Encore Handgun Scope Recommendations?

B

Brian Pfleuger

Moderator Emeritus
So....

I ordered an Encore handgun in 7mm-08. I'm looking for scope recommendations for hunting whitetail deer.

Variable power, shots almost never exceeding 100 yards, occasionally as far as 150 is possible, but not likely.

Keep it under $350, as far under as possible actually, but I'll hear all arguments up to that price.
 
I've got a Leupold 2.5-8 on my Rem XP100R. It is beautifully clear. My only complaint with it is that the eye relief is slightly too long. I have to hold it at full arm extension to get a good sight picture. If its eye relief was just a couple of inches less, it would be more comfortable to hold.

In your price range, you might want to consider the Bushnell 3200 Elite 2-6. It runs about $275. I had a 3200 rifle scope for a while and was very pleased with both the clarity and the light-gathering ability.
 
Burris 2x7 w/ lifetime transferrable warranty is worth looking thru at a shop and comparing to get the eye relief right. I think the spec is 10-18 inches. They go for about 175-190 on the bay and so that's where mine came from.
Parallax set for 100 yard instead of 50 like some handgun scopes. I think they cost about 300 new but the warranty makes a used one a good deal.
 
The Leupold 2.5-8 will run around $475 but it is well worth it. I have three of them and they are noticeably clearer than even my 3200 Bushnell 2-6 scopes, which are and excellent scope too. The Bushnells should run around $260. I have three leupolds and 5 bushnell 3200s and have never had a problem with any of them ,even on heavy hitters like .308, 7mm-08 and 45-70
 
Alloy, you might want to be careful buying scopes on Ebay. Leupold, Millet, and Burris have all issued warnings about huge numbers of counterfeit scopes of these brands comming in from China and being sold on Ebay. These look like the real thing and even the packaging looks legit. However, when these scopes are sent in for warranty work, you get a nice letter saying "sorry, you have a counterfeit scope".
 
Doyle said:
Leupold, Millet, and Burris have all issued warnings about huge numbers of counterfeit scopes of these brands comming in from China and being sold on Ebay.
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True, this is.... Leupold seems to think that in their case it's limited to the Mark 4 at the moment, or at least as of December 09 they did.
 
Tho I won't argue that Luppys and Burris are better glass, I use Bushnell Trophys on all my big bores and have been very happy with them.
 
I'll take the Burris in a heartbeat. I have them on my Contender barrels and highly recommend them. In a silhouette match I saw a Leupold 2.5 x 8 scope come apart at the turrets as Leupold wasn't using a 1 piece tube in that pistol scope. I would have been extremely ticked if that happened during a hunting trip.
 
Peetza, I hunt almost exclusively with a handgun, either a TC Contender or a revolver. I have been handgun hunting now for about 20 years so i have gone through all the fads. Here is what I have found:

1. In thickish woods and in low light, a Red dot works real good. It gives you single focal plane like a scope and is good for shots from 1-80yds on stationary or moving Deer and hogs. I have one on a S&W 657 with a 6" barrel. This is a good rig for fast shooting.

2. On a revolver or a hunting handgun that is going to be used for shots from 10-150yds from a stand, a scope of 2X is about all you will need for Deer hunting. I have a few Variable scopes on handgun barrels but they are all varmint guns. On my DEER/Hog hunting guns( A Contender in 30-30 or 45-70 and a Redhawk 44Mag) I have Burris 2X scopes. I usually carry another revolver with Iron sights for close in shots. For this I use a S&W 629.
I have found that Burris scopes hold up very well to recoil. I have had good luck with Leupold's also. If I was going to get a variable I would look at maybe a 1.5-4X. I would keep it on 1.5X while hunting and use the 4X for target shooting or varmint hunting.

3. A handgun scope of over 4X cannot be used on anything but deer at Very long range or stationary stuff like targets, steel silhouettes, P-dogs, Ground hogs and cans.

4. I hope you handload or are getting ready to start. You will need to in order to maximize the 7mm-08 round in a handgun. I recommend getting the Loadbook for the T/C. Handloading for the T/C can get a little tricky. Case length is important as is headspace.

Good luck with your gun. I think you will really like handgun hunting. One thing to remember and a rule I follow when looking for a scope; is that the gun is only as good as the scope. I look to spend at least 3/4 on a scope for what I spent on the gun.

Sam
 
Sam06 said:
1. In thickish woods and in low light, a Red dot works real good.
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I suppose that I'm a bit different in this regard, but I can't use a red dot and I'm not much for open sights either. It's not that I CAN'T hit what I'm shooting at, it's that I can't convince myself to pull the trigger. I've spent so many years shooting through scopes and picking the exact spot that I want to hit that I have trouble convincing myself to shoot when my POA is so ambiguous.

Sam06 said:
If I was going to get a variable I would look at maybe a 1.5-4X. I would keep it on 1.5X while hunting and use the 4X for target shooting or varmint hunting.
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See point 1 above. I currently hunt with a 12ga equipped with a 3-9 variable. 85% of the time, or more, it's set on 5X, almost never lower. I take shots at 15 yards on 5X. It's not for everyone, but when every gun that you've ever owned (except my Glock) has had a scope on it, literally even the BB gun that I had when I was 5 or 6, well you get used to it.

Sam06 said:
A handgun scope of over 4X cannot be used on anything but deer at Very long range or stationary stuff like targets, steel silhouettes, P-dogs, Ground hogs and cans.
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Maybe, but see points 1 and 2 above. I may be the exception to the rule.

Sam06 said:
I hope you handload or are getting ready to start. You will need to in order to maximize the 7mm-08 round in a handgun. I recommend getting the Loadbook for the T/C. Handloading for the T/C can get a little tricky. Case length is important as is headspace.
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Yep, I will be handloading. I've already got a number of sites bookmarked and will be paying particular attention to getting the headspace right.:)

Sam06 said:
One thing to remember and a rule I follow when looking for a scope; is that the gun is only as good as the scope. I look to spend at least 3/4 on a scope for what I spent on the gun.
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I don't mean to pick on you particularly, and I appreciate the advice you offered, but this is a special pet-peeve of mine. I always figure that if a scope is good enough for the job then it's good enough for the job. A scope that's good for deer hunting and mounted on a $600 gun and costs $300, is still good enough when it's mounted on a $1500 gun. You don't suddenly need a $1000 scope because your gun cost $1500.
 
Peetza, one thing to consider with pistol scopes is that when you have the magnification cranked up to a higher power your field of view is absolutely terrible. I only use the highest settings on mine for range work, otherwise they are set on 2X in the field. 2X is more than adequate for deer hunting at normal ranges.

For example : a Bushnell banner Rifle scope 3-9 x 40 has from 40-14' FOV, from 3 to 9 power
a 3200 2-6 pistol scope has from 10' to 4' FOV, from 2 to 6 power
 
I'll second the Burris 2-7X. Great scope. Much as I love Leupold, I find the eye relief very unforgiving on their variable handgun scopes.
 
mikejonestkd said:
For example : a Bushnell banner Rifle scope 3-9 x 40 has from 40-14' FOV, from 3 to 9 power
a 3200 2-6 pistol scope has from 10' to 4' FOV, from 2 to 6 power
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Hm, yes, true. Does holding the gun at arms length help to compensate some for the diminished FOV? Seems as though it would to me, but I have no handgun scope experience....
 
I don't mean to pick on you particularly, and I appreciate the advice you offered, but this is a special pet-peeve of mine. I always figure that if a scope is good enough for the job then it's good enough for the job. A scope that's good for deer hunting and mounted on a $600 gun and costs $300, is still good enough when it's mounted on a $1500 gun. You don't suddenly need a $1000 scope because your gun cost $1500.
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Peetz, Your not picking but we will have to disagree on scope as far as quality. I have found that you really do pay for quality in a scope. I used to Shoot Benchrest and I have a $800 scope on my old REM 40X in 6mmBR but it was bought a long time ago. The scope set me back as much as the gun at the time but I never regretted it. What I hate to see are nice guns with garbage scopes on them. The repeatability of a scope and the clarity of its optics are one thing and a very important thing. The other is its "toughness". A scope on a handgun gets hammered bad with recoil. Much more than a rifle scope. This is a great scope for the money and I have seen them stand up to some serious recoiling guns. They are accurate and very clear.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=871509

A good set of mounts are very important too. As important as the scope. On a hard kicking gun I recommend the best you can get along with rings. These are the bases I have and they are almost the same as the ones Virgin Valley used to make. They work very good.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=280694

For rings:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=346104
or
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=424556

So with the above you would have a Bombproof set up and it would set you back about 4 bills. I don't know what an Encore goes for but I would think that would be about 3/4 of the price:) Then throw in another 150 bucks for Dies, bullets, cases, powder, primers...........It adds up

See point 1 above. I currently hunt with a 12ga equipped with a 3-9 variable. 85% of the time, or more, it's set on 5X, almost never lower. I take shots at 15 yards on 5X. It's not for everyone, but when every gun that you've ever owned (except my Glock) has had a scope on it, literally even the BB gun that I had when I was 5 or 6, well you get used to it.
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That said I am not trying to convince you but I will say this; A high power scope(Over 4X) is very difficult to shoot under hunting situations. If you are still hunting or stand hunting the amount of time and FOV you get from a Handgun scope over 4X makes it very hard to find the animal much less hit it unless it is standing still and you have all the time in the world to shoot it.

I see you are in NY and I am in NC so we are both east coast hunters. I hunt in all terrain from mountains to swamp and I like a faster handling gun. One that I can get the cross hairs on a Deer or Hog fast and get a good shot. With a higher Magnification scope on a Handgun its hard to that. The FOV is very small in a handgun scope and you have to hold the pistol just right to get the proper sight picture. you will see what I mean when you scope the T/C.

The other thing about a handgun scope is eye relief. You are far away from the scope so in reality you have a small circle that is magnified out there at arms length. It is very different from looking through the scope on a rifle. You keep both eyes open and maybe "blink" your none firing eye before the shot. Here again a High Power scope is a disadvantage.

I hope I helped you and you have a good time with the T/C. Before you go hunting next season with it. I recommend going out to the woods and shooting it at varmints like Ground Hogs so you will see the difference. you cannot get that at a range.

This is the book I was referring to:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=672709

EDIT:::::::::::You want Volume #1. Of that book Sorry?


Last but not least you might want to look at a 30MM scope. I have not used one but I bet it would make a difference. They are a little more spendy.

Whatever you pick I hope to see some pics in the hunting section next year. I missed the season this year as I was out of the country but I am looking forward to next year...................

Sam
 
Sam06,

Thanks for the info.:)

That first set of rings is the exact pair that I was intending to get.... I'm leaning toward a Burris scope, trying to decide if I want black or silver, the Encore is stainless....

I'm looking forward to getting some time behind this gun for sure. Hopefully some woodchucks will be included but they're getting hard to find around here due to coyote problems and I just don't have the time for coyote hunting.

It should be an interesting time for sure.... I estimate that the recoil should be roughly the same as a 44 ounce 44mag.:eek::D


Also, I don't necessarily disagree with your points about a quality scope. For an example of what I mean, let's say that your hunting with a 12ga that cost $650 and you've got a scope that was $430, just so it's that 2/3 price..... next year, you upgrade your gun and it cost you $1300 but it's still a 12ga and you still hunt the same woods. That $433 scope is every bit as adequate as it was on the $650 gun. The fact that it's now on a $1300 gun has no bearing.
 
Peetza, There is a Woodchuck in gobblers knob that needs kill'in. 6 more weeks of this and I going back to Texas:D

If your gun is a SS one I would go stainless all the way.

Another thing to look for is a nice holster. I have a chest rig for mine. It keeps the gun safe and out of the way when i am climbing up the tree in my stand or dragging a dead deer out of the woods.

This is the one I use:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=463568

I have one for my 44Mag also.

As far as recoil goes, I think you will be surprised. Shooting a rifle caliber out of a pistol is very different. I am not going to say its worse than what you think but its different. As a handloader you will be able to make some soft loads for practice. I like my 30-30 barrel as I can really mess with the loadings. Everything from Lead over Trailboss to full blown rounds that would almost wreck a M94. Plus in the T/C I can load spitzers so it shoots about like a 300 Savage with bullets 150grs and under.

You are going to like it. You will be hooked soon with it. Then you will be looking for different barrels. A 22LR barrel is the bomb for shooting tree rats and a 223 is great on Phil and his buddies.
 
I've been wondering about a holster.... I notice that the ad for that one specifies 14" barrel. I assume there's enough adjustment for a 15"?

On the recoil front.... I notice that the recoil impulse does tend to show as significantly higher than typical handgun rounds of the same general recoil energy level....

I'm hoping that I do really enjoy it. I'd actually like to sell my shotgun and go all Encore. I'm picturing getting a fluted, rifled 12ga barrel (speaking of recoil:eek:) and a smokeless muzzle loader barrel from SMI.

That's going to be a while though... this is seriously eroding my budget.:(
 
For the best "big scoped pistol" holster you can get, go to WWW. QUIETHIDE.COM . He'll make you anything from a bandoleer to a backpack stap-on.

It's a one-man shop and he custom makes each holster to your requirements. His prices are surprisingly low too.
 
Another question, gentleman, if I may....

What do you use for steadying aim? I was thinking that one of those trigger sticks would work... but that makes for one-hand shooting. Pretty rough, considering the recoil.
 
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