Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Red Dot for Lever Action

I'm looking for a recommendation on a red (or green) dot to go on a Winchester 94 Big Bore in .375 Win. I ordered a Docter/Fastfire Standard mounting plate from Turnbull that replaces the rear sight. From what I have found, my options are a Burris FF3 or FF4, Vortex Viper or Venom, Crimson Trace RAD (Available in Green). Does anyone have experience with these or others mounted on a moderately recoiling rifle? Thank you in advance.

I think it's a useful set-up. I put an FF3 red dot on a rifle for close-in woods hunting. Target acquisition can be very fast and positive. A drawback is that the sight doesn't help identify twigs or branches in between the muzzle and the target, though.

I have a Fastfire 3 and Fastfire 4, latter as yet unused. I believe I'll like the enhanced reticle options, compared to the FF3 and perhaps for running shots. The FF3 single dot seemed quite sufficient for our typical hunting, though, especially since I actually don't usually take running shots.

All that said... I did replace the FF3 with a low power scope afterwards... because of that "twigs in between" issue. Don't much care for the additional weight or clutter, but then again that scope was just hanging around looking for a job to do, so...

-Chris

You could use a red dot with a flip over magnifier.

Thanks for the reply. This is a top eject and I have no intention of scoping it so twigs and stuff is something I'll just have to deal with.

I could do that but that would be goofy. I'm trying to keep it low profile which is why I got the Turnbull mount.

Minimal experience with an FF3 on a Glock 40 10mm. It does its job...so far.

Tag for reference!

Older setup, but one of my hunting buddies put an Aimpoint on his 358 Winchester Browning BLR. It's been a great combo for him for many years now. Mostly elk, some mule deer and a few black bears.

Fast handling and it's never given him any problems.

Guy

Look here or call Doug.........

https://gunzonedeals.com/product/bu...-fastfire-dot-matte-black#product_detail

I just ordered a holosun 407 green dot to go on a Browning Bar I use for deer hunting in front of dogs. It would be a different footprint than the mount you have. I've had an original Fastfire on a turkey gun for probably 10 years and it has served me well. I didn't go with a fastfire this time because I wanted a 2 moa dot and I wanted to try a green dot. I like the Burris' auto brightness on the FF. Wasn't sure I would, but it seems spot on and it has enough battery life that I turn it on at the beginning of turkey season and turn it off at the end. One thing I didn't like about the FF 4 was that it turns off after 8 hours. I'd be pissed if I turned it on in the morning and it had turned itself off before dark. I wanted long battery life that I could leave on all season (the Holosun has 50'000 hours plus a solar backup), shake awake, a 2 moa dot and one that would mount as low as possible. I really liked the Leupold, but just couldn't get past the advertised 300 hour battery life.

I thought I was all set on a Vortex Venom so I ordered the mount and then started second guessing myself. I ended up going with the FastFire 3 3MOA. I was about to pull the trigger on the CT RAD Pro in Green Dot form but I haven't seen a whole lot on them beyond the pistol lasers so went with a proven model. I ordered through ExpertVoice so it may take a few weeks to come in but for the price I paid, I'll wait. I think had I gone with the RMR Mount, I'd be going Holosun 407.

I put a Trijicon SRO on my Bighorn 90 and don't care for it at all. I'm going back to the Skinner sight it came with.

What didn't you like about it?

Hunted last season with a model 71 Winchester, Turnbull mount, Burris FF3 . I am only 6” group accurate at 50 yards and pie plates at 100. Game accurate but really would like a finer dot , you can only do so much with a 3 moa dot .

Another item I encountered was the lighting of the reflex sight took over the sight picture at the last 15 minutes of shooting light , prime time on a bear stand .

The Turnbull mount uses the doctor pattern so limits your selection of reflex sights .

The big guys didn’t show but was able to sight on lots of game both bear and deer I am very sure could have been in the freezer .

Also to answer your question on recoil , 100 rounds of 348 Winchester and no issues with mount or fastfire

I put a 3 MOA red dot on my T/C Hawken muzzleloader last season and was easily shooting one ragged hole groups at 50 yards.

I read people do that , old eyes or maybe form but I cannot. Would really like to try a Trijicon “triangle” like the ACOG has .

When shooting with a red dot for groups, I find it really matters that the target matches the dot. I shoot best so far shooting at a square made out of duct tape that is sized so I can see a little cardboard around the dot while centering the dot in the square.

It's unnatural and somewhat difficult to describe without holding it in hand. The SRO offers a pretty big sight picture. However, the red dot has to be adjusted almost to the very bottom of the lens. Your eye wants to focus on the center of the optic, but you have to look at the very bottom of the sight. It's just awkward and the reality is I won't shoot the rifle beyond 100 yards anyhow, so iron sights are fine for that.

I have three FF3s and an original, which is going on twenty years old. They get moved around a lot, been on shotguns, a .357, various .22 handguns and rifles. The FF3 is a bargain when on sale at $150 or so. Only downside is the really awful battery cover, which seems to be the only complaint in reviews. Thankfully, the batteries last a long time.

That Turnbull mount is a wonderful thing.

I just used a 3 inch black bull and centered the dot in it from 50 yards.