What scope / optics for Rossi M92 .357/.38

[dracothered]

Trying to choose optics for my Rossi M92 .357/.38 that at this time has a stock front blade with a gold dot and the peep sight that replaces the safety. I also have the scope rail mounted that screws down to the barrel over where the stock rear sight was. Been looking at Red Dots and some pistol/scout scopes also. Just can't make a good choice just yet and would like some good ideas on what I should look for.

I should note I don't want something big a bulky or costs an arm and a leg. Yes I know you get what you pay for sometimes...

[3leggedturtle]

I spent 9 months thinking about a red dot sight for a scout mount on my 45CP Contender carbine. I bought an Aimpoint 9000L. Spendy, but worth every penny. I got the 2MOA dot version. Works great. I have since moved it to a Henry 22mag lever.

[FatJackDurham]

why do you want a scope for that rifle? I doubt you will have a effective range much past 125 yards with it.

I don't like the look of red dots on a levergun, personally. I think a simple, modest scope would work best for you, just make sure it has the proper eye relief to be mounted forward on the barrel.

[Tycer]

Yes I know you get what you pay for sometimes...

With optics especially.
My rule of thumb is the optics should cost about as much as the rifle.
My experience at 357 ranges is that I can cut groups from 4" to 2" with optics but with less speed and field of view as compared to a peep sight.
Switching to a blade front sight with a gold or colored face helps me with accuracy and helps speed.

[FatJackDurham]

I mounted a Mildot scope with a receiver side mount rail on my Rossi 92 357 once, to help me eliminate my vision and shakiness from trying to work up the most accurate loads.

I found that having a scope easily helped me differentiate loads at 25 and 50 yards to loads that were accurate and those that were not.

Once I moved to 100 and 125 yards, though, even though the scope helped me make consistant shots, my Rossi was not accurate enough to make a difference. I found the best loads I worked up still had about 4 to 8 inch groups at 100 yards.

Now, mine is a used Interarms era Rossi with a 1 to 30 inch twist, carbine configuration. I find I can easily make 6 to 8 inch groups with the blade sight. I replaced my blade and post with a gold bead and full buck horn and I am finding my ability to sight quickly and shoot has improved. But mine is strictly a cowboy action gun.

if you have one that you intend to hunt with, or its newer, or its a "Rifle" versus a "Carbine", you might be able to reach out to 200 yards more accurately than I could. Thats why I kind of wanted to know what you wanted the scope for.

[COSteve]

Done

[FatJackDurham]

Once I moved to 100 and 125 yards, though, even though the scope helped me make consistant shots, my Rossi was not accurate enough to make a difference. I found the best loads I worked up still had about 4 to 8 inch groups at 100 yards.

I think that your used Rossi had some crown issues as both my Rossi rifle and carbine are very accurate at 100 yds with 2"-2½" groups the norm, with the stock sights an 8" steel plate at 200yds is fairly easy, and with my tang sight on the rifle giving me a 30" sight radius, I can shoot bowling pins at 300yds with Zero 158grn 357mag full power loads. Besides which, I'm not that good a shot while everyone who's shot them comments on how accurate they are.

You could be right. I too have seen a lot of people comment on how accurate they are, but I never have felt that with mine. I had a gunsmith "recrown" it, though he did little more than polish the outside and use a 45 degree bevel on the inside. He said the crown was fine.

Still, shoot much better with my .22 stevens, and my 45-70 than the 38/357.

[COSteve]

Done

[AJMD429]

why do you want a scope for that rifle? I doubt you will have a effective range much past 125 yards with it.

I can answer that (for me, at least ). If I have a gun capable of shooting a 2" target accuracy-wise at 75-100 yards, I can't take advantage of that accuracy unless I can SEE a 2" target at 75-100 yards. Now my fluorescent-orange 2-1/2" 'dinger' gongs are at 75 yards, and I can tell they are there with no scope, but can't really see to aim at them, and if I did, the bead of the front sight would cover them up (I know you can get 'hollow' front sight inserts for a globe-type front sight though). So, I turn to a scope at least powerful enough for me to see that target, which is more likely to be a brown squirrel's head among leaf litter, than a bright-orange metal disk against mowed green range-grass.

[FatJackDurham]

Have you slugged the bore? Could it be an issue with an oversize bore? What type and weight bullets ya shooting? I find that both mine love Berry's and Rainier 158grn plated bullets. The lead core is so soft that they obturate into the rifling very well and I get excellent accuracy with them; as good as with the Zero 158grn JSP bullets.

I did. My concern was bore deformation at the barrel bands, leading to gas bypass.

Bore slugs out at .357 in the grooves, constricts to .356 at the front band then bells to .358 at the muzzle. I tried lapping to make it evener. Like i said, i use it for CAS, for me its good enough. Someday, i will cut the barrel to 16 inchs, behind the frond band, and re crown it myself, when i reach that point in my amateur gunsmithing career.

[dracothered]

why do you want a scope for that rifle? I doubt you will have a effective range much past 125 yards with it.

I don't like the look of red dots on a levergun, personally. I think a simple, modest scope would work best for you, just make sure it has the proper eye relief to be mounted forward on the barrel.

Well if I go with a scope it will be so I can get tighter groups, but I am leaning more towards a red dot so I can get a fast target acquisition for hunting and or defensive protection.

[Mescalero]

I could help, but I will not.
Every time I try to answer a scope question, it degenerates into a brawl over everyones favorites.
And so far, as far as I can tell, no one has taken my advice.
I am not trying to be mean to you, I am trying to protect my sanity.

[FWiedner]

why do you want a scope for that rifle? I doubt you will have a effective range much past 125 yards with it.

I don't like the look of red dots on a levergun, personally. I think a simple, modest scope would work best for you, just make sure it has the proper eye relief to be mounted forward on the barrel.

Well if I go with a scope it will be so I can get tighter groups, but I am leaning more towards a red dot so I can get a fast target acquisition for hunting and or defensive protection.

I spent some time deciding on sights for a Marlin 1894C. I use it as a truck gun and a light woods walker.

Bottom line is that I settled on a FastFire knock-off, a little NcStar green-dot holo sight. I've got it zeroed at 75 yards.

I've got the green-dot backed up by a set of XS sights, ghost-ring and front blade.

50yds, checking the green-dot after the rifle had been bouncing around in the back seat for a awhile...


Eh... "Good Enough."

[retmech]

I have a cheapy 2 power BSA edge pistol scope($29.)on my Rossi carbine that I bought for load development and it works pretty well. The little Bushnell TRS25 red dot would be really compact and fast mounted on a Rossi. If I was a hunter I'd go with the dot, really fast in close and can be very precise at extended ranges.

[Mescalero]

dracothered,
Did you get a PM from me?

[olyinaz]

Bushnell makes several red dots that are a good value for the money. The other inexpensive red dots that I like are from Vortex.

The market is awash in cheap red dots. Just look for one that doesn't have optics that distort your view through the sight, has a small red dot so that it doesn't cover your target, is not dark to look through, doesn't have too much junk around the optics so that it leaves a big hole in your field of view, and most importantly is bright enough to be seen in mid day sunlight.

For a mid price red dot I like the Eotech. They have a 1 mil dot which I like and they get VERY bright.

Oly

[dracothered]

dracothered,
Did you get a PM from me?

Yep, sure did and thanks...

[AJMD429]

This thread has some photos of the various 'holographic' sights, and is why I favor the Burris Fastfire-II over all the others. Even the smallest 'red-dot' sight I've used (the Millet 1" tube one) is huge in comparison.

http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =1&t=28788

Here's a picture of the holosights I looked at...



Many people love the Bushnell/EoTech holosights and they are 'milspec' and durable, but compared to the Burris Fastfire-II, they are huge.

[olyinaz]

The Leupold DeltaPoint is also small:

http://www.leupold.com/hunting-shooting ... ll-mounts/

I've never seen a Docter red dot in person, but they seem to be well respected:

http://www.docterusa.com/_mgxroot/page_10767.html

JP Rifles makes one now too. Some good pics here:

http://www.jprifles.com/1.6.1.php

And the Trijicon RMR:

http://www.trijicon.com/na_en/products/ ... php?id=RMR

Oly

[AJMD429]

My reason for liking the Burris Fastfire-II is that in combination with the LaserMax pistol sight and a decent LED light, I can shoot THIS 50-yard group at midnight...



I still haven't seen anyone post a similar group with ANY type gun/sight combination other than a $1,000-plus night-vision optic setup that is bulky and heavy. I'm not saying that with my "Night Scout" levergun I could take on enemy troops or terrorists, but it does the job around the farm when it comes to coyotes or feral dogs.

Like others have said - get a good idea of your GOALS for the gun, then work from there; if you were more interested in small groups during daylight, and on the range, you might benefit from good peep or optical sights, or if you're more interested in daytime hunting, just a high-power optical sight for small-game might suffice.

Don't be afraid to be 'different' - it is ALL about what YOU can do with your particular firearm.

[dracothered]

How about one of these:

Millett Red Dot Sight 30mm Tube 1x Variable Sized Dot (3, 5, 8, 10 MOA)?

[Mescalero]

It won't get you to where you need to be.

[dracothered]

Well this is what I ordered, NcSTAR 2.75x22mm Scout Scope.

MODEL: SSB27522G

MAGNIFICATION: 2.75X
TUBE DIAMETER: 30mm
OBJECTIVE DIAMETER: 22mm
FIELD OF VIEW (at 100 yds): 10.5 ft
EYE RELIEF: 8.5-14.0 in
EXIT PUPIL: 8mm
RETICLE: Plex
NET WEIGHT: 10.5 oz
LENGTH: 9.2 in
CLICK VALUE: ½ MOA Windage and Elevation Adjustments
EXTERIOR FINISH: Matte Black
LENS COATING: Green

[Mescalero]

You are on the path to true enlightenment.

[FWiedner]

Enjoy that scout scope. It's a good set-up.

I used a scout scope on my .357 for a while, and it was a good optic (one of the Burris scouts) but it added too much bulk to the gun for my personal taste.

Tried that same Burris on my .30-30 Trapper for a while and again, it was a good optic but I discovered that the light level at precisely the time of day that I wanted to use it (dusk mainly, an unfortunate combination of the elevation of the sun and the height of the trees where I was hunting) washed out the sight picture, and it was effectively useless at night becuse of the eye-relief.

I had good luck with the EoTech, it was a good sight but as Doc AJ mentioned they are rather large, so I tried the FastFire knock-off. I bought several and they've been on my a few of my guns for about 2 years now.

No complaints (yet).