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Bit of a year in review. This idea has intrigued me as aimpoint came out with their S-1 sight. In the past I had used my Saiga 12 with a red dot but decided to really try it this year with something more traditional. I wanted a mount that would get the red dot relatively low on the gun. This one in a Scalarworks Sync for the Benelli M2 however a few companies make similar ones.
I think a closed emitter is key, as it keeps water out of the emitter and allows mud to be cleaned by just wiping it off as opposed to open emitters that need extra work.
I also like the bonus of the dot being similar to my rifle. I have an aimpoint on my AR and its very instinctive to pick up (though I run a high mount on it) something im already use to. And would be for anyone that has shot a red dot before.
The dot is no replacement for practice and good fundamentals, but I find it really helps when the gun isn't mounted consistently. Simply focus in the bird, let your hand eye coordination take over swinging the gun into place, and as the dot covers the bird pull the trigger. As long as the red dot is on the bird when the trigger is pulled you will hit it regardless of where the dot is inside the sight (parallax isn't really an issue inside the range waterfalling takes place)
Some have said in the past the ed dot obstructs their surroundings.
This may be true with one eye closed but if you shoot with both eyes open it's not a big deal at all. The mount and red dot add only a few oz to the back of the gun, so it still balances nicely. The big issue is most shotguns have their own footprint for drilled and tapped receivers making it a bit difficult to find a mount that will fit the gun and still keep the optic relatively low.
Here's a few pictures of some sucess on the year. Most shots were 25-30 yards over decoys though I was pleasantly surprised hitting a longer passing shots to be no issue.
Do you need a red dot to kill birds, absolutely not. However, this is an option that I feel has not gotten a a chance to succeed due to not giving it a fair chance in the past. It often something thrown together and not given more than a hunt before people gives up on it. Personally, the mount and dot cost $250, the mount is very high quality and the holosuns are durable for the money (though made in china may be an issue). It offers benefits for new shooters to get use to consistently mounting the gun, and very effective if given a chance.
I think a closed emitter is key, as it keeps water out of the emitter and allows mud to be cleaned by just wiping it off as opposed to open emitters that need extra work.
I also like the bonus of the dot being similar to my rifle. I have an aimpoint on my AR and its very instinctive to pick up (though I run a high mount on it) something im already use to. And would be for anyone that has shot a red dot before.
The dot is no replacement for practice and good fundamentals, but I find it really helps when the gun isn't mounted consistently. Simply focus in the bird, let your hand eye coordination take over swinging the gun into place, and as the dot covers the bird pull the trigger. As long as the red dot is on the bird when the trigger is pulled you will hit it regardless of where the dot is inside the sight (parallax isn't really an issue inside the range waterfalling takes place)
Some have said in the past the ed dot obstructs their surroundings.
This may be true with one eye closed but if you shoot with both eyes open it's not a big deal at all. The mount and red dot add only a few oz to the back of the gun, so it still balances nicely. The big issue is most shotguns have their own footprint for drilled and tapped receivers making it a bit difficult to find a mount that will fit the gun and still keep the optic relatively low.
Here's a few pictures of some sucess on the year. Most shots were 25-30 yards over decoys though I was pleasantly surprised hitting a longer passing shots to be no issue.
Do you need a red dot to kill birds, absolutely not. However, this is an option that I feel has not gotten a a chance to succeed due to not giving it a fair chance in the past. It often something thrown together and not given more than a hunt before people gives up on it. Personally, the mount and dot cost $250, the mount is very high quality and the holosuns are durable for the money (though made in china may be an issue). It offers benefits for new shooters to get use to consistently mounting the gun, and very effective if given a chance.