Who has rifle sights on their 870 police shotgun?

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dasanii19

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Who here enjoys rifle sights on their 870p?

Reason for the question is that I just sold my bead sight barrel to get a rifle sight barrel. I understand there are folks out there that think rifle sights are pointless but I didnt just get them for just the sights, I bought this type of barrel to add to the look of a classic police 870.

So are the rifle sights really that pointless to have on a shotgun or are they actually a nice feature? Do you agree with me that it add's to the look of a classic 870 police shotgun?

Thanks for your input, hopfully starting this thread wont make me feel like I wasted money :what: :) :uhoh:
 
I prefer them. Using buckshot it probably does not make much difference, but with slugs past a few yards it makes a big difference. The way I see it it makes the gun more versatile and does not hurt anything.

I picked up a used 870 barrel with rifle sights and IC fixed choke in a gunshop cheap a few years ago and mounted it on an 870 express. My brother has the same barrel with interchangeable chokes. He turkey hunts with his and an extra full choke when it is not on home defense duty.
 
i do but thats just how it came cant say wether i enjoy them or not cause i hvent even shot the dern thing yet i seem to buy more guns then i can shoot seriously ive been to the range once in the past 5 months and bought 7 new guns so they are all sitting in the safe waiting to be shot
 
Well... actually the "classic" 870P had bead sights, considering the Police models were first introduced in 1953.

But I like sights on a working shotgun, just in case a longer slug shot is necessary. I like 18" Police barrels with rifle sights even though the sight radius is pretty short. On a single purpose working gun I prefer ghost rings though.

It's your shotgun, set it up like you want it...

lpl/nc
 
Yes the classic Wingmaster police has a bead, the classic 870p police has rifle sights.

Isn't that right? The classic 1953 870 police is a wingmaster isnt it?
 
"But I like sights on a working shotgun, just in case a longer slug shot is necessary."

Yep, and prefer ghost rings. Truth be told though, beads, rifle and ghost ring sights all work rather well for me, though I like the performance I can wring out of the latter two with slugs.

---
Edited to note I the speed difference is minimal but I consistantly find the rder, for myself and those I shoot with, to be: bead, GR, standard rifle. Practice with one over others goes a long way to cuttign into times, to no surprise.
 
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Rifle sights are quick enough to acquire, not as fast as bead but faster than GR. I still prefer bead sights though on my shotguns, but both of my short barrel Wingmasters wear rifle sights since they were the easiest to acquire in 20" blued configuration.

No regrets, I'd actually be happy with any of the three setups (bead/RF/GR).

Pretty accurate launching slugs at 100 yard steel. :)
 
I NOW prefer Rem rifle sights with Trigicon Tritium inserts over GRs.
spring2008116.gif
spring2008115.gif

Funny the picture looks like what my 62 year old eyes see with out some correction (1.5 to 1.75x)
 
Remington's rifle sights are a bit slower for me to acquire than a bead sight but more reassuring, although not necessarily more accurate, when shooting slugs at 75 yards.

Am I alone in finding ghost ring sights slowest to acquire?
 
You are not alone in finding the ghost ring slowest. I use a standard Rem rifle sight with the bead coated in bright orange ( courtesy of a dab of Testor's)
This is a fast setup second only to the bead.
I just finished an class in Shotgun/Pistol with Yavapai and ITTS. It was a combined class with Louis Awerbuck and Scotty Reitz instructing. There were 23 people in the class. All of us are very experienced combat shooters. I would say that most were cops.We had only two of the 23 using beads. Most had rifle sights or ghost rings. All had an under barrel light except one bozo who left his home (me). The only two high speed misses in one stage were from the bead sighted shotties. I did find that my orange bead showed up very well even in bad light. It caught enough available light that my lack of a under barrel light was not so bad. The advantage of the rifle sights over the ghost ring is that you can look over them for a fast reference when racing the shot.
 
I added grow-glows to my rifles sights, very fast to pick up.
Click to expand...
I use these as well and like them.

I've tried and practiced with both bead and rifle sights and concluded that rifle sights are more accurate when shooting slugs from a distance and not that much slower than a bead.
 
In my experience, a bead is fastest, followed by a peep sight (GR) followed by open sights. The difference is not great, and every shotgunner should test for him/her self to see what works best for that shooter. The testing should include low light drills and timed fire.

My two slug shooters wear peep sights. I like the extra precision possible with slugs, and a good number of MD whitetails have failed to comment on any lack of speed.
 
Aha, that's exactly what I'm doing: looking over or through the rifle sights when working fast. The ghost ring traps my eye by calling attention to itself in a way that neither the bead nor the rifle sights do. Dave M's hierarchy is what most people I respect share, though.
 
106RR :
I expect a DETAILED after action report on that class ! I couldn't attend it but REALLY wanted to!:banghead:
 
I like Rem's rifled sights and one of my 870's wears a 20" RS barrel. Passed up a police 18" barrel with RS's for 100.00 at a gunshow last year. Been kicking my own rear over it ever since.
 
My 1187P has the Scattergun Technology ghost ring setup on it.

I like this system, but for a reason different than what everybody else is saying.

I learned to shoot with a rifle. By the time I got my first shotgun, I had been using iron sights for many years.

The whole "Just point it" thing with the bead and the shotgun is something I've never mastered.

For some reason, I just seem to have to AIM the shotgun. I find myself trying to line up that stupid little bead (With what?) and wasting time when I should be pointing and shooting.

I suppose that it's because I haven't burned enough ammo through my shotguns. Fine. I'll admit it. I'm not a bird hunter, and shotguns are pretty much for bad guys around here.

When I got the Ghost ring setup on the combat shotgun I have now, I was thinking in terms of gaining some accuracy with slugs.

Well, the sights delivered the accuracy I wanted, and gave me another benefit I wasn't counting on.

Because I'm primarily a rifle guy, and sub-consciously insist in lining up the sights, I find that I can get quicker, better hits than I ever did with the bead.

I shoulder the shotgun, there's the sights, BLAMMO! done deal.

No more second guessing my sight picture.

I like the ghost ring sights because it's consistent with the sights I'm used to using.

For that reason, they are the right choice for me.
 
Robert Hairless said:
Remington's rifle sights are a bit slower for me to acquire than a bead sight but more reassuring, although not necessarily more accurate, when shooting slugs at 75 yards.

Am I alone in finding ghost ring sights slowest to acquire?
Click to expand...

Robert,

Same here.

I find bead the fastest, next rifle sights then GR sights. But it's very marginal on how quick it is to acquire each.
 
Hey ranting, this isnt a 18" but it's $100

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=7&f=47&t=534781
Click to expand...

Yeah, but I'm wanting an 18" with RS. I've got a 20" RS IC on one 870 and an 18" CYL bead on the other. Trying to get RS without sacrificing the handiness of the 18 incher. I know it isn't a big difference but it is a noticable one.

Honestly though at some point I'm very likely to switch them both out for 20 RS Remchoke barrels. I've been considering that and am about ready to take the plunge on it. If I can learn to say "no" to good deals on handguns I might have the $ to buy a couple of new barrels. :D. Lately I've been on a bit of a purchase spree on handguns :uhoh:
 
Am I alone in finding ghost ring sights slowest to acquire?

Probably not alone, Robert. But i'd say it's all what you learn to use effectively. I ran most of my class with Louis Awerbuck using an 870 with GRs, and couldn't tell that it slowed me down at all. But I'm used to GRs, I first started using them on an AR carbine I modified in the late 1970s that had a set of surplus GI night sights installed. The rear sight aperture was about .25" for the night sight leaf, and I wound up using it all the time because it was so much faster and just as accurate at shorter ranges. It was a natural to switch to using GRs on shotguns- I prefer the non-tritium MMC rear sight given a choice. I'll be putting a set (with the solder-on front ramp) on the old 1987 Express based buildup I'm playing with right now, before long.

Ever notice what they did with the rear sight aperture on the M16A2s, BTW?

lpl/nc
 
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