buy your scope now

I was reading this post on another site about Bushnell handgun scopes: "I sent the scope in to Bushnell with the required $10 for return shipping, got the scope back today with a letter saying that while my scope is under warranty they NO longer make or repair pistol scopes and they returned the $10 check uncashed .Letter said to call them to see what could be done.
I called and was told the pistol scope market was ZERO so they no longer make them".... I was also told that Leupold discontinnued their 2X model.... Hang on to your handgun scopes

You can see how big of splash we handgun hunters make in the market place. Bushnell's Elite 2-6x was a great scope for handguns. Ditto on the 2x Leupold. Both are no longer manufactured. Good advice James -- hang on to your handgun scopes.

See my Weaver/Bushnell thread. I had the exact same experience and am still awaiting the red dot I chose for replacement. I?ve been thinking I should order a Nikon or Burris 2X soon.

P

Burris is still makin?em, 2x, 2-7x, 4-12x. I know the reps and factory engineers, no mention of stopping.

Trapr

Right now, I think Burris, Nikon, and Leupold are the only big manufacturers making variable handgun scopes. The troubling news is that the Bushnell rep said that the handgun hunting market is dead (pistol scope market), me personally, I have no use for a red dot scope unless it has magnification (I will hope that one will be offered) Unfortunately, the same thing is happening with handgun bullets (fewer choices) I think we be in a much better place if everyone who had a hunting handgun, actually hunted with it....increase the demand....the market is not in Large, Dangerous game, but with the everyday guy and gal that deer hunts...that's the market that may actually popularize the sport we love.

I work in this industry, and I?m not ready to sound the death knell. It may appear or feel like we as handgun hunters are being ignored, but I don?t see it that way. Manufacturers regularly add and drop products from their product lines. If they drop something that doesn?t mean our little corner of the hunting world is dead. It also doesn?t mean products won?t be added back to their lines either. As far as handgun bullets are concerned, I don?t think it?s ever been better for us. I have met with nothing but enthusiasm for what I do in the industry. We?re never going to be a big group, but we still draw interest. I choose to remain optimistic.

Red dot magnifiers are available but at an insane price.
https://www.midwayusa.com/s?userSearchQuery=red+dot+magnifier&userItemsPerPage=48

l own a couple red dots... Unfortunately none of them seem to have

glass with the clarity or brightness of a quality handgun scope

This.

I run a bunch of red dots up to top of the line Aimpoint and EoTech. Glass can?t compare to a good scope.

But, they serve a different purpose, I guess.

I agree with Whit! I've been around a few years and see this before. When this super long range rifle craze runs its course they will be glad to sell a pistol scope. It seems right now everyone and his brother wants to be a sniper! Plus, they are catering to the black gun crowd and bringing out new scopes for them everyday. It'll pass don't worry.

You said it. The red dot does serve a different purpose, but can be used at longer ranges. They don?t need to have the same quality glass as they don?t magnify and you use them with both eyes open. I just see it as a non issue.

I wonder what the market really is for handgun scopes. I see the need for scopes on the single shot handguns but what is their percentage compared to those that use revolvers. Most revolver and auto shooters seem to prefer red dot sights when using optics. We are a small market and the split don't help either. The market is much bigger for the red dot sights as they are market for all types of guns and bows. I wonder when we will start seeing them marketed with built in magnification but this will come at the expense of eye relief.

There is definitely a market for handgun scopes, just a small one. I think a lot more red dots go on AR's than handguns anyway....well, hunting handguns that is....I see a lot of red dots on AR's, self defense pistols, and "turkey" shotguns...almost all the guys and gals on Handgun Hunting and Addicts are running scopes on their revolvers, but I think most of us are from the south and doing a lot of deer hunting with our handguns.....you don't really see a lot of red dots on XP's, Contenders, and Encores...and I can't imagine why anyone would really want to unless it had magnification...you want an optic as capable as the round your gun is chambered for....several things have hurt the handgun scope and handgun hunting market....the Black Gun craze for one, both rifle and pistol, and the large amount of misinformation about handgun hunting that has been put out in the last 10 years.....1 - you need a big bore hardcast .475 or .510 to reach the vitals of game animals, 1,200 fps is a magic number for pistol bullet velocities, and the 10mm is a dangerous game gun. We are SUPER small faction of the hunting world, we have to be honest about exactly what we do and what it takes to get it done.

You must have young eyes, David. The red dot is a substitute for open sights, not a tool for magnification. My right eye is 20-15, my left 20-20, however my up close vision requires reading glasses and I suspect that is the case with most of our older members. I see more of a need for a scope out west where shots are on the longer side. Red dots are also great for up close and personal fast target acquisition. So there is a definite place for them right alongside the variable power scope.

Magnification in a red dot sight would cost you some of the advantages that they offer, especially field of view.

Guys, I'm not saying that all red dots need magnification, but it would be nice as an option...even a fixed 4x red dot....it may make a splash in the water 😉

Franchise it sounds like you?re talking about simply illuminating a handgunscope!!!.......that should be an easy thing to do, and an interesting prospect. I?ll mention it to the Burris engineers, it may be something that can easily be accomplished and fit both their Scout scope line and handgun scope line.

Trapr

Yes Sir! That's what I'm talking about. Thank you

While you're talking to the Burris engineers also tell them we need lower settings on the red dots for early mornings, late evenings, and deep woods. Just barely on would be great.

And.....we cant get these features if we arent willing to pay for em. Long distance rifle shooters are happy to get a nice long distance scope for under 2k bucks. The >2k scopes fly off the shelves for rifles. Nobody bats an eye with an 800 dollar rifle scope. From what ive seen in the handgunning world anything over 300 bucks inspires alot of teeth nashing. Just an observation.

Teep, the lowest setting on a FF3 is pretty freakin low,....I can?t see it in normal daylight. The FF2 is auto setting, and that can be too bright sometimes.
I?m still trying to get them to put actual settings that work with NVD?s, Because the lower settings bloom IR night vision. But I?m trying!!!

Trapr

Ok, a scope instead of a red dot sight...big difference, thanks for clarifying.

Trijicon RMR Type 2 1MOA.

NVG compatible would be nice.

I bought Round One of my handgun scopes in the early 1990's when I got into Contenders. I bought Five 2-7X Burris scopes.
My next new handgun scope was a couple years ago when I returned one to Burris that was replaced with a new 2-7.
I have bought two more Burris 2-7's in the last two years. I was pretty impressed with the newer Burris Handgun Scopes. I picked up a used Leupold 4X in the last two years also.
My last 3 scopes for my Encore have all been Rifle Scopes.

If you buy a quality scope that is pretty much what you need. You will own it a very long time. One time purchase.

A lot of us have started running rifle scopes on longer range handguns which are getting more popular with us handgun hunters. This is also taking away from handgun scope sales.

I tend to run Red Dots (Ultra Dot & Match Dot) on Revolvers and shorter range handguns such as my 357 Maximums, and my Optima Muzzle Loader. I prefer scopes on my single shots.

Bob R

My scout rifle came with a NcStar 2x7 illuminated scout scope. I put it on my Ruger Single Six Hunter and it works great. I bought a second one for my 10" contender 22 barrel. Looking forward to use on squirrels this fall. I shot 30+ rounds out of the 308 scout with this scope before putting on my 22, and it seemed to hold up fine. One thing, the entire crosshair lights up, not just the center.

I bought a Leupold Delta Point when they were $299 and the first time I used it in the field I knew I was going to sell it. Sure there`s crosshair movement with a scope but the dot seemed to magnify much more for ME.. Guess I`am just a scope guy... Use what you like...

What the factories do depends on who is running the show. A few years back, the then CEO of Fiat-Chrysler made the decision to discontinue the Dodge Dakota (a vehicle in which Dodge had invested millions in revamping) because "no one wants a midsize truck". Chevrolet gleefully rolled out its midsize Colorado and racked up industry accolades for pickup truck of the year, along with the sales that Dodge lost. Toyota upsized the Tacoma to midsize and other manufacturers followed suit with similar vehicles. Zeiss developed a beautiful variable handgun scope, but the project was scrapped, and it never hit the market. The Zeiss rep. that was pushing for the scope was told there was no demand. When the Black Rifle Craze hit the shooting industry a few years ago, investor groups were buying up gun companies right and left. Think Savage, Marlin, T/C to a certain degree and others. Most of them stripped the lines down to a few best sellers, and concentrated on the black rifles and accessories for that segment. After they saturated the market, most sold off the stripped down companies. Of course this is all business but the hard truth is that if a company does not have someone on its board that understands and supports handgun hunting, there will be more of the same.

I picked up two older Burris fixed powers with target turrets and adjustable objectives for $95 ea shipped the other day.
Have a good stock pile now.
Still need a 3-12 Burris if anyone has a nice one they want to part with.

Well GEE WHIZZ!! I just found a NIB Weaver 2x CLASSIC SILVER handgun scope.

Unopened in its box. Forgot l had it. $200 SHIPPED.. Anyone interested?

It's a shame, but not altogether unsurprising. That said, there's still a decent number of pistol scopes still on the market.