Scope for my TC 357 Max

[pme166]

I have never bought a pistol scope but my 357 Max barrel has no sights.  I figured I might as well buy one and do it right.

The barrel has some sort of rail like mount on it and there was scope on it at one time but no rings.

I am partial to Leupold scopes but I am open to suggestions.

Please advise me on what I should get.

Thanks

[Richard P]

Is your barrel a 10 or 14'' ?   Do you expect to hunt with it, or just plink and target shoot ?   The Weaver base is the 92a and is popular.  You could also buy a Leupold or Burris base. You may have a rail mount that was used with the scope that has the associated rail integral to the scope body.  Dont throw that away, someone wants it.

[Junior1942]

I'd go with a 2.5x Leupold or a 2x Burris.

[Grumulkin]

Before you buy a scope, read the reviews at cabelas.com and MidwayUSA.com.  Satisfactory scopes I've had are Leupold and Thompson/Center.  Due to some uncertainty as to who will own Thompson/Center next, I would probably stay with Leupold since they're good and the warranty service is excellent.  Though I'm partial to the 2.5-8X Leupold handgun scopes, for a 357 Maximum a fixed 4X would probably be fine.

[df06]

I have a Leupold 2.5 - 8X on mine.
Have not shot it much but did take an antelope with it at 100 yards.

[Curtis]

I have mostly 2x Leupolds (five or six) with a couple of 2.5-8x Leupolds for my more precision calibers and one Burris 4x.  I have been very pleased with all of them.

I started out years ago with Simmons pistol scopes because that was what I could afford.  I found them to be dependable and they did what I required of them, however after building up a Contender for my cousin with a 2x Leupold and spending some time with it at the range developing loads, I decided to start replacing all of my Simmons glass a little at a time.  That process is almost complete.  I like the better optical quality, especially as my eyes age and I need all the help I can get.

I buy all of my Leupolds used, with the confidence of knowing that if one develops a problem then Leupold will make it right even though I am not the original purchaser.  I have seen used 2x Leupolds range from $100 to $175 on this sight.  Most of my Simmons scopes were either new or purchased used so cheaply I figured I could afford to write one off if I had to.

Curtis

[Ladobe]

Which scope will depend a lot on what your intended use is for the 357MAX, and what length barrel it has.   IOW. hunting, target or plinking, and at what ranges?   Also, a 3-12 or 10X target scope is a fairly large/heavy scope on a 10" octagon barrel.

Since the 357MAX is a pussycat, any of the IER/EER scopes should hold up just fine on it.   Beyond that it becomes personal preferrence.   While I've used just about all of them over the years, I used mostly Burris and Leupolds on the lighter cartridges, TC's early on but TPC's and Gold Medals later on the handcannons.  Only scope I ever destroyed was a Leupold 4X (on a 375JDJ).   Most of my handgun hunting was at long range, so Burris target and variable scopes got the nod most of the time.   Lots of gents speak highly of the B&L Elites, but I never tried them myself.

Partial?   Probably the Burris 3-12's, 7X & 10X target scopes, and any of the TPC's for handguns.  While I am more a rifle Leupold fan, I do really like the Leupold 4X pistol scope as well if kept on a barrel it can tolerate.

FWIW

[eclarsen]

I have a Burris 2X7-32mm electrodot.  I like the variable power as I am likely to get some close shots on whitetails in the IL woods and the occasional shot at one a little farther out.  I chose the electrodot for those early morning opportunities in timber and you can barely see the cross hairs.

[Dezynco]

I really like my Leupold and my Burris, both are 4x. The Burris is a bit cheaper. The Burris just seems to "disappear" when you look through it,  it's just fantastic! 

[shot1]

Don't count out the Weaver 2.5-8X28 . I have had many of the pistol scopes Leupold etc. The Weaver runs $225, is very clear glass and I now have three of them and I have not had a single problem with years of use of two of them. I just put another one on my 14" 30-30AI barrel last year and shot it this past summer and deer hunted and took four deer with it this fall with no problems. I like the low 2.5 for quick shots and finding my target and then cranking up to 8X to do some fine shooting. I learned a long time ago you always have time to turn up the power on a scope while hunting but you never have time to turn down the power. I keep my scopes set on the lowest power. It paid off again this past season. Had a big 7 point buck pop out into the logging road I was hunting and he just kept walking across. I just had enough time to grab the Contender cock it and get the cross hair on his shoulder before he got all the way into the woods on the other side of the road. When the shot broke his head and neck were already out of sight in the woods.

[EdK]

I have a Leupold 2x on my 357max. It really depends what you want to to with it. For shooting tiny groups on paper or groundhogs @ 100yds I might choose something else but for deer @ 0-125yds (which is my interest/intent) I don't think you can beat a fixed 2x or maybe a dot. The fixed 2x is smaller and lighter than a variable, probably more reliable, more affordable, better FOV.

Sometimes we forget a 4x was the rifle standard for deer to 250yds or so for about a century. The military presently uses 2.5x scopes for deer-sized targets at similar range.

[Ranger413]

I wonder if the "rail" you are talking about is possibly one of the mounts for the old Bushnell Phantom line of scopes.  My dad had one on his Super Blackhawk at one time.  Not a bad set-up and the scopes can be had for reasonable prices.

With that said though, I'd opt for a nice Leupold 2X scope with a suitable base and ring combo.  Make sure when you mount your scope that you leave enough room for your thumb to still gain purchase on the hammer.  All of my Encore and Contender set-ups wear medium height rings.  Low would work for clearing the objective, but I'm thinking more of allowing my thumb to get at the hammer without a spur.

The 2X or 2.5X scopes are probably ideal for your shooting.  Another option, which I also like, is a red dot sight.  Ultradot is a fine brand and includes the rings you would need.  They go for about $150 new and slightly less used.  I had one mounted on a Ruger Super Redhawk in .44 Mag and loved it.  I could easily print 1 1/2" groups at 50 yards. 

Those would be my choices:  2X or 2.5X fixed scope or red dot.

Good luck!

Ranger413

[shot1]

People rode horses for hundreds of years and they worked just fine. How come you are driving a auto?

A 2 or 2.5 power scope will work and yes 4 power scopes were used for many years because there was not much more to chose from. I just know that I shoot better by being able to see were I want to place the bullet better and that comes with higher power than 2 or 4 power. At 100 yards the cross hairs on a 2 power scope covers up inches. But to each his own.

[EdK]

People rode horses for hundreds of years and they worked just fine. How come you are driving a auto?

First off I do not own an auto. Now, with that out of the way I mentioned that selection was dependent upon the application. Read again where I mentioned I would not choose a fixed or dot for certain applications and gave examples. Then I went on to say that for my purpose, which was fairly short range deer hunting, I do not think you can beat a 2x fixed or a dot. When stalking a deer over terrain where whatever rests may exist are limited to the nearest branch at best and often one must resort to an offhand shot, field of view becomes more critical and shake is very much a problem at 4x and up.

Again, it depends upon what you are trying to do. There are those on this board shooting targets for groups and even groundhogs at 250-300 yards with a 357max. No, I do not recommend a red dot for that. However I guarantee you whatever is ideal for that type shooting most certainly will not be the best choice for 0-100 yard deer.

Why does the military employ 0-2.5x for 250yds and reserve the 4x and up for 600-800yds? They know what works in combat - they certainly are not reading my GBO posts to decide. They can afford anything they want. Yes, we all know you can't shoot a decent group with a 4x scope at 500+ yards. Apparently that's not what they're after.