Encore Scope

[smoky]

I am contemplating a scope purchase for my 7mm BR pistol barrel.  Can anyone help me with the following?

1.  Is 2x enough power to hunt with at 100 yds or less?  Will it suffice if the very occasional +100 yd opportunity arises?
2.  Is there any pistol scope out there in the $50-$100 range that is dependable.  In particular has anyone tried the NcStar scope advertised on Ebay (they claim-lifetime warranty, fogproof,waterproof,shockproof, and multicoated lenses).
3.  For the money, regardless of overall price, what would you say is the best pistol hunting scope.

All input is much appreciated.

Thanks,


Smoky

[KYODE]

1. 2x will probably be enough to hunt with in most cases, unless a long shot presents itself. 2x is not nearly enough magnification for target work
2. it would be really hard to find a scope in the $50-$100 range that would give 100% reliability in all areas. (magnification, field of view,clarity, eye relief,etc.). i tried a ncstar 2x7. it was a surprise as to how good it looked for the money. it is worth a try for your money invested($38 plus shipping at www.crankyfarmer.com and www.dustinbrass.com). it's a gamble, you decide if you can live with or without the money.
3. Burris(in my opinion) is THE handgun scope. Leupold is top notch also but the variable model is about 4 bills. burris 2x7 gives wide field of view at 100 yards for woods hunting, but still has enough power for target shooting. burris 3x12 will give enough field of view and provide enough magnification for shooting the tightest groups possible.

that 7br is noted for accuracy, a good scope would likely give you an opportunity to find out. the cheapest i've found burris handgun scopes is www.bearbasin.com
i guess i'm partial to burris scopes. i have 3-3x12's, 1-2x7, 1-2x. no trouble so far from any of them. the ncstar is definately worth a try if you can realize that it may or may not work out for long term. it may work forever just fine too. like i said before, it's a gamble either way. i have a 2.5 ncstar on a 22/45 ruger that is performing flawlessly so far, but a 22lr has little recoil to deal with. :music:

[singleshot]

I am also a burris fan.   I have a couple of bushnell 2-6 trophy and like the constant eye relief.   I have several burris 2-7 and really like them for the wider field of view.    I have a 3-12 on the way.   I recently bought a ncstar 2-7 from dustin brass web site ($38+ shipping) and have mounted it on a Encore 300 whisper pistol barrel but have not had time to shoot it yet.  
I used a burris 2-7 on a 15 inch Encore 22-250 for shooting prairie dogs and was taking them out as far as 275 yards.   The eyepiece did fall apart and chipped the rear glass after about 300 rounds and Burris replaced or fixed it for nothing.  It appeared that the screw in lock ring for the glass worked itself loose and allowed the recoil to crack the glass.  I noticed it looked like they locktited the ring well after replacing the lens.   After using a wider field scope, its hard to use the small field of view.   Ed

[buckenbass]

I have 4 ncstar scopes mostly on small cals..  But i had to see if they would hold up on a heavy hitter so i mounted one fixed 2x on my encore 454 well its holding up so far 50 rounds  so far..........but the eye relief dose not come close to my t/c scopes and for that reason i dont think i would use them for hunting ....i also buy from the crankyfarmer the price is good ...hope this helps

[Leon Garfield]

Go for the NcStar for $38 the 2-7 will do anything a bushnell or any others will do. I have 5 of them between rifle and pistol. I have 2 of the 2-7's. One on a 223 barrel that will produce up to .500 groups and one on a 250 savage barrel that will shoot moa all day if you can hold it. The only thind I find is the eye relief os a little short on 7 power but not enough to bother....Good Luck

[RipOne]

Testing ........... Burris

[Gregory]

Smoky
For the money you want to spend I'd find a used Nikon or Leupold 2X.

Here's a nikon on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3621989029

and here's a Leupold:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3622327719&category=36258

[Javelina]

Hello Smoky,

You can't go too far wrong with Burris 2-7x or 3-12x scopes, they're always a good choice if money is available.  The Bushnell Trophy scopes are great middle-of-the road scopes with great clarity and good eye-relief and you wouldn't be buying a pig-in-a-poke if you go that direction either.  The Bushnell Trophy scopes are around $150 or so and that makes them mighty attractive if a dollar means as much to you as it does to me.  I have Burris scopes too, but if your name is not J. Paul Getty and if you don't own an oil company like I don't, Bushnells are extremely good alternatives, I have several Trophy scopes that work great on lighter-kicking guns like your 7 BR.  Leupold and Burris are both good scopes if you can spend the money.

You might want to consider the size of your game.  If you are going to hunt everything from bottle-caps to deer a good variable of at least 2-6x would be an excellent idea (Bushnell Trophy).  If you really need to see those distant prairie dogs and you also hunt deer up close and personal in thick woods, a 3-12x Burris might be what you need.  Just give your intended use a little thought and you should be able to make a good scope choice that will give you a lot of good service.

Safe and good shooting to you!  

Javelina

[smoky]

Thanks for all the info.  I decided to go ahead with quality and bought a Leupold 4x EER, silver finish.  Now if I can learn to hit something with it.

Thanks again,

Smoky