I've had a S&W 44 mag for about 25 years and had it scoped with a Leupold for most of its life. I quit hunting with it because the Leupold was so touchy about eye relief it wasn't fun to hunt with. I got interested in the red dots when they came out but they seemed too big and bulky. I finaly saw a Docter red dot and liked its size and weight but they didn't make a mount for a S&W 44 mag., until now. I just got the sight, and the gun and sight are now at the gunsmith getting drilled and tapped, as my S&W is so old it didn't have the mounting holes pre-drilled. I've done all this on faith that I'll like the setup and I'm wondering if anyone else has tried it? I also am thinking of using Remington 180gr jacketed softpoints or Federal 180gr jacketed hollowpoints.(This is due in great part to the article "Put your 44 mag. on a lightweight diet".) Does anyone have an opinion on which bullet would be best for deer? I do most of my hunting in Western IL and PA so my shots will all be at 100 yards or less. All information/advice is welcome!

Welcome. I just got serious about handgun hunting too and I'm using a .44 mag Ruger Super Redhawk that I've had for a while, but never got serious about hunting with it until now. I read the same article and I'm using 200 grain Hornady XTPs. They are very accurate and for small deer down in SC, should be fine. I may work up to heavier loads later, but would rather get used to the gun first.

I'm no pro, but maybe some more experienced folks can shed more light.

Welcome back to the sport, & welcome to the message board!
My hunting setup is close to yours, but I can't comment on your particular brand of red dot because I'm not familiar with them.
I have an 8&3/8 mod. 29 with an UltraDot 4 red dot sight on it & I love it. For my eyes & my conditions I've found it to be great. I adjust the light intensity & the dot size when needed as the morning or evening progresses. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
As for the ammo, I can't help you there. I'm pretty much glued to hardcast 320 gr bullets, but then moose is my main critter.

Thanks for the info. My 44 mag is a 8 and 3/8 too and you are making me feel like I've done the right thing! I'll have to check out the 320 hardcast if I ever get the chance to go hunting for moose!

Thanks for the response, why did you decide to go with 200gr rather than 180gn bullets esp. as you say the deer are small where you are? Where I hunt, a full grown deer ranges from 100lbs. to in some cases well over 200 lbs. (Yes they do look like cows with deer horns attached!)I'm just trying to figure out the best balance between weight and speed, and I havn't started to reload myself yet. Thanks again for your info.!

Well, to be honest I've never tried 180s and used Hornady XTP 300 grain in my muzzleloader with great results. So, I bought some 200 grain XTPs in .44 mag (bought their "Custom Pistol" ammo because I don't reload yet, but may get into that later). Those 200 grain loads are very accurate in my gun, so I decided to stick with them. I'll experiment later after the season closes.

Welcome to the board. I enjoy my 44's alot. Both are open sighted right now. I have given the red dots a little consideration, but nothing yet. I can't help you with the factory ammo or the light bullets. I reload and use the 240gr and up pills. Again welcome aboard!