This was the first year I used a shotgun scope. I borrowed my buddy`s back up gun after I missed a nice buck with my iron sights. What`s a good scope for a shotgun. What should I look to spend? Any info on this would help alot. thanks.


Mike

Stretch, a scope with long eye relief!

I am an avid slug shooter and depending on price there are only three I would buy, but that's just me..

I'd look at the Bushnell Trophy in 1.75-4 power
Leupold VX-I 2-7 shotgun scope
Zeiss makes a really nice one with fixed eye relief

I have used the trophy and really liked it but right now I have the Leupold on three different slug guns and really like it.. I like the heavy cross hair and it has a very long eye relief but yet has decent field of view...

I have been looking at the Nikon Buckmaster, 4x fixed with a 40mm objective. It should allow plenty of extra light transmission for low light shooting.

got a pentaxturkey scope on my shotgun with the turkey reticle....i believe it's only a 1.5 or 2 power but with it, when i swap in my rifled slug barrel, its got enough power for 125 yard shots...great scope in my opinion.

Leupold 1X4 shotgun scope.

Leupold 1-4 shotgun scope.

Stretchhunts,

I agree with demoIL on this one. I have a bushnell banner with circle-X 1-4 on my smoothbore, and the Leupold 2-7 shotgun scope with heavy reticle on my rifled slug gun. The bushnell is under $100 and the Leupold is under $2oo. I love them both and have had no problem with either. The heavy reticle is GREAT!! The only issue is that at 1X on the bushnell, I see the front of my barrel, so it is really a 2-4X scope. My accuracy and kill rate has improved significantly since I started using scopes on my shotguns. For years I was passing up longer range shots (80-100 yds)with my iron sights cause I wasn't confident in a solid hit, but now with practice and a steady rest (plus an accurate gun), I am plenty capable of a 100 yd neck shot. Just get a solid mount for it, and lock in those screws. Best of luck.

KEJ

I might have gone over board with my scope but it’s the Monarch Gold 1.5-6 x 42 mm with 4” constant eye relief and works great. Excellent for low light conditions...

First consider where you intend to use the scope most of the time. That should be your most important criteria in narrowing down your choices.

If you are going to be in more wooded areas, you would might want to go with a large diameter red dot with no magnification or very little for getting on target quickly.

If your going to be hunting over fields, meadows, etc. you might want something like a2X or 4XX atleast 40mm lenses.

I personally don't care for adjustable power shotgun scopes. Make sure you buy a shotgun scope. Rifle scopes, no matter what anyone says, are not up to the punishment a shotgun hands out. Two different animals.

I've used a Simmons 4X Pro-Diamond on my 12 gauge H&R Ultra Slug Hunter since1995, mostly shooting heavy 2-3/4" & 3-inch mag loads (lots of them) and have never had a problem with it. (I don't think you can pound a scope much harder, considering it is mounted directly on the barrel rail.) It has great lightgathering and the Pro-Diamond acts as a "range finder". I think I paid about $75.00 for it in 1995, when I bought the gun.

A few years back we bought a 20 gauge H&R Ultra for my oldest boy. Went right to another Simmons 4X and haven't looked back.

By the way, if we ain't bow hunting deer in IL - it's shotguns only for me and my boys.