Cross bow scope on rifles

T

thibaultfelix40

New member
I only hunt in fairly thick woods and have a long love afair with peep sights. I have never been able to see animals more than 35 yards away. I have stepped off the maximum range I saw targets because that's the kind of thing I do. After 60 years of lurking in the woods I realize that if I am going to get it done, it will be at 35 yards or less. I have checked scopes as my eyesight deteriates. I think I want scopes that are low fixed power, have plenty of eye relief, short paralax rating, are tough and simple. I got some Leupold light weight 2.5 × 20 and I really like them. I picked up a used Tenpoint 3×32 crossbow scope and put it on a new 10/22. It seems OK. I have made up some rifle and shotgun rigs with pistol scopes mounted as scout scopes. They worked fine but I haven't really warmed up to the scout concept. Now the break action single barrel 20 gauges were pronounced "squirill killing machines" by a collegue and the CZ Scout model 22lr set up with a scout scope (a scout scout?) worked great to shoot out of the drivers window. I know there are others that might like a dedicated short range gun. I am currently frustrated by the scarcity of fixed power scopes not because of the alleged fragillity of varibles but because I like simple. Any comments?
 
Crossbow scopes are not built to handle recoil. In fact, the impulse of shooting a crossbow is just the opposite of a firearm. The crossbow actually is pushed forward, not backward. Like a air gun it would add an ever stronger likely hood of premature failure. If I were hunting in places as you describe, and were having eyesight problems due to age (I've had that....now corrected) I'd be looking at a red dot to put on my gun. I've used a couple dozen red dots on different handguns and rifles over the last twenty-five years and nothing beats them for ease of use at the distances and circumstances you describe. Look in to one. FWIW, they even work very, very well at ranges up to 125-150yds on a rifle. I had one on a Win 1886 45-70 and could shoot five shot groups under two inches with it repeatedly at my own range of 114yds (deck to backstop). You don't need any magnification at the distances you're shooting at. My red dots don't have any magnification.
 
Fixed power scopes are getting harder to find every year.
Hawke says their 3x32 crossbow scope is 'all caliber rated.'
The Weaver rimfire 4x28 is a surprisingly nice scope. Weaver says it's good for airguns, so it's probably good for anything.
Leupold will change the parallax setting on a scope, for a fee.
 
All quality scopes are designed to handle bilateral recoil. Muzzle brakes make that a necessity.
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Please let us know where you got this "fact". Source? I'm not aware of any muzzle brake that pulls the gun in the opposite direction. At best they mitigate some of the felt recoil. I can appreciate the "fact" that you'd like to speak for all the major scope manufacturers, but I'd like to see that on their web sites. Is that info available on their web sites? How'd you get that info? Not saying you're wrong, just saying I'll believe it when I see it.
 
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I like fixed power scopes too. In my battery there are 4 rifles wearing fixed 6x scopes, a fixed 4x, a 2.75x Scout, a fixed 10x. All but one of those are Leupolds. I like the idea of fewer parts, fewer moving parts, and typically, a more compact size. With the exception of a big variable on a dedicated match .308, my hunting variables span 1-4x, 2-7x, and a single 3-9x40mm.

I put a fixed Leupold 2.5x Compact on a friends turkey shotgun this past spring, and expect it to do a world of good for his gobbler busting. This fella has serious eye trouble and has missed several gobblers in recent seasons due to his deteriorating vision. His new turkey scope has the chunky German #1 reticle, which is hard to miss, and certainly precise enough for a full choke shotgun pattern. I use the same big bold reticle on the 1-4x variables, all 100 yd woods rifles.

I'm hoping to scope an AK in the scout style, using a pistol scope, but have not had the opportunity to experiment and am reluctant to commit to a purchase w/o a look see on the eye relief issue.

I'm leery of red dots, primarily because all mine are of the budget variety. An Aimpoint Pro that was issue back in the day seemed durable enough and ran fine on its original battery for well over a year. I certainly can shoot any dot or optic better than irons these days.
 
I had a Burris FastFire3 on both a 45-70 and a 44mag and it worked great with no problems at all. From everything I could find before buying, they were built strong enough to handle the stout recoil of both of these calibers. Several hundred rounds later I'd have to agree with that assessment.
 
No second best, I was told it by a manufacturer who replaced my very old scope with a new model because a muzzle brake had destroyed the old scope. A very aggressive brake will place the rifle into negative recoil just as the last gas leaves the barrel.
 
My best research leads me to believe that most crossbow reticle scopes offered by major manufacturers (Nikon and Bushnell for example) are made to the same standard of shockproofness as the same scopes with different reticles. I base that on the fact that I haven't seen them advertised as for crossbow use only and that they are advertised as shockproof without further qualification.
 
As one who shoots both crossbow and rifle, I can tell you that I have never seen even a high-end crossbow scope that has the clarity of optics that even barely midrange rifle scope has. I think you will do far better to either get a low-powered fixed rifle scope or go with a red dot.
 
I own several crossbow scopes (I shoot crossbow for hunting) and I only bought the better scopes. As stated above, the best crossbow scopes are of mediocre quality as far as the optics go. They just aren't all that good....and don't really need to be. They are lighted reticles and are intended to be used at close range on large targets. Get a red dot.
 
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