.45/70 sights/optics

[troy_mclure]

right now i have a Simmons master series 1.5-5 shot gun scope mounted on my encore .45/70 bbl. the scope is great, and im getting great 100yd groups. but i keep whacking myself in the eye/shooting glasses.

ive decided to dump the scope and get a set of sights, or 1-2 moa red dot, or, ?

its mostly be used for punching paper, deer, pigs, etc at 100yd +/-.

any recommendations?

[aimhard]

I've been thinking about getting a 45-70 barrel and using a rear peep in place of the factory sight. If someone wanted to use a scope occasionally, the peep rib looks interesting.

[DDZ]

Something many people don't consider when buying a scope is eye relief. Eye relief is the distance between your eye and the scope where you can obtain a full field of view. Do you have your scope mounted as far forward as possible and still have a full field of view? If you have done this and your scope still hits you, you need to buy a scope with more eye relief. Short eye relief scopes are a problem on the heavier recoiling calibers. I have seen many hunters with cut eyebrows, noses, and foreheads. 

[Hopalong7]

    I love shooting my 45-70 hanguns, but I would never consider shooting one from any position that didn't allow me to fully extend my arms.  I intentionally allow the pistol to rise and rotate my hands and arms upward with MOST of the rotation happening in my shoulders rather than my wrists and elbows.  Sometimes the barrel ends up almost completely vertical,  but it has never hit me in the head.  Actually I seldom hunt with the 45-70 because I know that I may get into positions that I couldn't control the weapon where I could with the 357Max or 375Win.

[Hopalong7]

    Well, confusion has slipped into my old steel trap mind again it seems.  I was thinking I was on the hangun forum on the previous post.  Please forgive and disreguard.

[troy_mclure]

Something many people don't consider when buying a scope is eye relief. Eye relief is the distance between your eye and the scope where you can obtain a full field of view. Do you have your scope mounted as far forward as possible and still have a full field of view? If you have done this and your scope still hits you, you need to buy a scope with more eye relief. Short eye relief scopes are a problem on the heavier recoiling calibers. I have seen many hunters with cut eyebrows, noses, and foreheads. 

its a shotgun scope, so its got tons of eye relief. and its as far forward as it will go. i just keep putting my cheek in the comfortable spot to shoot, and get whacked.

id rather change my optics than shooting style/position.

[Tn Jim]

I have a Simmons Pro Diamond 4X32 shotgun scope on my 45-70 barrel. It has 5" eye relief, if i remember right. I fire a pretty healthy load too. Cast Performance 405 bullet @ 1700 fps. I have never had my scope hit me, or even come close that I could tell. What's the eye relief on your scope Troy?

[Capt Gary]

Tn Jim, I put one of those Simmons Pro Diamond 4X32 shotgun scopes on my Pro Hunter Katahdin 45/70 also. Works great.
I just bought a turkey barrel for my Encore and will be moving the Simmons over to it. Bought a Leupold 2X7 to replace it.

The little Simmons is good quality for the money.

[Tn Jim]

I use mine for hunting hogs in the mountains. Between that and the recoil of those warm reloads of mine, that little Simmons has stood up very well. I don't remember what I paid for mine, but it wasn't a lot. I have recommended them to several people that use a similar big bore rifle and I don't feel like I misled any of them. I'm glad yours is working well for you Gary.