[swfla_shooter]

Looks like another GREAT forum.

My eye sight is getting worse with age and I was thinking of installing a Red Dot on my 1987 SS Ruger Mark II Target model.

I found a non drill mount from Jack Weigand that seems to be well made.


Any Red Dot scope recommendations?

30mm, 42mm?

Brand?

1X, 2.5X, or more?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[wwb]

The Weigand mount is the best out there.

I'm not a red dot guy, so I can't recommend a brand.

The magnification would depend on the type of shooting and the distance. Stationary targets at a pretty fair distance (like paper punching at 15 yards or more) would work well with a 2.5X or so. Moving targets or short ranges, I'd recommend a 1X.

 

[swfla_shooter]

I mostly shoot at the range @ 15 yds.

 

[bob hardy]

I have Tasco red dots on both my .357 S&W 686, and my Kimber .45. Both have held up very well, and the .22lr would pose no problems for these scopes.
Bob

 

[RuffBuff]

swfla_shooter,

I am a Bullseye shooter for many years and the first dot I ever purchased, when my eyes no longer worked with iron sights, was this ADCO Vantage V1 dot for my Ruger KMK512. I had the Mark II drilled and tapped for the base as you might see from the picture. I have been extremely pleased with this relatively inexpensive dot for many years.

I shot regularly with the Ruger and ADCO combination, but several years ago I had an opportunity to purchase a minty old A-series Smith & Wesson Model 41 Target pistol with a 7" barrel for a very good price. The gun shot like a dream, so I brought it into the rotation and began to use the Ruger rig as a backup. I bought an ADCO Vantage V1 for the S&W 41 as well.

Both ADCO dots have performed flawlessly for me over the years. I prefer 1" tubes, which these are, and they are light in weight which is beneficial when one needs to hold a steady bead on the bull. Outdoor Bullseye competitions require Slow Fire targets to be shot at 50 yards, with Timed and Rapid Fire targets at 25 yard distances, and these dots perform just fine for that. The dots are 3 mil in size but have variable intensity, which enables them to stand out just fine for when you are shooting in bright outdoor sunlight ... the setting goes from 1 to 11 in intensity.

I am proud to recommend ADCO dots very highly. I've never ever had problem #1 with them. Although you will find that ADCO no longer makes the Vantage V1 Model, they do have other very hardy and inexpensive equivalent models that are improvements on the Vantage V1. You can go to their website at http://www.adcosales.com/merchant2/.

If you ever get into .45ACP or Center-fire competition shooting, I would recommend that you look for a more robust dot ... one that can withstand the harsh pounding of the recoil involved on a gun such as this tuned Springfield Mil-Spec 1911-A1.

You will note that I have a full length rail mounted directly onto the slide with the dot in turn mounted on it. This Bushnell Trophy dot (variable reticle model) really takes a beating yet has held up for thousands of rounds of my wadcutter handloads and the dot has never strayed from its center of impact. The only trouble I've had a couple of times lay in the fact that the little round shaded plastic lens (sun shade) has been "rattled" out of the end of the tube extension you see in the picture. There's never a good time for that to happen on a bright day in an outdoor match. A fine bead of latex gasket sealer (from the auto supply store) has solved that problem nicely, plus I got a spare on which the same operation has been performed ... so I'm good from here to eternity. Great stuff!

Good luck in your target shooting!

 

[RuffBuff]

swfla_shooter,

I omitted mentioning in my post above that all dots discussed are 1x only. That dot (3-mil), set at the proper intensity level depending upon brightness of the standard 25 or 50-yard target at any given time of the day, is plenty ... in fact, the smaller you can get the dot and still readily see it - the better.

You can go to higher power if you like to spend more money than necessary, but it clearly is not needed. It's hard enough to keep the dot on the bull with a 1x dot, let alone something in higher power - those 25-/50-yard targets don't move much once they're stapled in place. :lol: