Rifle scope on a handgun?

[Matt304]

I know that pistol scopes with long eye relief should generally be used on a pistol for proper arm posture, and to keep the gun out far where it should be.

But what about on a "bench pistol" with less recoil and a bipod? Are rifle scopes ever used on these so that the gun is held in close, nearly like a rifle position?

I'm building a long-range Encore pistol mainly to shoot from a bench, and I envision having my left arm laid at a 90 from the gun in front of me, and using that forearm to rest the grip on to shoot with my right hand. This would bring me in close to use a rifle scope with less relief.

Would this just be a bad technique to shoot with, having only one hand on the pistol, or does it sound feasible for target shooting?

Thanks.

 

[Ol` Joe]

1; You need both hands on the gun

2; A rifle scope has ~3'' of eye relief a pistol scope ~18.

3; Your eye at 3" from a scope on a handgun with any kind of recoil will get you a new eyebrow

 

[foghornl]

I suspect you will very quickly have obtained membership in the
Half-Moon Over the Eyebrow Scar Club when you try this.

 

[M2 Carbine]

But what about on a "bench pistol" with less recoil and a bipod?

At present I have a rifle scope on my Ruger Charger (22LR)

I haven't tried it yet but I know of a shooter that uses a rifle scope on the Kel Tec PLR (.223).

I don't think I'd try it on a pistol with any amount of recoil.

 

[Ghost Tracker]

Unless you want an apple-cored eye, keep rifle scopes...on rifles.

 

[MachIVshooter]

I had plopped a rifle scope on my PLR-16 when I first got it. It was no fun, as you end up using all your focus trying to keep from getting smacked. And the PLR is not exactly heavy recoiling.

 

[Matt304]

Ok guys, thanks. I didn't know if that setup was ever used or not on low recoiling guns.

 

[Geno]

One of the participants in the metallic silhouette shoots uses a custom-built, bolt-action pistol with a 36X rifle scope. He uses the set-up for the 100 and 200 yards shoots.

 

[Matt304]

One of the participants in the metallic silhouette shoots uses a custom-built, bolt-action pistol with a 36X rifle scope. He uses the set-up for the 100 and 200 yards shoots.

What caliber is it? Does he do well shooting that way?

 

[rocklock]

As long as we are on the subject.....

I have an old Remington XP100 with as just as old Leupold M8 4X-extended eye relief scope mounted on it - I picked it up used about 25 years ago. My problem is that shooting it off the bench, the eye relief is too long. Offhand shooting, I have to have my arms extended as far as I can to get the proper sight picture (and I am 6'-2"). This does not translate to a comfortable shooting position at the bench. I have no other extended eye relief scopes to compare it to, Is that the norm for the breed? It makes for complications shooting offhand also, as I have to keep both hands on the butt grip to see through the scope. It would be better if I could put the weak hand on the fore end in front of the action, otherwise I get too much "wiggle". And yes, even the little .221 Fireball has to much recoil for me to consider a rifle scope. Any thoughts on this?

 

[Ol` Joe]

Rocklock, I`ve a old M2 Leopuld (1971-72) on a Ruger SB that has worked great for me. I find I can "crunch up" slightly on the bench and my arms can be fully extended when shooting from a standing position. I use both hands to hold the gun while shooting, not one, and that makes a difference in how far the gun is extended. I`m 5`10" but, my arms are a bit long. I shoot 31" arrows with my bow if that tells anything.

I`m not sure but, I think both of these scopes (M2 & M4) have about 18" of eye relief. I do know when I bought mine both were rated for the same relief. There is also more then a couple inches of play in the relief, they are not like a rifle scope with a .5"-.75" span in the relief. I get a full FOV whith mine from fully extended to about 10" from my eye.

I`m sure the type of gun the scope is mounted on and the mount will make some difference in how far the eye is from the sight. The rear of my scope is about even with my thumb knuckle when I aim. The XP100 as I remember has the grip foreward, toward the middle of the action. The scope may be mounted back farther in relation to how you grip the gun. You might want to surf the various scope manufactures. Check their handgun scope specs to see if one offers something that would have a eye relief that would better fit you.

 

[bdjansen]

I have a rifle scope on my .22 charger as well. But this gun has no recoil so I can get away with it.

 

[Geno]

Matt:

I'm not certain if he was firing a .260 Rem or a 7mm-08 Rem. It was one of the other. He had the pistol built by the Wichita company. Anyhow, my point is merely that is was not a .22LR; it was a high powered centerfire.

http://www.wichitaarms.com/

 

[rocklock]

Ol Joe, same draw length here. Yes the grip is forward about 4 inches and the rear of the scope is about 1/2 " past the rear of the action. Unfortunately, the scope can not be moved forward from where it is now. Those 4 inches pretty much use up the several inches of play in the scope. I had thought about looking for a shorter XER scope, but that's not in the budget right now. It occurred to me recently that a bipod for the bench, or shooting sticks for out in the field might help to hold that wobbly front end, but that's just another piece of gear to haul around. Beggars can't be choosers, I guess.

 

[Okiecruffler]

I use a Tasco 6-24X on my 6tcu. Secret is to back off the scope until it doesn't smack you. You loose some FOV, but on the bench that isn't a real problem.


Here's a link to how I shoot it.
http://s65.photobucket.com/albums/h234/okiecruffler/?action=view&current=WarminguptheLOG.flv

I also have a bushnell 6-24X on my 218 bee, but recoil isn't an issue.

 

[Matt304]

Okiecruffler, what caliber is that in the video?

It did look like it was getting a little close to your glasses on the first shot, the rest looked alright. That's basically exactly what I had envisioned, because I can't seem to find a decent pistol scope for target shooting. The only thing out there that I know of is the Burris 3-12x, but nothing above a 12x.

I suppose if you could find a scope with 5-7" eye relief and target power range, it would be perfect. I will be shooting .30 Bellm, so recoil will be on the lighter side.

 

[ADKWOODSMAN]

Matt, I've been using a 10X Bushnell on my .223 super 14 contender and it works great from the bench. Low recoil so no worry about "The Order Of The Half Moon"! Dime size groups at 100 yards.

 

[Okiecruffler]

That's a 6tcu, I know guys who use much heavier rounds (6.5-284) and rifle scopes, just have to back off alittle more. First shot kissed my glasses abit. Was having trouble with headspacing that day. Lee turret press had too much slop in it and wasn't setting the shoulder back. I've gone back to a single stage for my precision rounds.

 

[Desertscout]

I shot NRA Hunter Silhouette for years and most all of us used rifle scopes on pistols. .22, .22 mag, .270 Ren, .30 Carbine, .32 H&R, even a .38 not too bad. I've also used rifle scopes on .223 and 7mm TCU with good success.

 

[Markbo]

First shot kissed my glasses abit.

What more reason do you need to not use a riflescope on a handgun?

 

[Okiecruffler]

What more reason do you need to not use a riflescope on a handgun?

Well, I got a pretty good reason to use a rifle scope. At the distances that pistol can shoot, a 12X just don't cut it. In fact, I'll probably be upgrading that 24X pretty soon. We're not talking about revolvers at 50yrds here. These are pistols put together to shoot at 500+ yrds. I know guys who shoot their rigs at 1000yrds. I know a fella who smacked a Pdog at 775yrds. I may never get to that level, but I'm not gonna handicap myself with a 12X scope.

 

[KI.W.]

I have rifle scope with my T/C Contender .22 Hornet pistol. It is 4x50 fixed "Zenith" made in CCCP.

 

[Markbo]

Okie - agreed. But a very, VERY specialized chore for that gun. But I stand by my statement... if the scope is just kissing your glasses it is either too close to your face or the recoil is not being controlled enough.

it simply can NOT be conducive to maximum accuracy to have your gun hit you upon recoil. Once maybe, but how often does it actually happen. It in fact looked to me in that video that it happened more than once. Gotta be a huge subconscious 'uh-oh' every time you pull the trigger. Kind of like too much recoil or too much blast.

You may think you are overcoming it, but the effect is cumulative.

 

[Okiecruffler]

Trust me, it only happened once, you notice it when it happens. But you may be right, it could be hurting my accuracy. There's obviously room for improvement.

 

[mek42]

Okie - that is just plain bragging. Good shooting!

I do not foresee myself putting a rifle scope on a handgun.

Good luck, whatever you do - definitely wear safety glasses if you try the rifle scope on the pistol!