I have kinda customized my mossberg 500. 20 inch barrel. extended mag. flashlight side saddle 6 round holder. slide on madholder on the stock.. now thinking about adding a scope.. is it over kill or would it increase the badassery of said gun.. i dont hunt its only for home portection..thoughts?
Do you mean a red dot or reflex sight? These could be useful; despite popular belief, shotguns do need to be aimed. I don't see how an actual scope would be very useful, especially in a home defense scenario.
A red dot that could stand up to a 12 gauge's recoil will run around $400 on the cheap end. Think Aimpoint or Eotech.
Do you need it? I honestly don't think so.
Does your shotgun have a stock?
tnkin red dot not like a typical scope.. i know it doesnt really need it.. but thinkin it will increase the badassery of it..and it does have a stock.
Go for it. I would try a cheaper red dot and see how you like it. I think they would hold up to the 12G. Now, I like the laser site thingie. That's bad-ass.
found some on ebay for 80bux or less with mounts....
You could try a Vortex Sparc. They usually run around $200. I'm not sure how well it would hold up on a 12 gauge, but they're about as cheap as I would go on a home defense firearm.
Cheaper optics won't last long on a 12 gauge. Some probably won't last more than a couple shots; you'll kill them during your first practice session.
I've seen a lot of truglos and E36 M3 die from AR-15's. I'd be surprised if they'd last longer on a shotgun.
PRO TIP: google red dot + shotgun
Do what makes you happy. If you think a scope is nifty, do it.
I don't think you need it, though. If you've shot some trap/skeet with that gun, you are hitting a clay frisbee moving 46 mph. No scope for that....
Another option I've considered In the past was a fiber optic front sight. Never followed through on it, though. That might be something to try if you want something a little smaller.
Forgot to add....
I've always heard people say that you "aim" a rifle, but "point" a shotgun. There's a reason for that.....I think if you take the time to sight the gun with a scope, you'll slow down your reaction.
Remember, you said this is a home defense gun. Keep the short distances in a home in mind, especially WRT your Tueller bubble. Anything that slows you down at close range is dangerous.
(This is just personal opinion/guess. I'll gladly cede the point if rebelgtp or Dr. Hess disagree.)
Assuming your red dot is zeroed, you put the red dot over the target and pull the trigger; it's pretty much that simple. Target acquisition and engagement is faster with a red dot than it is with a bead. Red dots are great, except when they're not working. If the red dot is junk and won't hold zero, is broken, or the batteries are dead, then it kind of sucks to have in the way.
Here's a professional's opinion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrxkjRXk7m8&feature=plcp
Night sights should be good enough. A ton cheaper.
Take more time with your "iron sights" and go skeet/trap shooting and get your skill right.
You are modding the car before you get to know it right now.
eastsidemav wrote: Another option I've considered In the past was a fiber optic front sight. Never followed through on it, though. That might be something to try if you want something a little smaller.
That is actually what I use on my turkey gun (Mossberg 535) and it works great. My HD gun is a Mossy 590 and I just use the bead on that. If I was going to change it up I would more than likely go with a ghost ring sight. This is of course my personal preference as I like to keep things simple on my HD gun.
Remember with a red dot you need to turn it on before you use it. If the batteries are dead you are SOL. How often do you shoot your HD gun? Will you remember to check the batteries regularly? Ever forget to turn anything off? Last thing you want is to hear some one breaking in your front door and your red dot is dead. As others have mentioned you also need to not cheap out on a red dot as the recoil from a 12 ga can kill one quick. You can always go all out and go with a Trijicon reflex that does not require batteries however be ready to pay more than your shotgun cost.
What I would recommend is a ghost ring sight with a tritium dot front post. This will give you a in the dark sight that is easy and fast to acquire that you will not have to worry about batteries dying on. This method also does not add much weight nor does it add the bulk of a red dot. You will not have to worry about dropping the shotgun and breaking your sight (as much) either.
EDIT: Oh one point is many of the front posts for shotgun sights will require some sort of gunsmithing to install. Some require a dovetail to be cut into the barrel or silver soldered into place. There are some clamp on options however they can be knocked off center.
a scope seems like overkill, unless you want a cool conversation piece.. for home protection, do you really even need to buy ammo for it? if someone invades your house, the sound of a cocking 12 gauge coming from somewhere in the shadows would be enough to make their heart explode and their pants turn brown..
novaderrik wrote: a scope seems like overkill, unless you want a cool conversation piece.. for home protection, do you really even need to buy ammo for it? if someone invades your house, the sound of a cocking 12 gauge coming from somewhere in the shadows would be enough to make their heart explode and their pants turn brown..
If I could set this post on fire, I would.
Someone breaking into your house, especially at night, is determined/high enough to expect resistance. You racking a shotgun lets them know exactly where you are in the house.
What kind of neckbeard spends $250+ on a shotgun and intentionally doesn't buy ammo? Ghost ring, alternating rounds of 00 buck and slugs. Spend some quality time at your local skeet/trap range, you'll make a few friends.
novaderrik wrote: a scope seems like overkill, unless you want a cool conversation piece.. for home protection, do you really even need to buy ammo for it? if someone invades your house, the sound of a cocking 12 gauge coming from somewhere in the shadows would be enough to make their heart explode and their pants turn brown..
i have both slugs and buckshot on it.
Slugs are not going to be a great idea for home protection that would be the king of what we call over penetration. Remember walls in your home will not provide much resistance to projectiles and the last thing I would want is someone here to accidently hurt a family member while trying to fend off a baddy. 00 buck can over penetrate as well mind you.
This being said a side saddle with a couple slugs could be a good thing. I would buy different brands however to have different colored shells to differentiate between slugs and buck shot.
Aside from that practice, practice, practice.
Unless your home is more than 75 yards across, I can't see how a scope will benefit you there. IMO, adding something to a gun that doesn't improve it's intended purpose doesn't make it badasser, it just adds weight.
Goes back to the days when it was called a 'scatter gun'. I certainly would not want to be looking through a scope when I fire my 12 ga.
iceracer wrote: Goes back to the days when it was called a 'scatter gun'. I certainly would not want to be looking through a scope when I fire my 12 ga.
You most definitely need to aim a shotgun. You can't chop down rows of zombies across a room with a single blast.
rotard wrote: You most definitely need to aim a shotgun. You can't chop down rows of zombies across a room with a single blast.
I don't think anybody here meant to imply differently. At the short distances of a typical room, the spread from a typical shotgun is only a few inches wide. (...and less if it is is choked [skeet video])
My earlier "aim" vs. "point" was because I thought the OP wanted a telescopic scope with a cross hair. There's no room in the average house where you need that to hit an intruder.
calteg wrote:novaderrik wrote: a scope seems like overkill, unless you want a cool conversation piece.. for home protection, do you really even need to buy ammo for it? if someone invades your house, the sound of a cocking 12 gauge coming from somewhere in the shadows would be enough to make their heart explode and their pants turn brown..If I could set this post on fire, I would. Someone breaking into your house, especially at night, is determined/high enough to expect resistance. You racking a shotgun lets them know exactly where you are in the house. What kind of neckbeard spends $250+ on a shotgun and intentionally doesn't buy ammo? Ghost ring, alternating rounds of 00 buck and slugs. Spend some quality time at your local skeet/trap range, you'll make a few friends.
i didn't say to not buy ammo- i meant to say that it most likely wouldn't be necessary.. people break into houses that they think would be easy marks with little to no resistance- the sound of a 12 gauge getting ready for action in some unseen dark corner tells them that there will likely be some kind of resistance.
novaderrik wrote:calteg wrote:i didn't say to not buy ammo- i meant to say that it most likely wouldn't be necessary.. people break into houses that they think would be easy marks with little to no resistance- the sound of a 12 gauge getting ready for action in some unseen dark corner tells them that there will likely be some kind of resistance.novaderrik wrote: a scope seems like overkill, unless you want a cool conversation piece.. for home protection, do you really even need to buy ammo for it? if someone invades your house, the sound of a cocking 12 gauge coming from somewhere in the shadows would be enough to make their heart explode and their pants turn brown..If I could set this post on fire, I would. Someone breaking into your house, especially at night, is determined/high enough to expect resistance. You racking a shotgun lets them know exactly where you are in the house. What kind of neckbeard spends $250+ on a shotgun and intentionally doesn't buy ammo? Ghost ring, alternating rounds of 00 buck and slugs. Spend some quality time at your local skeet/trap range, you'll make a few friends.
15 pellets of 00 buckshot confirms it. Now, lighting off a chainsaw, THAT will make anybody in their right mind(though many breaking into houses aren't) run the other way.
On the subject of shotguns I also have one of these.
I would say only if you have are hunting deer with a rifled barrel gun or just have a trujicon laying around. I've seen guys at the range sighting in a 12 ga pump with a red dot style scope putting round after round through the same hole, so they can be accurate with slugs, but like has been said, you don't want that for home defense most likely.
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