My 9mm carbine should be delivered any time now.  Should I be looking at pistol scopes or rifle scopes?  Which brand/model would be best for basic shooting out to 100 yards with commercial 9mm?

Assuming you're going to mount the scope on the receiver, you'll want a rifle scope.

Any decent scope up to 9x would be fine for 100 yards.  The best deals are often on 3-9x40 variable scopes, as they're one of the most popular sizes, but 4x can be fine for that range as well.

9mm has a good bit of drop at those ranges, so something with ranging features, like a mil-dot reticle, might come in handy.

Lots of people don't bother with magnified scopes out to 100 yards, and prefer red dots or holosights.  I need some magnification for accuracy at that range, as my eyes aren't so great, and the 3-9x models are good for me.

If you're trying to keep costs down, Leupold, Burris, and Nikon all make good quality basic scopes that are below $200-300.  Check www.swfa.com for prices and models.

Quality starts dropping fast as you go below $200.  If you have a bigger budget, there are lots of great optics out there.

I would think a reddot (EoTech, Aimpoint, etc.) would better fit your needs since the 9mm will not be able to reach out to distances where magnification is needed.

Quoted: I would think a reddot (EoTech, Aimpoint, etc.) would better fit your needs since the 9mm will not be able to reach out to distances where magnification is needed.

I wouldn't say "magnification is not an issue" for myself.  I want to see WHERE I'm hitting the target as much as WHETHER I'm hitting the target.  Of course after I get more proficient, a red dot is the next logical step.

I just did a little scope shopping today at Academy Sports and Outdoors, and it seems that "inexpensive" scopes in the 3-9 power range are not at all bad.  Not Leupold, mind you, but not bad.  I may pick one up just to mess around with.

Thanks for the input.  Now I need to figure out if I want a "real" scope for my single shot .22.  The tiny 4X Tasco on it (that's been there for about 25 years) is starting to show some wear.  I can get a new one for $8, but is that what I want for a single shot .22?  I dunno.

How about a Bushnell or Simmons 1.5-5x shotgun scope? It works pretty good at close range, good for 100 yards and parallax set at 60-75 yards.
Or a red dot sight and a set of bino's.
RRA15

I use a Leupold CQ/T 1-3X.  Works great for plinking and you can see shots easily from 50-100 yards.

As stated above. The 9mm drops off really fast at 100yds. Personally, I use a Trijicon Compact Acog 1.5x16 with Amber dot on my suppressed 9mm. It is as fast as the Eotech that used to be on there and I can make hits at 100 yards easily. For a 9mm, I would stick with a low power optic or red dot.


USNCORPSMAN