Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Good slug gun scope? Suggestions?

Looked at the Luepold 2x7 or 3x9 shotgun scopes, and the Nikon slug hunter. Any suggestions on brand/magnification? This will be going on top of a Ithaca Deerslayer 20 gauge slugger.

The twenty gauge will not recoil badly, so any good scope will do. That is unless you want the specialty scopes set up for bullet drop of slugs. Personally I would go with a good 2-7 and be done.

What is the max distance a person would shoot a slug gun?

I've sold a number of Nikon ProStaff 2-7x32s to guys in IA when IA was a "shotgun only" deer state. Never had any complaints or any returned to Nikon, that I know of.

I have a Nikon ProStaff on my IA deer hunting shotgun, an old Mossberg 942KA with the barrel cut back to 20" and the bolt handle modified for a low scope placement. It is a smooth-bore, but will often shoot Rottweil-Brenneke 16 gauge Classic slugs into 5" at 100 yards, so I feel pretty well armed for anything under 150+/- yards.

Jeff

I got a Cabela's 2-7 x 32 on my slug gun. Works fine.. I guess it just depends on how much you want to spend.I just looked at thier site and they have this on discount..

Cabela's Pine Ridge� Shotgun/Black-Powder Scopes Item:9IS-712571
Reg: $69.99 Sale: $39.99

All lenses are glass and multicoated for enhanced light transmission, image clarity and freedom from aberration. Each scope is waterproof, shockproof and fogproof. Prolonged exposure to sub-freezing cold followed by immediate and prolonged immersion in hot water failed to cause any leakage or problems. Plus, they have been extensively torture-tested on hard-recoiling rifles without ever having an element shake loose. 1" tubes are rigid, precisely machined aluminum. Windage and elevation adjustments are 1/4-MOA clicks. 2.5X and 2.5X-7X compact scopes have 4" of eye relief and 50-yard factory-set parallax.


and no I don't own stock in Cabelas company..lol

I had a red dot for many years (10?) on my 12ga. All of my slug season deer have all been within 80 yards; no need for magnification. It was lightning fast on target. Nothing better for jumping deer.

Last year I had problems with it holding zero, and replaced it with a 4x Leupold traditional scope. No need for big magnification or the complexity/cost of a variable, and the simple scope should hold up to the recoil.

I kinda miss that red-dot tho.

Although the 20ga does not have a much recoil as a 12ga, my advice would be to get a scope with a ton of eye relief. It's easier on your eye-brow.

-nosualc

I use a 2x7 VXII on my 11-87. It's been quite reliable and I haven't had to move the scope in 4 years.

1.75x6 Leupold, perfect

2.5X

So a shotgun capable of 5" at 100 yards (pretty tough to find in a typical smoothbore) needs a 7x scope? Amazing...

My dedicated slug barrel shoots better than 5", but it has never had anything other than a 3x leupold on it...

A 2-7 seems sensible ...but I was not kidding about the 2.5X. I laugh like crazy when I see a 3-9 on a muzzleloader...hysterical!

+1 on the 2.5x.

As I said, I have a 4x and even it feels pretty silly for a slug gun.

-nosualc

To me, a big powerful scope on a slug gun is like racing slicks on a KIA.

I have a Burris 4x on a Rem 1100 rifled barrel that I leave in Iowa at a buddy's house for when I draw. I only put it on cause it was an "extra" I had laying around...but...I find it about perfect for up close and far away. YMMV but I think a good bright 4x is pretty good.

I like the 2-7 because I leave it on 2 power for most of the work.. but you can dial it up to look without picking up the binoculars.. but in reality a 2.5 would be just fine.

The 2x7 on campfire Leupolds does not say "for shotgun", but on the Leupold site it does. Is that the same scope?

I do alot of coyote hunting and some deer. Most of my shots and 10yds to 300yds and I hunt alot of heavy cover. I really like low power variables for their wide FOV and fast target aquisition. I'm running a couple Weaver V-3's(35 Whelen-35Rem), two Luepold 1x4x20mm (6x45mm-300Sav.), Nikon Monarch 1.5x4.5x20mm(6mm-204Ruger), Sightron 1.5x6x40mm(22-204Ruger), a Bushnell 4200 1.5x4x24mm ILL. (250 Sav carbine) and a couple of old Weaver K-1.5's(218Bee-375Win). At shogun ranges I'd be hard pressed to find a scope that was better than any one of these.

erich

Bob-
I should have elaborated on the 2x7. (I should know better *L*)

I had a 1.5x5 on it that was a wee fubar the week before the season and had that scope lying around and it's just worked so it's stayed put. I don't like tinkering with shotguns anyway. *grins*

Is this Ithaca drilled and tapped, or are you mounting out on the rear sight base? If the latter is the case, you are going to need an extended eye relief scope. I've got a 2 3/4X Burris Scout on my 37.

I have owned a dozen or so Cabela's Pine Ridge scopes that came to me on rifles that I traded for and didn't think much of them. Particularly in IA, since there are few other states where you're likely to bump into a B&C size whitetail buck. Wouldn't you kick yourself in the butt if ol' mossyhorns himself walzed right out in front of you and Murphy arrived just in time to make your $40 scope take a dump?

Jeff