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jeffy
21 February 2009, 13:08
I'm in the market for a shotgun and they offer the model I want with either sight. This will be my first shotgun. Now, I've shot other people's but they have all been for hunting or trap. I want one for HD. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? The price difference is about $220.

Some other considerations. I don't think I'll be shooting slugs. Shooting past 100yrds probably won't happen either. I don't think I'll be using 3". Occasionally, I'll probably shoot clay in the backyard. I've also though about putting a picatinny rail on top and use an Aimpoint.

m24shooter
21 February 2009, 16:42
For quick close-in shooting I far prefer the GRS to rifles. I've had rifle sights on an 870, and while they were fine for shooting slugs or at longer distances, I did not care for them at all in general.
The front sight blade was slower to pick up. Overall I would say the sights were too "fine" for lack of better way of putting it.
With ghost rings, I'm used to shooting ARs with them and they seem to be much faster. In addition, if you do want to shoot slugs you can do so easily with a good set of ghost rings.
With that said, there are a ton of people that really like rifle sights. While I don't get that, I understand it is a personal choice issue.
There are also those that love beads for shotgun use. If I were to use a bead it would be the XS Big Dot with tritium.

Hozen
23 February 2009, 09:44
I agree there with m24shooter for the most part. Rifle sights on a shotgun are really only good for hunting with slugs. For HD, I'd go with either a bead or ghost ring. A bead is probably all you need really unless your house is gigantic and you can somehow envision a 50 yard shot in your house. A bead will work just as well as ghost ring sights or no sights for that matter at close ranges.

TehLlama
23 February 2009, 17:15
For my purposes, a bead sight fits the bill. If I had the money, I'd toss a H3 front sight on there for the nighttime passive illumination, and Surefire dedicated foreend, but that's as far as I'd feel the need to go with a HD shotgun - they won't see precision shots at over 50yd for any forseeable reason, and despite the limitations of a 18" barreled unit for maneuverability, I'd say the added weight of a weaponlight are justified. Beyond that, and it has become a tool specialized far beyond mine and most needs out of a shotgun, and either way, something that would need a significant number of rounds put through it to evaluate if that concept works for you.
An aimpoint micro isn't a bad idea, but for the cost, it still makes most sense for a weapon that would see a mix of slugs and buckshot - the red dot sights are amazing, but if you don't see yourself shooting slugs, the precision of a 3MOA dot isn't going to make any difference, as the spread of an average shotgun is well over 20 times that with a common choke.

jeffy
23 February 2009, 19:51
Hmm, so if rifle sights are move for hunting when are they found on many tactical shotguns? Remington 870 Police and the Benelli Tactical come to mind. Really though I'm leaning towards the Ghost sights since they are similar to the sights on the Garand as well as the AR.

The specific shotgun I'm looking to buy is the Benelli M2 Tactical. The model with Ghost Sights and the Pistol grip seems to be more popular and OOS in many places. The model with the rifle sights was in stock though. I might just go with the Ghost sights and the Comfort tech stock.

m24shooter
23 February 2009, 20:03
Like I said, a lot of people like the rifle sights. It really is a personal preference issue.

Longbaugh1911
23 February 2009, 20:53
hey jeffy. in my exp, an front sight by XS would suit you just fine for an HD application. going back to 1997, i've had just everything from simple beads to MMC's for my own HD. after a few classes and thousands of shells fired, i've decided that the XS big dot was the best choice. fast pick up and easy to use. GRS seemed to slow me down quite substantially. you mentioned the 870 Police? if you don't mind, i'd like to share my thoughts on that. Remington themselves convinced me in 1997. main difference from a 870P from and one from walmart. 1. heavier springs to keep it loaded for more than a year. 2. 7.5lb trigger to help prevent "touching one off" when you didn't want to. 3. metal trigger housing from accidental breakage - from Officers fighting their shotguns out of the car. i've had my 870 (25077) for a really long time now. in 1997, it cost me less than $300.

jeffy
24 February 2009, 11:53
I've actually though about getting an Remi 870 Security 7-shot Express but I've always wanted a Benelli. I checked them out years ago, when they still made the M1 Super 90 and liked it. Actually, I also liked the M3 Super 90 but I'm not sure if I'd really take advantage of the select modes. Not like I'll be shooting less-then-lethal loads. From the looks of Benelli's website, the M3 is oldest model as well.

The other shotgun that was in the running was the FN SLP but it seems the good deals have gone and died. They are selling for close to what the Benelli's do. The MKI's, which were available for just over $600 had rifled sights though. They seemed to want a premium for the 18" with Ghost sights.

In any case, I think you've all reassured me that Ghost-sights are the way to go. (Ghost vs Rifle) Now I have to decided if I want the Comfort Tech stock or the pistol grip stock...[:)]