Why do some shotguns have 2 beads?

blazerman

blazerman

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I saw a shotgun with 2 beads the other day. the 2nd one was smaller and about halfway down the barrel. What is it's purpose? Should I put one on my shotgun?

Thanks for your help
 
A second bead is good for lining up the barrel. Imagine how a pistol or rifle would work with just a front sight. The second bead is like a rear sight. (Since shotguns don't need pin point accuracy)
 
The rear sight of a shotgun is your eye, which is the reason that shotgun fit is so important. The mid rib bead provides a means of verifying that your eye is lined up with the axis of the barrel. It is not really useful except in games which allow a pre mounted gun.

Sharptail
 
Agreed, most usefull in pre mounted gun sports such as trap and skeet. However, I still get some assistance from that center bead in Sporting Clays starting from gun down.
I use the center bead to make a compressed figure 8 with the front bead and that is my sight picture when shooting. Beads lined up = barrrel lined up + a little practice = target dust .....
 
I've got guns with twin beads and guns without and would never add one to a gun. The only time I've ever felt them the slightest bit useful is when I pick up a gun I've never fired before and can get some idea of how the gun fits.

When I'm shooting my eyes are on the target. I'm aware of the barrel position in my peripheral vision but never look back at the bead(s) when the target is in the air.
 
Sharptail said:
The rear sight of a shotgun is your eye, which is the reason that shotgun fit is so important. Sharptail
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Fully concur........IMHO, shotgunning is mostly reflex action (built in practise/experience) and "aiming" is more a subconscious act.

As further stated by Beretta Boy - even the front bead can be superfluous although (unlike rifles with clean lines) it would take away the completeness of the beauty of the firearm if absent :)
 
Claybuster said:
I've got guns with twin beads and guns without and would never add one to a gun. The only time I've ever felt them the slightest bit useful is when I pick up a gun I've never fired before and can get some idea of how the gun fits.

When I'm shooting my eyes are on the target. I'm aware of the barrel position in my peripheral vision but never look back at the bead(s) when the target is in the air.
Click to expand...


Ahsan Ahmed said:
As further stated by Beretta Boy - even the front bead can be superfluous although (unlike rifles with clean lines) it would take away the completeness of the beauty of the firearm if absent.
Click to expand...

You guys nailed it. Aiming a shotgun like a rifle or focussing on the bead is more detrimental than beneficial.

My very first shotgun as a teenager (don't ask how long ago that was!) was a single shot 16 ga. Cooey. When I bought it, the bead was missing. Despite being a single shot and having no bead, I brought back just as many birds as everybody else at the end of the day. At one point, I came to the conclusion that my shooting would improve if the gun had a proper bead. Just the opposite happened. The bead was distracting (even more so because I was used to not seeing it in the sight picture). I had to get rid of it (the bead, not the Cooey).

In the intervening decades (oops, the cat's out of the bag), I've purchased pumps, autos, SXS's, O/U's - you name it. Some with beads, some without. Some with ribs, some with a plain barrel. None of them have made a lick of difference in my shooting. One thing that has made a BIG difference - my shooting suffers everytime I start overthinking and leaning towards "aiming" rather than "pointing".

I can't remember the exact quote, but Claybuster said it best in a previous post when he said something like "Its not the shotgun that makes the difference so much as the shooter".;)

SS
 
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There are some instances where a shotgun must be aimed rather than pointed : Turkeys and big game.

Some Turkey guns have 2 beads (e.g. Remington Express Turkey). Maybe not as accurate as rifle sights but good enough for the purpose.
 
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I like a double bead for shooting skeet. Wouldn't go without if I had a choice. Others like just one. A few I know go with none.

For me it is just one extra check to ensure you're mounted right.

Brad
 
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