I have a S&W 657 .41 mag I want to hunt deer with up in
Michigan. the area I will be hunting mqst of my shots will
be in the 50-75 yard range. my question is should buy a
scope or a "red dot" ? Iam not famliar with either one.
My only experience with a scope was years ago with a friends
rifle. If you could also explain what the different numbers
mean, 8x30 ,7x35 etc,etc...
Thank You
RML9MM

The first number (8) indicates the power. The second numbr (30) indicates the diameter of the ocular lens in millimeters. Most scopes of fixed power will be expressed as 2x20, 4x28, 6x40, etc. A variable power scope will be 1x5x20, 2x7x28, 3x9x40, etc. The first two numbers being the power range and, of course, the last being the lens diameter.

A red dot is normally a 1x (no magnification) and contain a 4 to 8 MOA dot. That means it will cover 4" to 8" at 100 yds. These devices require batteries to work, unless you go high dollar with a trijicon sight.

Pistol scopes are usually low power (2x or 4x) with a crosshair reticle. Some are l.5x5 or 2x7 variables. These scopes have longer eye relief than standard rifle scopes so you can hold them at arm's length and get a full sight picture through them.

You should look at both red dots and regular scopes to determine which suits you best. You will have to judge which you prefer. Most of my pistols that have optic sights have the regular scope either in fixed or low power variables. My target .22LR pistol does have a red dot with a variable light power and size of dot.

Thanks for the reply Kdub Iwill check out both

i have handguns with both dots and scopes. the dots are faster. but the scoped handguns are more accurate on tiny targets. for less than 100 yds, i'd suggest the red dot sight. not the cheapest, your .41 would tear up one of those pretty fast. i've heard good things about Ultradot.

i put a link in my reply to the post "holographic red dot sights" a few topics below this one that has tons of info about dot sights.

monty

Thanks for the info monty
RML9MM

Which do you expect, a fleeting shot at a moving deer or a standing shot at a more-or-less standing deer?

Like the Red Dot when speed is most important, the last ounce of precision less important. Does show up well in the worst conditions.

Scopes offer a bit more precision, but to get it, sacrifice field of view and some speed.

Guess you get one of the electric dot/scope combintions...have never used one, so don't have any comments.

Go with the Ultra Dot, I have one on a Dan Wesson 44mag with a least thousand rounds through it. Check them both out and see which one is user friendly.

The first number (8) indicates the power. The second numbr (30) indicates the diameter of the ocular lens in millimeters. Most scopes of fixed power will be expressed as 2x20, 4x28, 6x40, etc. A variable power scope will be 1x5x20, 2x7x28, 3x9x40, etc. The first two numbers being the power range and, of course, the last being the lens diameter.

A red dot is normally a 1x (no magnification) and contain a 4 to 8 MOA dot. That means it will cover 4" to 8" at 100 yds. These devices require batteries to work, unless you go high dollar with a trijicon sight.

Pistol scopes are usually low power (2x or 4x) with a crosshair reticle. Some are l.5x5 or 2x7 variables. These scopes have longer eye relief than standard rifle scopes so you can hold them at arm's length and get a full sight picture through them.

You should look at both red dots and regular scopes to determine which suits you best. You will have to judge which you prefer. Most of my pistols that have optic sights have the regular scope either in fixed or low power variables. My target .22LR pistol does have a red dot with a variable light power and size of dot.

kdub,

I thought the second number, in the example above (30) was the diameter of the objective lens, not the ocular. I thought the ocular lens was the one closest to the shooter's eye. But then, I've been known to be wrong about a lot of other things as well!

gunwriter

Yes...the second number should be the objective lens size. Pretty easy to type too fast and get the two terms switched.

But not out of the woods completely...even with a 30mm front objective, there is sometimes often a masking inside the tube that limits the light field.

Good example was the scopes that wanted to give a "TV Screen" effect, but used round lens work...to get that TV screen look, they uses a TV screen shaped mask inside the scope to block off the edges.

Others have used a round mask to block off the outter light field to hide the poorer quality of the image. Great (expensive) lens work will be clear and undistorted from edge to edge...less than great lens work will show edge distortions...so at least one of the cheaper scope makers decided that if they masked the edges, it would LOOK clear and crisp from edge to edge. To be fair, that last trick will BE clear and crisp from edge to edege, just not of the light value of the front lens.