Scope or Iron?

[3030guy]

Fooling around with some scope issues (that's a whole other post!) and of course had to shoulder the 7600 to see the iron sights. Hmmm, the raised comb would need some file work, but boy does that thing carry nice without the scope!
Just curious, how many of you use your pump or semi with iron sights? I'm reluctant to in PA because of the goofy antler restrictions, it's hard enough to count them with a scope, I think I'd miss too many opportunities.

[Gaz-52]

      Have you tried a peep sight? They are waaaaaay better than regular iron rear sights . I use the standard "post"type front sight with a touch of red paint on the back to make it stand out . One of those fibre -optic jobs may be better on the front . I have a couple of Lyman and one Skinner peep sights . The Lymans have "click"adjustment for elevation and windeage,the Skinners use a simple lock screw set-up. My 59 year old eyes pick up a target through a peep sight much quicker than a scope . My $.02 worth.
            Gaz. 

[3030guy]

Gaz, does your rifle have the raised comb?

[bcraig]

HI, althoughIi have never tried it on a 7600 I too bought in to the concept that I liked the looks and weight reduction of Iron sights on a rifle(tried it on a Remington 742 that I used for deer hunting)and also on a Marlin 22 lever action model 39.On the 742 I just used the factory iron sights and on the Marlin 22 I used an aperture or peep sight.
My experience is that while they both shot fine on paper with plenty of time to get a proper sight picture and in plenty of sunlight when used in the field thay cost me game because they weren,t as fast for me as simply placing the crosshairs on what I wanted to hit and also because of shadows or lack of bright light in the woods. I quickly went back to the scope.
 Althought the scope does add weight and doesn,t look as trim as using the iron sights for me anyway the ability to shoot better and get on the animal faster in almost any light situation far outweighs the looks of the rig.
I also know exactly what you are talking about with the antler restrictions as we have the same thing in Arkansas.
Alot of people might say that you need to be using binoculars for these purposes both for safety reasons and better clarity BUT if you already know that you are looking at a buck deer and not a human then a scope can be a definate aid in seeing whether it is a legal buck or not at very short ranges AND you already have your rifle up and ready and already trained on the deer.
For me a scope is the only way to go.

Craig

[45-70.gov]

RED-DOT

[bcraig]

Hi, i tried the reed dot route as well and it didn,t work for me. It worked great except for low light conditions when the deer are moving the most. under those conditions i could clearly see the dot however that was all I could see as it was so bright that it made seeing the deer difficult,I had a Tasco and it had 8 or nine different brightness settings and even when on the lowest setting it wasn,t ideal,as well not as precise as a scope for the longer range shots,also no power meant it waas no help for seeing an obstruction to the target in the woods and no help for getting a better idea of the deers rack.

everyones needs can be different but for me there is nothing better than the scope for fast target pickup,precise aiming and field accuracy.

Craig

[45-70.gov]

did you turn  it down?


did you keep both eyes  open?


i find  low light....or even  illegal  moon light  is where the red-dot  REALY have the advandage


my brother  never shot a gun  in  1980's
was hitting tomatoes  by moonlight  at  50 ft......44 mag winchester[lever]

[bcraig]

Hi, yes to all counts,even went so far as to leave it turned on for 24 hours to see if having a low battery would take the glow out but still overpowering.As well it didn,t work for me because it had a 5 or 6 inch dot coverage at 100 yards and my deer hunting shots may come at 10 steps or 300 yards ,not near enough precise for me covering 10 to 12 inches of target at 200 yards ! BUT as I said different strokes for different folks so if it works for you that is great ! Just doesn,t suit my needs for hunting whether squirrel hunting or deer hunting.
to me a good 4x serves all my needs just fine.

Craig

[45-70.gov]

i was getting 2 inch groups with a 16 inch marlin in  45-70 last week  with my red dot
bushnell.....tr-25??


the  dot covers  most of the paper.....and  all the  black on the paper
but the bullets are in the middle of the dot


i don't have a dominant  eye  and shoot either handed
so  both  eye open really works  for me well


just to show   off to another shooter  asking me about the red- dot
i put the scope cover  on the front.........then  hit the paper....just to show   the ''both eye''technique


at the distance  you  mentioned..........i  couldn't  hit  with  iron sights...not even a peep