Red dot for a pump like a Winchester SPX, is it worth it?

[PogoJack]

I have one with a bead sight that has always worked well for me. I see that there is a MFG that has a see-through rail for these and I can throw a low profile RDS on it. Are these a game changer? I have a cheapo UUQ eagle C28 red dot sight that I want to try with it.

Since it is a pump action, is a RDS even helpful over a bead?

[W.R.Buchanan]

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Your first shot is the one that matters the most. So a RDS could be a good thing. I personally like Open Rifle Sights with a Green FO Front Sight which shows up well in the sun and well in the dark with a Weapons Light mounted at the 6 O Clock position on the fore end.

Go read the Sticky at the top of this page called "What I did to my shotguns." It explains all of this in detail.

Randy

[Imageview]

Depends on what you are shooting at. If it has wings, other than a turkey, no. Otherwise it is definitely more accurate than a bead but personal preference is the decider.

[BOBGBA]

... Are these a game changer?...

The short answer (for moving targets) is no.

A proper fitting gun along with a consistent mount and practice, practice, practice, can be a game changer.

[PogoJack]

Okay it sounds like the old bead is the best way to go tried and true. I hit every clay pigeon with the bead no problem, with ghost rings not so much and probably the same with red dot. Since threats are likely moving, seems like for me the bead rules.

now is it worth getting a tritium bead for night home defense?

[BOBGBA]

...Since threats are likely moving, seems like for me the bead rules...

Since your target is a lot bigger than the clay pigeon or bird that I had imagined, I don't really know the answer to your question.

Maybe youtube has some answers...

[P5Ret]

Save your money, it's not worth it. We tried it on the department guns, didn't work out too well. If this is a HD gun a good light and fiber optic front is the way to go. Along with anything you want to do to make it work for you.

The magnetic fiber optic front sight has worked well on my hunting gun through a lot of shells, over the past few years, and it's around $20.

[Imageview]

A bead is unnecessary really if you shoot shotguns a fair amount.

[ar15barrels]

I have drilled and tapped lots of different shotguns for optic mounts.
The dedicated RMS/RMR mounts are nicer looking than an old-school picatinny rail and give a much lower window than any optic that would sit on top of a picatinny rail.

[W.R.Buchanan]

A bead is unnecessary really if you shoot shotguns a fair amount.

Shooting in a Defensive Shotgun is way different than shooting Clays or Hunting. Your targets are usually going to be less than 10 yards and your pattern will be <10" in diameter so the need to have some aiming reference point is necessary so you aren't having stray pellets off the target.. We discovered that Stray Pellets will go thru house walls pretty easily.

Randy

[Imageview]

Shooting in a Defensive Shotgun is way different than shooting Clays or Hunting. Your targets are usually going to be less than 10 yards and your pattern will be <10" in diameter so the need to have some aiming reference point is necessary so you aren't having stray pellets off the target.. We discovered that Stray Pellets will go thru house walls pretty easily.

Randy

I agree, and think that this needs to be taken into account when selecting a firearm for potential self defense. I live in a tiny townhome with tons of houses close by and shared walls. Any shooting would be risky, and I need to be cognizant of that when making decisions. That being said there are plenty of circumstances where the same considerations would be less present. And at 10 yards with a cylinder choke, and a well practiced mount, a bead would be superfluous for getting hits on target.

Trying to aim? Definitely better to have something. Need to aim? Better to have something besides a shotgun. I’m not saying a shotgun is a bad choice, I am far more confident in my abilities with a shotgun than any other type of firearm, but other factors need to be considered. Getting 9 pellets all on a target is never something I’d bet on unless we were close to contact distance.

[acaligunner]

How are you going to look through a RDS and pump the action and focus on a SD target ?

On a semi auto I can see a RDS working a bit better than on a pump action SG, there’s less operator movement going on, and the SG is more in line with the target, imo ~ easier to hit and concentrate with a semi auto SG than a pump SG, in that regard.

If a pump SG is your sd weapon - a trillium front night sight ( bad guys prefer to do bad things at night - generally ) will work well if your woken up at night.

You don’t like GR sights ? I find them easy to use - or at least upgrade to a trillium rifle sight, bead sight will be ok I guess ( grew up on those when I was a teen on a Mossberg 500 pump SG ), if that’s what your use to.

Also, get a dog - even a toy type dog as they will alert and may discourage any burglars / bg’s just by barking - they are fine alert buttons. Good luck and hope all is well.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Getting 9 pellets all on a target is never something I’d bet on unless we were close to contact distance.

You should have seen the groups we were getting at 10 yards with our Vang Comped Barrels last Sunday They were <3 " !!!

4 of the 5 guns in our class had Vang Comped Barrels, and we were all using Federal Low Recoil 00 and 000 Buck,,, and then some Federal 00 Buck with Flight Control wads that were 2" all the way out to 20 yards!

These are not the kind of rounds you want to be shooting in a Apartment Building unless you can keep all the pellets on the target. They were penetrating simulated walls with ease, and anything beyond those walls was still in grave danger.

With pistols,,, unless you have been trained to a very high level, you probably won't hit anything under stress. Rifles will penetrate more than Shotgun Rounds,

But with Shotguns there is a wide variety of stuff you can launch which gives you the Versatility to tailor something that will be formidable but stay in your room?

I watched a YouTube vid last night where the guy was shooting 12 ga. shells loaded with "Powdered Sugar !!!" and they were definitely Lethal!

So that just shows you what is possible with a Shotgun as opposed to other guns,

Please be advised if you use a gun in a SD Scenario you are NOT Trying to Kill the other guy, You are only trying to Stop a Threat when you feel your life is in danger.t

Some other things to consider?

Randy

[L-2]

Just an FYI for this thread.
"SXP" relates to a Winchester pump shotgun.
"SPX" is for a Mossberg semiautomatic shotgun.
As Post 1 mentioned "pump" shotgun in the title, we're assuming the OP means "SXP" and not "SPX".

https://www.winchesterguns.com/products/shotguns/sxp.html

Some Winchester SXP shotguns already have a Picatinny rail mounted while other SXP models don't. Somebody deciding to mount an optic will then want to determine whether to use a rail or researching whether machining the receiver for an optic is possible or desired.

https://www.mossberg.com/firearms/action/autoload.html

Mossberg "SPX" models are generally already optics cut or capable without further machining.

Personally, I've not given much thought to putting an optic on my four existing combat/tactical/HD shotguns, but do have optics on three (combat/tac/HD) rifles and one of my pistols.

I'll mention it here as this thread's an optic question. I think some of the decision will be just what the user wants or his/her background (probably somewhat related to one's age). I came across a former USMC vet who never even used iron-sights during his USMC career as his issued rifles were always optic mounted. I found that info interesting, me being an oldster.

[hermosabeach]

Okay it sounds like the old bead is the best way to go tried and true. I hit every clay pigeon with the bead no problem, with ghost rings not so much and probably the same with red dot. Since threats are likely moving, seems like for me the bead rules.

now is it worth getting a tritium bead for night home defense?

Not needed

the bead sight is so simple it's pretty much perfect.

you need to identity what you are shooting.

if you can see and identify the threat, you can see the bead