Input on fiber optic shotgun sights

[Cooter]

The set on my shotgun just isn't reliable anymore so I'm gonna replace them before spring. Any recommendations? It will be going on an 870 rib. I'm more concerned about toughness than easy on/off because it will probably stay on all year. Something that isn't gonna shift on me.

[HateHumminbird]

I've got a set of the Tru-Glo's that I really like. They're the kind that you can adjust BOTH windage and elevation. I don't trust the others. They clamp on front and rear with allen screws, so I think with some loc-tite they're pretty rugged. I've had mine on for 4 years now and I'm out quite a bit in the spring. I think I picked mine up in the bargain cave at Cabelas for around $40.

I personally don't care for the tri-viz, or hoop style sights, or much else. I don't like to draw too much attention on the rear sight as it's distracting to me.

Any reason you wouldn't try a scope? That's what I'm looking into.

My last miss was 3 years ago. That day also included my first miss, each were two hours apart, both on mature gobblers. I know why I missed both of those birds, and I feel like a scope would've helped in both situations.

The first bird was simply too far away, and I misjudged distance due to dips in the field between the gobbler and I. Where I hunt, fields are never flat, even though compared to the rest of the landscape, they appear as such. The bird was slightly uphill over a large planted cornfield (plants hadn't come up yet). Two low spots in the field between myself and the gobbler made him look to my eyes about 45 yards, esp. when he was in full-strut. With one of the diamond reticles however, you realize that the birds head/neck area aren't filling up that diamond. With a little practice, you'd be able to determine whether or not a shot was too far away.

The second bird was spotted while peeking over another hump in a different field two hours later. I backed off and called, waited, and called some more. Surely he'd come, he was only 75 yards away, if that. Well, he did, but he didn't close the straight-line distance, he sashayed to my right, and followed a draw in the field about 30 yards to my right hand side. Being a right handed shooter, I was already twisted as far to the right as I could be. Those sights looked aligned to me, but I was torqued so far to the right, my cheek was probably well off the stock, and aligment from center as well.

All that said, I think I would've had a hard time acquiring the target and firing quickly with a scope for last year's MN bird.

More often than not, I'll take better sighting rather than fast acquisition, as most hunters (myself included) encounter situations where quick-firing is not only rare, but unsafe and unethical.

Of course, all this is theoretical (I've never killed a turkey with a scoped gun), and based off of the experience of others, so give it a try this year and let me know how it works .

Probably more than you wanted to read.

Joel

[DonBo]

I also have the Tru Glo, I believe it is called the Gobble Dot. I'm sure this is the same jnelson is talking about. I really like it. I have used it for 3-4 years without it moving on me.

A buddy uses a Red Dot Scope and claimes it doesn't let in enough light to be useable early in the morning.

A regular scope might be the way to go, except for the huge recoil of the turkey loads. Will they loosen? I don't know. I do know I'd hate to get bit by a scope with that reciol.

[Ray Esboldt]

The gun I bought last year came with a red dot scope, and I elected not to put it on. First, I am not scope seasoned. I don't deer hunt and would feel very uncomfortable limiting my sight lines (even though I am a one-eyed shooter). Seems like a good way to accidently kill two birds in one shot. Second, all I had to do was take it outside in 6:00 AM light and look through it. No thanks, not enough light gathering to it. I am sure a more expensive version could serve well, but it would take too much time to adjust to it.

Last year was the first year I used a gun with fiber optic sights. I like it. Every time I mounted the gun from day one, I instinctually lined up the sights. And, that's coming from a guy that is a self-declared peeker. I really ought to hold a piece of steel in my mouth and mount a magnet on my stock. The sights have helped me minimize this bad habit.

[mechanictim]

I have tried fiber optic sights on a muzzleloader for deer and a shotgun for turkey and have broken the front fiber optic on both while banging around in the brush. I put a scope on my turkey gun for my last hunt and could see turkeys on the roost at over 100 yards. With the reticle on my scope I also have an accurate on gun range finder and know when the tom is in range. I use a raised cheek pad to get better eye alignment and cheek contact with a scoped shotgun.

I still use fiber optic sights on my muzzleloader but i was real picky about finding the one I thought was going be least likely to get broken.

[Borch]

The tru glo mag gobble dot are pretty good. However my favorite is the William's Firesights. They are bright and rock solid. Adjustable for elevation and windage. Basically they are rifle sites that clamp onto your shotgun's vented rib.

[Scott M]

Cooter, you won't have a problem with TruGlo dots on that 870 Rib. I love those sights, it didn't take long and I found myself looking for that green dot every time I brought the gun to my shoulder.

I go with red on the turkey hunts and green for duck and upland hunting .

I did break one TruGlo sight a couple years ago when I forgot to take it off the rib when I cased the gun (not the pro series permanent mount). Since then I've always taken the sight off and put it in its own case; the magnetic style sights are like twenty bucks. They just clamp on, obviously they can't be changed for elevation or windage. But the permanent ones (Pro Series) with the allen screws are pretty nifty; they can be sighted in and adjusted. Sounds like they would be tough to wreck, and not too spendy at like fifty bucks. Another turkey hunting friend of mine swears by those pro series sights.

Fiber optic sights, it's amazing how military technology and scientific discovery change the outdoor product landscape. Who woulda thunk it?

Good luck this spring.

[HateHumminbird]

Was also going to mention my preference for a "finer" front post. I trashed the first fiber optic site I had in favor of the tru-glo, as it didn't cover up the front half of the turkey at 40 yards. Something to consider.

Joel