To red dot or not?

[kokoji04]

Got a Benelli SBE3 for Christmas. I want to know common it is to bird hunt with red dots? I know, do what you want, but just curious. I like the idea of shooting both eyes open and not having to worry as much about lining up. I’m assuming the parallax free dot placement should allow for quick shots?

 

[Axlrod]

I shoot both eyes open. No red dot, dont know anyone that shoots one on a shotgun.

 

[Irish Miner]

I have a couple red dots on my turkey rigs. One being a Benelli Super Vinci. I shot a swan with it and it worked fine. Had plenty of time to aim leading up to the shot.

For upland or waterfowl (ducks) in general, I prefer no red dot. Easier without one and both eyes open for follow up/multiple shots in my opinion.

 

[RockAndSage]

Dots are fine for things like turkey or even deer, especially where you want a tighter pattern over longer distances. But with wing shooting, or even shooting fast-moving targets like a sprinting rabbit, they're a crutch at best, and an hinderance at worst. Perhaps in some situations they can help if a shotgun is particularly bad-fitting for your body. But a well-fitted shotgun should have your eye centered along the rib, left-right and up-down - so that when you're looking at your target, and staying focused on your target, the bore is lined up with your target.

 

[Macintosh]

Nope. Anything in the way of using your binocular vision is a problem for wingshooting. Turkeys, yes. Deer, yes. Squirrels, sure. Moving targets, NO.

 

[Rolando]

Absolutely zero people shoot registered clay bird targets with a red dot. It’s a bad idea for flying targets. You should still shoot with both eyes open without looking at the gun/bead.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[43.6N]

I’ve got a dot on an 18” beretta 1301.
I’ve been making a point to take it out clay shooting for practice the last 6 months.

It’s doable, but certainly a learning curve. I shoot both eyes open, and hard target focus on both red dots and bead sights.
My father actually prefers it. He always asks if I’ve brought the beretta whenever we shoot together. But his near sight accommodation is long gone. So he prefers having the dot on the same focal plane as the target.

While my hit rates on fast crossing shots has stayed the same after my learning curve. My dad is much much more consistent with the red dot shotgun.

 

[kokoji04]

I’ve got a dot on an 18” beretta 1301.
I’ve been making a point to take it out clay shooting for practice the last 6 months.

It’s doable, but certainly a learning curve. I shoot both eyes open, and hard target focus on both red dots and bead sights.
My father actually prefers it. He always asks if I’ve brought the beretta whenever we shoot together. But his near sight accommodation is long gone. So he prefers having the dot on the same focal plane as the target.

While my hit rates on fast crossing shots has stayed the same after my learning curve. My dad is much much more consistent with the red dot shotgun.

For funzees I’ve shot clay with a red dot and it’s quite fun. In a way cheating because for my experience, as long as the dots on it hits. When leading it provides me with more consistency. Call it a reference point to lead/distance the clay. It’s pretty fun for me.

 

[Macintosh]

Its actually a handicap. The dot leads to aiming, which prevents your natural eye-hand coordination from working properly. “Measuring” is a form of aiming. Its the reason competitive shotgun shooters dont use a dot in any wingshooting format. It can be done, especially in a repetitive format like Skeet where you know exactly where each bird will go, but it is a liability for any novel target presentation.

 

[ianpadron]

Never will.

Are guys really shooting shotguns with one eye closed?

 

[ianpadron]

For funzees I’ve shot clay with a red dot and it’s quite fun. In a way cheating because for my experience, as long as the dots on it hits. When leading it provides me with more consistency. Call it a reference point to lead/distance the clay. It’s pretty fun for me

If upland game birds were predictable you might be onto something.

Half the challenge of shotgunning/wingshooting is learning to lead/swing/etc on various birds and shot angles/distances on demand.

 

[solar477]

SIG Romeo 4H is what I run on my 1301 competition. I took it dove hunting and limited out pretty easily.

 

[kokoji04]

Never will.

Are guys really shooting shotguns with one eye closed?

I think for some of us, it just seems like the right thing to do. It’s not until some explains why it’s dumb or not as advantageous that you try something different. I had to fight closing one eye for a while to really get used to it. It’s definitely one of those things that doesn’t make any sense if you’ve always started out shooting with both eyes open.

 

[kokoji04]

SIG Romeo 4H is what I run on my 1301 competition. I took it dove hunting and limited out pretty easily.
View attachment 1002491

That’s awesome. I think for some of us guys who are just doing it for fun, this is pretty cool. I’m not trying to win an award, I’m just trying to enjoy the my time out. Beautiful gun.

I tagged a turkey last season with my M4 with a Acro P2.

 

[solar477]

That’s awesome. I think for some of us guys who are just doing it for fun, this is pretty cool. I’m not trying to win an award, I’m just trying to enjoy the my time out. Beautiful gun.

I tagged a turkey last season with my M4 with a Acro P2.

That's a nice pic.

 

[Speaks]

If you mean for wing shooting you should not be "aiming" anyway.

 

[ianpadron]

I think for some of us, it just seems like the right thing to do. It’s not until some explains why it’s dumb or not as advantageous that you try something different. I had to fight closing one eye for a while to really get used to it. It’s definitely one of those things that doesn’t make any sense if you’ve always started out shooting with both eyes open.

No, shotgunning is undeniably more effective when you are actually using your mind's full ability of depth perception, tracking, etc. Closing one eye makes zero sense

 

[Fred@Exterra]

We tried it extensively about ten years ago… to the point of machining receivers down to get the dot as natural as possible. We did a bunch of testing on skeet and 5-stand. Across the board everyone that tried it shot the dot well AT FIRST… then we all lost our ability to shoot & ended up shooting way worse. These are accomplished M class sporting clay shooters.

Something about the dot gives the shotgun equivalent of target panic.

Love a dot on my turkey gun & barnyard commando shotgun. For wing shooting, it does not seem to work.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Kurts86]

I have messed around with red dots on a shotgun with clays and certain target presentations work well like a springing teal or some going away shots. It really melts down with crossing shots for me. It’s not there yet generally.

I am 100% dots for turkey hunting.

I do think it’s possible at some point red dots will find a home in clays shooting. Look how fast handgun red dots went from a range toy to standard equipment. I think there are mounting fit issues that are getting better and I also just think there is a tremendous resistance to the idea in the hardcore shotgun community that has held exploration of the idea up.

 

[kokoji04]

That's a nice pic.

Thanks. I had to sneak the MKC in there.