scope, peep, red dot or rifle sights, which would you use

6.5x55swm

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I have a ruger 77/44 and can't make up my mind on what to use for a sight, can't find any peep sights in canada, i have a good scope but i have to mount it far back for me to use, i shoot left handed and the bolt handle won't pass the scope, i have a red dot and rings for it will be here soon, not crazy about a battery going dead on me when i need it the most. just looking for ideas and where a fella can buy sights in canada only
 
Recently aquired a couple Marlins in 218 and 25-20, decided to try a red dot which is way outside the box for me. After putting it on the 218 I found although there is no magnification I could see much clearer than with aperature sites and put one on the 25-20 as well. Not traditional but impressed with so far. If ranges are under 150yrds I would recommend.
 
I use a red dot on a few if my within 200 yard rifles.. I just carry an extra battery or two with me in case.

Also I shoot with both eyes open...that way I get depth perception.

And the neat part is with both eyes open your brain will tell you that both eyes are seeing the dot. :)
 
I have a Burrus Fastfire II on my Marlin 1894 and it's pretty good. 4 MOA dot seems about right. I understand the new Fastfire III is avail. with a 3 MOA dot.

As to peep sights in Canada, you might try Western Gun Parts in Edmonton. Depending where in their ordering cycle they are, they carry a good stock of Williams sights. A lot of poeple really like Skinner Sights but they are available only direct from Skinner in Montana, although I believe they will ship to Canada.

Another alternative might be NEGC, although I';m not sure if they have one to fit a 77/44. They are in the US but do export to Canada.
 
I just got a 77 44 and I happened to have an older Bushnell 1x4 I haven't shot it yet, If I didn't have the scope I would probably get a barrel mount Skinner sight I used one on a Rossi 92 and a Winchester 94 and liked them.
 
i ndo have a bushnell trophy red dot that i think i will try, i was worried about battery life. i just looked at the scope and realized it was on and the last time i touched it was last saturday and the dot was fine
 
i ndo have a bushnell trophy red dot that i think i will try, i was worried about battery life. i just looked at the scope and realized it was on and the last time i touched it was last saturday and the dot was fine

Hmm I have the same red dot and I havent change the battery the two years I have had it...as I said I have spare batteries just in case.

Now I have read batteries don't do well in extreme cold and I have seen Russian military sights that had a wire going from the scope to a battery pack inside the soldiers coat where it was warm. Something to consider if you go on a winter hunt.
 
All 3 .... on my Ruger M77 Scout.

Leupold VX-R 4-12x40 with Red Dot AND Ghost ring backups.

I's heaven !

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Your rifle is a .44 mag so I would expect you won't be taking shots too far past 150 yards, therefore peep sights would be a good solution. Have you checked http://www.brownells.com/ ? They do ship to Canada for a very reasonable rate.

If you are interested in a dot of some sort, I would recommend an Aimpoint, perhaps the micro as another poster suggested. Aimpoints don't have an issue with point of impact as does many "cheaper" dots, known as parallax. For example; when your dot is mounted on the gun and lets say your gun is on a rest. Adjust your rest so the dot is aimed perfectly at the target. Now, shift your head left, right or up and down and you will see the dot move. It shouldn't! The gun hasn't moved so the dot shouldn't move. At a hundred yards you're looking at missing that target by 20 feet or more if you inadvertently shift your head then move your gun to get back on target.

Aimpoint don't do this. I've got a bunch of dots from cheap Bushnells to a more expensive Burris and they all shift the point of impact as my head moves slightly. This really bugs me so my next dot will be an Aimpoint. I think there are a few other companies that are of the quality and technology of Aimpoint but I don't know their names.

Just to clarify, I've got a bunch of friends who hunt with dots and they're not Aimpoints yet they swear by them. Works for them I guess, but for me, learning this about the dots ruined it for me. I prefer something more absolute.

Please correct me if I'm wrong though...

Read these:

http://www.riflescopes.webyshops.com/Information/Why-Choose-AimPoint
http://www.m4carbine.net/archive/index.php/t-84263.html

Just my 2 cents.
 
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I've transitioned to red dots on nearly everything I own. Love 'em! Both eyes open, point, and shoot. Super fast target acquisition, which is nice for me, as I'm usually the one doing the dogging and kick up deer close and fast.
 
Good thing, because that scope set up looks like it would be easily knocked off zero...

Cantilever scope rails have been used on lever actions and shotguns for many years. Despite it's looks, there's no reason why it would be easier to knock off zero than any other mount....
 
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