Red Dot scope on 7mm for hunting?

[jwrowland77]

Has anyone attempted or seen a red dot scope on a 7mm Rem Mag for hunting purposes or any other purposes?

I was thinking about putting one on for hunting season this year. Would I be spinning my wheels or could it work? Reason I ask if because of the recoil a 7mm Rem Mag has.

[Pahoo]

I am a RedDot fan and have installed them on just about everything, including a bow. However, on this 7MM, think you would be short changing yourself. .. JMHO.

As far as recoil, I had a ProPoint mounted on an Rem. 1100 slug gun and was thinking same as you. Not a problem and it took the recoil quite well. ... :)
I'm sure there are cheapies out there that would not hold up !!


Be Safe !!!

[rickyrick]

If you shoot short ranges ok.
I was thinking a 7mag was more of a long range rifle. So, I agree that you would be short changing yourself.

[jwrowland77]

Well I currently have a Leupold 4x12-40mm that I used at my old deer lease. The one I'm getting ready to join has a lot closer shots and figured with me not really going to be taking a shot over 100 yards the red dot would come in handy.

[Pahoo]

Well, if this is the only rifle you have and at that yardage, then why not?? With the no-magnification a good RedDot will give you a few advantages, over a power scope, such as low light and moving shots. .... ;)

Ya know, I think I would still prefer the scope. .... ;)


Be Safe !!!

[rickyrick]

Yeah you would not have any parallax issues with short range shots going with a red dot.

[Saltydog235]

Sounds like a perfect reason to go shop for a new rifle. Maybe a .243 or 7mm08.

[Kreyzhorse]

I wouldn't put one on a long range rifle like a 7mm Rem Mag. That 4X is likely already perfect even for shorter distances.

[okie24]

Dont waste your money.

[aarondhgraham]

But wouldn't the dot cover way too much of your target at anything over 75 yards?

I have a red dot on a .22 carbine,,,
At 50 yards I can see the target bullseye well enough,,,
But when I back out to 100 yards the dot covers almost half of a 10" paper plate.

I know you will be using this for hunting and not paper targets,,,
And I will admit my red dot is just a $59.95 cheapie,,,
But I think that this factor might be a problem.

Aarond

.

[jwrowland77]

Well I'll be hunting briar patches this year. Of course like someone mentioned, it'll give me reason to go get a new gun. :D

[Double Naught Spy]

The caliber really isn't an issue. Red dots can be used quite effectively regardless of caliber. The real considerations are dot size, distance, and illumination.

Except for the Eotechs that are a holosight, red dots are actually a dot reflected off of the front lens' inside metallic coating, sort of like mirrored sunglasses without the tinting. However, that coating which is sufficient to reflect the red dot back to your eye also blocks some of the ambient light transmitted through the optic. As such and in low light situations, the optic will usually appear a good bit darker that your surroundings. My Aimpoint T-1s run about 10-15 minutes darker than the setting sun once the sun is over the horizon. In other words, I was no longer able to discern the 2" square legs of my painted green feeder tripod about 10-15 minutes when looking through the optic than with my naked eye.

I don't have a problem with a 4 MOA red dot inside of about 70 yards in lower light. In broad daylight, I can hit well out to 200 yards on a stationary steel target. I don't think I would want a red dot that large for hunting at 200 yards. If you went iwth a 2 MOA dot, then out to 200 would probably be just fine.

The real advantage of red dots comes with quick reaction shooting at shorter distances. If you have prey pop out in front of you inside 50 yards with a scope that is 3x or more in magnification, you can actually have trouble finding the prey in the scope because of the overly magnified and limited field of view.

If you don't anticipate any sort of short range reactive shooting and plan on having the luxury of being able to setup up on your prey and watching it for a while until all the conditions are just right for making your shot, go with the magnified scope.

For the recoil of a 7mm, buy a quality optic. On the low end, I would suggest a Vortex Spark that runs about $200. They seem to handle recoil just fine from the reviews I have read. I have one and have shot it on an AR25 and .22 lr. It is a nice little optic with a 2 MOA dot. I like my Aimpoint Micros very much, but their shortcoming is a 4 MOA dot. There are other versions of the Aimpoints that will handle your recoil as well, but have smaller dots. I just haven't used any of them for hunting. There may be other red dot brands that will work really well, but I don't have experience with them.

[sserdlihc]

Just like it has previously been posted, short distances yeah ok, not for long distances.
Buy a quality scope, bases and ribgs and it will never let you down.
I have gone through several scopes until I bit the bullet and bought a decent one.

[jwrowland77]

I guess I'll just "have" to go buy a lever action 30-30, like I've always wanted. :). Darn the bad luck. :D. Guess I'll "need" to order the reloading components for it too.

[bswiv]

DN Spy gave you some very good info. I've got 3 of the Micros, 2 on rifles and one on a T-C Contender. Also have 4 others Red Dots, 2 Tasco & 2 Bushnell that have not given me any problems but which I would say are not near the quality of the Aimpoint.

Just a thought..........buy a used, CHEAP, one of some sort, mount it and shoot it a bit. If you like it get a good one.....if not you can sell it for not much of a loss.

[cje1980]

It sounds like you are taking things to two extremes. To me a 4-12 scope is a varmint scope. A red dot is more for a defensive carbine like an AR. Quick and handy but not ideal for precision at long range.

I don't know why people put so much magnification on big game scopes. A 2-7 or 3-9 scope is all you'll ever need. Given the choice I would stick with the Leupold and leave it set on 4.

I personally think a red dot is a terrible choice for a 7mm Mag. A quality red dot is very expensive. You can buy yourself a very nice scope in the 2-7 or 3-9 range.

[jwrowland77]

cj- while I do mainly hunt briar patches, I do also have a tower stand, where a 300-400 yard shot is not out of the question. Hence the 4x12 scope on it currently.

[Strafer Gott]

A fixed 4 power is about as recoil insensitive as it gets in magnifying optics,
and will make a 300 yd. shot look like a 75yd shot without magnification.
A 2 m.o.a. dot will subtend not quite 6 inches at 300 yds, doable, but takes more skill.

[farmerboy]

Yea I was thinking bout putting a 3 by 9 scope on my derringer. (sarcastic). Don't choke that 7 mm down by a red dot. Put the best scope you can afford on it and then you have a truly long range rifle.

[Art Eatman]

When hunting from a stand, field of view is not as critical as it is when walking hunting, sneaky-snaking. 4X hasn't been a problem for me when sitting, even on the short-range occasions. Walking? Different story. 2X or 3X is much better, quite commonly, when Bambi jumps up at close range.

So if you're going to be mostly sitting, don't change a thing. Just leave the scope on 4X.

A fella's generally better off if he stays with what's familiar...

[jimbob86]

If you have prey pop out in front of you inside 50 yards with a scope that is 3x or more in magnification, you can actually have trouble finding the prey in the scope because of the overly magnified and limited field of view.


+1.

For reactive shooting, 2-3x and a scout scope set-up allow you to keep both eys open and it's as easy as shotgunning, if the scope is set up right: mount the gun while looking at your target, and the crosshairs just appear on it.

I imageing a low power red-dot sight would be similar, but with a reduction in brightness (important for hose hunting the first few minutes and the last few minutes of the day) and sacrificing much of the long range capability of the 7mm Mag ..... how precise can that red dot be? A 4MOA dot would cover most of a deer's chest at 400 yards ..... aim small/miss small?

[Gunplummer]

I tried them when they were first getting popular. I did not like the idea of the battery going dead when I needed it most. Maybe the batteries last longer now.

[RyeDaddy]

I've used an Aimpoint T1 Micro on my 45-70 with near nuclear loads with no issues. The Aimpoint is the toughest of the red dots although pricey, and has the best battery life. It's 2 years old and still on it's first battery.