Looking for hunting red dot suggestion - 44 mag revolver

[AlBeight]

My father recently shot my carry guns with red (green) dot and he loved it. He has a 44 magnum Taurus revolver and carries it sometimes hunting. His nearly 80 yr old eyes are garbage, and he wants to try using a red dot on it. I sometimes hunt with a similar gun in 454 Casull, but I mounted a Burris handgun scope on it, and quite frankly it’s not very easy to obtain a sight picture thru the tiny eye piece at arm’s length. Dad thinks the benefits of the red dots on a small semi auto would translate into the bigger gun for him. I know it’s very popular to use a red dot on a big bore hunting wheel gun, but I’m not exactly sure what would be a good selection for Dad’s rig.

There has to be a few of you here setup in this fashion, what is a good make/model, what to look out for, what did you use before that didn’t work? My problem with my scope is the small diameter of the tube eye piece, trying to pickup the crosshairs, I know certain red dots aren’t much more than the “toilet paper tube” with a red do inside, which I think has to come with the same difficulty as the traditional scope(?).

Any ideas or suggestions are welcome. My google research brought back bacisally the micro red dots like for a carry gun, I don’t think that is the best choice IMHO. I think Dad will need a bigger and more forgiving “eye box” and a more precise reticle type aiming point, like with an Eotech (for instance). I thought this would have been easier to figure out....

 

[ohen cepel]

I would look at the Ultra Dots. Older, larger, design but have been going strong for a long time on a lot of heavy recoiling pistols as well as Bullseye guns for many years.

ultra dot - MidwayUSA

Shop MidwayUSA for the best ultra dot

www.midwayusa.com

I find them easier to use than a micro dot also.

 

[outrider58]

Can't go wrong with a Trijicon SRO unless the dot has to be green. Get the 5MOA dot. It's got a very generous window with reasonably narrow frame which makes target acquisition fast and easy. I have one if you'd like to take a look Al.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1021023493?pid=702040

 

[Pale Ryder]

I put one of these on my Marlin .44. Should work just fine on a revolver. It was getting hard to see the iron sights and I didn’t want to put a scope on that rifle. I have the 3 moa dot, but the 6moa should work on a handgun.

Venom Red Dot

Venom Red Dot

vortexoptics.com

 

[AlBeight]

Thanks for all the replies. I’ll see what Dad wants to try. I may swap out my scope for something else too (that SRO has spoken to me as well Outrider), trouble with finding my target thru the scope’s long narrow tube at arm’s length cost me a buck on the final Saturday of late Firearms season. Couldn’t get a sight picture fast enough and then that damn deer moved into alignment directly below the neighbor’s house, unsafe shot and had to let him walk. With a long gun an earlier shot would’ve been made and that buck would’ve gone home with me.

 

[magnumpi]

I have an older (over 25 years old) Bushnell Trophy red dot on my 44 mag. You've probably seen it, maybe even shot it! It has held up to the recoil with no problems. Killed many deer with it. Only negatives are no magnification and it sucks in real low light, because even at the lowest setting the dot drowns out the sight picture. I don't know if anyone makes a handgun scope with an illuminated reticle, but that would be the best of both worlds.
They obviously don't make mine anymore but, If your Dad wants to try it to see if he likes the red dot on a 44 mag let me know and we'll make it happen.

 

[BPH102687]

I put one of these on my Marlin .44. Should work just fine on a revolver. It was getting hard to see the iron sights and I didn’t want to put a scope on that rifle. I have the 3 moa dot, but the 6moa should work on a handgun.

Venom Red Dot

Venom Red Dot

vortexoptics.com

I have a friend with a similar set up to this and it’s great.

 

[Pale Ryder]

I have a friend with a similar set up to this and it’s great.

I’m sure it’s been done many times by many people, but this was what inspired me to go that route.

 

[AlBeight]

I have an older (over 25 years old) Bushnell Trophy red dot on my 44 mag. You've probably seen it, maybe even shot it! It has held up to the recoil with no problems. Killed many deer with it. Only negatives are no magnification and it sucks in real low light, because even at the lowest setting the dot drowns out the sight picture. I don't know if anyone makes a handgun scope with an illuminated reticle, but that would be the best of both worlds.
They obviously don't make mine anymore but, If your Dad wants to try it to see if he likes the red dot on a 44 mag let me know and we'll make it happen.

I remember that one, it has served you well I know. I’ll see if I can get Dad to check it out. Thanks. Definitely has to be better than a black crosshair looking thru a “toilet paper tube”, at arm’s length, downward into a dark creek bottom, with only about 3 minutes of legal shooting light left.

 

[lazarus]

I’m sure it’s been done many times by many people, but this was what inspired me to go that route.

I personally really like PA’s micro prisms. Illuminated l, barely heavier and larger than a dot. And I always love a small amount of mag shooting at anything past 30. Sure, I can shoot irons fine at 100, even 200, but I am still more accurate with a dot and a lot more accurate tossing 2-3x of magnification on there.

I don’t currently own a lever gun, but a 2.5x micro prism is the way I am going.

I don’t think the eye relief is large enough for a handgun though.