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Posted: 4/5/2009 5:30:33 PM EDT
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I got to shoot my shotgun today, at a three gun match. It's a modified 870. It was GREAT!
I've had a rail with BUIS and EOTech for a long time. They were both just great, too. I found myself using the iron sights despite the presence of the EOTech. Actually, I was using both, simultaneously. It's the years and years of training with iron sights, I guess. What I found was if you get on target and fire you will hit. Just shoot and move along, no need to watch to see if the target falls. If you were on, it WILL go down. It's amazing to me that people can miss a clay bird or man-sized pepper popper at 10 yards but without a decent sighting system, they can,... and did. Repeatedly. I believe sights are a necessity. Of course, that's just my training but it works. I have a LaRue two point sling. It did not get in the way despite dangling, unused from the stock. As is usual in most IPSC/USPSA-type matches, you don't hold or carry the long gun for very long. In these matches, a sling is entirely superfluous. I have the sling in case I ever have to carry the shotgun for real. All the gear has added a couple of extra pounds, so a sling can help you hold it at the ready position or to hold a bad guy at bay for a lot longer time without fatigue. It felt goofy to have a flashlight mounted during a daylight event. The thing is, EVERYONE had them. The event set up crew camped overnight at the range and shot the course in the dark. Their lights actually got used. They said the lights worked really well, too. Well, the last tidbit is this. I put a Magpul M-93B stock and an AR pistol grip on mine. These make all the difference in the world (to me). The shotgun shoulders perfectly and instantly. The sights come right up into alignment. Recoil and muzzle flip are minimized due to the straight-back push. Anyway, thanks to Remington. The 870 is a great shotgun. Oh yeah,... thanks to Argonaut Arms, Mesa Tactical, Surefire, LaRue, Troy Mfg and EOTech, too, for some great gear that fun to use and (IM) actually helps. |
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I wanted to add one more tidbit about recoil/muzzle flip using a straight pull stock.
There was no significant muzzle flip, so I could watch my target and see the clay bird turn to dust. Everyone who had a conventional stock was having quite a bit of muzzle flip - you know what a 12 gage is like. Most people are racking the slide as the muzzle goes up in the air and hopefully they're finished operating the mechanism when they get back down. Not so, with the straight pull - the recoil is straight back. I think the extra weight also helps make the actual recoil less and what recoil there is, is perceived as less than it is because it's straight back with no muzzle flip. I had lots of fun and thought I'd share. I should get some training with this thing. |
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Interesting write-up. You make some good points about the EO-Tech.
I've been thinking a lot about some kind of auxiliary optic for my 870. I've gotten hung up on the fact that there doesn't seem to be a tough mount out there that still allows use of the iron sights on the gun. I know there's relatively minimal failure rate for quality optics like the EO-Tech, but I like to take into consideration that one-in-a-million factor. I have a fairly good comfort zone with the sight set-up I have now: twin beads on a vent-rib barrel. If I slow down, I can make accurate hits out to +/-75 yards with good slugs. Thing is, whenever I do that and get split times of around 5-to-10 seconds, I can't help but think that a good low-magnification optic could do wonders for me. Any thoughts or suggestions about this? |
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Hard to say. I don't have a huge amount of experience with self defense shotgunning. I am not a hunter. I always think of my shotgun as a home defense weapon. It's good up close and (with slugs) out to about 100 yards (from here to the end of my block).
I know I like the EOTech on the shotgun. I have used it one my AR but the circle dot really shines on a shotgun. I've used the dot for slugs out to 100 yards. I use the circle for shot. As stated above, I have Troy iron sights on the shotgun that cowitness through the EOTech and my training had me using those simultaneously with the EOTech. Thinking about your question just now, and speaking personally, I don't think you need any magnification for slug shooting unless you want to go out to extended distance. Then you are faced with some really big problems - target identification, target ranging, windage correction and ranging/bullet drop compensation. The fundamental problem a shooter faces at extended distances is seeing the target - finding it against the background and confirming (with 100% certainty)what it is. Have to read teh wind and compensate for it (hold off or click your scope knobs). You then have to know your bullet drop and the distance to the target fairly accurately so you can adjust for the drop (hold off or click the scope knobs). These tasks are best accomplished with something other than a shotgun slug. My conclusion is this, if you think you need magnification, then you probably need a rifle not a shotgun. |
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Personal preference and prior training are probably big factors in our likes and dislikes. What's good is, you have options and can do what you are most comfortable doing. Do what comes naturally, if you ever really need it,...
For me, that means raising the shotgun into a rifle like hold/stance with a solid cheek weld and the but stock pulled firmly into the shoulder.. The straight line stock means it recoils back, not up. |
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Quoted:
I meant to say zero-magnification optic. I'm thinking either EO-Tech or AimPoint.  Ah, I see, not a "low mag" optic a "no mag" optic. On this I have an opinion, again though, it is born out of my limited personal experience - get an EOTech for your shotgun. I have an Aimpoint on my rifle and an EOTech on my shotgun. They are both fast but the circle dot is perfect for a shotgun. The dot os for slugs, the ring is for shot. Either will work, rest assured of that. Hey, no one has said, "post pics". |
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Hey, MIke. Thanks for the info. The only issue I have with optics on a shotgun is that it often puts you in Open class. I don't want to shoot open, but I do think an EOTech on my shottie would be a boon to my speed... and I have one sitting here. But, I really don''t want to shoot Open. I have a Mesa Tactical LEO adapter on the way along with an Endine buffer. I know that it's not in-line with the barrel like the high-tube adapter is, but I'm hoping it's going to help with shot recovery. The recoil has never really bothered me, but my wife, who competes with me occasionally, HATES it after the first stage or so. I hope it will help with her as well. Should be here on Thursday.
Yeah, definitely post pics. |
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I don't worry about which class I am in. I shoot for practice - accuracy, speed, muscle memory,... I do not worry about match scores any more. My shotgun is set up the way I like it. It is for me, not for the match.
Has your wife tried one of the in-line stocks. Light loads and an in-line stock good be a good thing for her. |
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Quoted:
I don't worry about which class I am in. I shoot for practice - accuracy, speed, muscle memory,... I do not worry about match scores any more. My shotgun is set up the way I like it. It is for me, not for the match. Has your wife tried one of the in-line stocks. Light loads and an in-line stock good be a good thing for her. If you don't worry about scores, how can you tell if you're improving your skills? 
No, she has not shot with an in-line stock. ONce she conpetes enough to warrant it, we may consider a shottie just for her, but for now, she's going to have to use mine. |
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