Open Reflex or Tube red dot for Hunting?

If I was gonna hunt deer with a Contender in 357 max, I’d use a extended eye relief scope rather than a red dot.  I’d probably get a 1-6X variable   Like this https://www.burrisoptics.com/scopes/handgun-scopes-series/handgun-scope-2-7x32mm

.357 Maximum! A greatly under appreciated round!
Had one in a Merrill Sportsman.

shooter1450 wrote:As a fellow Pennsylvania bear and deer 357 Maximum Contender toting hunter I can offer my two cents. A good 2X pistol scope is the way to go. The reflex sights, which I use on all my bullseye guns just don’t work for me in hunting situations. I always seem to get something smeared on the lens. Any more than a 2X scope and I have field of view issues. Eye relief also tends to shorten up when you turn up the power on variables. I shoot a 285 grain cast bullet at 1500 FPS in mine and that is something you don’t want any closer to your face than is necessary. I also carry a 10X monocular for putting points on bucks and target identification. Saw a dandy bear just last Friday while taking my 10/22 out for the first time ever using a semi for squirrel. Good luck this season.

+1...I have a 14" 357 Max. T/C barrel with a T/C 2.5X RP(Recoil Proof) EER scope on it for deer hunting. Other calibers (e.g. 223 Rem. for coyotes) with higher magnification scopes are ok if you have the time to acquire the crosshairs (FOV) and a solid rest to shoot from, but anything after about 4X is tough to use in other than ideal field conditions...YMMV.

I think it depends on how you acquire the dot.  
Reflex sights take more time to master.   A Tube guides your eye to the dot.
Its the same for a scope.  Higher magnification takes more practice to just pull up and shoot. 

Water on a reflex sight is a pain in the butt, but  you still can see the target and dot.
Water on a scope and it may or may not be clear enough to shoot.

I shoot silhouettes with my contender, so pulling up and shooting with 2 hands is what I do in the summer.  I use a 2-6X scope.   

A scope with a lit dot would be best because I usually see game at dawn and dusk.

David