red dot on revolver

[Dust in the wind]

Has anyone here ever put a red dot sight on their revolver , if so what type and did you have to buy new rings from ruger for 30mm?
I have a super red hawk 44 mag and am concerned of recoil problems to cheap sights. This will be used for hunting and I don't know if you could use a open type or halo type in snow conditions (if the sight gets snow covered) will it still work?

Thanks

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I put a fairly cheap 1" red dot on my 357 mag Bisley and it worked fine.
For hunting with a 44 mag I would suggest an Ultradot red dot scope either 1" or 30mm. They have a very good reputation.

 

[Dust in the wind]

I worry about recoil knocking it out of whack , I currently have a burris 3-12 handgun scope on it now but even 3 power is a bit much magnification at 50 and less yards.

 

[s4s4u]

I have an Ultra-Dot 25 on my Bisley 45 Colt that I run rather...warm...and it has been flawless. You won't need 30mm rings if you get the 25mm sight, and I do not miss those 5mm one little bit. Shoot with both eyes open and the tube size is irrelevent.

 

[CraigC]

UltraDot all the way!

 

[Chuck 100 yd]

I have red dot sights on my Ruger RedHawks in .44 mag and .454 and on my Ruger
6" GP 100 .357. All are 30 mm Ultra Dot sights. They stand up to the abuse without a wimper.
Ruger will exchange new unused 1" rings for 30 mm rings for free. Check their FAQ
section of the web site or call their service department for instructions.
I mounted a Weigand rail on the GP 100 and used Weaver type rings on the GP.
It shoots like a rifle with the Red Dot mounted. Have fun!

 

[Enigma]

I'm looking to put a red dot on my .480 Ruger Super Blackhawk, and my two primary concerns are weight of the unit, and recoil. The Ultradots look like a good bet. I emailed Burris asking about recoil and their FastFire sights, and they never responded. I'll take that as a no.

 

[Dust in the wind]

Thanks everyone for your help.

 

[woodperson]

I have a 25mm Ultradot on my .357 and it has been flawless for a dozen years. I have it on a drilled and tapped Leupold mount.

 

[contender]

Burris is a fine optic,,, as are the Ultradots. I have some of each. Look also at C-More. Top notch.

 

[Varminterror]

The Match Dot UltraDot is a great sight, if you like tube-style red dots.

I prefer open type red dot sights, specifically the Burris FastFire III and the Trijicon RMR Dual-Illumination. I mount them on JPoint sight mounts (JPA-RR + JP-to-Docter adapter = $47 for the Burris, JPA-RR + Arredondo JP-to-RMR adapter = $60). Very low profile, small footprint, doesn't add weight, and much more precise than the factory open sights. I have the JP mount with the RMR and FFII or III on a few SRH's, RH's, Alaskans, SBH, and a 629.

 

[Rumrunner]

If you want a "tube" style red dot it is hard to beat an UltraDot. You can use the rings that came with your gun for the 1" version. If going to the 30mm you will need to get some 30mm rings. I have both 25 and 30 mm UltraDots on 44's and my 480 Ruger.

Another good one that holds up to recoil is the Bushnell TRS-25. You would need a weaver style mount for this one. Weigand and others offer this mount.

 

[MaxP]

Ultradot all the way. I have had this 30 on a number of revolvers over the years and it has never quit despite the abuse. It started life on this custom SRH in .475 Linebaugh and withstood literally thousands of full-tilt .475 loads (420s at 1,350 fps), and helped account for a truckload of game:

Then it made it's way onto my .500 JRH BFR where it withstood a boatload of load development (and some game in the process).

Then it landed on my custom SRH in .500 Linebaugh where it was forced to put up with a whole bunch of load development (and some big game along the way).

It even made its way to the topside of a .416 Remington Mauser I used to own as well as some other revolvers. Just can't kill it no matter how hard I try.

 

[RonS]

I have a S&W 627 Pro Series .357 x 8 revolver with a Burris Fast Fire III on an Allchin mount. The only issue I have is finding the dot since the rear sight is replaced by the mount and the front sight is way too short to co witness. What I do is raise the muzzle till the front sight shows, center it then lower it and the dot comes into sight. It is a nice setup except for that one issue. I really enjoy being able to shoot with my prescription glasses and have a clean, sharp dot. Front sights are blurred if I shoot with my glasses on but the dot eliminates that issue 100 percent since the focal distance is 17 feet out, well into my ideal distance for viewing. Very compact and probably weighs an ounce more (or maybe two with the mount) than the gun with the iron sights.

I plan to add one or two more red dot sighted handguns, a Glock 19 MOS and possibly one of the new S&W Victor? Victory? .22 pistols.

 

[Dust in the wind]

maxp , nice pictures. Very informative post.

Thank-you

 

[DA_TriggR4Ruger]

Used to have a 6 inch GP100, before switching out to the MC. It was equipped with a "Weigand (spelling?) rail" had a small aim point red dot on it. I miss that one. Nice accurate setup. If doing it over again, I'd go for a redhawk/SRH or 629 with a similar setup.

 

[Dust in the wind]

I ordered a ultra-dot 30 from optics planet and they are presently waiting to get more in, so they must sell a lot of them. I ordered rings from Ruger and they have to make some before they can ship.
So, it sounds like a popular combination.
I went with the 30mm for the improved field of view and also I can just remove my 3x12 Burris scope leaving the rings on it in case I might want to use it on another revolver in the future.
It might take a few weeks to get my new sight on, but its pretty cold out here right now anyway.
Thanks for all your help, and I will post a pic here when I get it mounted.

 

[MaxP]

I ordered a ultra-dot 30 from optics planet and they are presently waiting to get more in, so they must sell a lot of them. I ordered rings from Ruger and they have to make some before they can ship.
So, it sounds like a popular combination.
I went with the 30mm for the improved field of view and also I can just remove my 3x12 Burris scope leaving the rings on it in case I might want to use it on another revolver in the future.
It might take a few weeks to get my new sight on, but its pretty cold out here right now anyway.
Thanks for all your help, and I will post a pic here when I get it mounted.

Excellent! Keep us posted!

 

[Rumrunner]

You won't be disappointed.

 

[Yetiman]

I ordered rings from Ruger and they have to make some before they can ship.

I bought mine on ebay for a reasonable price (in the end I got them for about half what Ruger gets, but used the "make an offer" option), and got them quickly. It might be worth a quick search.