| Hi,
Neither of my favorite two deer guns have scopes on them!
I hunt those deep Georgia woods where super long shots are rare so, I've topped both my revolver and .44 Ruger carbine with red dot sights. Red dot sights have no magnification but instead have a red dot on a clear screen.
1. My S&W Model 29 Revolver (my favorite deer gun) is topped with the pricey but awesome Bushnell "Holosight" red dot sight. It's called the "Holosight" because the red dot is projected onto a large, rectangular "heads up display" that resembles a mini-TV screen on top of the revolver. Truly, you don't have to line it up like a scope . . . simply throw the gun up and be able to keep both eyes open. The dot seems to "appear" on your target like a hologram!
With the revolver + Holosight I've twice taken three deer in just a few seconds! The longest shot was my second deer on a clear cut. It was running full speed and I dropped 'em like a stone at a paced off 65 yards! However, I would NOT shoot that far into dense cover at a deer . . . too great a chance that a tiny, unseen limb would deflect the bullet like a stone skipping on a lake.
I use the revolver for shots off to my left side usually (I'm left-handed), and have practiced until I can hit milk jugs consistently at 200 yards (my 300gn. bullets drop 34" at that range) from a solid spot to rest the gun. Of course . . . milk jugs don't move!
2. My favorite "rifle" is actually a new Ruger .44 carbine (a light rifle with a very short barrel). It is topped with a Millet Red Dot sight that looks like a very tiny little scope. The Millet only cost a little over $100 (vs. $300 for the Holosight) plus the Ruger won't take a Holosight mount. Unlike the cheap red dots on the market the Millet is a very serious sight, with precise windage and elevation adjustments This is my favorite "rifle" because it is so darn light and short . . . a real pleasure to carry in the woods vs. a long, heavy, scope-mounted rifle.
I took a 9 point buck a week ago with the Ruger/Millet combo. The deer was moving pretty quickly to my right and I only had one clear spot to make a shot . . . and scant little time to get the gun up and make the shot. It's times like this that the red dot sights are truly appreciated. The shot was a paced off 47 yards and the 250gn. Nosler hollow point .44 round went cleanly through both shoulders.
FOR "DISTANCE" SHOTS . . .
I do use scoped rifles when hunting the clear cut acreage on our hunting club . . . where shots can range out to 350+ yards. Last year some parts were clear cut. However . . . I haven't hunted clear cuts this year at all. They are great to shoot a long range, stupid doe . . . but bucks usually won't come onto a clear cut until well past dark.
MY EVENING "RIFLE" AIN'T A RIFLE
For those late afternoon hunts in the real deep woods I take my .44 revolver but prefer my 1969 Ithaca 12 ga. Slug Gun. It has a short, 20" smooth bore slug barrel and humble "iron" rifle sights on top. It also shoots sub 1 1/2" 3-shot groups every time I've tried at 100 yards! Not bad for a slug gun!!!!!!
Why a slug gun in the evening? Well . . . if the deer runs off after being hit you want to be able to find it. Frankly, almost NOTHING will run off after being hit by a .71 caliber (12 ga.) 1 oz. rifled deer slug. If it DID . . . (that 71/100" diameter slug blows sometimes a 3" exit hole) . . . it ain't going far, and you have a massive blood trail to easily track it!
That Ithaca is a nasty pump "shotgun." It's sooooo light, with a tighter bore than today's slug guns (thanks to today's liability lawyers) and that gun kicks harder than a mule. It truly "kills at both ends." Of course, when hunting, you don't ever feel the kick!
Tom.
PS: TG, I don't necessarily recommend a handgun for most hunters. I've had lots of time behind handguns and am blessed to be able to shoot 'em like I can. Like trumpet, lots of practice is required to make things pay off. I've won scores of handgun matches through the years and feel sometimes more confident with a handgun than I do a rifle for that reason. |