Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Red dot scopes for night hunting hogs?

Bought an H&R chambered in 444 marlin , planning on using it as my night time hog rifle -very little chance of a second shot and good bone breaking cartridge .

Anybody tried a red dot for night hunting -or have you looked at targets etc. to see if a red dot would be good for night hunting ?

I have a 4x12-50 Leupold VXR that has the red dot crosshair -it works great compared to a regular scope .
Just want to have a back up rifle for night hunting .

Thanks -Mike

Red dots reduce the light that reaches your eye, so would be less effective than your VXR. If you're using a spotlight, that shouldn't be too much of a problem, but in moonlight the dot might be too bright and interfere with your vision.

I've got an AR Mod 1 with the green dot and like it very much in the woods, but haven't tried it at night. Properly adjusted, the dot draws your eye without being overwhelming.

The Fieldsports Channel on YouTube and its airgun edition Airheads, have a lot of videos on night hunting for foxes, rabbits, and rats using night-vision equipment. Some of their setups are pretty elaborate and pricey, but the boys have their fun. Despite the general anti-gun, anti-hunting atmosphere in Britain, the laws are very liberal about equipment. Night-vision and silencers (moderators) are perfectly legal. On the other hand, you need a general gun license to own an airgun that generates over 12 foot pounds of energy. There's an attempt under way in Scotland to license all airguns.

Use your VXR.




Travis

OK , I've only looked through one that was on a crossbow .

Red dots are fine at night, provided they dim enough/have the correct settings. Military uses them all the time, and I'm talking visible/not IR mode, at night, without NVGs. Having said that, that VXR is likely a better setup, and the dot in it will dim very low. Green lights don't seem to spook them, either, so adding one might give some more illum, if needed.

I don't like lights, unless you can dim the optics dot way down.

I still prefer standard bold black crosshairs.

FWIW green light WILL spook some hogs. I much prefer red or a mix of red and green.

Pure green has run some hogs off so fast when you hit them you have to shoot fast. Thats with turning the light on up high and trying to bring it slowly down on them.

I have a red light setup and it comes on at dusk, off around 2am. I've never seen them spook from that.

Am I the only one that thinks of Blazing Saddles every time this thread comes back to the top of the optics forum?



David

Red dots suck for hunting hogs at night! All you will be able to see is the red dot.

Your Leupold VXR with the Firedot is the way to go. It's all I use at the Ranch for night time predators, other than th Flir scope I have.

I have a leapers illuminated scope on a pellet rifle -it washes out the sight picture completely 100% useless even in dim light.

The VXR is great the red dot can be turned down VERY low which is great when shooting a nearly black hog on a moonless night. After shooting the first few hogs -I realized just how much it helps with those shots -pinpoint hits right where I wanted them hit .
I'm still on the original battery -so a big thumbs up from me on that scope .

Rost ,

I've read more than once -green for hogs red for coyotes and have went by that for many years with good luck .
I have a texas boars light it has two green one red lens and works great -just saying .

I use a couple of solar powered motion lights at the feeders -when a hog/coon/bear walks up the light comes on and stays on for about 25 seconds , so the critters are use to the lights. "Edited to say -I have green cellofane over the light" . These are a big help at 3:00am when I might not be fully awake . The Tx boars light says to use it from -no closer than 60 yards and out to 120 yards , I put it at about 30 yards away 15' up on a tree.
When a motion light kicks on reach for the gun .

I have a bushnell 4200 1.5x6-36 with the firefly reticle heavy crosshair that I also like but it doesn't have the eye relief of the leupold. I'll use it on my back up rifle and move the VXR to the 444m.

What model VX R you guys running? If you are shooting close range at dark needing the lighted reticle I would think there would be no need for a 4-12x50mm 30mm tube scope.

I am looking at getting one and I was thinking just a std. 3-9 x 40 mm 1" tube without any CDS is the way to go.

I think that's wise.....the Bushnell could get hazardous on a big boomer in a dark and fast hunting scenario. As I said before, and some disagree, but a quality red dot is a quality red dot......whether it's in a red dot sight, or a magnified optic. Either will work, IF the dot/adjustments are quality. Unfortunately, the really good, pure dot sights are $400+. The 4-12x50 VXR should be great at 4x, while the 2-7/3-9 might be preferable to some folks.

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A 3x9-40 would be fine .
I chose the 4x12-50 because I get to my hunting spot sometimes two hours before dark and have shots out to 300 yards on deer/coyotes etc. and I only carry the gun a couple of hundred yards into the woods/swamp .

Having used an Eotech at night, I can assure you that unless you have a light the red dot is useless. In addition you will need to keep turning it down as the light fades. Use a riflescope and a light.