Scope or red dot for my new Nova. What do you use and why?

[john1932]

I Got the slug Nova a week ago and attached the Weaver rail last night and now I have to decide what kind of optics to buy. I want to stay under 150.00 if possible. I will be hunting White tail in Michigan. The topography their is a mixture of swamp, hills, corn fields and some wide open pastures also there is a good size oak forest and about 5 acres of evergreen forest. Average shots should be anywhere from 30yds to 125yds, and in November it can get pretty dark in the swamps and Oak tree forests. I would like to know what other slug hunters use and what the advantages and disadvantages are. This will be the first time I have ever slug hunted because I used to bow hunt this property untill I had back surgery a couple of years ago which forced me to give up bow hunting. Thanks for sharing your knoledge. John.

[Dave McC]

First, I hunt under similiar conditions here in Md. The deer are in the thick stuff much more than elsewhere, so shots run pretty close.

I've no experience with red dot sights and shotguns,but have scoped a few shotguns for slugs.
I prefer a peep sight, it's at least as fast as either a scope or RD,is less likely to get tempermental, and holds up well.They also cost less than a good scope.

Few inexpensive scopes handle shotgun recoil well. A 7 lb shotgun shooting the 1 1/4 oz Rottweil Brenneke has about the same free recoil as a 375 H&H mag weighing 9 lbs.Many "Bargain" scopes give up after less than 1-200 rounds.One known to me didn't make it 20 rounds, and the factory got ignorant about fixing/replacing it.

If I HAD to use a scope,a low power Leopold would be my first pick.Second choice, the older 2 1/2X Weaver Shotgun scope with the duplex crosshairs. Don't go over 3X, you lose too much field at typical ranges.

HTH...

[dZ]

how did you attach the weaver rail?
i have a 30 dollar Simmons Blazer red dot that might want a test ride on my nova

dZ

[john1932]

DZ: I bought the deer slug model which comes with a rifled slug barell and it comes drilled and tapped on top of the receiver. It takes a #93 weaver mounting rail. you won't get these features on a regular order Nove bird or skeet gun.