Handgun scope eye relief?

[tguil]

A question about handgun scope eye relief. I'm a tall old guy with a 34 inch sleeve length. I measured the distance from my eye to what I consider to be my normal handgun sighting distance. It is about 22 inches.

The two scopes I have been considering are a Leupold FX II 2X20 with an eye relief of 18 inches and a Burris 2X20 with an eye relief of 10-24 inches.

Am I right in assuming that the Burris would better fit my shooting style? (It would also be better on my wallet.)

 

[seeemmiss]

Yes the Burris is a better fit. If you want a Leupold I have that exact one that is like brand new with the box for sale. The reason I am selling it is because I have the eye relief problem that you will have. The object actually looks smaller in the scope than it does with the naked eye. I called Leupold about this and they basically said soory to hear that but there is nothing we can do to help you out. Nikon also makes a handgun scope that will adjust to fit your eye relief. I am looking for the Burris posi-loc which they stopped making because people were over tightening the lock and breaking the scope. And the hunt continues......

 

[Axehandle]

Keep in mind that where you mount you scope makes a difference. Mounted out on the barrel like the Ruger Hunter models requires a little more eye relief than one mounted back on the cylinder frame. I find the 2X Burris and 2x Leupold work for me any way I mount my scopes and shoot my handguns... The Burris is significantly heavier. Also note that the early 2x Leupold did not have an adjustable objective... The current model does.. The higher power scopes are a little less forgiving...

 

[tguil]

Because eye relief is my major concern, I checked a little bit more. It appears that the Weaver 2X28 Classic handgun Scope has an eye relief of 14-29 inches. It is also inexpensive at $150. Field of view at 100 yards is 21 feet and it's 8.37 inches long. This might be an OK scope for me. For over thirty years I've gotten along just fine with a Tasco fixed 4X scope on my Model 77. Because I am not into burning up center fire ammunition, once I get the Bisley sighted in, I'll probably not go through more than a hundred rounds a year.

 

[Hammerdown77]

The Weaver Classic line are good scopes for the money. I bought one for about $140 for my AR-15 when Midway was having a sale. I was really surprised with the clarity and quality. It looks easily as nice as my friend's high dollar Nikon.

I have a Bisley Hunter as well. I was debating a 2x Weaver vs. a Burris Fast Fire red dot. I have long arms as well. Let us know how it works out for ya.

 

[tguil]

One more thing about the Weaver. It has a 28 mm. objective lens. My 68 year old eyes that will have cataract surgery after this fall's hunting season might just do a bit better with this scope. Right? (Why after the hunting season? I'll be riding my Harley and bowhunting until the firearm season opens. We "Old guys" have our priories. :mrgreen

 

[GP100man]

Burris all the way !!!

I`ve enjoyed mine for 14yrs.!!!!

 

[Pal Val]

I have long arms (36"sleeve). I had a 2X Leupold on my SBH hunter for a few years. Last year I gave a 2X Burris a try and it stayed. The Leupold is now on my .22 hunter. The difference between the two is the eye relief. I caught myself pulling the gun close to my face in order to see through the Leupold, while I can shoot the Burris with my arms extended. I don't mind pulling back a bit with the .22. It has no recoil.

The Leupold has a slight edge on clarity, but that only comes into play when light is very low.

 

[3-screw-357]

my eyes have had better days
my 45lc bh 4 "5/8 4' group @ 25 yards 8.5 gr uniqe
my 44 mag srh 7".5 w/ reddot (ultraDot ) 1"1/4 6 shot in 5 holes 4" or so @ 50 yards 10.7 gr unique
both sand sand bags
Red dot both eyes open put the dot on it BANG on it
Jesse

 

[ar15ed]

i agree 100% with the burris proponents! i think they are the best handgun scopes on the market, and have been for a long time. very forgiving eye relief, (even the higher powered ones!), and very tough, recoil-wise. they are good stuff!

 

[tguil]

Just ordered my new Bisley Hunter a couple of days ago. I still have a little time to decide on the scope. Good to learn that eye relief really is an issue, especially for those of us with long arms.

Now for a holster.

Tom