best slug gun scope?

[adcoch1]

Hey guys, I ran some slugs through my smooth bore auto the other day, and noticed the cheap red dot i had on it is no good. So I am looking for a durable low power scope that can put up with a pounding and not add tons of weight to the gun. Suggestions? Looking at the Leopold 1-4x20, any other good ideas for a compact shotgun scope?

 

[paulsj]

Nikon Monarch 1-4x20 with #4 reticle. I have picked up used
African with 1" tube and it's about as bullet proof as scope gets.

 

[cdb1]

Can't go wrong with the Leupold. Don't have any experience with the Nikon. The only difference between a shotgun scope and regular centerfire scope is the parallax is set at 75 yards instead of 100.
So if I had a centerfire scope handy in a 1-4 or 2-7 I'd probably use it.

 

[eastbank]

i have had a leupold 2.5x on my winchester 1300 turkey 3"12ga mag pump for years, shooting every thing out of it with out loosing zero. 3"-2 oz #5 shot and a few high speed slugs, but it kicks like the devil.eastbank.

 

[cdb1]

"Old Gobbler" is a dedicated turkey hunting site. From what I can tell the most popular optic there is the Burris FastFire but of course it is a red dot. They do hold up well to recoil. I've had my for two years with no issues.

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[red rick]

I have a VX-2 2-7x33 on my slug gun that I like
Optics Planet has a 10% off sale plus a $25 dollar gift card on some of their scopes like the Leupold VX-1 Shotgun scope 1-4x20 ( $207 ) and the VX-2 1-4X20 ( $270 ) . They both have good eye relief 1x 4.2 , 4x 3.8 . The parallax on the VX-1 shotgun is 75 yds. and 100 yds. on the VX-2 .

 

[22250Rem]

I vote 2.5x 20mm Leupold....... Because I've got two; I've had the same one on a 12 ga. 870 slug gun since 1989 and have no desire for anything else, there's enough magnification for anything in slug range but it also has a wide field of view up close. The other one's been on a Mossberg 500A 12 ga. Turkey gun since 2001, that one's got the "turkey ranger" reticle but I don't think they make that reticle anymore (?). They're both tough as nails, been through nasty weather and some hard knocks, (the 870 once fell out of a tree, luckily it was empty, and the scope never lost zero) and neither one has ever had a problem. The 1-4x 20mm Leupold would also be O.K. ( I have one of those on a 30-30 Marlin) . But the 2.5x is probably a bit lighter and a little more compact. If you could look through one you'd see what I mean by enough magnification for a slug gun yet a great field of view at closer range. On a slug gun I always say "fixed power" because I've had too many times where there's no time to play around with changing the magnification on the scope and a fixed 2.5x has you covered from spitting distance to maximum slug gun range.

 

[Sunray]

"...noticed the cheap red dot..." Mostly due to the size of the dot. 2 or 3 MOA dots are too big for precise shot placement. Ok for wing shooting birds, but the dot'll cover the entire black on a sighting in target at 100.
No big deal as there are lots of good scope made specifically for shotguns. Low magnification is what you want. The brand really doesn't make a lot of difference.

 

[adcoch1]

Thanks for the info, I've never had a scope on a shotgun before. The comments on low, fixed power scopes make perfect sense, a 2.5-3 power seems just about perfect. Good light gathering and small physical size are important to me, as is durability, since I'm planning on using the shotgun for hunting with a scope instead of just playing on the range.

 

[RPRNY]

Honestly, value for money in a shotgun scope - you can't beat Simmons. Cheap as chips and they stand up to a beating. It's not like you need Crystal Clear optics and 10x magnification. A fixed 4x for example will suit you fine. Save money, buy more slugs

 

[1911 guy]

You're gonna laugh at me. I put a cheap scope on a 12 gauge to get me through a deer season. It's been on for about ten years now. Old 1 1/2 magnification Tasco. Had it laying around as a "beater" and it's never shifted zero. To be fair, it's the only Tasco I've had no problems with. All the others have given me one issue or another. I eventually wised up and stopped buying them. But I plan to keep this particular one.

 

[adcoch1]

Hey, if it works, it works!