i"m thinking about putting a scope on my .44 Raging Bull.
it"s incredibly accurate, and it shoots better than i can control the front sight. i am hoping that a more precise sight picture could really tighten groups and push the range out. i can"t legally hunt with it, so for now it"s just for fun(maybe some day i"ll book a pig hunt in the US)
i"ve been looking at the Simmons Pro-hunter,
with a 32mm front lens. i"ve tried red dots on pistols and carbines before, and found them fast, but not very accurate.
anybody any thoughts? i was thinking of Simmons as they"re cheaper than most others!
how do optical sights compare to iron on a pistol?

I've got a 2x Burris on my Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter 44. It works great and the rig is much more accurate for me in field positions out to 100 yds. than the irons were.

One point: don't buy a cheap scope, I picked up a Tasco, I think it was some brand Z anyway, at a gun show in a trade and it fell apart internally after a box of full power loads. Buy a Leupold, Nikon, whatever, but expect to pay at least $200 US. Burris makes a 2x-7x pistol scope with their Ballistic Plex reticle that should be a blast to plink with. I have this reticle on several rifle scopes and if I have a range finder anything is toast out to 400 plus yards. There is no such thing as a "cheap" reliable pistol scope for heavy weight hunting revolvers.

Brass: I've scoped a number of pistols over the years, from .30 Herrett Contenders to Savage .243 Strikers to Ruger SBHs. I don't think you make a better choice for a .44 Magnum wheelgun than a Leupold 2X EER. Simple, rugged, bright. One of these cut my groups roughly in half at 100 yards with 10.5-inch barreled Super Blackhawk from the Keith back rest position. The Leupy has an unbeatable guarantee and if you tire of it you can always sell it quickly.

Based on my experiences, either the 2X or 4X Leupold pistol or EER scopes work well. Another possibility is the 2-6X Elite 3200. I have one on a FA in .454 and it has held up well.

I do prefer leupold or Burris scopes, However I put a Thompson Center scope on my RSH just to prove the claim that TC scopes are "recoil proof"

One of the issues I had in scoping my 44 RSB was getting the mount to stay put for more than about 10 shots. I shot the scope off, twice, and finally got screw size and mount right. I had a great deal of fun and accurate shooting with it after I got it cured, would like to have it back!! Low power scope, simple construction, 44 recoil will usually show up any lacking pretty quick.

I have a Simmons on my Ruger SRH 454 Casull and it works fine. Had 3 other off brand scopes on it befor the simmons and shook them all apart.
Mike

It's been my experience that higher magnifications really magnify hand movements. I have a Tasco on my 44 Ruger. I've had it for about 5 years and no problems. I shoot a 180gr Remington jhp with 25gr 2400. My mount is a B-Square. If you do eventually hunt with it, get a good pair of scope caps. Makes keeping the lenses clean a whole lot easier.

quote:

Originally posted by MS Hitman:
Based on my experiences, either the 2X or 4X Leupold pistol or EER scopes work well. Another possibility is the 2-6X Elite 3200. I have one on a FA in .454 and it has held up well.

I will 2nd the 2-6X Elite 3200

If you really want to tighten your groups, then get a variable 2-6 or 2.5-7. The leupy 2x is a great scope, but actual magnification is about 1.8X, and I found that for really dialing in my groups at longer range, I needed more magnification. The 4X scopes have a very small field of view and thus I don't care for them.

With an accurate revolver and a good variable, you'll be amazed how well you can shoot. When scoped, my groups drop in 1/2, and I still have good eyes.

I agree that cheap scopes generally go to bits on handguns, so get a good one. Simmons unfortunately discontinued their old gold medal 2.5-7 which was reputed to be the toughest variable handgun scope made. I never had a problem with it on a variety of contender barrels and my 480 SRH. Unfortunately I sold it

Brass, what ever scope you choose, the way you mount it is the most important thing. I have had nothing but trouble with screws coming loose even after using Loctite primer and red Loctite. I even put torque on the screws and tapped them tight with a small hammer only to have them come loose after so many shots. I caught it before screws sheared.
I solved it by using Accra Glass to glue down the base to the topstrap and glued in the screws. If it ever needs to be removed, a little heat will do it.
The .44 is not as bad as some of my calibers but I even sheared the front turn in Burris ring once on my SBH. I also sheared all the grip frame screws when they got loose. I check all screws every time I clean the guns too. A loose screw is a NO-NO.

By the way, I ruined the tube on my Burris variable with Ruger rings. I could not keep this large scope from sliding in the rings. I even lapped the rings and used rosin on them. Since there is no way to use more then 2 rings on the SRH or the Burris base on my SBH, I have to use a lighter scope. Don't buy a large, heavy scope.

I scoped my S&W 629 44 mag with leupold mounts and rings and a burris 2-7 variable. I had to send the scope back twice in six months for loose debris flying around inside messing with the sight picture. The cross hairs stayed put OK but the other junk was annoying as hell.

I would agree to using a scope cap at least on the front lens to make cleaning easier when the ported barrel spits residue on it.

thanks guys for all the info!
i know recoil is a problem with any scope, but what kind of laods are you all using?
for plinking i"m using blue dot or bullseye, in pretty tame loads(usually with cheap lead bullets). if i really want to pep things up, i use 20 grns on N110, and a tmj bullet(all my bullets are 240 gr at present)
i know it"s hard to keep everything in place, i had loads of problems setting up my 308 rifle as the scope kept turning in the rings.
Taurus make a mount that fits into the vented rib on the RB barrel, so i imagine it would be pretty secure. it also has locating grooves for rings, so if i can keep the scope from moving in the rings i"m laughing(unless anything breaks!)
so are any of you shooting very hot loads or is it just very hard to keep a handgun scope from moving?

Because handguns are relatively light, and thus move a fair amount during recoil they are much rougher on scopes. As mentioned, one of the biggest causes of scopes failing under recoil (pistols and rifles) are mounting systems that don't provide a solid platform to hold the scope.

I've never had problems with the Ruger rings on my SRH, and even though it's a lowly 480 I managed to launch 400's @ 1300 fps and 460's @ 1150 fps, and scope stayed put.

makes me feel inadequate with my .44!

Honestly most folks are well equiped with a 44. The reason I sold mine and moved to the 480 is, I shoot the 480 as well as a 44, though I can't handle bigger guns, I carry a gun for protection against bears and 400 gr .475" @ 1200 fps gives me a bigger warm fuzzy than 300 gr .429" @ 1200 fps, and I also have the chance of using it against moose, in which case I feel the 44 mag is barely enough, but the 480 is just right.

I did just order a 270 gr mold for the 480 though, because lighter loads are more fun to shoot at the range

There is no reason to feel inadequate with a 44, it is a very powerful gun, and has enough recoil that mastering takes practice.

quote:

Originally posted by Paul H:
If you really want to tighten your groups, then get a variable 2-6 or 2.5-7. The leupy 2x is a great scope, but actual magnification is about 1.8X, and I found that for really dialing in my groups at longer range, I needed more magnification. The 4X scopes have a very small field of view and thus I don't care for them.

The 4X scopes do cut the field of view way too much at close range.
I went from a 4X to a Swift 2X on my 29 and my target aquisition time went down.

However at 100 yards, I would like more power.
More power does magnify movement, but once you are used to the scope it will help your groups.

Which is why I like the variables, you get the fov and higher magnification.