Rifle Scopes LR handgun scope options

[diverdon]

I have a Remington XP-100 in .350 Remington Magnum that I inherited from my dad. My dad had borrowed a 4X Bushnell handgun scope from me and He was very happy with that scope. In our part of NY you may not hunt whitetail with a rifle, you may use a bow, muzzle loader, shot gun with slugs, or a center fire handgun, so my Dad naturally gravitated toward the gun that he could use to reach across a field with. Now I am looking for something with a bit more that a fixed 4X. A zoom would be good. I do not need ffp or a ranging reticle. Where my stands are I have measured distances to where I plan to take shots. It would be great to have a zero stop, and I need to be able to dial for elevation, and be confidant that the bullet will go where I set it. And of course this is a handgun scope so I need about a 20" eye relieve.

As far as I know neither S&B, Kahles, or any of the other top makers make a good hand gun scope. What am I missing?

 

[Diablo]

Am using a Leupold VX-III 2.5 - 8 variable pistol scope, currently.

Suggest you check on Leupold.

 

[hangunnr]

Burris makes a 3-12 handgun scope and you can get them with target turrets. The adjustments are 1/8" which kinda sucks if you're dialing for distance. In real world application it's damn difficult to use much more than about 8X in the field.

Leupold has a 2.5-8 handgun scope that can have M1 turrets installed through their custom shop. The adjustments are 1/4".

The Leupold glass is better than the Burris but also costs more. The Burris scope can be had with an adjustable objective, Leupold dosen't offer that option.

Neither company offers factory zero stops, however if you would end up with a Leupold and have an M1 turret you can purchase a aftermarket zero stop turret.

I personally use the 3-12 Burris on my XP100R long range handguns but I don't dial for distance.

CR

 

[diverdon]

Thanks, you guys have saved me a couple of days of head banging. Hangunnr, I have carefully read your post several times, there is a lot of information there in not too many words. I see that you have elected (and by implication must be having some success) to use the reticle for your holds. Is this a FFP reticle or do you need to shoot at a certain power?

 

[hangunnr]

I guess I should have chosen my words a little better.

I don't dial simply because the ranges that I can shoot while hunting don't require it. Using my 308 Win XP100R as an example, my zero yardage is 225 and the longest shot I'm likely to see in the field won't exceed 300-325 yards. That equates to only about a 6" drop so I just adjust my hold on the animal.

I'm not aware of anyone making a first focal plane handgun scope.

Is your 350 a mid or rear grip?

CR

 

[sscoyote]

I would also take a good look at the Nikon 2.5-8X. You get a ballistic reticle as well as target turrets for a great price. I have used most of the LER/IER optics on many SP's and consider this one to the best deals out there.

 

[lepcur]

A lot of the long range guys use rifle scopes on their rigs and you get a better fov with them and better long range optics to choose from. Once you have the target in view just back off a little bit to fire. Mike

 

[diverdon]

Is your 350 a mid or rear grip?

It is a rear grip. My dad always shot it with a short Harris bipod and a rear bag, and I might end up doing more or less the same thing. But, I do want to try out the Hog Saddle and see if I can get as good accuracy with that.

 

[hangunnr]

I've had problems pulling bipod studs with the 260 and 308 in the rear grip McM stocks. I've had to reinforce the stud in both to keep from shaking the bipod loose.

That 350 has to be a torque monster. I'm curious if the hog saddle will hold it firm enough, I have doubts.

Always wanted a 350 Rem Mag in an XP but haven't come across one for a price I was willing to pay. Having a mid grip 243 AI being built right now.

CR

 

[mlh29]

I have used almost every handgun scope on the market in the past 23 yrs. I second the opinions of leupold, nikon or burris. Leupold takes the lead for clarity and reputation. They are limited in offerings with only2,4, and 2.5x8 offerings.
Burris offers, 2, 2x7,3x12 currently. I have had all of them along with a 1.5x4 and 3x9. They are rugged, and have good Customer service.
Nikon are nice as well. I would rate them in between a burris and leupold.
I have used cheaper( bushnell trophy, simmons, swift, bushnell elite/baush and lomb elites on various big bore handguns... all were eventually replaced with either leupold or burris.

On a side note.. burris and leupold have great customer service.. recently I pulled a couple scopes that were at camp as spares with minor issues and sent them in for evaluation/repairs.
Burris was sent a 1.5x4 in silver that after untold number of 44 magnum-500 smith and wesson rounds started to have the internal tube coating coming apart. This scope was easily 25 yrs old and had been on probably 10 handguns.. 6 days later an email was received with a offer of pick a current model scope as we no longer service these 1.5x4.. 4 days later a new 2x7 was shipped out..( fed ex lost it but thats another story)
Leupold was sent a 2.5x8 .. similar back ground. but spent 15 years on a FA 454 that hunted all over the world, was sold to arrange that rents them, I bought package on gun broker. I fired over 2000 rounds with this scope mounted on a 480 ruger.. Leupold called me and stated that they have made numerous improvements to my scope since it was made and told me they would replace with a new model rather than repairing issues with old scope( the scope would no longer stay zeroed) 2 weeks later a new 2.5x8 was in my hands.

I guess my point is buy a reputable scope. 2.5x8 will serve you well. I have had the 3x9 and 3x12 burris and although they offer greater magnification, field of view and eye relief suffer.

Good luck

 

[gac700]

I have a Remington XP-100 in .350 Remington Magnum that I inherited from my dad. My dad had borrowed a 4X Bushnell handgun scope from me and He was very happy with that scope.

I prefer the 4x leupold on handguns for hunting due to it's greater field of view and weight. If I scope handguns in the future I will use this scope. With that said, I do have the 2.5-8 on a s&w performance center 44 and a center grip XP in 7mm BR. Both of those are beautiful combos. It is nice to be able to dial up to 8 at the range, but that may not be practical in the field. If you have a solid stand, Harris and rear support this may be the better option. If your father had success with your scope you may want to run with his experience for a bit.

XPs are incredibly accurate with their short barrels. My second XP is a custom rear grip heavy barrel.22 br with 2 oz trigger that weighs as much as a rifle. I used 3-18 and 6.5-20 leupolds, but the gun weight absorbs the recoil. Your .350 would probably destroy a rifle scope.

Best of luck in the field with your dad's handgun.

 

[Niles Coyote]

Another thumps up to Burris... and fixed power weaver.

I don't use the high powered scopes much, my hunting ground is thick and longest shot to date has been under 70 yards. I had a 3-12 Burris and it was a great scope but other than zeroing I rarely went above 3x. I loved the 1.5-4x model and found that the best for me... until they stopped making them. I have a few 2-7's and they have been fine but I always found my self at the 2x setting so I took a chance on a weaver fixed 2x and found it to be of good quality. It holds its zero and tracks. Its been used for countless rounds on a 22LR, 357 maxi, 3 different 44mags, a 45 colt and a 454 and keeps on ticking... as have the others from Burris. I have found if I am much above 3x the scope dims out right about the same time deer activity gets good... that would probably change if I were out in more open areas though. I did have a Burris 2-7 go down on tracking once (it was a used scope and wore some scars when I bought it). It took about 2 two weeks to fix and I was only out my shipping cost.