Scopes for 460 S&W

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Franco

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I'm considering the purchase of a 460 with 8 3/8 barrel, X frame, 629 classic. I have the same gun (N frame) in a 44 mag but I'm not convinced it's effective enough for deer out to 100 yds and definitely not beyond. My son killed a doe with his Marlin 44mag lever last Fall at 80yds and, although it was a one shot kill, the death was neither impressive nor immediate -- could have been the Hornady leverrevolution ammo that fragmented like buckshot, but the event still left me unsure about 44mag for deer.

I would like to scope my 460 but I had a bad experience trying to scope my 44 with a red dot -- it slid in the rings after about 20 shots and the electronics became goofy too. Any advice? I would like a regular scope (nothing that requires batteries) with 2x or 4x magnification that can take the recoil. I would like to stay under $500 for the scope but would consider more if needed. Thanks.
 
Any run of the mill shock proof pistol scope will do the trick.. I suggest the Leupold offerings...

that said, I HATE pistol scopes and will suggest red-dots for pistols.... slipping in the rings seems to be more of a ring issue. I like the millet offerings for red-dots.
 
Scopes are hard to get used to, but if you practice regularly they work great - especially on magnum handguns. I've tried a few different holo and red-dot sights on my .44 mag and none of them have lasted more than 50 rounds. I've had a Nikon Monarch 2x with Warne rings for a couple years now with zero problems.
 
coltglockSWs009.jpg

This is my set up, Leupold VXIII 2.5-8x with Leupold rings and mounts, no slippage after 100+ rounds. I took a whitetail 2 years ago at 120 yds with Hornady 200grn SST ammo, dropped him right where he stood. The scope retails for around $500
 
Thanks for the advice. I agree that the red dot sight slippage I experienced may have been more of a ring issue but the electronics also went bad quickly. My point was that the whole setup couldn't take the shock. I can imagine how much worse it is with a 460!

I'm partial to Leupolds (I have at least 10 on assorted rifles) so I may give that a whirl. Worst case, I return to iron sights and put the Leupold on my 44 mag for fun.

On a related note, can anyone give me a comparison of recoil between the 44 and the 460 assuming average loads? I know that I worried about the recoil of the 44 until I actually bought it and shot it. Yes, it has recoil but my fears were way overblown. I now shoot two boxes and think nothing of it. Am I worrying too much about the 460? Sorry if this should be a different thread.
 
The difference in recoil is significant, although hard to describe as each of us has a different perception of force.I'm 5'9'' 200lbs,what might seem harsh to me might be uncontrolable to a smaller person. My gun fully loaded with the scope weighs around 6 lbs, which helps in mitigating much of the force of recoil. Just like your .44 mag, you can learn to deal with the extra recoil of the .460 and shoot it accurately. I would suggest finding a good shooting glove with extra padding for the web of your hand.
 
Thanks. I'm about the same size 5' 9", 180 and relatively strong for my size. I think what makes the 44 enjoyable for me to shoot is the recoil is more of a push than a kick. Similar to my 45-70 (rifle) which has massive recoil but it's again a push rather than a sharp kick. My wife's Ruger 357, on the other hand, hurts my wrist and my 7mm mag (rifle) hurts my shoulder because they both have a sharp quality to their recoil. I was hoping the 460 would be similar to my 44, although clearly with additional force. Thanks again for the help.
 
If you're looking for a red dot scope that will hold up to abuse, look into a UltraDot. Affordable, can take a beating and lifetime warranty.
 
The leupold 2.5-8X VX3 is on sale at Cabela's for $399 right now, although they are on backorder. I have one on my 460 Hunter and it works extremely well. 2.5-4X works for offhand and 4X+ for shooting off the bench. I like it so much I have one on order for my .500.

Davepool: are using low or medium rings with the leupold mount? Thanks.
 
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Great advice. I do like the idea of a red dot because of the ease of target acquisition and unlimited eye relief so I'll inquire further about the ultradot. However, I'm definitely leaning toward a non-electronic leupold as that seems to be the standard for these big bores. Thanks again for your input.
 
I have 3 pistol scopes Simmons 4x a Burris 2x7 and a Bushnell 2x6 all of them have worked great the simmons is on a Super 14 44mag the Burris is on a super 14 22 LR and the Bushnell is on a 15'' 7-30 waters. This is my setup for my conender I also have a super 14 in 30-30 that im setting up. out of all scopes that i have,i like the Bushnell the best becouse of the eye relief at the higher power setings. It also has verry clear glass and has not lost the POI even after 200 rds through it. I know that a 7-30 is not a big boomer but the scope has impressed me. and when i do my part it will shoot sub moa at 100 yds. Another scope that comes up is Wever from my resurch there is alot of people who use them. Just remember shooting a scoped pistol takes some pratice and getting used to. another sorce of info is handgunhunter.com and specialty pistols fourms.
 
paochow

I think they are the low mounts, it's been over two years since i mounted it but i like all my scopes to be as close to the center line of the bore as possible. $399.00 is a very good price for that scope, no wonder they are on backorder.
 
I have two Bushnell 3200 elite pistol scopes one on a 629 8" and one on my BFR in 500M. Both get shot alot. Scopes ares still as they where on day one and never had any problems. Would by again in a heart beat.
 
It's interesting that Bushnell is putting this statement with it's Elite handgun scope ads. Must be that people didn't think they could take the abuse (customer complaints?) or just competition with Leupold/Nikon that have a reputation for better scopes.

"An Elite Warranty assures you that Bushnell will repair or replace, at no cost, any Elite riflescope that becomes defective during normal use. No receipt is required and there is no time limit."

Having said that, their 2-6x32 scope with 20" of eye relief sounds pretty darn good, especially for $299.
 
Like I said I have two of the Bushnells 2-6x32. And if they have held up to my 500 mag hand loads of up to 700gr rounds I think they can take anything.
In fact all my scopes are Bushell for the very same statement as made above. There 6500 rifle scopes are awesome.
 
Thanks davepool. Leupold recommends the mediums, but looking at both your 460 and the leupold press photos, it seems like they are using low rings as the base appears to be of similar thickness as each of the pieces where the rings join together.

It took about 1 month to get my two leupolds from Cabelas so you need a little patience, but the wait is worth it.
 
I have a burris 2-7 power handgun scope with the posi-lock system that has held up to the recoil of the 460 for a few hundred rounds already. I had to use 3 rings in order to keep it from slipping in the rings even after the gunsmith tightened the rings for me after I complained.

I am considering selling it because I just like to shoot this revolver with open sights more, not for any reason of the scope.
 
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