Is there something up with this front bead sight?

[monst3r]

I Recently purchased a used Mossberg 500 and today I noticed the front brass bead sight. I compared it to my brothers rem870 and his has a bead on it, mine however has a little point. Is there a reason mine is like this? should i buy a new one?

[Japsican]

It's broken off...so there is no bead sight. It also looks like someone took some pliers to it to try and take it off.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=428636

[CelticRanger]

Good for you Monst3r. You probably got a pretty good deal on a "broken" Mossy and it's only a ~$5 fix. Just take your time, don't mar the barrel.

[sephy]

Good for you Monst3r. You probably got a pretty good deal on a "broken" Mossy and it's only a ~$5 fix. Just take your time, don't mar the barrel.

+1

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=428636

[POWG]

Front bead sight

Unless you are strictly tactical and even then, unless shooting only slugs - don't worry about it. It looks kinda cool anyway!

Frequently as an instructor/coach, I have "barrel bound" students temporarily remove sights/beads [including the middle one] to help them get their eyes off the gun & better understand the need for total visual control of the target. Some never re-install & even encourage friends to do the same. With the shotgun it is amazing what one can accomplish in simply getting out of one's own way!

Mount the gun to your face with hard focus on your target looking over, around & through the barrel. Pull the trigger and presuming the gun fits even reasonably well, you will be pleasantly surprised. You may then be ready to tackle the subtle details of gun movement in concert with the mount and the specific, very limited, role of the hands in the process. A whole new wave of pleasant surprises will follow.

I am thinking a movement to be in order to push manufacturers to offer shotgun sights as an option, thus reducing base price of gun! Especially since they are like your Appendix... something your come with that you really don't need and causes unintended problems!

POWG is out.

[aippi]

POWG - I am impressed. I trained HRT's and teaching these guys to point fire at close threats was a chore. I would even wrap rags around the sights. They had to lay there on their backs and horizontal to the target with the weapn across their chest and fire the 12ga up at the target simulating a thread that put them down and was rushing them. Take time to find sights in that situation and the threat will finish the job. I trained them to hold the weapon extended out in front of a barricade while maitaining the cover of the barricade and lay down covering fire for a Team movement, again, point shooting.

I still shoot this way even though I am retarded, I mean retired. If a guy has the hand eye coordination to hit a golf ball or a baseball he can shoot this way if he can find a trainer like you to get him started. Focus on the threat and fire. It works and the Corps many years ago we called it "Quick Kill". It later became Instinctive shooting in the civlian world and is now called point shooting. I swear by it.

[POWG]

Shotgun sights

Thanks for the affirmation and vote of confidence JD.

Obviously, I fully endorse your methods described and now as I delve more into the world of pistol & IDPA, I find myself shooting best when I identify a "target - sight relationship" as opposed to the commonly promoted "sight - target relationship". There is a huge difference and once experienced a whole "new world" opens. This is a critical element in efficiency and is especially true when transitioning from one target to another. There is no way to accomplish that transition efficiently without first visually locking the next target and then bringing the gun into the picture. I know for a fact that is how many of the "best of the best" pistol practitioners & combat technicians do it. There are other factors as well and that is food for another thread.

Is is ironic that you use the sports analogy. When conducting a wing-shooting clinic for a very famous former baseball player/manager and a group of his players I used a similar analogy in questioning ...what would happen if he/they looked at the bat or glove when projecting either to a point of interception with the ball. The light came on and things dropped magically from the sky.

Keep in touch & keep up the good work!

POWG is out - again ...and remember ...Quality - Practiced - Repetitive - Actions ...are key to success!

[inbox485]

I like point shooting and I like sighted shooting. When I was learning handgun, I got a feel for the range where sighting was just a waste of time. I find I hit clay better sighted. I've heard too many people swear by both to discount either. I can hit targets extended from the hip (screwing around as you might guess) out to about 10 yards and keep the patterns on target. I think the fixation on sights has more to do with "tactical" courses that focus on ranges between 15 to 40 yards with buckshot and 40 to 100 yards with slugs rather than what I'd imagine is a far more likely 1 to 7 yards with buckshot and forget the slugs.

[aippi]

The OP would be well served to get out on the range with some target #8 that throw a big pattern and start learning that he can hit a close up threat fast by point shooting. Then get that bead repaired and learn that any competent shooter can fill a man size target up with slugs at 50 yards with a bead sight. He might even find out he can put them in at 100 by knowing his weapon. If the bead is not for him then a barrel change may be inorder.

[BigDogatPlay]

Then get that bead repaired and learn that any competent shooter can fill a man size target up with slugs at 50 yards with a bead sight. He might even find out he can put them in at 100 by knowing his weapon.

^^^ This ^^^ done so myself on more than a couple of occasions. And I really like your on the back drill. That one is an absolute keeper.

[SammyL]

Where are you in Orange COunty? Let me know, I think I still have my bead sight in my tool box somewhere. Will be more then willing to give it to you for free I bought a fiber optic sight for mines when I got it.

[Just-in]

Good advice here. I leave mine on because the hole on top of my barrel would drive me nuts...

[monst3r]

Wow, thanks for all the great advice everyone, really picked up some well needed knowledge. When I noticed the broken bead sight, I at first thought maybe it was a way to zero in the elevation, I'm a real newbie with this and thats what made the most sense in my head, lol. I have not shot the firearm yet and have been buying different type loads to see what gives me a good spread. Im thinking I will take a new beadsight with me to the range, shoot it as is, then give it a go with the new bead. The barrel on is a 18.5 smoothbore. I dont expect to be shooting slugs up to 100yds (although that would be freaking awesome).

[aippi]

Need some Mossberg guys to jump in on the OP's last post with install advice cuase I tink the stem is going to come down into the bore and needs to be filed down. Is this correct Mossberg guys.

If the above is correct then it may not be a Range install.

[BigDogatPlay]

The bead on my 30 + year old 18.5 inch 500 barrel is an identical base to the on in the OP's photo. Clearly threaded in and dressed to the bore. A replacement bead may well need to be dressed. A bead removed from another gun may work well, but pay very close attention to the bore once the bead is installed.