Side saddle and RDS setup for field shotgun

[Imrickjames]

Recently bought myself a blue line pump 12 gauge with 28” barrel. Threw a cheap rds on it by installing a 4 shell side saddle and pic rail mount. I want to use this shotgun for a bunch of uses: slug shooting at the range, clays (I’ll use the bead for that, not the rds), and eventually turkey and deer hunting. Should I keep the rds and side saddle on or is this only for tactical setups?

 

[sillymike]

Well, you can do whatever you want... We're still (until proven otherwise) a somewhat free country.
- Personally, when hunting (mostly) or blasting clays (occasionally), I don't like to have stuff hanging on the shotgun... To me, it affect the balance/swing... and to knock those birds, I need all the help I can get.

And while I'll usually have loose rounds in my vest pockets (or in a ammo belt), I did sew (no velcro) a 4 shots cards on my hunting vest

 

[Imrickjames]

Well, you can do whatever you want... We're still (until proven otherwise) a somewhat free country.
- Personally, when hunting (mostly) or blasting clays (occasionally), I don't like to have stuff hanging on the shotgun... To me, it affect the balance/swing... and to knock those birds, I need all the help I can get.

And while I'll usually have loose rounds in my vest pockets (or in a ammo belt), I did sew (no velcro) a 4 shots cards on my hunting vest

Ohh adding a shot card to a vest is a great idea!

 

[Grove]

Ohh adding a shot card to a vest is a great idea!

The 7 round shotgun cards are excellent and they fit directly into AR15 magazine pouches or stick to your vehicles headliner/ect.

You can choose which card/load to place on your firearm at a moment’s notice, very useful with the only downside being the velcro noise when removing them.

I run them on my Ultima Patrol and have zero complaints compared to using side saddles on other firearms in the past.

 

[brybenn]

I prefer hard fixed saddles. ATI or tacstar work fine. Depending on the red dot set up its fine to leave on. Its not overly hard to hit flying targets with a dot

 

[Parts Only Canada]

Recently bought myself a blue line pump 12 gauge with 28” barrel. Threw a cheap rds on it by installing a 4 shell side saddle and pic rail mount. I want to use this shotgun for a bunch of uses: slug shooting at the range, clays (I’ll use the bead for that, not the rds), and eventually turkey and deer hunting. Should I keep the rds and side saddle on or is this only for tactical setups?

The short answer is, for general all-purpose use, I would suggest keeping a RDS, but with a sturdy mount (holding zero properly is way more important for slug hunting), and having the side saddle be easily removable. You'll find various situations where you want it, and others where you don't need the extra bulk/weight. It's really nice to be able to take it on or off with a strong tug rather than fiddling around. I don't know what optic you have but for 12ga and especially since you will be hunting, I would highly recommend a decent quality RDS rather than a cheap amazon one.

Now for the fuller more product-specific answer...

We sell a number of accessories that could fit your needs. We have something so that the component that needs to be regularly removed (side saddle) is super quick and easy to do so, the optic has a solid base it's mounted to since you mentioned slug/deer gun use, and additional magazine capacity for shooting clays, and so on.


Made in Canada out of Mil Spec materials - Removable shell carrier in 4-7 round capacity (you choose):
https://partsonly.ca/product/dsc-detachable-shotshell-carrier-strip/


And (as long as your Blue Line is compatible with Rem 870 rails) this is a more solid way to mount your optic. Also made in Canada:
https://partsonly.ca/?s=remington+870+optic+rail&post_type=product


Additional magazine capacity for clay/target/fun days. Also made in Canada:
https://partsonly.ca/product/blue-line-pump-1-magazine-extension/


The optic can stay on for all uses as long as you are comfortable with it! I don’t know what RDS you have currently but if you want something that will reliably handle 12ga loads and you can count on to take general “real world” abuse, HOLOSUN is a great option that won’t break the bank. Have run them for many years personally. And we also sell their line of various RDS on our website. Personally I like pistol sized optics as the optic frames are usually pretty unobtrusive and the overall package is more compact/snag-free than a rifle size sight, but your mileage may vary.


We ship free over $250 in Canada (with a few exceptions to very remote locations).

If you want a bundle with everything, we can get you a quote that you will probably be happy with. Send a PM over.