Iron sights or scope?

[Elwood]

When I go deer hunting in October I am going to pack my 10" 7mmTCU when I'm not seriously hunting. I currently have iron sights on it. I have a bushnell phantom in 1.3 power and one in 2.5 that I have never used yet. Help me make up my mind what should I use. I'll be hunting mulies in Arizona's unit 7w. Around camp I cant see over 100 yards. I loaded up a bunch of ammo last week and now I cant decide what to sight in with.
 Elwood P Dowd

[Ken ONeill]

Scope it. If you're going to use a Bushnell Phantom, use the 2.5 X. Spend time learning to shoot it well.

[Junior1942]

This article will help you choose the bullet: http://www.castbullet.com/shooting/7tcu2.htm

[Old Syko]

Elwood I've had a 4x on my 7TCU for a lot of years.  We've taken deer from sneezing distance out to 200 yards in both dense woods and open fields.  4x is sometimes almost too much magnification in a dark dense woods under the right circumstances.  That being said, I'm a firm believer in iron sights provided one is willing to practice enough to be effective that way.  My 10" 357Herrett has never had anything but the stock sights on it and has produced as much or more success than the scoped 7.  Like Ken said "learn to shoot it well", but that goes for which ever choice you make.

[shot1]

Scope it and learn to find you a rest or a shooting position were you can rest the forearm on your leg or arm etc. I use the Stoney Point PoleCat ConvertaPod System. It is a bipod with a third leg clamped to it to make a tripod. You can adjust that third leg so you can raise it up and place it on your shooting hand shoulder and rest your shooting arm and hand on it while the bipod legs are on the ground when you are in a siting position. It is really steady that way. With the 7 TCU if you have a load for the 120 Nosler Ballistic Tip you are in business.  Learn to put it where it is supposed to go and it will get-er-done.

[hntr59]

 
Elwood,
 
I purchased a 30 herrett barrel a few month ago with the purpose of taking it out for deer in 44A as a side arm, since the brush can be so thick I have opted for open sights, as I feel a scope would be a hindrance in the brushy area, if the shot will be over a hundred yards I will have my rifle.
 
Just my thoughts,
 
Phil
 
 

[Elwood]

Thanks for the advice. It seems that the 2.5 Bushnell Phantom is going hunting this fall. I have been wanting to try silhouette so I will switch the iron sights on the 7mm TCU for the phantom mount on the 22 match barrel.
I have been trying to come up with a cast load for the TCU to try with silhouette but my Lee 130 grain moulds are horrible with incomplete vent lines so that  most of my bullets wont fill out completely. It seems that the 22 is a better choice for me at this time.
I have loaded up the TCU with 120 grain Nosler ballistic tips and 120 Barnes ttx. I have used the NBTs in the TCU before and they shot well. The Barnes I have never tried in this barrel before. Has anyone tried the Hornady 120 Vmax? I have read that they perform just like the old single shot pistol bullets Hornady used to make.
Elwood
 

[7-30 Waters]

The Hornady 120 V-Max and the Hornady 120 SSPB are the same bullet.  I had Hornady vertically split a 120 V-Max and 120 SSPB and they both have the Inteloc Ring that holds the bullet together. 


The catch with the 120 V-Max is you need to keep the velocity below 2600 fps for it to expand like a spire point and keep it from fragmenting like a V-Max shot at 3000 fps from a 280 Remington.  I shoot this bullet in my 7-30 Waters and it performs very well on deer.


Another bullet you may want to consider is the Speer 130 grain FP, also meant for the 7-30 Waters.  I shoot this bullet in my 7-30 Waters levergun and it does a fine job on white tail deer.


Finally, since your shots are around a 100 yards, you may want to look at an Ultra Dot 30mm scope as an alternative.  I have one on my 12" 357 Maximum and taking shots out to 100 yards is no problem.

[Ladobe]

IMO if only shooting 100 yards or less for deer I'd always opt for the open sights.   They work the best if you are dealing with thick brush and/or running shots too.    At that short range you really don't need magnification, so if you do chose to scope it I'd go with the 1X.  FWIW 

[martineta]

My tired old eyes have put an end to open sights.  I have four leupold M8 2x that I use on all my pistol barrels.  I practice like a maniac with the 22 lr barrel, practice some more with the 300 Whisper I plan to use for whitetails.  I am looking forward to this season.  Hundreds of deer shot with rifles and shotguns and this year, I hope a few with the 10" Contender 300 Whisper barrel. I also hunt from tree stands in the woods overlooking trails.  If all stays the same, most shots will be inside of 50 yards.

[OleFreak]

Before my eyes went I had already used a 2x Leupold so much that I could get on moving targets faster and much more accurately with it than the iron sights.  The only problem I had was after so much practice with the .22LR I developed a loose enuf grip that the first hot .44Mag tried to get away.  Now I have no choice and everybody has glass either 2x, 4x, or 2-7x Leupold or Burris.