I bought a hastings fully rifled slug barrel back in 83, when they first came on the market.  They don't make my exact barrel any more.  Mine has 2 blocks on the barrel for monunting optics too.

Why I liked it then and still do 20 years later.

Scope stays with the barrel.  Maintains zero.

Long eye relief, uses handgun scopes.  Never hit in the eye or head with recoil.  I also like shooting with long eye relief and low power optics.  1x, 1.5x, 2x max.

To change barrels just change like you normally would.  Allows for quick change to smooth barrel and using buck or regular foster slugs.  Or quick change to a barrel for birds or small game.

I think the optic takes less beating being mounted to the barrel. Just my opinion.

Over the years I have switched over to using a zero power red dot sight.  Easier and quicker.  Now that I am in to AR's I find some people use them just like I do on my slug gun.  Only on my AR I can have the sight farther out on an extended swan mount.  It turns the AR into a "shotgun" for me, instinct shooting with eyes open.

If you use a saddle mount on your shotgun receiver instead of a canteleiver or barrel mount of any kind, I like the B-Square saddle best because it connects on both sides of the receiver.  Much more solid mount and less likley to have any pins work lose.  B-Square saddle keeps its zero when removed and remounted.  Use tightlok on the pins too.

For you guys who want to play with a red dot sight on your tactical guns, borrow a saddle mount from a friend.  Then if you like it, just drill and tap your receiver and mount a rail directly to the top of the receiver.

I have always had good slug groups with a plain barrel and foster slugs to 50 yards.  A rifled barrel with sabots and 2x scope hits 8" groups at 100 yards no problems.

Hey, Zoub, nice to see you in the shotgun forum. I'm a big fan of the cantilever mount on a fully-rifled slug barrel. I use a Remington 870 "Super Slug" with Nikon Monarch 4X40 scope for deer hunting. My only complaint is the heavy trigger pull. I'm getting ready to send my trigger group off for a $55 drop in poundage.

Check this article out:

www.gun-tests.com/performance/dec97gggupgrade.html

4x!  Sniper with a slug gun.  Although I will admit I have been tempted to try a higher power scope, just for fun!

Let me know about that trigger job and how it goes.

That article talks about the one thing I am thinking about doing, pinning the barrel.  I have read about how people have drilled and tapped the receiver so they can pin the barrel, but it is not permanent.  I do not have technical specifics on where to do it, but I may try it later this summer.  That seems to be the top thing you could do.  

From a tactical perspective, it might be good to do with a 18 or 20 inch smoothbore for more consistency with slugs in that barrel.  If I drill a receiver than I can experiment with other barrels too.  No time right now.

The other thing that is intersting is that hastings barrel that is ported, the paradox if I remember correctly.  If I bought a new barrel I would look at that one too.

Z, I picked up a Remington 12 gauge 1100 synthetic, fully rifle barrel with the cantilever scope mount. I have not decided what to put on it yet. I have a cheap two power shotgun scope and a four power Redfield rifle scope in stock. A friend is recommending a Leopold 2X7 shotgun scope but it is expensive. I have been an iron sight guy for many years but my eyes are going. I went to a scope on my deer rifle several years ago. Time to do the same with my deer shotgun. My brother shoots running deer with a scope very well. He keeps both eyes open and swings like a shotgun. He see's the deer on both sides of the scope as he puts the crosshairs were he want to shoot. I have not mastered this yet. I am going to practice this summer. MIKE.

Sounds like the perfect opportunity to try an aimpoint or eotech red dot scope?  I may have to try something similar on my 1187 deer gun - these old eyes don't see iron sights as well as they used to.

Bush, I just don't want something with a battery. I have a friend with a red dot on a 1100 and he leaves the battery on all the time.MIKE.

Mike,  One of these days we will have to do a lengthy post on eyes and the issues that go with them!  Especially for thsoe of us who grew up shooting with one eye closed on a shotgun.  I have multiple "issues".  Main one is my eyes are good to arms length or so, I wear glasses for distance.  So the magnification of my glasses makes focusing on the rear sight a pain in the ass.  I won't wear bifocals and I can't stick my finger in my eye to wear contacts.

Then also I have true cross eye dominance issues.  I can't go to 3d movies, those damn 3d glasses don't work for me.  And supposedly I also have an injured eye muscle from a fight years ago.

When I started handgun shooting, I loved it because I treated it like shotgun shooting.  Just going off that front sight, but when I wanted to shoot tighter groups at farther distances for hunting, I decided on trying scopes.

About 20 years ago I put a B-square mount on Ruger Mark II and a 2x scope.  That same year I bought my slug barrel.  On my barrel the optics are forward over the barrel.  I put 1.5x handgun scope on the slug barrel.

Using both those guns, with extended eye relief helped me to adapt to shooting like your brother does.  I never moved up to higher than 2x.  I would suggest a cheap red dot sight, zero power like a used Tasco PDP.  For shtoguns, the battery will probably last 10 years plus with as  little as you use it, even if you leave it on for 6 months.  This would be a great way for you to try shooting with both eyes open.

I have spent the last few years learning to shoot with 2 eyes open on a plain shotgun.  It really helps on sporting clays.  When I hunt I do it instinctively but when I target shoot, it is a different story.

Z, I am a right handed person who shoots long guns, not handguns left handed. I switched when I was twelve so it is natural for me now. I have no problem shooting shotguns with both eyes open. I used iron sights on my deer rifle for years but my eyes began to fade and I went to a scope several years ago. I think it is just a matter of practice for me. I just joined a club that has a running boar range so I will practice this summer and make the switch. When I shoot the handgun at work I only use the front sight. Because I only shoot short distances it works fine.  MIKE.