Hi, I'm new to this site. I have been trying to decide if a scope or a red dot would be better for my BFR. I have previously shot revolvers in .357 and .44 mag and also Aencore in 7MM-08. the Encore was scoped. I have searched the net asking the same question, but it seems as though for every 4 opinions given about a scope that can take the pounding of this revolver, there is 4 that say it cant. I,m not in the position to keep trying out scopes, so any real advice would be appreciated. Does anyone think the open sights or a holo sight might work just fine ? I,m expecting shots out to 100 yds. Thanks for any help

A Leupold 2x or an Ultradot red dot would be my top two choices and both would work for the range you want. While optics can break, both the Leupold and Ultradot are know for taking the abuse. I prefer the Leupold scope only because I like the little bit of magnification you get and the little extra light it pulls in at dawn/dusk. I've used both the Ultradot and older Leupold Gilmore without any issues. I would ignore those who say scopes/dots don't work or wont' last as I've used them on my .44 and .50 Desert Eagles, .375 JDJ Contender, and .416 Rem/.470 NE/.458 Lott Encore pistols!

I can tell you from experience that any of the quality scopes or red dots will hold up. A fixed power will always be tougher than a variable but that's just common sense. I'm partial to leupold but with their cost going skyward I also use alot of Bushnell elite 3200's. I'm not a fan of Burris but you will be fine with Leupold, Bushnell Elite, Nikon or Weaver(fixed pwr on the Nikon and Weaver is all I have experience with) I've used the Bushnell on 458 Winchester and 458 Lott Encore pistol barrels and they hold up fine. If you go red dot and want the tube style the Ultra Dot seems to get the most nods and for reflex type sights it seems to be the JPoint, Leupold Delta Point and Burris Fastfire. There are other good ones that will work but The Ultra Dots will set you back about 150.00 and are rock solid.

I have used a 2x Leupold EER scope with success on my Super Redhawk. The only problem I had were the rings working loose until I realized just how punishing the recoil was and used Loctite Blue threadlocker. It took me a while to figure out that it wasn't ME shooting fairly well and then everything just went to pot after only 6-8 rounds fired. This was my first scope handgun and I was learning.

I was in a similar position as you with a 475/480 BFR and chose an Ultradot. I'm still getting used to it. But it is stable and should work easily for your ranges.

The Leupolds are getting pricey and when the times comes for another scoped revolver choice I will be in the same boat as you relative to cost issues. That is a dominant reason I chose the Ultradot due to its broad recommendations here and cost.

I'll just say this: A non-magnifying red-dot, using either the dot or delta and a 6 o'clock hold will be just as accurate as a 2X scope of your choosing. A scope from 4X on up will usually be more accurate at 100 yards relative to load development - at least for me.

If you're using the scope mainly for load development and bench shooting a Leupold 2.5X8X32 is what I use and I highly recommend it but less expensive variables or fixed power scopes will probably be just as good.

If you're looking to replace the irons for both bench & offhand shooting I would recommend the heads-up display red dots like the deltapoint, JPoint or fastfire, as they are a tad lighter than the tube red dot (as if that would matter with that BFR heavy sucker anyway) and IMO just look better on a handgun but each to their own.

Bushnell 3200 Elite, Leupold or Weaver. If you want a dot sight go with the Ultradot.