44 Rem. Mag Rifle Optics

[stubrew]

I am looking for scope recommendations for a CVA Hunter rifle in 44 Mag caliber. The rifle is not equipped with iron sights, so a scope is a must. This will be my first foray into deer hunting with a short range type rifle, so I'm not sure what is out there. I would like to keep the budget under $150. Any advice?

 

[model88_308]

A fella on another forum I visit had some Leupold scopes for sale. I purchased one, and it looks like the other is still available. Leupold VX2 1-4x20, excellent shape in original box.

PM me if you would like his contact info.

I am looking for scope recommendations for a CVA Hunter rifle in 44 Mag caliber. The rifle is not equipped with iron sights, so a scope is a must. This will be my first foray into deer hunting with a short range type rifle, so I'm not sure what is out there. I would like to keep the budget under $150. Any advice?

 

[SCDieselDawg]

I’m running a fixed 4 power on my Marlin. It’s a older model Nikon.

 

[Stroker]

Bushnell Banner Dusk to Dawn 3x9x40 for around $100. I've got three on rifles that I occasionally hunt with but needed optics, a Marlin in .444, a CVA 50 cal, and a Remington 742 30-06. Pull'em out of the safe every year and check zero, their always on. Plenty of light gathering for dawn or dusk hunting. Clear and bright. Good eye relief. I hunt with the .444 a good bit and never had a problem with the scope holding zero.

 

[Horns]

I bought a Whiskey 3 Sig Sauer and put it on my 45/70. Anxious to try her out on a pig or deer

 

[Mr Bya Lungshot]

A fella on another forum I visit had some Leupold scopes for sale. I purchased one, and it looks like the other is still available. Leupold VX2 1-4x20, excellent shape in original box.

PM me if you would like his contact info.

I grew up with that scope. Thought it was the best thing ever. Still have it on a 44 but my eyes aren’t as good as they used to be.

 

[BriarPatch99]

I know you said "scope" .... but how about a Sig Sauer ROMEO5 1x20mm Red Dot Sight ...

I don't own one ....but the one I handled at Cabelas sure look like it would fit perfect on short range rifle like this ....

I see them as low as $119 @ Optics Planet .....

Just thinking outside the box ....

 

[blt152]

I have a Bushnell Banner 1.5x4.5 x 32mm on my 1894 in 44mag. Shot my first GA deer with this outfit. Scope has fantastic light gathering ability plus is under $100 at Midway USA right now.

 

[deast1988]

I had a 1.25x4 leupold on my .44 for a while went to a 2x7 leupold on it. Now I’ve got a fixed 4 power Nikon. It’s a lil lever gun, I don’t hardly use it. But it’ll shoot great to 75yds. With me using the fixed 4.

 

[rayjay]

Even just a fixed 1.5 or 2.5 would work fine.

 

[tcward]

2x7 Nikon would be great for that gun!

 

[rayjay]

I'm a 44 mag rifle fan. A few years back [ you know, 10 or 15 ] I got to thinking of building a deer rifle for deep brush. I also like break open single shot rifles so I kept my eyes open and finally came up with a nice H&R Shikari at a gun show. My plan was to cut the bbl to 16", Mannlicher forend, and a small scope. I never did start the build. There was just no way I could envision a scope on that sort of rifle. And my eyes need a scope.

 

[stubrew]

Thanks for the advice guys.I went with the Bushnell Banner 1.5x4.5 x 32mm from Midway.

 

[sleepr71]

Good deal. I was going to recommend a 1-4,or 1-6x. Compact 2-7 x tops. I have a compact Burris 3-9 x32 on my 1894 & it is still proportionate. I don’t use above 6x magnification for anything but sighting in ? 1-4x is probably perfect..

 

[rayjay]

The light gathering ability of a low powered scope was proven to me turkey hunting. I had a 2.5 fixed real old Japanese Bushnell on my 870. One evening I gobbler was close by but in some brush. I couldn't come close to seeing him with bare eyeballs but the 2.5 made it seem like midday. Pretty awesome. I never got a shot though

 

[killerv]

I have a fixed nikon 1x20 on my 44mag 1894P. All I really wanted was a crosshair. Can also probably find a leupold vx-freedom 1.5-4 for under 200

 

[Balrog]

I like my Ruger 77/44 44 mag when I am in deep woods. Lighting is often low when under a deep canopy, and I don’t see non illuminated crosshairs too good in low light. I have a trijicon illuminated scope. I forget the model, but it’s a combo of tritium and fiber optics, so it doesn’t use batteries. I love that set up.

It’s a 1-4x, but mostly I keep it on 1 or at most 2. You just don’t need much mag (or any at all) in deep woods.

 

[GunnSmokeer]

I grew up shooting rifles with fixed 4-power scopes. I had such scopes on three different pellet rifles when I was a kid and a teenager, and also fixed 4x scopes on the first centerfire and rimfire rifles I owned.

4X is plenty of magnification to shoot even a small target at 100 yards if you know what the target is and you are sure you want to shoot it.

Perhaps you might want to use a pair of binoculars that are 7x or 8x power to I.D. the target before you pop it, but when you decide to shoot, 4X is plenty (so would 3X, for that matter but I like 4X and it's what I'm used to.)

 

[GunnSmokeer]

P.S. 4X could possibly be too much magnification *if* you were shooting a running deer or other animal in the woods from a very close distance --maybe 50 feet or so .

But if the animal hold still for a couple of seconds, you can use the 4 power scope at spitting distance. Seriously 20 or 25 feet is not too close for a 4X, 1" tube, 32mm objective lens scope.

 

[Darkhorse]

Around 1980 I bought my wife a Ruger .44 Carbine and topped it with a Leupold 3X9X40, a lot of deer have fallen to that combo. We ended up with 2 more and I put a Leupold 3X9 on both of those.
Now we just have one. I've put several scopes on it but none really felt right. Right now I've got a Aimpoint on it, but I really don't feel comfortable with the red dot, I just feel I need some magnification. I think the ideal scope might be a Leupold VX-R 1.25X4X20 or the 2X7X33, the important thing is to have some low magnification for the places one often hunts with a .44 Magnum.