Red dot sight on shotguns
- Thread starter Carrnivor
- Start date
Scapegoat
Well-Known Member
Complete non-starter I'd have thought. To shoot a moving bird or clay you'd need to point the red dot at a piece of sky and then you wouldn't see it. If you point the red dot at the target, in the majority of occasions you're going to miss.
Shooting a moving target with a shotgun requires you to be able to look at the target, not the gun or any sighting system. In order to hit what you're looking at you need to be certain that the gun is shooting exactly where you are looking, and that depends on gun fit, correct mount and correct technique.
Shooting a moving target with a shotgun requires you to be able to look at the target, not the gun or any sighting system. In order to hit what you're looking at you need to be certain that the gun is shooting exactly where you are looking, and that depends on gun fit, correct mount and correct technique.
Scapegoat
Well-Known Member
That said there are some enhanced beads available to help your eye look at the sight picture correctly. However, these are primarily designed to overcome eye-dominance issues, and do not make up for poor technique. The fibre-optic style beads can be useful to train your sighting eye to look down the right part of the barrel/rib, but they won't make you hit any more targets.
Essentially beads on shotguns are a reference point to make sure your mount and head/eye/stock position is correct before you take the shot. If you concentrate on the bead, rib, or barrels while you're actually taking the shot you are letting yourself in for a world of problems.
Essentially beads on shotguns are a reference point to make sure your mount and head/eye/stock position is correct before you take the shot. If you concentrate on the bead, rib, or barrels while you're actually taking the shot you are letting yourself in for a world of problems.
Scapegoat
Well-Known Member
Very interesting. Thanks.
My feelings are that the Aimpoint is trying to overcome some basic flaws in technique. With practice and experience all of those birds and clays were hittable without anything attached to the gun. I've shot competitive clays and game for getting on for four decades now, and I can't think of a situation where the add-on would do anything other than teach someone how to establish lead. I can get novices to hit moving targets within minutes.
levigsp
Well-Known Member
The whole idea of a red dot sight is you shoot with both eyes open, shotgun style. they are designed for running flying targets. the only difference is the size of dots, 3 moa for shotgun and 1 moa for rifle.
scrumbag
Well-Known Member
Same here. I have tried a red dot for clays and prefer without.
With slugs awesome though!
I also think red dots on sporting shotguns are a waste of money. Aimpoint and others sell them because it's another way to get customers for their technology, and some people who come from other gun types to shotguns buy them because they're conditioned to believe they need an optic and don't trust the gun to point itself. The money would be better spent on getting their gun fitted so that it does.
Heym SR20
Well-Known Member
I have a 1-4x20 with just a dot reticle that glows red on my combination gun. I have shot flying clays with it using the scope. Once you get used to it it sort of works on most flying targets.
I use it with the shot barrel on running rabbits to train for piggies. But does make me think i could well be better off just removing the scope and use the open sights given that it comes up to point of aim and sights align.
I use it with the shot barrel on running rabbits to train for piggies. But does make me think i could well be better off just removing the scope and use the open sights given that it comes up to point of aim and sights align.
alberta boy
Well-Known Member
I know a lot of people here , myself included , that have various red dot sights on their shotguns . They are all used on slug guns for hunting deer or for a bear defence firearm . They work really well by the way .
AB
Erik Hamburger
Well-Known Member
I use a Red Dot on a Section 1 Mossberg 500 P/A 20G which is conditioned for 'Avians' (Yes, 'avians' you couldn't make it up..) and Vermin, Grey Squirrels in particular. Works a dream on Grey Squirrels when Drey Poking, and I have used it for rabbits on the ground as well - as aiming with a red dot sight is done with both eyes open it is not at all alien to normal shotgun shooting techniques.
The Red Dot I recommend is the Burris Fastfire 3 - Small, compact, accurate...and a battery seems to last 4-5 years!
You may find raised eyebrows from the traditionalist if you mount one on a shotgun at a Game Shoot...apparently it is not 'sporty' to be effective. But it is not illegal.
Never tried it on Clays yet because I have had difficulties getting the S1 shotgun conditioned for 'practising on ranges', so some Clay outlets won't allow it, but I know of others who do (Often with restrictions on the amount of cartridges you may load at any time of you use a S1)
scrumbag
Well-Known Member
Thanks.
That mount is called the "SpeedBead" usually comes from Burris as a set with a Fastfire Red Dot.
Scrummy
palmer_mike
Well-Known Member
Shame they don’t seem to do a mount compatible with a hatsan escort or I’d give it a try……..
scrumbag
Well-Known Member
@palmer_mike
Does your Hatsan have a receiver like this?
If you do, it looks to me like you have dovetail slots in the top of the receiver.
If so, you might get something like this to work:
The mount is a quick release mount for dovetails made by Recknagel: Recknagel - Accessories for Hunting Rifles - Catalog › Recknagel
(Page 14 of the PDF, P25 of the Catalgue.)
If you can stick a micrometer on your dovetail slots, you might find one of those things on the right might fit.
(Alan Rhone supplies them)
I have a couple, might have one that fits your rail?
Scrummy
Does your Hatsan have a receiver like this?
If you do, it looks to me like you have dovetail slots in the top of the receiver.
If so, you might get something like this to work:
The mount is a quick release mount for dovetails made by Recknagel: Recknagel - Accessories for Hunting Rifles - Catalog › Recknagel
(Page 14 of the PDF, P25 of the Catalgue.)
If you can stick a micrometer on your dovetail slots, you might find one of those things on the right might fit.
(Alan Rhone supplies them)
I have a couple, might have one that fits your rail?
Scrummy
Attachments
Similar threads
