on those early morning or late afternoon overcast days and the field of view is huge.
Shoot me a PM or give me a call if you need to discuss further.

Ed

Thanks for your input Ed! I forgot to add to my first post that I wanted 2X power. Most red dot scopes are not powered but they do make a red dot in 2X. The main reason I am looking at a red dot is because it is small in size(4 inches is about the biggest one ive seen) where most of the other scopes ive seen were much larger.

I've got a bunch of pistols with various scopes ranging from 1X - 8X and the best sight on any of them is the Bushnell Holosight I've got on my .44 mag, try one and that's what you'll buy I'm sure of it. They beat a regular red dot and scope hands down, if you were closer I'd let you try mine on that .44 , the dot is only 1 MOA so it won't hide your target like a lot of red dots will and it doesn't matter where your head is in relationship to the scope or target the bullet will hit where ever that floating red dot is on the target. With the Holosights you don't even need to center the dot in your scope it can be all the way in the bottom corner of the view finder and it'll still hit dead on. For handgun hunting nothing else out there comes close.

Stoney,

They make regular low profile tube scopes for pistol with CPC with Dot. You may want to look into that as well or a Lil Dot.
I agree with Dixie Dog on some of the red dot scopes covering too muckh target. I had a Millet that had 6 setting that decreased the dot substantially. I just don't like any scopes that are battery operated. They could fail at the worst opportune time.
But, your call and buy what you like. Just trying to give some personal insight.

Ed

i just saw on the outdoor channel the leader of target shooting for 2009 uses a cmore on a pistol so they do make them but they are pricy imo you can not beat a cmore sight

NIKON makes a good scope. LEUPOLD are nice but you can get something as nice for less money. for a "low end" brand, i like BSA... their CATSEYE scopes are pretty nice for the $70 range.

hey stony-- what did you end up with for a pistol?

I bought theTaurus Raging Bull in a .44 with a 8 3/8" barrel. I looked at S&W, Colts and every other brand but couldnt find anything I liked plus I couldnt see spending a extra 2-3 hundred for a name especially when I really didnt care for any of them.
Ive killed 2 deer with it so far. One was at 45 yards and the other was over 75 yards. The one that was over 75 yards was a heart shot with one shot but I think there was a lot of luck involved on that one!
Next year my goal is a big buck!

very nice! im not much into deer hunting... but am really considering it now that we can use a pistol here in IL. personally id have to use one of my rugers... or buy a new gun . do you like the longer barrel? i prefer a 4 or 5" for just "shooting" and can shoot pretty accurate that way but have never actually hunted with mine.

Yes I like the longer barrel but I dont have a shorter one to compare it to. The only other pistol I have ever shot besides my .44 was a Ruger.22 when coonhunting. I did hold a Raging Bull in a 6" barrel and it seemed a little more comfortable or balanced in my hand but I really liked the looks of the 8 3/8" and I was concerned about recoil and I knew the heavier the gun the less there would be. The gun I bought was one of them things you see a picture of and you just have to have one! SO I BOUGHT IT! LOL!

id love to get a new pistol but i been a little crazy with the spending lately... in the last 2 months i bought a SKS, a russian mosin nagant M-44, a .22 bolt action and a AK-47 (to replace one i just sold!)... so needless to say, i have to cool it for a couple months. and yes i like the military stuff!!

stoney i baught a model 29 smith in 44 mag with 8 3/8 in barell n put a red dot on it lol when i would shoot it the dot would go out for a minute or two i checked around at different gun stores and finally baught a 4X burriss and that has been about 10 years or more ago with lots of deer killed with it my brother has it now n he shoots it in competion he has won lots of club shoots n even placed 2nd at camp perry aganist 6 or 700 shooters the buriss is a pistol scope and they make a real good scope with quality jb