I appreciate the input so far. I acquired the 7mm-08 encore with the red dot and liked the FOV but the non-magnification took some getting used to and I think the dot was 4 or 6 MOA, cheap BSA...when I got the 30-30 barrel for the same encore frame I put the scope on and tried it the last year or so but I had such a hard time finding the target in a hunting situation I started re-thinking which spawned this post. I mainly hunt in heavily wooded areas so the red dot may be all I need. I am leaning toward a higher quality red dot with intensity adjustments and 2 MOA option for the 357 max. I am planning some hog hunts so I think a little more distance will be warranted. It also sounds like I need a little better quality scope for the 30-30/7mm-08 encore. I really like the 30-30 so the 7mm-08 has sat on the shelf without optics but saving it for larger game if I ever need it. I've added a 2x8 shelf to all my ladder stands to support a bag which helps immensely. Really sounds like I just need a lot more trigger time. Not a bad problem to have.