Defensive Shotgun Sights

[MCgunner]

If you're taking longer shots, the threat to you of death or grave bodily harm would be difficult to support in a court of law... and we WILL appear in court should we survive the encounter.

Doesn't surprise me in Kali. If he's in my house, through my locks in the night, he's dead. I'll find out who he is and his rap sheet later. But, there are no LONG shots in my house, longest possible being maybe 40 feet. I do like having the light on my gun, though, to identify the target as someone I don't know, but it's just the wife and me here in the woods. Chances of the BG being other than a BG are nil.

 

[Fred Fuller]

"Fred Fuller Special"

LOL!

Best idea in a defensive 870 barrel going for a loooong time now, even before the ammo shortage. With mostly catch-as-catch-can buckshot being all that's available for most of us, it's nigh perfect. It's over-choked for the really good stuff (Federal LE-127-00 etc.), but for the run of the mill cheap stuff it usually does better than the average CYL or IMP CYL barrel.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/92...ed-choke-with-tritium-rifle-sights-parkerized

18.5" barrel, 3" chamber, rifle sights with Tritium from the factory, a fixed MOD choke and it looks (in mine) as if the forcing cone has been done too. And it's parkerized. Some places sell 'em cheaper, even Midway puts them on sale sometimes. This one is worth a mental bookmark for any 870 owner...

 

[200Apples]

LOL!

And that's not the first time I've posted that! Glad you got a kick out of it (no pun intended...).

When you last mentioned this barrel, it was on sale from Midway for $149... and I at that time had assumed the supply run was soon to be exhausted. Now that I see it again!? I may simply order another for the second 870 (although it will have to wait a week or two until after I bring a nice, little-used 1100 home).

Doesn't surprise me in Kali. If he's in my house, through my locks in the night, he's dead.

I hear you. Used to be, even in "Kali" that if a perp had forced their way into your home and without authorization, you were presumed! by law to be in fear for your life, justifying the use of lethal force to stop any threat.

We know now how often these laws may morph due to any of the latest court rulings (for lack of a better way of putting it...)

 

[Gordon]

The Fred Fuller barrel is the heat. I prefer the AO Tritium sights tho for their wider V and bigger bead, but the REm set will do. It is not about distant shots folks, it's about precision same as any gun fight! That shot cloud of buck out of the Fred Fuller barrel will be less than 3" at 25 feet FWIW. Save the alley cleaner myths for Wyatt Earp and Chaney Grouse hunts !

 

[rbernie]

The interesting thing about a RS barrel is that it helps verify and correct any lack of consistency in your muscle memory, since it shows any misalignment between cheek and rear sight and front sight very well. I've used a RS barrel on my 21" M2 as a training aid, to good apparent effect.

 

[LeonCarr]

"Just how many rounds in fired in quick succession would it take to build up the barrel heat needed for that kind of catastrophic damage to occur?"

Just one round if the choke tube is really loose .

Granted there is a very minimal chance of that happening, but with a fixed choke barrel there is ZERO chance of that happening.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[RMc]

"Just how many rounds in fired in quick succession would it take to build up the barrel heat needed for that kind of catastrophic damage to occur?"

Just one round if the choke tube is really loose .

Granted there is a very minimal chance of that happening, but with a fixed choke barrel there is ZERO chance of that happening.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

Then the choke tube was not properly tightened.

The same train of thought could lead one to only use solid frame pump shotguns because the barrel could become loose on those guns with barrels held in place by a screw on magazine cap.

 

[MCgunner]

The Fred Fuller barrel is the heat. I prefer the AO Tritium sights tho for their wider V and bigger bead, but the REm set will do. It is not about distant shots folks, it's about precision same as any gun fight! That shot cloud of buck out of the Fred Fuller barrel will be less than 3" at 25 feet FWIW. Save the alley cleaner myths for Wyatt Earp and Chaney Grouse hunts !

If you can't hit a human at 25 feet with a rib/bead, you need serious practice. While the shot pattern is small, so is the distance to target and, therefore, precision required. I can practically point shoot that with my eyes closed and do it a lot quicker than with sights.

BTW, Cheney was quail hunting when he shot the lawyer, if that's your reference. No grouse in Texas. He probably hunts grouse, too, though.

 

[MCgunner]

There's a guy named Leon Measures who teaches "shoot where you look". He dusts hand tossed aspirin tablets in the air with a sightless BB gun.

http://www.shootwhereyoulook.com/

 

[oneounceload]

Called pointing the gun, not aiming. No need to aim at HD distances. point your offhand target along the forearm/barrel at your intended target and let your eyes and hands do the work

 

[kayak-man]

I really like having rifle sights on my shotgun. They may not be "as" fast as a bead, but I don't think that they are slow enough to make a difference. Big help when shooting slugs.

As far as NEEDING to be able to see your sights, I'm going to say that depends on why you can't see them. in a perfect world, you would have a perfect sight picture. I'd say the more visible that front sight, the better, as it will help you get your hits faster.

No slings on the shotgun for me. I'd love to be able to use one for stabilization when using slugs, but i think that shotguns, especially defensive/tactical/3gun/offensive ones, need to be manipulated more than most guns, and that goes double for a break action or pump.

One thing I will add, is I think a shotgun sidesaddle of the "card" variety could be a huge help, if you're looking for a way to carry some more rounds.

 

[MCgunner]

No slings on the shotgun for me. I'd love to be able to use one for stabilization when using slugs, but i think that shotguns, especially defensive/tactical/3gun/offensive ones, need to be manipulated more than most guns, and that goes double for a break action or pump.

Regards to sling, since we've beaten the sight thing to death, I have slings for all my shotguns or studs for one of two slings, but normally take 'em off when in actual use. Now, when i'm out in the woods messing with the camera or the hog trap or the feeders or something, I let the gun hang muzzle down on my off shoulder for quick access.

Duck hunting, slings are invaluable when you're walking out to your spot with decoy bag, shell belt, and marsh chair also on your back and in your waders. Once the deeks are out, the chair is in place, the sling comes off so it won't tangle in marsh grass and such, same reason I don't think one is wise on a home defense gun. My slings quick detach.

About the only time I don't sling my gun in the field is dove hunting where we drive right to our hunting spot and drop the chairs and coolers off and park the truck under distant tree. I love dove hunting, so laid back, great way for an old man to hunt. Duck hunting gets tougher and tougher as I get older.

Anyway, I rarely take the sling off my every day shotgun when I go to bed at night because I'll just be putting it back on in the morning, but I probably should take it off. Meh, not that big a deal, though.

 

[oneounceload]

I have slings on my hunting rifles as I tend to walk a long way before needing to be ready for a shot; never had a sling on a target/field/or HS shotgun and never saw the need . I could see the possibility on a duck/goose gun where you are toting a bag of dekes to your spot, but I gave up waterfowl when they outlawed lead in NV

 

[lemaymiami]

I consider a sling for my popper a must have... but then, I'm not a hunter (if you don't count two legged animals). Can't remember the number of times on the street that it was my shotgun in my hands when on a hot call (meaning guns expected on the other side...). In that world a sling that allows you to go hands free in a critical moment is just plain necessary.

Funny thing, we taught all of our officers to clear their weapon (un-load it by the fastest means possible) then ground it if "hands on" was needed. I never liked that idea and actually have done a bit of "hands on" with my weapon slung when needed. I've also used a shotgun instead of a riot baton when I needed to get through a crowd to get to where the gun might be needed....

Unlike the movies... I may have pointed a locked and loaded, safetied shotgun at close range targets as many as a thousand times -but only fired one shot in 22 years working the street (and regret it, still 35 years later....).

 

[MCgunner]

Oh, an anecdote I just recalled. I now sling my shotgun with 2 rounds in the magazine (plugged to limit capacity to comply with federal law) when I'm putting out decoys on a pothole. Reason, one morning I laid the shotgun in the salt grass and waded out to put out a spread. I hear splashing in the marsh, some talking, figure someone's lab is coming, but they'd scared up a HUGE hog and he stopped 20 feet from me in the darkness and stared. The flare stack at a nearby chemical plant was bright that morning and I could see the critter's menacing tusks in the light. I didn't know what to do, froze, gun's 20 yards away in the grass and I can't sprint in waders and mud.

Since then, I figure a couple of number 3 steels on me is better than being unarmed. I jumped up and waved my arms trying to look as big as possible and yelled at it and it grunted and moved on. Guess he didn't feel real threatened or something, had an escape route, and moved on. But, that shook me up a bit and I don't leave the shotgun in the grass until after sun up now. LOL The sling, of course, is essential for this.

I never quit duck hunting because it's just too much in my blood. I'll have to quit, I guess, when I can no longer physically do it, but at 62, I got bones that crack and joints that hurt, but Aleve still seems to work good enough.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

Could always put a red dot on a shotgun. I know some who really like this setup.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

I guess they're just tools to me.

Like reaching for a hammer. I wanna whack something and the most readily available is either: ball peen, claw, mallet or sledge... Excepting extreme particulars such as the claw or ball of a ball peen it generally comes down to adjusting my swing.

So here's two of my options. Sure enough the ghost ring is versatile, potentially more accurate with certain loads and requirements and adjustable.

But: It has multiple components, is snaggy in shape, is snaggy in height and - at least initially - less reflexive to use.

A bead is a bead is a bead. Even with slugs - commit to a load and learn its POI.