Putting a scope on my revolver
I was out shooting at some 24" gongs a few days ago. I decided to put my AR down and give it a shot (pun intended) with my GP 100.
I was pleasantly surprised! I was consistently ringing the gongs at 100 yards with this gun, using truncated 140 grain Fiocci ammo. I was hitting about 30% of the time, using factory sights.
I'm betting I could do much better with a scope mounted on this revolver. I'm wondering: How much does it cost to scope a pistol? What kind of scope should I use?
People do it all the time, my dad hunts with a S&W 44mag Scoped. He is using a short 4 power pistol scope. Keep in mind, that a scope and mount will add considerable weight to your revolver, most people that hunt with handguns and scopes use some kind of rest or support. Go strap a full soda can on top of your gun and see how it feels. Shooting a pistol with scope is harder than IRONs IMO. I had a scope on my Ruger MKII, tried to shoot off hand and was chasing the target more than shooting it. lol.
Well you need a pistol scope which has long eye relief.
I am an old fart and back in the day most were 2X fixed but it seems today most folks are going 4X.
Much power and you are forcing yourself to use only a rest , depends on what type of shooting you are planning on
Dig out some of Elmer Kieths old articles and you will likely be surprised at some of the pistol work he did with iron sights.
Many folks thought he embellished quite a bit but I think he was a great shot who had lots of time to practise
The key to long range pistol work is a smooth sand or dirt bank where you can see your shots landing, walk them onto the target
and learn how to hold the sights to get hits at distance. If you are shooting at something where you can only see your hits you are never going to be able to
learn where most of your shots are going
The key to long range pistol work is a smooth sand or dirt bank where you can see your shots landing, walk them onto the target
and learn how to hold the sights to get hits at distance. If you are shooting at something where you can only see your hits you are never going to be able to
learn where most of your shots are going
Here's the wierd thing: I was amazed at how little bullet drop there was! I was holding about 6" high to hit the gong at 100 yards!
nhsport makes a good point!
I have owned and shot quite a few handguns, mostly revolvers, because I am a hunter and when I was much younger I spent a lot of time hunting woodchucks. and I've hunted many other species too. But most of my hunting has been with iron sights.
The only advantage I have realized in using a scope is being able to pick out a clear shooting lane in thick brush to make a shot on deer.
Otherwise I find that a scoped handgun is bulkier to carry, and is usually less well balanced too.
I've owned both single shot pistols and revolvers in the past and currently only own one Ruger Super Redhawk that is scoped, but I find that I prefer to carry my iron sighted Super Blackhawk instead of the scoped gun and I shoot the iron sighted revolver more accurately as well.
So I guess what I'm saying is don't expect to shoot a lot more accurately with a scope especially if you do have good eyesight.
I scoped my S&W 686 with a Bushnell 2-6x32, but i didn't keep it. Scope was fine but I had to keep it at arm's length for the full field of view and it felt like it doubled the weight of the pistol. I usually stayed at 2x and a dedicated 2x scope is usually lighter than a variable mag. Wound up only using it for bench shooting. Also at mags over 2x it's impossible to stay on target unless you're on a bench or braced. it was fun for a while but if I had to spend the $$$ again I'd get a red dot or upgrade my iron sights.
