Shotgun optic..Yes or no?

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Garage161

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Got a Benelli M2 inbound as we speak. Already shoot with a 590A1 with ghost ring sights which I find pretty good to use effectively for everything from pop cans at 10 feet with birdshot to slugs at 100 meters.
My questions are;
Would I be making an improvement putting an optic on my M2 compared to the ghost ring sights on my 590?
Are optics like a dot or holo sight worth putting on a shotgun ?
Who has one and what’s your experience , good or bad, with them ?
Brands , price ranges , options etc to consider ?
 
Okay. Mine is a pipsqueek compared to yours but I have an M6 CZ scout in 22/410. A Burris Fastfire first version with 3 MOA dot. Shooting in low light conditions significantly improved. Three MOA should be fine out to 100 only, but dependant on target size mostly. If I were you I would purchase the second or third generation of Burris Fastfire because when my battery dies I have to dismount the optic to swap out the battery. Mind you it's been almost two years and I have yet to expend this first battery.

I hunt in the boreal forest so it's ideal for a red dot optic and btw you never have parallax error with these red dots. See the dot, then pull the trigger.

I really like having a lens cover just for cleaning alone to prevent solvent getting on your lens surface.

IMHO, red dots are a lick faster getting onto target because you only deal with one visual plane versus two with iron sights.
 
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Brutus said:
Okay. Mine is a pipsqueek compared to yours but I have an M6 CZ scout in 22/410. A Burris Fastfire first version with 3 MOA dot. Shooting in low light conditions significantly improved. Three MOA should be fine out to 100 only, but dependant on target size mostly. If I were you I would purchase the second or third generation of Burris Fastfire because when my battery dies I have to dismount the optic to swap out the battery. Mind you it's been almost two years and I have yet to expend this first battery.

I hunt in the boreal forest so it's ideal for a red dot optic and btw you never have parallax error with these red dots. See the dot, then pull the trigger.

I really like having a lens cover just for cleaning alone to prevent solvent getting on your lens surface.

IMHO, red dots are a lick faster getting onto target because you only deal with one visual plane versus two with iron sights.
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Awesome thanks for the info !
 
Red dots and shotguns are great, I’ve had a trs25 on a couple different 12g’s over their last few years and it works well for slugs and shot when patterned and dialed in for your preferred point of impact. I dropped a bunch of grouse last season with #7.5 birdshot and a 14” mag fed grizzly lol.
 
I find electro-optical sights faster than ghost rings but no faster than a bead or a rifle sights on a shotgun, at least in good lighting.
 
0faustus0 said:
I have a red dot on a smoothbore cantilever 12ga barrel .... it is a Vortex SPARC II with a 2 MOA dot.

And I can't shoot that setup more accurately than my ghost rings ... so for me ... ghost rings it is!
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That’s what I’m thinking too , I’m going to run the Benelli for a bit with the ghost ring before looking at more $ on an optic. If I reckon I could shoot better or faster with one I’ll try one out. Maybe for slugs it would help at longer range. I find the ghost ring on my 590 not the best at longer range but I really don’t shoot slugs at anything other than paper or steel so no real need to be acly to hit a small point of aim at long distance with the shotgun.
 
For me the 2 main reasons for RDO on my SG, faster target aquirement, and better distant target engagement. Just.02.
 
I keep trying optics on my shotguns and I keep taking them off. Eotech, aimpoint micro, trijicon rmr, etc. I could see using one for deer in a shotgun only area. I also prefer a red dot on my bullpup 12g, but the alternative is AR15 style sights.
 
Its nice for slug use. Especially when trying shoot a small cowboy target 75 yards away with just a front sight bead, or coarse ghost ring sights.
 
I put an Aimpoint H2 on one of my SBE2's this spring for turkey hunting. I patterned my loads and centered the dot up. Now I'm confident I'm getting the most pellets on target, especially if I have a bird hangup on the outer effective range.
That said I will be taking it off once turkey season is over, and "using" (ignoring) the bead for wingshooting.
Might make an appearance next winter for coyote hunting though.
 
Butcherbill said:
There are benefits to using a red dot on a shotgun, not everyone uses a shotgun the same way.
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If you aim a shotgun like a rifle, then I guess you need rifle sights. But it's a shotgun.

I guess I feel strongly about this, but I know so many guys who failed at and lost interest in wingshooting because they were only trained (or self taught) on a rifle and shot their guns that way.
 
870P said:
You never have to use a shotgun in poor lighting conditions?
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My first reply to this disappeared?

Anyway, as discussed just yesterday on the sporting shotguns sub forum, I have a nice permanently mounted Eotech light on an 870 just for that. In a pinch, a regular light and hockey tape or string or whatever will do.

Edit: I see that 'lights' thread has now been moved here to the black and green forum.
 
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