Another turkey set up question

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LE303

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Ok I,m going to use my cammo mossberg 500 w 26 0r 28 inch barrel on my first , since approx 1982 ish ?? turkey hunt
I have three different 3 inch ammo,s chosen , I,m going to pattern at 20 , 40 and 60 .
So far my area looks like 30 to 50 yard range
I,m going to try the factory chokes and a fluted choke that seems to work good w 500 and ammo I,m using ( on you tube anyways )
My question is red dots , Being that a red dot will be for this hunt set up only .
I want to know what lower priced units would be good for me . Is there anything under the 300 mark thats good . I,m 61 with slightly different astigmatism in each eye
Please in advance note that I,m just asking about lower rent red dots . I have talked to some other guys w astigmatism,s and they hated red dots . So I just wanna try a cheaper one , but something that works well for others , in case I cant use this type of sight . Then I didnt go out and waste 500 - 700 bucks
 
I have a reddot that I've used on my various turkey guns and even my 4570 double rifle so it holds up well to abuse. It's branded as a Walter and it came on a Walther nighthawk pellet pistol. I have a bad astigmatism and the dot is crystal clear for me. It's a big dot which sucks for precision shooting but it's great for turkey and flying targets. I'm sure it's not an expensive unit as the entire nighthawk pistol package was only $499. Not sure where to find one but if I were to search for a new simple durable cheap reddot that would be my first choice.
2nd to that I've heard great things about swamp fox optics. They offer 2 reddot models. I haven't personally used them but I'm interested in trying them if I do a turkey setup in a 20ga
 
Honestly, if you are doing a morning hunt, it will be cold, and your optic will be fogged up, I have always hunted with a 12Ga , point for the head, shoot, hard to miss at 50yds.

make sure to grab him quick, otherwise, they may get up, run and fly away (usually hit in torso, not head) . Seen that a few times, had to take a second shot.

It's fun, it would suck to rely on a red dot, and when it's time to shoot, could ruin the shot.

Good luck and be safe out there.
 
LE303:
I've had some experience with the Bushnell Trophy sight too. Worked well. Though since, I found that a good, low-power variable scope..ie: 1-4, 2-7, 3-9, etc. is more versatile, over a red dot. My current dedicated turkey gun(Remington 870). wears a 2-7 Redfield variable, on a cantilever mount. I prefer this set up over a naked bead, too. As the extra magnification makes it easy to spot birds several hundred meters away. Then, reduce magnification for precise, close-in shots. Pick whatever works best for you.

ps: In my experience: No need to pattern your gun beyond 40 yards. Too much room for error. Especially, if attempting shots beyond that. Something which is unnecessary,.. in my opinion. As long as the hunter does their job. As for choke/ammo selection, go for the combination that delivers the best center-weighted pattern, at those ranges you expect to take birds. You may also find that 2 3/4" shells will answer the need for most hunting scenarios.
 
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Alex McKr said:
LE303:
I've had some experience with the Bushnell Trophy sight too. Worked well. Though since, I found that a good, low-power variable scope..ie: 1-4, 2-7, 3-9, etc. is more versatile, over a red dot. My current dedicated turkey gun(Remington 870). wears a 2-7 Redfield variable, on a cantilever mount. I prefer this set up over a naked bead, too. As the extra magnification makes it easy to spot birds several hundred meters away. Then, reduce magnification for precise, close-in shots. Pick whatever works best for you.

ps: In my experience: No need to pattern your gun beyond 40 yards. Too much room for error. Especially, if attempting shots beyond that. Something which is unnecessary,.. in my opinion. As long as the hunter does their job. As for choke/ammo selection, go for the combination that delivers the best center-weighted pattern, at those ranges you expect to take birds. You may also find that 2 3/4" shells will answer the need for most hunting scenarios.
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If theres turkeys several hundred metres away and your using a scope on a firearm to watch them?? Thats what binos are for!! Howd you like to be out deer hunting and someones looking at you thru their riflescope at several hundred metres. To the OP the most important thing is to pattern your gun with your chokes and your ammo. One shots just a guideline. Really need to fire five to see consistency. Dont think what you see on youtube is anything to go bye. Guns are like fingerprints and no two are exactly alike. What works in your gun will not perform the same in another gun of the exact same model! If you have astigmatism I suggest buying a larger dot and turning it down. This will reduce the flare and also can be used as a range estimator on your turkeys. As far as it being fogged on a cold morning, thats BS, warm lenses coming from your house or camp are not going to fog going from warm to cold but bring a cold optic into a warm enviroment from the cold, and its instant foggy. I guided turkeys for many years and still take new hunters or those that have never harvested a bird out, but I dont guide any longer. If your in the south eastern Ontario area send me a pm and ill get you the opportunity to harvest a mature Tom. Best of luck this season. Cheers Chris
 
color of red dot can be worse than another, I find green far less starbursty, brightness plays a big factor also, manual control on brightness would be a must, I like holosun gear, not cheap though, the mrs reticle you can choose between 32 moa circle, 2 moa dot, or both at the same time...they do have some closed emitter models now that shouldn't be fogging up (ie; front and rear lenses...they look like little squares), go play with some at a gun shop if you can, otherwise if you pick a popular holosun to try you should be able to do alright on a re-sell if doesn't work for you, but even a 2 moa starbursty dot is very useful on a shotgun, guys like 6 moa dots so...that's sort of what it would be like, you can try a rib mount way out on the barrel also as compared to close to the eye if you really think astigmatism is going to be a problem?
 
Longstud said:
If theres turkeys several hundred metres away and your using a scope on a firearm to watch them?? Thats what binos are for!!
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No doubt! Scopes on guns are NOT for glassing up stuff!

I have a vortex crossfire red dot on my SKS that I quite like, but honestly I don't think its much better than the bushnell TRS25 my buddy has. They are very similar overall, only real difference is a 2moa dot on the Crossfire vs 3moa dot on the bushnell, but the bushnell can be had on sale pretty regularly for a much better price. For that reason alone I would lean towards the bushnell, I only got the crossfire because I got it from one of those Prophet River Vortex clearance sales and thus very affordable.
 
I ran a burris fastfire 2 on my turkey getter in the past and it worked really well for me. I then tried a scope and could not see myself ever switching back. If you're set on a red dot, I'd recommend staying with the reflex style. Vortex venom and viper are other options.dot size is something to consider. Venom comes in 3 or 6 moa, viper only comes in 6 moa I believe.
 
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