Optima 2000 on Bull

[Jeff Vicars]

I ordered a mount today. I'm going to try a Optima 2000 red dot on my 480 Raging Bull (5 in.). Has anyone else tried a Optima on a Taurus? What do you think? Make a good bear (bait) gun? The mount sits in the sight channel and secure with one screw, do you think I will have to use epoxy?

[myronman3]

how that sucka holds up.  was considering the same sight for my blackhawk.   i know tasco went belly up,  but eabco sells them under the name j-point.

[bigbore442001]

I had an Optima that was sent back twice to Tasco and finally they gave me a refund since they were no longer making it. I had it mounted on a 44 mag TC barrel and it kept on going out. It seems that the 44 was too much for it. So, the thing was sent back. The second time around it worked well on a 12 guage for turkey. I sighted it in for slugs and it was dead. The second time around resulted in getting a certificate for otehr Tasco products.  This may say something about the 2000 on your gun.

[Jeff Vicars]

I just mounted the Optima on my 480 last night. I have three of the Optima's, one I had mounted on a 7 1/2" 50-70 contender barrel, after a few shots it quit working. The inertia of the battery caused the contacts to bend in. This mount did not have the adhesive cushion under the battery as some do. I bent the contact back put a cushion under the battery and never had a problem again.
The mount I put on the 480 has the cushion. I haven't had a chance to sight-in yet.  
A friend has an Optima on a 4 5/8" Freedom Arms 454 and has shot lots of full power loads without any problems.
I also have one mounted on the slide of a 10 mm, the mount came with a cushion, so far no problems.
I'm going to try to post a picture of the 480 in the next few days.

[sawfish]

Jeff,

I was prowling through the archives and noticed your post re: an Optima on a Raging Bull.  I have been thinking about doing the same thing with a J-Point on my 5" RB in .454, and was wondering about your long term success i.e. durability.  Thanks.  

Sawfish

[Jeff Vicars]

It is still working. I like the rig, it's compact and the sight works well in low light. The dot self adjusts as the daylight changes.

[sawfish]

Thanks.  I will add one to my .454 RB.

[sawfish]

Jeff,

Sorry to be a pest, but I forgot to ask if you used the epoxy like you mentioned in an earlier post.  I was thinking about just slathering (old Southern word) on a liberal amount of Pro-Loc or Loctite Red.  Thanks.

Sawfish

[Jeff Vicars]

Just used that one screw, it's so light there is not much inertia. No epoxy, loctite or anything.

[sawfish]

Thanks

[sawfish]

Hello Jeff,

Just wanted to thank you for inspiring me to try the J-Point on my 5" Raging Bull.   I got a bargain price on the mount from Brownells, but it does shoot a little high with 300 gr XTPs.  Even with the adjustment maxed out.  I am going to try it with WW 260 gr Partitions, which will be my normal load.  If that does not work, I noticed that some of the gunsmith suppliers carry shims for the Optima/J-Point to correct sighting in problems.  I am very happy with this setup, and am going to have Rob Leahy make one of his flip top holsters that will protect the J-Point.  It is far superior to the tiny factory front sight on the RB.  Thanks again.

Sawfish

[Questor]

Has anyone tried an Optima 2000 on a 45LC or similar handgun? I like that style of sight and want to try an Optima. I have a Docter of the same style and it is the best red dot sight I have ever used. It is wonderfully compact. I would like to see more sights like this on the market.

[sawfish]

Questor,

A minor point, but Optima 2000 sights which were manufactured by Tasco are no longer made since Tasco is out of business.  The same (or very similar) sight is made by J-Point, and IMHO, they seem to have fixed many of the problems that plagued the early Optimas.  

Unless you can find a used Optima, any new purchase will likely be a J-Point, which are carried by a number of internet retailers.  Regards.

Sawfish

[Questor]

sawfish:

Thanks. I'll keep an eye on the J-points. Do you know if they're any good? I've got a Browning Buckmark 22 that I'd like to try a red dot on.

[sawfish]

I had a J-Point on my Model 27 Smith for a couple of years, and recently moved it to my SRH in .480 Ruger (see my previous post).  You should have no problem on a Buckmark .22.

[longwalker]

I can tell you from experience any of the current or older redot sights will work on a 22. I have an AIMPOINT 2000 on a SRH in 44 magnum zero problems. The AIMPOINT asn't cheap, but it works every time.


LONGWALKER

[palgeno]

Out of 4, all are still working on the following---S&W 617, S&W PC 625, S&W PC 629, and 1911 45 Super-----the aluminum mount on the 44 mag is suffering some, but hanging on--a steel mount would be better. I don't own the J-POINT version, but I have inspected it and it does appear better in quality----glass lens rather than plastic.   Gene

[Questor]

sawfish, palgeno:

I'm slavering and drooling now! So the new J-Points have a glass lens. Do you know if it adjusts itself to the match the light level?

I've got a Docter sight but these are disappearing from the market and those that are left are too expensive. I'm sold on the practicality of this type of sight and would like to have another.

Thanks for turning me on to these.

[palgeno]

I was incorrect about the JPoint lense--it is a hard acrylic while the Doctor has glass. The Doctor has an aluminum body rather than plastic so it is heavier. The Optima has a "plastic" lense also, but the JPoint is apparently coated for scratch resistance---the bodies are the same material. The British Firesight became the Tasco Optima----and now we are seeing the 3rd generation of this design as the JPoint. All these designs automatically adjust for brightness. If someone is privy to more details, please fill us all in!  Gene