Recommendation on Red Dot Pistol Scopes

[Bill Hamilton]

Know this is not a "gun forum", but lots of people with great knowledge. My wife (bless her), gave me a Ruger Mark III Hunter Pistol (.22 cal) for Christmas so I could shoot the tree rats in the yard and do a little plinking. I would like to put a red dot scope on it for better accuracy but there are so many out there from $29.99 to $500.00 plus. At this point I am looking at the UltraDot 25, reasonably priced at $129 with a full lifetime warranty. I want it in stainless as the pistol is stainless so my choices are limited. Stopped by Bass Pro and they had one with too many bells and whistles for the same money but I am leery of electronic stuff that they just add more things to. Stopped by Green Top (where the wife bought it) and they didn't have anything in stainless.



Your thoughts please! Thanks for the help

 

[Greg Meyer]

Bill,

I have no experience with them in the last 10 years so I am sure my opinion would not mean much. You can look at some on EABCO.COM for comparisons and maybe some info. Fatrap might have a better idea...

 

[fatrap]

Bill

Red dots are the biggest sellers, but for your application it should be fine. The big problem is mounting them. Most .22 rimfires have a 3/8 inch rimfire mounting dovetail on the top of the reciever. Most red dots mount on a larger dovetail or use a base, one piece or other. The trick is finding the mounting bracket that works. Off the top of my head I think the Ruger may be tapped for a mounting bracket. If so then find a one piece base that will fit the red dot and your in business. Big downside is you have to remove it to use the open sights.

As for red dots. They are fine lots of choices. Different reticle selectors, colors, brightness levels. In this case money is pretty much a indicator of quality. $100 is going to get you a decent one. We sell a Redhead version for about $40 that has worked well.

The bad side is they are electric. Something happens and your screwed. Mr. Murphy is just waiting around the corner to trip you up. Batteries never can be trusted but in your case just for tree rats and plinking you don't have much to loose. So you're kind of in a win win situation.

Operation is simple. They have windage and elevation just like a regular scope. They have little or no magnification which makes them quick to find the target.

Overall I'd rate them as worth having when used within their limitations. Always have a supply of fresh batteries handy and like all sighting aids you cannot buy marksmanship and practice is required.

Hope this helps

fatrap

 

[Bill Hamilton]

Fatrap - Thanks for the info. With respect to the base the pistol came with a Weaver style mount so all I need to make sure is the rings fit a Weaver base. Bummer on not being able to use the rear sight with the scope on since the Ruger has nice sights on it. Problem with the $40 scope which I looked up it doesn't come in a silver color even though the web site shows a picture of it. It is not listed in the pick and choose area. Any reason why?



Again, thanks for your help!

 

[Scott Allen]

Bill, I have a couple of the BSAs from Cheaper than Dirt. Good for the price. I use one on an airgun and one on a crossbow. Check them out on their website, cheaperthandirt.com.



Scott

 

[Eric Aasen]

Bill,

Don't limit yourself to just stainless! A black scope on a stainless gun with stainless rings looks great in my mind. Two-tone is all the rage now but if you want to stick with all one color, that's your choice too. I have a 2X Bushnell scope on my Smith and Wesson .22. I've made hits out to 70 yrds with it on ground squirrels but you have to have a very steady rest with a true scope.



NoCAL

 

[Bill Hamilton]

NoCAL - What type of scope do yo have in the 2X Bushnell? Thanks for the info.

 

[fatrap]

Scott

You may want to rethink the red dot on a air rifle. The high end air rifles(.177 and .22 PELLET) are terrible on scopes and optics not specifically made for their type of recoil. fatrap

 

[Scott Allen]

fatrap,



I've had no problems yet. There isn't much recoil on the air rifle I'm shooting. I would say there is more on the crossbow than the air rifle. Is there a difference? Thanks for the heads up.



Scott

 

[Eric Aasen]

Scott, the difference is not the amount of recoil but the type. A regular gun just slams straight back so there is only one force vector acting on the scope. An air rifle has a piston which slams forward the expell the air and then the gun immediately recoils back. So there are two simultanious force vectors one forward and one back. A dedicated air rifle scope is made to deal with this but a regular scope is not and might not stand up to much use on a powerful air rifle. Then again they might stand up ok. I think the BSAs are all made for air rifles so you should be ok.



Bill, my scope is just a straight 2 power 1" tube pistol scope Long Eye Relief. I don't think they make it anymore. I'm pretty sure the model was a Trophy. Leupold still makes a 2X pistol scope but they are pricey.



NoCAL

 

[Scott Allen]

NoCAL,



Not much danger of this air rifle hurting anything! Just a mid-range Crosman for shooting squirrels outta my walnut trees and garden. I did recheck and the model BSA I have is for an air rifle. Good to go. Thanks.



Scott