New poster here. Just picked up my first hunting quality handgun. A S&W 629 delux 6.5 inch barrel 44mag. Trying to decide on optic choice. Can't decide between a red dot or a actual scope. I'm having a hard time finding actual scopes. Pickings seem to be slim. I've never looked through a handgun scope so not sure what to expect. I'm looking at a burris fast fire 3. If I do a red dot which mount is best? I feel like the allchin mount might put the sight lower to the barrel. Do you think there would be Much of a height difference?

Smith & Wesson Mini STS Scope Mount - AllchinGunParts.com

Smith Wesson Revolver Mini MounttempImagev4aJTg.jpg

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Check out this link. I have one on my Ruger SRH .44 magnum (not the mini mount though) with a Bushnell RXS-250 Reflex Red Dot. I prefer it over a scope since I mostly deer hunt with it and don't plan on taking shots much farther than 75 yds or so. I used to use a tube type red dot (Ultra Dot) but I found that I can pick-up the dot faster with much less movement with a reflex type red dot. My SRH is big and heavy enough, the reflex red dot is much lighter than a scope/rings, and a lot less bulky than a scope/rings.

Smith Wesson Revolver Mini Mount

__________________
SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS

That's some good shooting

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Congrats on the new to you Smith. I have been short gun hunting for awhile, tending to lean toward the Smith model 57 myself. Most of my guns have optics on them. Most various handgun scopes, some red dots. Burris is in my mind toward the top. Living in middle Ga, shots are for the most part close so variable scopes tend to stay on the lower side. As for red dots,am still learning but want a 2 or 3 moa dot. I find scopes give me a little more time in the evening over a red dot. Good reading can be found at handgunhuntingafield.blog, I find Chris has a lot of good sense knowledge about hunting with a short gun. Have a gun built by him and it does shoot well.

For a large bore hunting handgun I prefer the tube type sights, I have a 44 coming and it will wear an Ultradot 30mm with a 2 mil dot. I prefer a knob to turn them on instead of pushing buttons which don't work well with gloves on.

I think it depends on how far you intend to shoot. I have a 6” model 629 that I had a 3X scope on. Hits at 100 yards were almost boring they were so consistent. I probably killed 5-6 NY deer with it. All single shot kills. I have a few others with scopes but this closely resembles what you have. My opinion is, red dots for self defense and scopes for hunting (precision) shots.

It depends on how you're hunting. If you're in a tree stand shooting down at 10 yards away, a red or green dot would be better. Dots scopes are one power, meaning no magnification. If you have a 4 power scope, you may just have a scope full of fur and not know what part of the animal you're on, at least not quickly.

A 2 or 3 minute dot will do well out to 50 yards. After that, you will get finer aiming with a crosshair scope. You may want a lighted reticle if hunting in trees, brush, or low light. An unlit reticle can be hard to distinguish from twigs and brush under some lighting conditions.

__________________
protocalldesign.com

To me it depends on the distance to target. If it's under 50 yards I'd go with the red dot, (The Burris FF3 is an excellent choice, and the Allchin mount sets the dot the lowest to bore of any mount out there). If over 50 yards I'd go with a scope, Leupold, Vortex, Nikon, usually in a variable of about 2-6X.
Here's a Burris FF on a 986 I used to have,

__________________
H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Very accurate, 6" plates at 100 yds no problem. Galco chest rig.

Attached Images

629.jpg (124.3 KB, 32 views)

Sadly, Leupold has dropped out of the handgun scope business.

Ya, Leupold was available when I was shopping for scope but was only available in black.

My only scoped handguns are T/C Contenders and a Remington XP-100R. I learned the hard way that you're better off with very low magnification. The Contender barrels have fixed four-power Leupolds and it's damned hard to hold that much magnification steady offhand. The XP-100R wears a Burris 3-12X AO and even at 3X it's wobbly offhand, partially due to the gun's weight and its rear grip stock placing all the weight way out there. But from a rest or off its bipod with the magnification cranked up, it's great for varmints.

I bought the Contenders in the 1980s when handgun scopes didn't offer a lot of choice and and dot optics didn't exist. The Burris scope was won on a raffle ticket and sat in its box until I bought the XP-100R 20 years ago. XP-100Rs were only made during 1998, the last year of XP-100 production and have a gray fiberglass copy of the Custom Shop Kevlar stock. I now have dot optics on two S&W 22LR autoloaders, a 22A-1 and a 41.

Are you aware that even current production 41s are no-dash guns? I wasn't until I bought mine new a year ago.

Ed

I find a fixed 2x works just fine for my hunting needs. I also had a 2moa dot on it and that was nice also. I found I was more accurate with the Burris scope in the end. Typically I’m in a tree stand with a rest.

Remember, just because you’re in a tree stand it doesn’t mean you’re shooting at archery distances. I shoot deer well over 100 yds often from my favorite stands. Sometimes as far as 200 yds.

Yep, corner of field. Shots 50-100. Sometimes closer, they keep us guessing for sure.

Having hunted with both scopes and reddots (and iron sights)on revolvers for some time (20 years+), none of my deer hunting handguns still have magnified optics. Iron sights work perfectly well in daytime out to any reasonable distance, but red dots are easier. Scopes have been more of a PITA than useful! Maybe if all you do is hunt from a stand, then a scope might be slightly more confidence building. Try shooting with a scope whilst standing, or in awkward positions, or at 10-15 yards (or less!), or when it's raining, on moving targets, often partially concealed, etc.

The Red Dot sights are great for up to 50 - 75 yards ... if you get the 3 min. dot you can do some accurate shooting ... the larger dots are for up close - speed shooting ... the dots are too big for pin point accuracy beyond 25 yards . Usually no magnification with a Red Dot .
Scopes are for long range and they magnify ... 75 yards and longer ...Go scope ... but you want a Pistol Scope with a long eye relief ...
Don't try a Rifle Scope on a handgun ... No works .

I would start with the Red Dot , shoot targets and see how you do at the ranges you expect to see game ... the Red Dot / Burris Fast Fires are easy to mount and easy to use ... You will always find a use for it ...
I love the red dots I have ... older Millet SP-1's and Tasco Pro-Point !
Make shooting targets at the range fun again ...
Gary

__________________
Certified Cajun
NRA Member

Rifle scope and .44 Mag:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...pscbkqblnq.jpg

Or see thread, post #3:
Stepping up their Game, IHMSA style.

https://s26.postimg.cc/d5b4vgli1/IHM...nesville_h.jpg




Oh, well. It can be done. And works out to 200m if it's not windy. But I wouldn't hunt with it. Certainly not past 100yards even with a rest. Not respectful of the critter. It takes a longish while for the bullet to travel even 150m, long enough for the living target to move it's vitals.