Holosight for S&W 29??

Cooch

I am wanting to put a finer point on my sighting for my 6" 29-3 .44 mag. I have decided that I won't be carrying it on my hip so I might as well make it a hunter/target gun. I won't be trying anything much beyond 150 yds and realistially limit myself to 100 unless the optics allow for better performance in me ( KNOW the gun will perform). so either 1X or 2X seems to be the way to go...but I don't know anything about holo's, red dots, or pistol scopes for that matter.

The questions are:

1. Holosight vs red dot vs scope

2. Best mounting system.

I don't have much money, but on the other hand I don't want to spend $ 150 to mount optics that won't hold up to the magnum.

Any help would be appreciated.

wtroper

On most of my hunting revolvers, I use either 2X or 4X scopes. Leupold is my favorite, but I also have had good luck with fixed power Burris scopes. If I were going less expensive than Burris, I might look at the Weavers. I have two of them and so far they are alright, even though I have not used them extensively. BTW -- anymore a 44 mag is not considered a handgun with "big" recoil.

I also have had good luck with the J Point red dot sight on a FA M97 41 mag. I am familar with others who use the J Point on revolvers up to 500 WE calibers. They make a 4 MOA dot that will suffice for shooting at 100 yds or more for hunting.

Good luck.

wpage

The newer holo's look like the best bet...

For a pistol its low profile and weight. Fast target acquisition. Prices are coming down.

dcs shooters

One good mount is a B-Square Weaver style, part #42405, $40.00 from midwayusa.
A holotype sight is a red dot without a tube. They are a little faster to use. Prices for red dots are all over the place. You get what you pay for with them.
I used a Tasco Pro-Point on my 44mag. for hunting. It held up very good.

beantownshootah

There is only one maker of true holographic reticle sights, and that's EOTECH. Bushnell offers one, but supposedly its manufactured at the same facility as the EOTECH, and its a sort of "poor man's version"

The biggest point of the holographic sight is that if any part of the reticle is obscured (by dirt, rain, etc) the holographic engraving recreates the entire pattern. While you could use a true holographic sight for hunting, I think the ones that are out there right now have reticles designed for combat. Personally, I don't think these are optimal for a hunting pistol.

If you want to go with a 1x optic, then I think what you want is either a tube-type dot sight, or alternatively an open style "reflex" sight.

Advantage of the first is that its a little more durable and dirt resistant. Advantage of the second is that its a little lighter and the design gives you a wider field of view.

Aimpoint would be the best brand of the tube kind, with good clarity and super-long battery life (they'll run for a full year turned on), but they are NOT cheap.

If you really want to stretch things out to 100+ yards, I think magnification is really a good idea, and in that case, I'd suggest that you to forgot the "dot" sights and go for a conventional optical pistol scope. Anywhere from 2 - 4x would work. Remember that increased magnification limits your field of view, which is already limited by the long eye-relief scope, so "less is more" when it comes to magnification here.

You do need a dedicated long eye relief pistol scope for this application. An ordinary riflescope won't cut it because the eye relief isn't long enough and you won't be able to see through the scope at arms length.

Look at Burris, Leupold, Nikon for good value for the dollar.