Holographic Sights on rifles?

Status
Not open for further replies.
T

TooTaxed

Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2002
Messages
1,255
Location
Columbus, Georgia
I'm planning a bear hunt, and the guide says "no scopes" because the shooting range will be short...about 50-yds. Problem is, my suitable rifles...6.5-mm Swede and .30-06 Springfield...only have scope sights...and I know from experience that close range hunting with those is worse than useless...throw the rifle to your shoulder and all you can see is scope. Not good when you are facing a charging bear! And I don't particularly care for just aiming along the bare barrel. The guide says .30-30's are too small for these bears.:what:

Am considering a red dot holographic sight for this trip...any experience or recommendations? The Swede has two-piece Weaver bases and the Springfield has a one-piece Leopold base.
 
The only Holographic sights that comes to mind are the Bushnell Holo-sights (which aren't made anymore) and the EOTechs.
While EOTechs are great sights, they do not lend themselves well to Bolt guns. To use one, you would have to change to a 1 piece weaver style mount and if it fit without hanging over the mount enough to cause ejection issues, it would be very high and you would not get a good cheekweld.
My opinion/suggestion is to buy 30mm rings for the rifle you choose and get yourself one of the "hunting" aimpoints. (9000 series?)
They are made specifically for hunting rifles (long 30mm tube to fit on bolt guns) and are priced very reasonably (about $300?) and offer all the features that Aimpoints are famous for.
 
Really, no scope, even if your scope has a 1 power to it? That sounds odd to me, maybe you could check that out and see if they'd let you use a low powered scope, if thats the case, leupold makes a little 1x4 that I'd rather have than a red dot.
 
I have a number of dot type scopes. The only one I would consider for hunting dangerous game would be the Trijicon acog reflex. It has no batteries, buttons or switches and is always on and self adjusts for brightness. If it has batteries they will go dead someday and if it has a switch it will be off when you want it to be on. I think you have a really good reason to get a big bore lever action.
 
Why you don't want to use a scope:

While deer hunting with my scoped Springfield, moving along a Sierra mountainside through brushy areas, I had an unexpected encounter with a wounded bear. I heard my hunting partner farther up the hillside shoot and yell, and I heard what I expected to be a buck crashing through the brush towards me. I got my rifle ready to finish it off when it came into view in the clearing ahead...then sudden quiet.

Suddenly there was a roar to my rear, and I whirled, rifle at the ready, to see this large, black bear about 10 yards away, clawing his way over a fallen tree towards me...roaring, lips drawn back from his teeth, snapping his teeth like castanets, with the wildest, angriest eyes you could imagine!

I raised my rifle...and couldn't see anything but scope! Couldn't see or much less sight on the bear! I quickly lowered the rifle until I could roughly look along side to see the bear, fired, turned and ran like Hell, working the bolt for a second shot! It took precious time to work the bolt, and I couldn't sight on the bear anyhow.

I was incredibly lucky...hit the bear in a front leg and he continued past me downhill. We had a lot of tense moments tracking down that bear in the dense brush.

And that's why I'm considering a holographic red dot sight for one of my rifles. I already have an EOTech I'll try to adapt to one of the rifles, and practice rapid bolt work. Again, shooting range is expected to be under fifty yards.

My fallback is to purchase an iron-sighted Marlin lever-action in .35 Remington...but I hate to go to that much expense just for one hunting trip, and I really have too many guns as it is...just don't have time to shoot them all, I'm not a collector, and my large gun safe is maxed out.

Wish my SKS 7.62 x 39mm cartridge was big enough, even using the fine Wolf 154-gr SP hunting ammo. Maybe if I shoot a bunch of them into that big bad boy it would do!:evil: Will pose the question to the guide...
 
The Reflex is really a good piece of glass, in your situation that is how I would go.
 
The incident occurred about 40 years ago. I was using a 1" Redfield 3 x 9 variable, 1-3/4" objective, set on 3 power for short range hunting.

Modern scopes are much larger...but that old Redfield is still excellent!
 
A few thoughts jump to mind:

1. If the guide says "no scopes", he probably means "no optical devices of any kind", but maybe not - you'll have to ask him to be sure.

2. A black bear will not charge you, 99.99% chance. But now I see your story, so I guess you're very unlucky, so...

3. If I'm spending time and money on a hunt, ain't no way I'm relying on batteries to bag the game if I get my shot, espec. in the cold of winter and its effect on batteries potentially, so ESDs without an etched or FO reticle are off limits for me. But even if you follow my philosophy, that still leaves stuff like the Zeiss ESD, the Leupold Prismatic, the Trijicon Reflex, Trijicon RMR (FO version), etc., if you must have a long-ER or infinite ER 1x "ESD".

4. If the guide does NOT actually mean 'no optical devices', and will allow a 1x optic of some kind, like an ESD, then that means he will also allow a 1x scope - there are several of these true fixed 1x scopes, as well as many many good variable scopes that dial all the way down to a true 1.0 power, including Leupold CQ/T, Trijicon 1-4x24, Leupold VX1 1-4x20, Leupold VX2 1-4x20, on and on.... These are fantastic for hunting the woods. There are even more that dial down to 1.25, 1.5, or 1.75, like the Trijicon 1.25-4x24, Nikon Omega/Slugmaster 1.65-5x36, Leupold VX3 1.75-6x36, etc., etc. - also a very good choice. There is extraordinarily little downside to using a Nikon Slugmaster/Omega 1.65-5x36, because you get MORE eye relief than even some 1x ESDs (like the Leupold Prismatic), and *almost all* the "unlimited" eye relief of a traditional ESD like an Aimpoint or other dot sight, because at around 14" of eye relief on 1.65x, it is for all intents and purposes "unlimited".

5. Iron sights work, too!
 
Last edited:
There's always the Meprolite. No batteries there, either.

These red dots are very popular among serious pistol competitors, but they don't take out two-page ads in American Rifleman like some, so they're best known through word of mouth. http://www.ultradotusa.com/

They're a lot less expensive than Aimpoints, but they work. They don't have the same battery life when left turned on, but that's inconsequential unless you're going to spend a lot of time in Iraq.

I have a 2X pistol scope on a match gun, and it works, but acquisition isn't quite as quick as a dot sight, so I got a red dot for the gun, also, for rapid fire. I can see why a 1-4X scope wouldn't be the first choice. Scopes tend to look black unless you're looking straight through them.

You can buy iron sights.

http://www.marblearms.com/

XS makes irons that fit on Weaver bases, too. Have a gunsmith put on a front sight (shouldn't cost too much) and stick this on the base when you want. Swap it back and forth with the scope, at will. Good Weaver-style rings should hold zero. Crappy ones should be thrown in the trash, anyway.:)
 
I really have too many guns as it is
Click to expand...

That's like telling my wife she has too many shoes. You could either buy a suitable rifle or get very close with what you would spend on some of the suggestions here. If you buy used and use it for your trip then sell it you’ll be out almost nothing or possibly make a few bucks.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

T
  • Locked
6.5 x 55 on Elk??
Replies
10
Views
1K
CB900F
C
R
  • Locked
Noob iron sights/scope question
2
Replies
38
Views
3K
Readyrod
R
N
  • Locked
Tell us about your big game deer, hogs and black bear size game rifles/carbines?
Replies
12
Views
1K
castingdonkey
C
S
  • Locked
Questions about sighting in my .22 Squirrel Rifle
Replies
5
Views
1K
cottswald
C
D
  • Locked
Remington CDL SF 700
Replies
1
Views
427
dakotasin
D
Back
Top