After reading through posts from the past few years I have fined a pretty thorough understanding of scope choices. Below is my summary of pros and cons with a question to follow.

Magnified scope:

Pros
Great for aging eyes
Great target clarity
Good in low light
Increased range
Cons
Can be heavy
Something that could break
Increased error in shakiness
Not as quick in target aquisition

Red dot
Pros
Quick target aquisition
Not as heavy as traditional scope
Easy on aging eyes
Increased range (seems to be as a result of less target obstruction)
Cons
Possible mechanical failure
No magnification
Some have argued low light difficulty (probably reserved to models without adj)

Holo sights
Pros
Very quick target - great field of view
Light
Low profile
Cons
Some have reported issues in sunlight
No magnification
Mounting can require extra pieces on some guns

Good old iron
Pros
Always there always functional
Cheapest
Seems to be some sense of accomplishment
Ease of carry and desirable balance
Cons
Can obscure target
Can make target aquisition difficult in low light and thick cover difficult
No magnification
Can limit range due to size of front sight

I am sure I missed some things and I have tried to be unbiased in summarizing.

Feel free to add your insights from your experience.


My question is what are your preferences and why?
I have a new SBH and am considering all four options. Thanks!

I like irons on most of my revolvers but I've used all of the above. I'm back to playing with red dots and the reflex (holo) sights. My eyes are finally giving out some so I'm researching options. I love all the pros of scopes but the two cons that I have the biggest issue with is size/weight and I like the classic looks of a revolver without any optics but that con goes for the above mentioned sights too.

I find a red dot to be better in low light than a scope.

Scopes have eye relief and parralax issues that a dot sight doesn't.

Shakiness has nothing to do with magnification, other than confidence.

I use all four, and none are perfect.

Well said.

I think the red dot has no equals in low light and believe it really does extend your hunting time. It's my preference. I do like irons as well.

SBHunter81

I got back into handgun hunting this year. I used a red dot on a 35 rem Contender. I had some mechanical problems, not a big deal, could not see well in low light, and missed the magnification. I am back to a scope.

Mark

I think that the red dot (tubular type) sights are really the best balance between all of the sight types.

My Super Blackhawk Hunter wears one and has been perfectly reliable in the field.

My SBH Hunter with a Burris 1 1/4-4 installed had some serious weight issues for me as I'm limited to shooting with one hand so I installed a 30mm red dot that I had on my bench which will take some getting used to in the target acquisition department.

A 37 gram Ultradot L/T reflex is on order and I suspect we'll make a good team.

For general target shooting I much prefer a good rear blade and a patridge front.


WVS329.

Scopes slow things down, I can not get on fast moving game in a wooded setting. Dots are somewhat better on moving animals as there is no magnification. There is no %$#@&^% magnification with
dots,as I get older I want some magnification. Open sights are always there and are hard to break , the batteries never go bad just when you need them. Open sights are hard to see with
older eyes #@%%$# it. I carry two pistols, one with scope or dot(primary gun) and one open sighted for close range work and follow up on game.Scopes work best from short to long range on non moving targets.(4x on the low end unless its a variable) Dots, depending on dot size, go from short to medium range 0 -125 yds for me (mine has a big dot)

Speaking of batteries, I have one Ultradot 30 that has been getting abused by me for more than four years and it still has the original battery. Oh I carry spares, but it just doesn't seem to want to quit. Odd.

Those batteries last a long time. I replace them when I check my zero prior to season and have never had a dead battery when I needed to shoot.

So do red dot tube sights offer any specific advantage to red dot holo sights?

I use both, and one thing the tube does is that is helps guide your eye to the objective. One other thing a tube does is enclose the dot which can cause halo in low light if the intensity is set too high.
This is not an issue with a heads up sight as there is no tube, but it will take a little practice getting on target until you develop a little muscle memory.

I think they are more durable as well. I had one take a couple of spills (only once was it my fault!) out of a tree stand and never was the zero affected. They're tough as nails!

I'm passing back and forth between irons, red dot(tube), and scope. Each have their pros and cons and none are perfect. I just put a red dot on my revolver and am enjoying it. It took me a little while to get used to it but it is nice. Haven't hunted with it yet since I just got it to sit still in the rings monday. My glock actually has plastic sights for irons. I miss the last ten minutes of hunting because of not being to see the sights clearly. Isn't that big a deal because it is rarely my primary weapon when hunting. My 14 inch contender is way out of balance regardless of sight choices so it wears a scope. It's a pain at times with the eye relief being so critical. A variable may actually help me as I could use less eye relief to better take advantage of shooting rails on some of my stands. Scopes wo show wobble when your shooting. They don't create it they just show you what you couldn't see without magnification. You just have to practice enough to accept it and have confidence in your shooting. The width of your front sight has little to do with practical shooting. As long as it fits the rear sight well that's all I need. Your aiming at what is imediately on top of and in the middle of the front sight not what's behind it. I like the looks of the little reflex sights like the docter but have yet to try one.

X 1000!!

Thanks for all the great info. I think I am leaning towards the hologram or red dot sights. I want to look into the holograms a little more.

On the SBH are there any that mount over the rear sight, I saw a few weigland mount pictures, perhaps that is the best way to go. I was hoping to keep the system a little mor e streamlined than some of the others I have seen.

Seems like joint, ultra dot, Leupold, docter are good options for the price.

do you have the factory night sights on the Glock? I have those on my 22 and they are real visible, I can see them in pitch black just can't see the target.

Without a doubt.

No I don't have night sights installed yet. I have been considering the tru-glo that have the fiber optic insert in front of the tritium. They sey they aren't as bright as the factory sights in the dark but brighter in low light. My local gunsmith has ordered several sets for other people I just haven't got to be there when he put them on to handle them and see what I think. It's not a big deal not seeing them in low light because most of the places I hunt it would ba a big no-no to shoot a spike for a doe in low light. One place I have access to is free to me and shoot any buck you want as long as you mount it. That kind og cuts out those last minute shots unless you have been watching the deer for a while and shoot it before getting down.

I did some distance plinking yesterday afternoon using a red dot tube. Toward sunset the target and the berm behind it got some shade from the berm on the side, the sun was disappearing behind it. I could easily see my steel target against the back berm but had a hard time finding it through the tube which seemed a tad darker. I know I've never had the issue with a C-more (heads up screen, kinda like a Docter or JPoint).
Has anyone else ever noticed that or could it be because I did not use a top end red dot tube?
From my perspective, the heads up dot has a low light advantage to the tube.

Food for thought: Is anyone aware of a pistol system that lets irons co-witness the dot for pistols? That'd be the bee's knees.

That is why they have brightness adjustment.

What maker of red dot? I had a Millet for about 2 seconds as it was tinted and made low light impossible. Never have had that problem with Tasco or Ultradot.

That's exactly what I was referring to. My brightness is usually adjusted to project the crispest, not brightest, dot. The greyish tint is on a TruGlo, it has a red-golden mirror front lense that I believe makes it hard for me to shoot in lower light. Even held against a white wall the darker shade is noticeable through the tube. If there are higher quality tubes without a special finish on the front lense, they may not have the problem. I may have to borrow my buddy's aimpointed 22/45 again to do some serious plinking, err, testing.

I suspect your preference is relative to your hunting style. I hunt from the ground mostly, and while I spend a lot of time motionless, I'm seldom sitting down.

I can't use iron sights in poor light or at distances much beyond 50 yards anymore, and the critical eye relief factor of a scope has caused a missed opportunity on more than one occasion. Last year a 140" 8-pointer came in on me really quick at less than 20 yards in a thicket. The only shot I had prevented proper eye relief with the scope and by the time I mentally switched gears to bring my Glock 21 into play he was gone.

So, for my primary gun (I always carry two) I've gone back to a RDS - specifically an Aimpoint Micro. All my shots come at less than 100 yards anyway so a RDS is really not a limiting factor.

One thing to consider, target definition will be clearer on paper than it will be on actual animals. The best way to pick your sighting system is by actually looking at animals.

I like irons and for me it's the best.I use scopes but mainly for accuracy test,and I have yet to get a red dot on something. My buddy whit swears by ultras and kills stuff with them, they don't work for my brain. It is easier for me to see a deer, especially moving, pull up get my sight picture and squeeze. Whit help me set up a ultra and I had a deer come in say 25-30 yards toward the end of shooting time and for the life of me I couldn't get the dot,deer,and gun to co-operate(upon arriving home I removed the dot from my gun). For me with irons I loose no "legal" hunting time,our time is 30 minutes after sunset and I can see after that but usually use that time for binos.

I agree that much of it will depend on the situation. As I love the balance of the gun now, it is tough to put anything on top. However, WVS is putting an ultradot LT on his sbhh so I am wanting to hear how that works out.

I greatly enjoy being close to game for the shot, makes it much more enjoyable for me. I shot one buck at 200 yards, didn't mean much in hindsight, not compared to being up close and personal. Some enjoy that and that's grear, me, i think magnification isn't for me and my preferred hunting style.