Shotgun Sights

[zatch]

Question for you shotgun guys out there.

I have been shooting clays with a Benelli Nova Field Pump since last fall. My question pertains to the sights. Mine (and all that I have seen) has two sights - a front red sight, and a rear bead sight (halfway on the rib). I went to go shooting the other day and noticed that the rear sight was shifted to the right (of the front sight) a little.

I must have bumped it somehow. Finding a replacement wouldn't be a problem - however, my question to you guys is whether or not I should replace it at all. When I started shooting, I used a friends Browing Maxus quite a bit, as a well as a few other guns; all of which only had one front sight. However, every time I ask someone about just plain removing the rear sight, I receive a resounding "no!" (an employee at Gander Mountain went so far as to give me a 15-minute lecture on why removing the sight would be taboo).

I shoot much better with just one front sight. Would I be in the wrong for wanting to remove the rear sight? Should I just get it replaced and man up?

Any advice would be great (even to just point out my possibly bad logic )

Also, I almost solely shoot clays - If I do start hunting eventually, it would be for geese.

Thanks! :thumbup:

 

[eisman]

Shotgun sights (for other than slug guns) are rudimentary for a reason; you don't "aim" a shotgun; you point it. I have often found shooters do better with only one bead, as they are not subconsciously trying to line up the sights. If you do better with one bead why would you listen to someone telling you otherwise?

If you do have the bead removed, insure the guy who does the job fills the hole with a stud (and if he's really good he'll make the matting match the rest of the rib).

 

[lmeister]

you don't need any sights, just look at the target not the barrell, hose it down!

 

[zatch]

Shotgun sights (for other than slug guns) are rudimentary for a reason; you don't "aim" a shotgun; you point it. I have often found shooters do better with only one bead, as they are not subconsciously trying to line up the sights. If you do better with one bead why would you listen to someone telling you otherwise?

If you do have the bead removed, insure the guy who does the job fills the hole with a stud (and if he's really good he'll make the matting match the rest of the rib).

Most of the people I have talked to have been shooting longer than I have. However, I agree with everything you said. I will definitely look into getting the rear sight removed and filled in properly. I know it's not a huge deal since I should be focused on the target anyways - however, it would be one less thing to think about.

Lmeister, That is one of my goals this season - Worry less about the sights, and more on the target. Thanks!!

Thanks guys!

 

[Cougar Allen]

I shoot much better with just one front sight.

Is that a conclusion based on experiment???

You're not supposed to notice the mid sight. The idea is it disappears in the front sight (and of course you're not really supposed to notice that one either) unless you're not looking straight down the barrel. Then, after you miss, you remember seeing the mid sight and that can help you figure out what you're doing wrong.

If you're really shooting worse with it than without it you must be consciously paying attention to it -- so stop doing that!

 

[zatch]

Is that a conclusion based on experiment???

Based on many experiments.

It's more or less bad habits coming back to bite me. When I started shooting in general, I never touched a shotgun - Only pistols. When someone introduced shotguns (and shooting clay's) to me, I was trying to line up the front site with the target, adjust the back sight and then pull the trigger. It...kinda worked. I started shooting more with a shotgun having only one front bead and I was shooting much better (while also trying to track the target and not focus on the sights).

However, when I started shooting the Benelli, it's like my mind gets distracted. I'll be tracking a target with my eyes but get distracted when the gun is pulled up and I, more or less, notice the sights being off.

You're not supposed to notice the mid sight. The idea is it disappears in the front sight (and of course you're not really supposed to notice that one either) unless you're not looking straight down the barrel. Then, after you miss, you remember seeing the mid sight and that can help you figure out what you're doing wrong.

This is something I need to look into. So, upon missing a target, I should have a mental picture of whether or not the sights where aligned? Usually when I miss, I chalk it up to a bad mount. I will start paying attention to that more when I go out again.

If you're really shooting worse with it than without it you must be consciously paying attention to it -- so stop doing that!

I have proven on many occasions that I shoot much better with just a front bead rather than two. It seems to have nothing to do with brand or model, just my weirdness.

Thanks!

 

[Les Snyder]

your rear sight is really the cheek weld you have with the comb of the stock....for traditional shotgun games that mimmick bird hunting the mid rib bead when "stacked" to look like a figure "8" allows you to track beneath a clay bird for trap or skeet (shot column slightly above the line of sight)...it can be used as a visual reference to how much of the comb of the stock needs to be removed/added when you determine what the picture looks like when you start breaking birds....a typical field grade gun has a lot of fall to the stock, and under recoil (if you keep your head down) the stock recoils into your cheek bone and is very uncomfortable to shoot a couple hundred birds....if the cheek piece is correctly shaped, it falls away under recoil, and is a lot more comfortable to shoot... if you shoot the 3 gun game, then you shoot your shotgun more like a large caliber rifle, and tend to aim each shot (we had a 60 yd slug shot on a bobbing target at Ft Benning last year).... it is possible to miss with a shotgun.... to keep your head down... get two 2.0 fish hooks and about 2 ft of 30# mono fish line... tie a hook to each end... hook one through the cheek of your dominant eye, and the other through your scrotum....you won't lift your head... and if you think about the little ole man that described it to you when starting a shotgun stage you will break out with a smile, if not laugh out loud...