Speed Bead type sight

[Gen273]

Has anyone ever used a speed bead type sight for wing shooting? If so, what are your thoughts on the pros and cons?

I am simply pondering what that type of sight would be like in a wing shooting situation.

 

[Fowl Play]

I have played around with this a little. Not with a speed bead exactly but general red dots. A red dot sitting on a rail is too high and I cannot see the dot using my typical wing shooting cheek weld. But… my new turkey gun, Mossberg 940 turkey pro actually has a machined riser for an optic that allows it to sit very low. I can clearly see the dot from my wing shooting weld. I recently shot a round of sporting clays with it for fun and I was surprised. Quick pass shooting I honestly think I just reverted to instinctual wing shooting, but shots where I had time to “aim” it was very easy to with the dot. And crushed the clays every time. Have been debating on getting a longer barrel for it so it feels better when swinging and trying it out some more.

 

[Gen273]

Fowl Play,

Thank you for sharing your experiences; that was what I was looking for.

The speed bead interests me because it mounts between the stock and receiver, so it seems to set more in line with the rib.

 

[Gen273]

No one else has tried a dot-type sight for wing shooting?

 

[Crittergitter]

I have a speed bead but never tried to wing shoot with it!

 

[StupidLightweight]

I've used the SpeedBead as well as Aimpoint's offerings for aerial targets. They do work. Are they better than a straight bead? Not likely, but they can work for some. I don't mid them.

 

[Rotnguns]

I just ordered a speed bead for my SBE ii. Will give it a try next week.

 

[Rotnguns]

I just learned something from a customer service rep at Burris. The speed bead mount won't fit the latest Benelli M2 models with new stocks.

To quote from the email they sent me: "That wouldn't fit the newer M2's they are pretty time/model specific. As a good alternative we recommend taking a look at our new SpeedBead Vent Rib Mount. "

Valuable information, because many of the product descriptions, such as those found on Amazon, indicate that the mounts will fit M2s. The rib mount seems like a good idea, but I was thinking about using my M2 tactical for chukar hunting because it's about half a pound lighter than my SBE ii. Alas, no rib on the M2 tactical so out of luck.

 

[Duckhunterbrad]

I used a similar version of the speed bead and absolutely despised it. You will develop very poor shooting form over time if you continue to use a red dot for wing shooting.

 

[Macintosh]

My first reaction was this is a terrible idea, because as soon as you put any focus on ANYTHING other than the target, you will usually miss. Your eye can only focus on one thing, and as soon as your eye focuses on anything else (like a bead or a sight) it disrupts your natural eye-hand coordination. This is why people tell you never to aim a shotgun at a moving target. You can learn to “aim” like this to hit predictable targets like on a skeet or trap range, and it might be an asset for folks with an eye-dominance problem who need to close an eye otherwise, but in general any kind of aiming—even a shotgun bead—will prevent you from being a good wingshooter. That said, I was curious and went looking, as I know holographic sights are a bit different. It seems there is at least 1 reasonably well known shooter using them, although I found several statements about him using the dot as part of dealing with vision problems like cross eye dominance or shifting eye dominance or something along those lines. Hard to tell what the real story is, as all of the info I found was related to paid/sponsored shooters or marketing hype.
Personally, I think the most telling thing is that in competitive circles really no one is using them. If they were helpful for most people, more people would be using them. Until I hear a known-good shooting coach who addresses target focus in an explanation of why this is an asset, either in general or for specific cases, Id personally avoid it.

 

[Rotnguns]

My first reaction was this is a terrible idea, because as soon as you put any focus on ANYTHING other than the target, you will usually miss. Your eye can only focus on one thing, and as soon as your eye focuses on anything else (like a bead or a sight) it disrupts your natural eye-hand coordination. This is why people tell you never to aim a shotgun at a moving target. You can learn to “aim” like this to hit predictable targets like on a skeet or trap range, and it might be an asset for folks with an eye-dominance problem who need to close an eye otherwise, but in general any kind of aiming—even a shotgun bead—will prevent you from being a good wingshooter. That said, I was curious and went looking, as I know holographic sights are a bit different. It seems there is at least 1 reasonably well known shooter using them, although I found several statements about him using the dot as part of dealing with vision problems like cross eye dominance or shifting eye dominance or something along those lines. Hard to tell what the real story is, as all of the info I found was related to paid/sponsored shooters or marketing hype.
Personally, I think the most telling thing is that in competitive circles really no one is using them. If they were helpful for most people, more people would be using them. Until I hear a known-good shooting coach who addresses target focus in an explanation of why this is an asset, either in general or for specific cases, Id personally avoid it.

Thanks for this informative reply. You make great points. I've always used a traditional bead, but at 69 years old, I find that I have trouble quickly acquiring a small bead, even a fiber front sight doesn't help much. It's worse when visibility is reduced. I use a red dot on my bullseye pistol with good results so I thought I'd give this a try.

 

[Loper]

I have played around with this a little. Not with a speed bead exactly but general red dots. A red dot sitting on a rail is too high and I cannot see the dot using my typical wing shooting cheek weld. But… my new turkey gun, Mossberg 940 turkey pro actually has a machined riser for an optic that allows it to sit very low. I can clearly see the dot from my wing shooting weld. I recently shot a round of sporting clays with it for fun and I was surprised. Quick pass shooting I honestly think I just reverted to instinctual wing shooting, but shots where I had time to “aim” it was very easy to with the dot. And crushed the clays every time. Have been debating on getting a longer barrel for it so it feels better when swinging and trying it out some more.

The Mossberg 940 Turkey sounds like the way to go. The more forward position of the red dot and low profile cutout seems ideal for anyone using a red dot. I’ve actually been thinking a lot about this shotgun as it also seems ideal for a suppressor with its short barrrel. I imagine if the shotgun is suppressed it may not have a flat plane for a bead so perhaps a red dot could be useful in wing shooting.

 

[Macintosh]

Thanks for this informative reply. You make great points. I've always used a traditional bead, but at 69 years old, I find that I have trouble quickly acquiring a small bead, even a fiber front sight doesn't help much. It's worse when visibility is reduced. I use a red dot on my bullseye pistol with good results so I thought I'd give this a try.

If I understand what you are saying correctly, thats part of the problem. You should not be “aquiring” the bead on a shotgun, thats aiming. You should have a 100% hard focus on the target, bring the gun to your cheek and shoulder simultaneously without losing your target-focus. A gun that fits you shoots where you look, regardless of bead/fiber optic/no-bead, etc—if you check the bead, you have lost your target focus, which is far more likely to cause a miss than it is to help your shooting. Short of uber-competitive target games, you can shoot just as well without any bead. If you habitually check the bead, you might actually be better off removing it altogether.

If anything is age-related its your ability to focus on the target. If you are inclined, take a lesson from a good NSCA-certified instructor, they can show you some tricks to help “high mileage” eyes hold and keep a good target focus better.

 

[rookieforever33]

I left my red dot on my shotgun after turkey season to try some wingshooting with it. It is definitely slower but very accurate if you are patient. I was usually taking 1-2 shots when the other guys were unloading. The good thing is the ones I shot at came down. I took it off for a high volume snow goose hunt and have not put it back on. If you want to try it, go for it. Its not like you are gonna ruin your gun trying it out.

 

[Choupique]

I don't even like fiber optic shotgun beads. Red dot seems like it'd be awful for birds. I like a plain barrel, no rib and plain bead best.