Greetings AR Colleagues,

I recently had a “too good to pass up” deal on a Taurus 44 Mag RB. Only had about 100 rounds through it and came with a holster and about 400 rounds of ammo for $400. While I didn’t really need another big bore handgun I would like to hunt with it this year. Taurus makes a Weaver style scope mount base for the pistol which I have on order. I’m conflicted though trying to decide between a low power or variable scope (have a Bushnell Elite 2-6 on my 30-30 Contender), a red dot or a reflex site. I would like to hear from Forum members who have a similar setup and what they opted to use. My choices are the Bushnell scope, perhaps a Leupold or something like an Aimpoint or Tru-Glo. The reflex sights are probably lower on my list. My shots will be limited to 75-85 yards.

I did some searching on the Forum and the opinions seem to be varied. Any input or advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Paul

I personally don't like scopes on handguns -- too hard for me to shoot well. I like red dots a lot better. Sure, they don't magnify, but they are easy to acquire and they are great in low-light.

For a 75-85 yard shot on deer or hogs I would want a scope. For shorter ranges a red dot would be my preferred optic.
Peter.

But Peter, 75 yards is a short shot!

I have used a few different scope's through out the years. I found the Bushnell Trophy scope to work the best for me. I no longer use scopes on my handguns, I only use Ultra-dot sights. Even out to 100 yards, they will work. But most of my shots are usually under 50 yards with my handguns.

Here is mine. FA in 475 Linebaugh:



Peter.

That's really pretty, Peter!

I'd suggest an Ultradot red dot. For me at least, they are much easier to shoot off hand than a scope and plenty accurate enough out to 150 yards or so. I'd suggest the 4-dot model then you can experiment with the different dot sizes and see which one suits you personally.