Encore 44 mag setup

[Tn Jim]

I am considering setting up my Encore with a 12" 44 Mag barrel and rubber grips. I want to use it mainly for hunting hogs and the occasional deer with cast loads, but also for punching paper at the range. All shots will be 100 yards or less, with the hunting shots in the " or less" catagory. I can't decide between a Bushnell Trophy 2X6X32 scope or a Millett SP-1 with a 3 min. dot. Can anybody offer any pros and cons? I know the scope will give better groups at the range and the SP-1 will give faster shots in the field. Which would work better overall?

[poncaguy]

With a pistol scope, I see no need for more than 2X, especially a 44 mag.

[Trickyasafox]

i have the bushnell trophy and it is a great scope, but i rarely use it above 2-3 power to be honest. mine is mounted on a 223 15 in barrel i use for varmits. i've done some decently long range plinking out with it, but for 90% of the shooting i use it for (150 yards or less) its really not necessary

[mikemayberry]

I have the rig you describe--12 inch stainless Encore 44 mag barrel, rubber grip and forend, but I opted for the Bushnell Elite 3200.

Shoots all in the black at 100 yards, an inch or less off the table at 50 yards.  Easy to group 3-5 touching holes at 25 yards.    Is hunt ready but I killed a 5 point buck with my .270 bolt rifle yesterday.  This would have been the time to have the Encore though.  Buck was about to bust me or pass right by me in my ground blind.  Was about 30 feet away.  Hit just forward of the shoulder and he never took another step.  Bullet turned right and destryed the heart and lungs -- found it just under the skin near the sternum.

Al that said, I hope to have an opportunity like this with my 44 mag rig.  Now that I have the first dear of the year, I will likely go handgun from here on out.  

My 44 rig is my favorite thing to shoot--took to reloading for it and have a middle range load that does't work me over.  240 XTP propelled by 18 grains fo 2400 equals 1450 fps out of the 12 inch barrel.

Let us know how it goes as you develop your new project.


Mike

[Tn Jim]

This will be my first hunting handgun. I guess my biggest question is how much accuracy would I be giving up with the red dot as compared to the scope from , say, 50 to 100 yards? I don't want to handicap myself if I don't have to.

[mikemayberry]

Tn Jim,

I also have a recently acquired 223 Encore barrel (12 inch).  I am learning to shoot it with the red dot Bushnell that has the settings (cross hair, big dot, little dot and circle with dot).

I am breaking in the barrel and using custom reloads from Ron Reed (advertiser on this site).  I have had several touching at 25 yards and expect more as I learn to shoot this scope.  The real question is your vision.  Since most of the dot scopes have no magnification you need to have pretty good eyes if you are going to shoot very far.  For hunting at 50 yards or less, the dot scope will work well in my opinion.  For target shooting or hunting out to 100 yards, I think a traditional pistol scope that magnifies 3-7 times would be  better.

Others may disagree and I am sure there are hunters shooting further than 100 yards with a dot scope but my early experiences do not yet tell me I can do that.  I'm thinking the manufacturers will eventually come out with dot scopes that magnify--TruGlo has just introduced one that you may want to look at.  I felt like it had promise but will wait for the next generation as the one I looked at left something to be desired in the optics.  

Hope some of this helps--I actually use the magnification on my 2-7 Bushnell and off a rest or shooting stick will use the 5, 6, 7 settings in the field.

Mike

[Tn Jim]

You just brought up a very good point Mike. My vision is great provided what I'm looking at is farther away than my forearm. If it's any closer I'm kinda SOL. At 42 I doubt my eyes are going to get any better. I'm beginning to think the scope may be a better idea, although I do like the idea of the quick target acuisition.

[mikemayberry]

TnJim,

I understand as I am 51 and never needed glasses until 2 years ago.  I have really good glasses that let me see like a 10 year old and my only complaint is that they have the Corning tint that increases when you are in the sunlight.  At dusk, they stay dark a bit too long (I understand it is based on UV) and it makes everything seem darker than it really is.

Since they are lineless bi-focal, I have to pull them down a bit when shooting with the scope to avoid seeing a double verticle line.  No big deal.  When I am target shooting from the bench, I just take them off and can see really well with just the scope.

Good luck and do let me hear how your 44 works out.  Like I said, it is my favorite barrel and caliber to shoot.

Mike

PS Now that I think about it, my Bushness Elite is a 2-6 not a 2-7.

[gene4211]

I had 2 Millett SP-2's on my 44 mag contender.
Both died after around 200 rounds.

[Tn Jim]

Thanks Gene! That was something else I was wondering about. It sounds like the Bushnell is the way to go.

[Redhawk1]

I like the Bushnell 2X6X32mm scopes on my longer range pistols. On my guns for 100 or less yards, I like the Ultra dots.  

[armory414]

I have an Encore with 15" .44 mag barrel.  I bought it used, and it still wears the Tasco Pro-Point red dot scope that it came with.  While not as good a quality red dot as the Millet, here are some things I noticed.  First, the red dot covers about 3 inches at 50 yards.  I can put all my shots in that 3 inches at that distance (with the gun rested), which is good enough for me for hunting.  I killed a doe last year with this set up.  The red dot scope does not have that image "bounce" you get with magnified scopes, which is important to me when the deer is moving and you're trying to track it with an off-hand shot.  However, all of the red dot scopes I've looked through seem to have a bit of a tint to the lenses to allow the dot to be seen better.  This is great to see the dot, but actually makes it difficult to keep the dot on target (your deer) in dim light.  I keep both eyes open when shooting, something I don't normally do with iron sights or a regular scope.  I actually practiced shooting in the evenings with this rig to become accustomed to using it in low light conditions.

[Keith L]

I have three red dots, none of them very expensive.  The first one is ancient, coming on a barrel I bought a few years ago.  It was hard to see through even in good lignt.  The next was an inexpensive conventional red dot that was quite large in diameter.  It was much better in low light, but in daylignt the red dot wasn't visible even at full intensity.  I don't recall the brand, but it wasn't one of the majors.  I have a Russian made heads up style red dot on a Buckmark pistol that I use for plinking and shooting at an indoor range near by.  When I look at it I am concerned that recoil from something like a .44 mag would junk it in short order.  And in low light is isn't as good as iron sights.  I do like the fast target aquisition and the lack of paralax.  I guess there is no free lunch unfortunately.

[obxmike]

Bushnell Holosight....looked at all of the others, and for 100 yds and under, I think it's the cat's pajamas. Check one out before you decide. I have one on my 12" .44 encore and it has held zero since day one shooting the heavier factory loads, and does not have the "tinted" lens that makes low-light shooting at game difficult.

mike