Anyone have a Burris Speed-bead?

[TCBA_Joe]

I'm looking at getting a Burris speed-bead for my Remington 870. I have a Blackhawk Spec-Ops Knoxx stock for my shotgun and I am curious if anyone has tried this combinations.

 

[AcceptableUserName]

I'm looking at getting a Burris speed-bead for my Remington 870

Why?

 

[TCBA_Joe]

The same reason people put red-dots on their rifles: Quick target acquisition. Do I have a reason not to in your opinion?

 

[Hungry Seagull]

Is it one of those little things that go between your buttstock and reciever?

Nah I opted for drilled and tapped reciever for a weaver rail with a sightmark reflex on it instead. The glass on it might last just enough to finish a HD engagement =)

 

[TCBA_Joe]

Wierd, I just realized I have 2 posts. I used to post on here occasionally a while back and should have more than 2 posts.

 

[TCBA_Joe]

Yes, it's a mini red-dot that sits on a mount between the receiver and butt-stock. I really don't want to have to alter my receiver if I don't have to.

As for the choice of MRD, seems the $200 burris might be a better choice than a $50 sightmark. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Hungry Seagull]

Mine was actually closer to 100 dollars with the laser on it. No matter.

The reason I used it for me is because the way I hold my 870 the SM was far forward enough away from my face to be useful in developing a good target environment to shoot on with my specific eye issues.

The Burris would have been way too close to my body and way too low to be useful to me. IMHO.

But it's worth a try if you like it, let us know how it goes.

 

[TCBA_Joe]

I just have an aversion to modifying the frames or receiver of my guns. I might look into getting a rail put on so that I can move it forward or backwards on the rail, but I'm still curious about the speedbead.

There was a very positive review of it over on Lightfighter which is what sparked my interest in it.

 

[Virginian]

I am also toying with the idea of getting one. I have a Weaver Quik-Point I bought many years ago, and I had it mounted on my 1100s and 870s for a few years in the '80s. It was natural light illumination, it was bulky, and it slowed down target acquisition because you had to look thru the tube, and with the mount it was heavy, but it was a heck of a shooting aid. Din't have to worry about cheek weld or anything. As long as you could see the red dot, that's where the shot was going. Of course you still had to figure the lead, but it was pretty cool.
I handled a Mossberg 590 (?) with one the other day. Smaller than I thought it was. Seemed to work darned well.

 

[AcceptableUserName]

If you can't acquire a target quick enough with a bead or a rifle sight...buy a machine gun

 

[TCBA_Joe]

Not a real reason to not use a red-dot sight. In fact, you still need to acquire a target to properly use a MG (Elcan). Try again?

Lot of hostility for a category of equipment that works (red-dots). Well, I'm not using my shotgun for trap or hunting. It's got an 18" bbl, side-saddle, pistol-grip stock, and hopefully soon a light and red-dot sight. It's a fighting shotgun. I can shoot just fine using the front bead, but why not make it a better fighting gun?

 

[Hungry Seagull]

I consider mine a fighting gun as well. It does have a light, small laser to assist targeting, glass dot sight and finally that bead in front is really good too.

The wife's gun is not equipped with the dot, she actually prefers the iron sights on her gun. But it does have a light.

At the ranges we expect to fight at there needs to be a KISS principle. The ultimate would just be the bead sight. But Ive learned a little help from a glass dot really is good.

Machine guns are not really in the picture. They will fire ammuntion that can probably reach neighbors and go through thier houses as well. That is a bit silly.

 

[TCBA_Joe]

Colostomyclown is really who seems to have a bone to pick with me. I like the idea of having a red-dot on my gun and I get accused of not being able to shoot. W/e

 

[AcceptableUserName]

Not saying you can't shoot...however I am saying you can probably shoot better with the bead to be totally honest...for the same reason i DESPISE ghost ring sights. You need to point a shotgun rather than aim. Know what I'm saying? I think the best way is to magine the shotgun as an extension of your eye/arm...one fluid motion point/shoot.

 

[Virginian]

I don't own a fighting, HD, tactical shotgun and have no plans to short of drafting one of my hunting guns should the need arise. My interest in the SpeedBead is better long range shooting at flying critters without the drawbacks the QuickPoint suffered. As Robert Ruark so deftly put it, ducks is ballistics.

 

[Gohon]

The tactical shotgun is a close quarters weapon but still needs to be aimed or even better equipped with a laser. Just pointing and shooting at close quarters (like inside your home) is a almost guaranteed way to miss. Anyone that thinks not, doesn't know much about how a shotgun patterns or when the pattern actually starts to open up. As for the speed bead, they are small, light weight and work extremely well on tactical or hunting shotguns. Next best thing is a ghost ring setup for the tactical shotgun but once again, inside a home where low light conditions are usually the norm the laser wins hands down.

 

[Hungry Seagull]

That is why I prefer slugs. Instead of opening a can of worms hear me out. A slug is a very big bullet. It has to be aimed.

As my gun is set up now I have about three aimed choices to follow. Laser dot on bad guy's body, front bead sight through the glass or the red dot presented onto the glass by the laser. If any of these items fail (And they will for a variety of reasons...) yer left with the iron bead sight.

On the range, all three items happen to settle down together onto the target and just about gaurantees a hit.

The laser will light up the area inside the home sufficiently to identify a BG from a spouse making a midnight raid on the fridge.

 

[AcceptableUserName]

"The tactical shotgun is a close quarters weapon but still needs to be aimed or even better equipped with a laser. Just pointing and shooting at close quarters (like inside your home) is a almost guaranteed way to miss. Anyone that thinks not, doesn't know much about how a shotgun patterns or when the pattern actually starts to open up. As for the speed bead, they are small, light weight and work extremely well on tactical or hunting shotguns. Next best thing is a ghost ring setup for the tactical shotgun but once again, inside a home where low light conditions are usually the norm the laser wins hands down."


This is wrong in so many ways.

 

[Fburgtx]

Hey, hijackers (you should know who you are), would you be so kind as to allow someone to answer the OP's question about the Burris Speed-Bead?????????????????

 

[babarracing]

I'm 63 years old. I can barely make out the front white dot Sight Blade on my Rem 870 Police with old school top folder. Burris SpeedBead is the only way to fly for us guys who are older then dirt and can't afford an EOtech on Fixed income. Back bore is great for top folder punishment with 3 inch 000. But I use my SIG P220C3 with Speer Gold dot 230 grain short brl. (less Muzzle flash in dark). And I wait in my Bedroom for BG to come thru only door while takiing cover behind my bed. Have a plan man! Have seven shot full stock Benelli loaded with 7 rounds of 000 in Master Bedroom Bath in case the SHTF. Have no Kids Grand Kids in house (live too far away) so I can get away with this stuff, Also Bedroom door is directly in line with 125 yard long park. Free fire zone late at night when bg's usually show up.

 

[oneounceload]

I consider mine a fighting gun as well. It does have a light, small laser to assist targeting, glass dot sight and finally that bead in front is really good too.

Seems to be a lot of stuff that is typically not necessary - learn to "run the gun" and do not rely on a bunch of tacticool stuff.

As for using the speed bead for flying critters if you're looking at the sights, you're missing your target - a shotgun is pointed (deer/turkey folks excepted) your EYES are your rear sight, the target is your front focus - anything else is superfluous and unnecessary for success

 

[Defense Minister]

I have a Burris Fastfire II on my Mossberg 500, and I love it. It's the same sight as the SpeedBead, but mounts on a rail. My receiver was already drilled and tapped for the rail, so modifying it was a non-issue for me. It seems to me the SpeedBead would be mounted way too far to the rear of the receiver, but that is personal preference.

For those who think a red dot optic has no business on a defensive shotgun, that's your opinion, and it's worth exactly what I paid for it. The Fastfire allows me to acquire the target more quickly and accurately than a bead, with both eyes open to retain peripheral vision, while maintaining a more comfortable cheek weld. That's money well spent, in my opinion.

 

[tkopp]

The sight is great, the 870 mount is awful. It's a pair of wires. The mossberg mount at least is a solid plate. After bending the base several times on my 870, I threw away the mount and got a new base to use it on my Ruger 10/22.

 

[oneounceload]

The Fastfire allows me to acquire the target more quickly and accurately than a bead, with both eyes open to retain peripheral vision, while maintaining a more comfortable cheek weld

While certainly your choice, how does using a bead prevent you from having both eyes open? That's how you're supposed to do it. If you like that attachment for your HD gun, by all means spend the money; they don't work well for dynamic targets like birds.

 

[Virginian]

They work just fine for flying targets too. I shot skeet, sporting, and trap with an old Qwik-Point some years ago. With the dot in the same focal plane as the target, you do not have to focus on anything but the target and put the dot where you want the shot to go.
If someone would come out with one that is small, light, and reliable, with a no-gunsmithing mount that works it could be the greatest aid to wingshooting ever. But, as the 870 owner said, it looks like the mount is still lacking.