I posted in the optics section, but thought I'd get some "duck hunter" advise/opinions... does anyone use sights like an EOTECH (or similar) on their bird gun? Does it help in the distant shots? I know the benefits of a sight system for close quarters, just wondering if they would benefit in hunting.

I'll repost this here as well.

That is going to be a personal preference and personal practice kind of decision.

Good shotgun shooters will tell you that you should not "aim" in the traditional sense anyway. Your eyes should be on the target, and your shotgun should fit you so well that it naturally points where you are looking when you are on the gun in good form.

Nevertheless, a lot of people still "aim" a shotgun like a rifle. If you were going to practice practice practice practice practice (yes I meant to put all those practices in there), then you might be able to make the red dot style sight work for you. Most shooters who have never shot a shotgun with that style of sight would probably feel like fish out of water.

One should practice shooting a shotgun to become a proficient wing shot. Just like one must practice aiming a rifle to become an accurate shooter or even a sharp shooter.

Thou shalt not put sights on a fowling piece.

Blasphemy....really it is....

"Thou shalt not put sights on a fowling piece." pretty sure that's in the bible somewhere!!!

Let the birds get closer.

I hunt with a guy that uses a Burris (sp?) Speed Bead. He's into tactical type stuff, black rifles, etc, so I assumed it was a manifestation of his tactical fetishes when he showed up at a dove hunt with the sight on his shotgun. All I know is he's now become a damn good shot with it on his shotgun, which if I remember correctly, is a Mossberg SA. Dove, ducks, clays, if it's flying through the air, he hits it.

In concept, a red dot should be a game changer with a shotgun. You don't have to mount the gun consistently as long as the dot is where it needs to be. But then again, shooting your shotgun often in practice will basically accomplish the same thing.

If you want a real, quantifiable improvement in hitting targets, sporting clays will do it. Optic or not.

I tried a SpeedBead for my right-hand, left eye dominant 14 yr old on his Maxus for Duck hunting. I thought the above, in reality it was more of a hinderance than a help (as folks here on THF told me it would be) and pulled it off.

Make you a good deal on it.

Charlie

Id break one the first time out. I grew up shooting with a bead or no bead at all. Shot one with an eotec and it would be awesome for slug, buckshot, turkey hunting something like that... I couldn't hit a clay to save my life

Big differance in trying to hit a moving target and a still target. Still target your eyes can go back and forth, looking at bead, then looking at target, and make them align, etc.. Moving target can't do that, takes too long for your eyes to focus on the target. Once your eyes get focused on target, it's like missel lock. Take your eyes off the bird to look at the bead, you are now out of missel lock, out of focus, and pull the trigger with bird out of focus you are sure to miss, and to get your eyes back focused on bird probably too late, and bird is out of range.

I take my bead off

And the older you get, the longer it takes. Young guns can get away with bad habbits, but one day it will catch up to you, and you will not be able to hit anything. I had to completely learn how to shoot again at age 45.

No- of gun fits, both eyes open- proper gun mount- fundamentals and understanding of matching speed of bird and pulling thru ( most crossers) you will be fine.

Beads and looking at your barrel will cause you to stop swinging gun. You should not see barrel at all- or maybe a blur -.when you are acquiring game

You want to see barrel, but in your peripheral vission. Your eyes are not focused on berral.

head on the stock, eyes on the rock. a lot of folks have issues staying down over the barrel, so a 2-bead system works- or a three dot will also work. I put a front and rear Truglo gobblestopper on one of my guns to keep me down over the rib, and I have been smoking birds- but I also do good with my single bead when I remind myself to slow down and mount the gun properly.

Sight broke off my gun and I don't even know when it happened, I never look at the sight.

Go to Elm Fork, and the beads have been removed from all their range guns. They removed them because they are a distraction when teaching someone how to shoot.

There's a big difference between a bead and a red dot. The bead is on the barrel and to look at it, you have to adjust your focus away from the target, which we all know is no bueno. The red dot is superimposed in your view so you can focus on the target and still have the red dot in view. Most people that knock red dots on shotguns have never tried a shotgun with a red dot. I have an RMR on my VersaMax Tactical and it's one of my favorite pig guns with slugs or 00 buck. It'll shoot a 3in group at 100yds with rifled slugs. And wouldn't you know it, the darn thing still works well on pigs on the run.

Would I ever shoot birds with it? Probably not. But I've shot sporting clays with it and didn't do too badly. It's a different process altogether. I wouldn't say it's better, but it's not worse. It's just different.

First thing you should do is pattern your shotgun, once you know it shoots straight. Both eyes open and point should be how it's done. Even when I water swat I'm just pointing.