Can't decide on sights

[fadetoblack188]

I can't decide on the sights to put on my turkey shotgun . It's either mount my strikefire red dot sight . Or put the truglo stick on fiber optics ( like iron sights) sights. What do you guys use prefer? What should I go with?

[letinmfly]

I've had the Tru-Glo stick on sights on my gun for at least 8 years now and they work great. I prefer the this "iron sight" design for proper alignment and aiming.

[Lawdwaz]

What do you guys use prefer?

 

For a few years now I've been running with a high tech hunk of weed.  The front sight fell off my Benelli SBE while hunting and I stuffed a piece of weed in place.  Seems to work OK for me, I highly recommend the same............

 

[G-Man]

i like the red dot as where the dot is the bullet goes , comes in handy when shooting from opposite shoulder when turkey comes in from where u dont expect and you need to get the shot off

[TPhunter]

Red Dot...No question.

[josephmrtn]

I have the truglo stick-on.... works great for turkey.. DONT try shooting clays w em on tho you wont hit em!!! 

[WhitetailAddict11]

I hunted with a red dot for two years, as well as my father and we have both gone back to regular iron sights since. Red dots are for one a visibility nightmare because when close to your face you have to move your head quite a bit to see around them (no its not as simple as just looking through it because sometimes the bird is not directly in its line of sight without swinging your gun a bit), and turning the damn thing on and off all the time is more movement and more hassle. I thought to myself "no big deal, ill just turn it on when he get's closer", well plans dont usually go accordingly as any avid hunter knows. Another big thing is it's diffcult to 1.) shoot a moving bird because you're trying to keep the dot centered and the bird in a small frame of view, and 2.) it's damn near impossible to reach down and turn on your red dot then shoulder your gun and find the bird in the scope on a gobbler that you accidently walked up on that's in shooting range. I know im coming off very negative but take my word for it, red dot's look slicker than all hell, and make your turkey gun look bad as a mother trucker, but in the end a nice front and rear fiber optic is the turkey slaying combination. Hunt hard man!

[Early]

We used fibre optic sights that clamp on the rib for years and liked them. However, it got to be a real pain taking them off for hunting other game...then back on for turkeys. All the guys I hunt with have gone back to plain old bead sights...some two; most just a single bead. No misses so far...even with a couple of shots from the wrong side.

[G-Man]

You don't need to center a red dot, where the dot is is where the bullet goes there is no parallax as with a scope. The one I have has a battery life of 100 hr. Turn it on when bird responds and has a fine red dot with adjustable intensity. Usually power level 3 or.4 (of 10) Is more than enough for most time of day. My gun shoots way to tight of a pattern to us a bead.

[mike35mmnut]

I love my TruGlo Red/Green Dot.  It took a little bit to get it true but I have a bore sight and that worked great.  It is dead on at 30&40 Yrds now if I can only hold it steady I will be all set.  At least I will not be able to blame the shot gun.

[verminater71]

I use a 1.5-4X scope on mine

 

my gun shoots way to tight of a pattern, the scope is a must, plus comes in handy when shooting left handed

[Early]

Two of you stated, "My gun shoots way too tight of a pattern....."  Can one of you define that more precisely?  What is a "way too tight" pattern at, say, 25 yds.?

[G-Man]

my pattern at 20 yard is about 3 inches. easy to miss if your using a bead, pattern is 30 in circle at 50 yards. i try to take my fist bird at 40 yards. i then go to an old black powder shotgun that max range is 20 yards. i like to get em close but need one in the freezer first as they are so tasty..

[Early]

Why "easy to miss if you are using a bead"???  It is always easy to miss, regardless of sights used.  If you miss...whether with rifle sights...red dot...bead...whatever, you probably did something wrong...something that no sight could have prevented.  Turkeys were shot for years, with bead sights...plain old lead ammo...with no decoys or blinds.  Hmmmm....I wonder how???

[G-Man]

A bead. at 20 yards covers a whole turkey neck, , when patterns are tight (2 in or less) and target is smaller than your sight its east to miss (reason pins have become finer and finer on bows sights as well.) Yes beads work well when pattern is open to. 1 Ft or more at 20 Yards and your max range is 40. I use then on my muzzloader shotguns. But when shooting 50 or 65yards a bead will obscure the bird. Heck gun fighter pistols never even had sights, shoot enough and you can just points andsshoot. I do not use decoys or blinds or mouth calls. And have never missed with my red dot. But its easy to get in strange position and not get your head down on the stock when using open sights or a bead and missing.(the most common reason to miss using them is dropping the gun or looking over the sights to "see the Hit". Red dots with no magnification eliminate that.

[Early]

Sorry....can't agree with you. For me, turkey hunting is a traditional sport...part of our sporting heritage. Red dot sights just don't fit!

[verminater71]

Two of you stated, "My gun shoots way too tight of a pattern....."  Can one of you define that more precisely?  What is a "way too tight" pattern at, say, 25 yds.?

 

@ 25yards it puts a hole the size of a tennis ball,

 

a bead can cover the hole head, a scope helps be more precise

[mike35mmnut]

Sorry....can't agree with you. For me, turkey hunting is a traditional sport...part of our sporting heritage. Red dot sights just don't fit!

 

I can understand this and as much as I like my red dot I can see your point.  I do not come from a family or hunter since I married into it but tradition as a very important part.  Also I think the point can be made that skill and understand of the sport, land, turkeys, and hunting in general id the most important thing.

 

I my case the red dot on a purpose built turkey gun hopefully takes the firearm out of the things that can go wrong so I can focus on the many other more important things I still need to learn.

 

But your point is taken and I wish I had that tradition to fall back on

[G-Man]

Each his own, I use both, firdt bird goes to eat, then the fun starts, black powder shotgun, can't get more traditional than that. The point is if you have a modern gun made for extremely tight patterns a scope or red dot is the finishing part to it, if you want to take your old model. 12 Or ithica 37 A bead fits the gun...

[G-Man]

Same can be said for traditional bow vs compound vs crossbow, they are all tools some hold preference holding one over the other. That's the beauty you can pick and choose what you like same for gun, an old side by side, over under, pump, semi auto. Single shot, black powder, double barrel black powder . Let alone what guage you want to use.

[fadetoblack188]

Went red dot . Some camo tape and its ready to go

[G-Man]

Maybe some black Sharpe (magic marker ) on that bolt, super shiny in pic can't imagine the sun hitting that in the woods.....

[Early]

Birchwood Casey makes a flat black marker that will work...Just de-grease the bolt before using the marker

[fadetoblack188]

Then I would never be able to get that black off. I'd rather just drape some camo over when I'm sitting

[TeeBugg]

That black would come off eventually.