This is a question emailed to HNI.

You guys can probably give a better answer than me.

"May I use a rifle scope on a shotgun or do they have a scope for the shotgun?"

Well, you could... But I'd advise against it. The rifle scope will be longer then a shotgun scope. Worse yet it would most likely smack you right in your eyebrow from the recoil! [&:]

Click here for shotgun scopes:
http://www.riflescopes.com/search.asp?keywords=shotgun+scope


Butch A.

If you set it up right, there shouldn't be a problem. I use a rifle scope and have never been "bitten".

[Deleted by Admins]

I have been using a Bushnell Elite 3200 3-9X40 on my slug gun for 4 years now with no problems. It has 4" of eye relief, and has handled the recoil just fine. And it is a rifle scope.

As long as it's a quality scope.. and has enough eye relief it will work just fine.

I used rifle scopes on slug shotguns for several decades before they started making scopes specifically for shotguns. My first scoped shotgun was a 20" barreledIthaca Deerslayer 12 GAsmoothbore with a Weaver J2.5 scope on it. This gun would put Remington brand Foster-type slugs into 4" @ 100 yards, which is about as good as is possible with a smooth bore.

You certainly CAN use a rifle scope on a shotgun! Just use a low-power model which will stand the recoil, AND has at least 4" of eye relief! Mount it as far forward as you can get it and still be able to see the full field of view...

The major difference between a rifle and shotgun scope is the parallax adjustment. Shotgun scopes have the parallax adjusted at a shorter distance. A fixed power scope is stronger than a variable. Recoil is stout with a shotgun, the same way it is stout for a large magnum.High quality scopes will withstand recoil from either. Low quality scopes will not.

The answer is yes, you can use the rifle scope. Buy the best quality fixed power you can afford. If you want a variable just be prepared to spend a little more. Tom.

I have a Nikon rifle scope with 4” eye relief on my shotgun and the scope hasn't given me any problems...

I agree with Head0001. Low power with good eye relief is the ticket. Mine is a 1-4X Leopold and it is great.