Reasonable/Good scope for a 500 S&W

[carbinecasey]

Hello Everyone

I have aquired a practically new 500 S&W and I'm on a tight budget (Who isn't right now??), and I'm wanting to put a reasonably priced/good scope on the rifle. Any good suggestions? Red Dots? 4x32's? etc.... Let me know what would be good.

Carbinecasey

[26-t]

Nikon 2x7-32 prostaff shotgun scope#6308 .Ebay about $110 -120 .Buy a New,  not refurbed one, check to see if it is(new)most at the low price are refurbes. I posted some pics under the How hard  for 500 thread today. 26-t   

[searlock]

i have a bushnell banner 1.5 to 4.5 with 3.5 inches eye relief. i have 80 full power rounds thru it so far with no problems. i had it on my 375h&h for a while with no problems there either and it kicks harder than my 500 handi. i'm sure it isn't the best scope but it is a reasonably priced. i think it is a shotgun scope.

[Wolfgang]

Check out Muellers offerings.  I have several of them and all have performed flawlessly even on the heavy recoiling stuff.   

[GatCat]

My favorite is the Leupold 2 1/2 fixed power. If you search around, should be able to find one for a bit over $100 if you are lucky. LOTS of eye relief, big field of vision, and life-time warranty. And, since more then likely, it will not be used on long-range gophers, it offers plenty of magnification for the purpose of the cartridge. Or, look for a similar Refield, or early, U.S. made Weaver in similar power ( a Weaver 3X would also be really nice ).
Mark

[Dinny]

CarbineCasey,
  I have several Bushnell Trophy 3-9x40 scopes with the Circle-X reticle. I plan on mounting another one on my .500 Handi in just a few weeks. They run about $100 and IMO are hard to beat for the money. Do you plan on shooting the heavier loads through yours? If so, whatever scope you buy, you might consider lapping the rings and maybe even use some silicone sealant inside the rings to help secure the scope to them. Speaking of rings, with the .500, I wouldn't go too cheap with them. You'll end up more frustrated than ever. Hope this helps.

Let us know how it shoots!


Dinny

[tykempster]

I'd look for an old Leupy M8.

[Swampman]

The Bushnells require high mounts.  The Nikon Prostaff 2-7x32 is the way to go.  Other brands aren't good values IMO.

[Troyboy]

can't say about any of the other scopes but i can about the nikon. 2-7x32 monarch 150$ at a show and works great. I'm sure the prostaff is just as capable. Fixed 4x would work great too.

[carbinecasey]

CarbineCasey,
  I have several Bushnell Trophy 3-9x40 scopes with the Circle-X reticle. I plan on mounting another one on my .500 Handi in just a few weeks. They run about $100 and IMO are hard to beat for the money. Do you plan on shooting the heavier loads through yours? If so, whatever scope you buy, you might consider lapping the rings and maybe even use some silicone sealant inside the rings to help secure the scope to them. Speaking of rings, with the .500, I wouldn't go too cheap with them. You'll end up more frustrated than ever. Hope this helps.

Let us know how it shoots!

Dinny

Hey Dinny

I'll probably use factory loads until I get all my components in for reloading. I have been looking at several 3x9x40 scopes. Thanks for the information and thanks for all you do for us to preserve our freedom. My daughter and I thank you from our heart.

Carbinecasey

[peternap]

That question is like asking about the best rifle for deer hunting

I like Leupolds and have several of the shotgun/ml scopes. They aren't cheap though, just reasonable.

 Same thing with Nikon.

I have a Bushnell Banner in 2.5-4 that is indestructible, has a lifetime warranty and was on sale at Bass Pro for $69.00. Like most things, you may get it cheaper on Ebay if you are inclined to support anti gun organizations. I am NOT!

I think I saw a post somewhere on the net, where Greybeard or Ranchdog, stated they were sure the only difference between the Banner and Trophy was the Country of manufacture.

[Swampman]

I love the Bushnells but they aren't great Handi scopes IMO.  You have to mount them too high.  I do use them on my Marlins.  The Nikon Prostaff can used med. rings.

[peternap]

I love the Bushnells but they aren't great Handi scopes IMO.  You have to mount them too high.  I do use them on my Marlins.  The Nikon Prostaff can used med. rings.

Good point!

[andrewtheelder38]

BEING A FRIGGING TIGHT WAD S.O.B......I HAVE TRIED A GOOD MANY SUPER CHEAP LOW BUDGET SCOPES IN MY DAY AND I MUST SAY THAT THE TASCO WORLD CLASS 1.5-5.4X32 SCOPES ARE PRETTY DARN CLEAR, ACCURATE AND RELIABLE.......AND WHAT THE HECK IF IT BREAKS YOU CAN BUY THREE OF THEM FOR THE PRICE OF ONE PRO STAFF

nIKONS I WILL ADMIT THOUGH ARE INCREDIBLY CLEAR GOOD OPTICS FOR THE MONEY

THE BUSHNELL ELITE 3200 SERIES ARE ALSO EXTREMELY HIGH QUALITY FOR LESS THAN 200 BUCKS I OWN JUST ONE OF THEM IT RIDES ON A .270 ULTRA COMP RIFLE

[Swampman]

The Prostaff is $110.00 to your door.  The .500 S&W is really hard on scopes.

[quickdtoo]

The .500 S&W is really hard on scopes.

Eye brows too if eye relief is too short!!    The Prostaff shotgun scope works fine for me even with the stoutest loads. 

Tim

[carbineman]

Those 1-3x20mm Weaver scopes get my vote. You can find a good used one for 80-100 dollars. I also like the Leupold 1-4x20mm that sells for around $200 new. Lots of money I know but a lot of scope and mounting presents no problems.

[peternap]

One cope you might want to look at, but very carefully is the SIMO.
I picked one up at the last gunshow fo 50 bucks because the show was rotten and the vendor hadn't made booth costs yet. It was supposed to retail for 120.00.

I've read reviews about how Pentax spent billions on a plant in China to make them.
Surprisingly, the 50mm scope is as clear as any of my Leupolds. 

I've only shot it a couple of times but they were on a Handi Ultra slug shooting very hot loads. Zero held and when I played with the adjustments, they were repeatable.

Some of the shooting was in a storm and the gun and scope got drenched. No fogging.

Put a piece of tape over the name and you have an impressive piece of glass.

Couple of things that worry me though.

They are made in China and I don't care how many billions Pentax spent, they are made in China.

The USA distributor is in California and I don't care how good the scopes are, the Distributor is in California.

They have a limited lifetime warranty but no other information. When I emailed the Distributor and asked what the limited lifetime warranty covered, I didn;t get a reply.

They don't have a phone number on their website.

The eyepiece is huge and takes extra high rings on the Handi.

I used AmEx to buy it because I get a year warranty through them.

Might be something to look at if it hold up. Just don't get them mixed up with Northstar which is unbelievable crap.

[Tom Threetoes]

I also wanted a new scope for my little 45. The Weaver seemed like the perfect scope but I've not good experience with the Mead family of scopes (Simmons, Redfield, Weaver). The Weaver is supposedly made in Japan as opposed to the Phillipines for the others. It also has the largest field of view of most offerings and is the right size to look at home on the Handi Carbine. Another choice was the small Burris Timberline 2x7 but I'm not sure if the ring spacing would work on the Handi base, and I might have to use higher rings. The biggest problem was nobody had these scopes in stock to inspect. 

[Swampman]

The Burris will last about 30 shots and then it has to go back to the factory for crosshairs.  2 guys locally keep doing that.

[Default]

Wally world keeps the nikon 4x32 for $98.00 and if the 500 can kill it then nikon will repair or replace it same as leupold.. Had one on a number of rifles with no ill effects and some of the best light gathering of any scope for what i deem a very reasonable price for the warranty and quality.


    Default

[Swampman]

I've wondered about that scope since it's marked for rimfire use.  For $10.00 more I'd rather have the Nikon 2-7X32 I think.

[Default]

First rifle that Nikon 4x32 was attached to was a Ruger mini thirty and it sat on top of that rifle for a 1000+ rounds with no ill effects.. When the mini 30 got sold off it graced the top of various other rifles with alot more recoil then the semi auto x39 ... But i didnt know it was marked rimfire ... Well if that be the case then it makes a strong arguement for nikons quality even its their rimfire model heh 


   Default

[quickdtoo]

Nikon only makes one 4x32 scope(50yd parallax setting) that I'm aware of, the rimfire model which has 4.1" eye relief which would be a good spec for the 500 if it would stand the recoil, their centerfire fixed power scope was a 4x40 Buckmasters(3.6" eye relief) which has been discontinued but can be had for about $100 on closeout. The Weaver 4x32 shotgun scope has a 100yd parallax setting and 3.5" eye relief is also discontinued, made in Japan and can be had for well under $100 on closeout, it's also a compact lightweight scope at under 9oz, I have them on my 243 Superlights, so I can't attest to their durability under high recoil. The Prostaff 2-7x32 Shotgun scope does work excellent on my 500S&W Handi tho. 

Tim

http://www.nikonhunting.com/riflescopes-prostaff.html

[peternap]

 sorry, wrong scope

[John R.]

I've had no problems with my Burris 2 x 7 with German #4 reticle on my 500. As a matter of fact I read an article a while back recomending the Burris scopes, along with Leoupold's for heavy recoiling guns.