Many of my gun projects, both those I've shared on here as well as those I haven't, involve taking a non-traditional view on a particular pistol or rifle. For example, what would a futuristic revolver look like?
These projects typically require thinking outside the box - finding a part that is used on a rifle and retro fitting for a pistol, taking a piece of electrical equipment and making it serve a new function on a gun, etc.
My revolver projects usually include the addition of an optic; frequently a red dot, prism scope, or a low magnification pistol scope. It's pretty easy to find good information on how to mount a pistol scope. It's not easy to find information on how to mount a red dot on a specific revolver be it a Smith & Wesson, Ruger, Colt, whatever.
So here's a starting point for mounting those looking to mount a red dot on a revolver, based on what I'm come across on my various gun builds. The point isn't to convince you which is the best mount and red dot for your specific .357 Mag, .45 Colt, or whatever, revolver. Rather, it's to give the person interested in adding a red dot to their wheel gun a place to see some of the options.
There are 3 general ways to mount a red dot on a revolver: on a full-length picatinny/weaver rail, on a short picatinny/weaver rail or a dedicated red dot mount. Below is a list of options for each based on gun and red dot desired.
Note - I suspect this post will get out-dated pretty quickly as new options come onto the market. You'll see that there are only a few companies making most of the mounts, so if you don't see an option for your revolver & red dot, head to the manufacturer's site and see if they've added to their offerings.
Second Note - If you're not sure what mount you need for the red dot you want, check out Optics-info's Guide. It's a great resource to know what mounts are compatible with your optic.
Full Length Rails:
Full length rails are nice becuase it's easy to switch to a different optic if you get tired of your red dot.
The downside is that they are the heaviest of the three mounting options and, since they require you to buy a picatinny mount for your red dot, they elevate the optic higher above the bore.
An example of how the full length revolver rail with a picatinny red dot mount work together is the two pictures below - the first with just the mount, the second with the red dot mounted. The pictures are from my John Wick Revolver build in and are Leupold's Delta Point Pro red dot and Cross Slot Mount.
You can see how it sits a bit higher than it would with a revolver-specific mount, but not too bad.
Some full-length rail options are:
Ruger
Weigand 7.5" Revolver Rail in Black (in Silver)
Weigand 6" Revolver Rail in Black (in Silver) Note - this is the one I used on the Space Cowboy Gun.
S&W
Warne Matte Scope Base in Black (in Silver)
Short Rails:
Short rails typically extend the length of the cylinder. They are less heavy than the full length rails but still require a picatinny mount for your chosen red dot and they push the sight pretty high above the barrel.
S&W
EGW Short Rail in Black (in Silver)
Ruger
EGW Short Rail in Black (in Silver)
Weigand Scope Mount in Black (in Silver)
Taurus
Revolver Red Dot Mounts:
Using a red dot specific mount on your gun is the lightest option that also keeps the sight closest to the barrel. However, if you want to switch optics, you'll need a new mount or a rail and a new mount.
S&W
EGW Vortex Razor Red Dot Mount
EGW Red Dot Mount for Delta Point Pro, Shield RMS, & Sig Romeo Zero
EGW Trijicon RMR/SRO Red Dot Mount
TK Custom Allchin Mini Scope Mount fits Burris Fastfire, Leupold Delta Point Pro & Others in black (in Silver)
JP Enterprises JPoint Mount for Fire Point Sights
Ruger
EGW Vortex Razor Red Dot Mount
EGW Red Dot Mount for Delta Point Pro, Shield RMS, & Sig Romeo Zero
EGW Trijicon RMR/SRO Red Dot Mount
JP Enterprises JPoint Mount for Fire Point Sights
If there isn't an off the shelf mount available for your revolver and you're feeling extra industrious, you can try to put together your own mount like I did for my Kimber K6s DASA "Magnetron" build. I used the combination of an aftermarket rear sight and a mounting plate for the Holosun RDO I wanted to make a pretty good mount.
Would I trust my life with it? No. But it's great fun and a solution to fill the lack of Kimber revolver red dot mounts.