Red Dot, on turkey shotgun

So, in my travels I snagged up a 310 Savage 20 gauge single. I think it was a turkey setup. Very similar to an NEF with a safety added. I had a few Winchoke tubes, that part is covered. It came with a functional red dot sight. Has anyone used a red dot on a shotgun for other small game? Squirrels or rabbits, with a Modified or IC choke tube.

Never for small game, but my cousin tried wing shoting with a red dot and was surprised he liked it.

I have been thinking of an optic on a turkey gum for my youngest boy since he missed a turkey this year. I have a red dot I'm not using and a sadel mount for an 870 so may try that.

I got a FFIII on my turkey gun. It took a little bit to get used to because it sits up a little and my face doesn’t sit on the stock in its normal position. It was suggested to take it wing-shooting to get used to it. I took it to a little WoodIe shoot and actually liked it. Of course it helps when you know your sight is dialed in. It was actually on even with a modified choke and #4 steel.

Love my red dot on my turkey gun. Eric

love the burris ff2 on my .410 301 shotgun, a great gun and combo with TSS 9.5 or 10 shot

Not a plug for Apex ammo, but after receiving an email about some loads they had in stock I fired one back asking about 20ga loads and when they’d be in stock?
They sent an email back stating to call them.
I called the next day and told them what I was specifically wanting and they said they’d check their warehouse, that sometimes when the quantities get low they mark them as out of stock on the website, but will take orders over the phone. Needless to say they had what I wanted and hooked me up for next season, lol.
Doesn’t apply to this thread at all, but figured if you’re putting a red dot on a gun you’re serious about your gun and shells.

Another thing to go wrong IMO.
If you have little shotgunning experience I can see where it would help.

I would not recommend the red dot for normal shotgunning of squirrels and rabbits or wingshooting

But for dialing in a load to hit true to point of aim for turkeys the red dot is great

I got a new turkey gun this spring, and added a Vortex Venom Red Dot to it. In the process figured out that I also have astigmatism in not just 1 eye but both because of how the dot appears when I look at it. That's another story for another day. I do plan to use this gun for a few other things.. geese, pheasant when I don't feel like carrying to O/U, and probably duck.

My biggest issue is cross dominance... right handed, left eye dominant, but proficiently shoot from both. For me, I need something to focus my shooting eye, since I switch back and forth. I haven't tried it yet for anything other than turkey and it took a little bit of shooting to get used to it vs the Tru Glo sights I was using.

That’s interesting. My DIL was just the opposite. She shoots right handed but is left eye dominant. The ONLY way she can hit a turkey is with a red dot, lol. Seen her throw 3 3.5 loads down the pipe before finally connecting on the third shot when I realized what was going on and covered her left eye, lol. Also why I don’t use decoys anymore. That stupid bird stood around at 25 yards attacking the decoy the entire time she was blowing through ammo!!!

This exactly. While I don't have a red dot I do know shooting turkey, especially with today's super tight chokes, is more akin to shooting with a rifle. That's why I got fiber optic irons on mine.

Until you spend some time on a patterning board you really have no idea exactly where a given shotgun barrel and load is hitting. And it can vary from shooter to shooter or even shooting position based on gun fit.

But most never realize this as your looser chokes spread the shot well enough for close enough.

Another area red dots shine is for slugs or any use where your shooting stationary targets like deer from a stand with buckshot.

My fiber optics being mounted tight to the rib have been a good compromise as I can still hit clays.

Have you tried a 1x prism scope? Astigmatism is why I've stayed away from red dots but primary arms has a micro prism 1x with an illuminated etched reticle that looks interesting.

Thank God for stupid turkeys!

She may want to try shooting lefty. In archery it made a world of difference for me. Awkward at first shooting lefty, but my left eye always focused first. It was the same thing when I eventually got into hunting with guns. I feel her pain! When I started out archery hunting, I was shooting right handed, and taught myself to shoot with both eyes open because that left eye was always trying to focus first.

try it I think you will like the red dots , you do not have to center the dot in the lense just put the dot on the target no paralax since the dot is a laser reflecting off the lense it is where it is

lots of 3 gun competitors putting them on shotguns as well as about everything else these days nice to be able to center up your pattern or shoot slugs

you will likely need to build up your stock some to make your eye align right and fast when you get a cheek weld and open your eyes that dot should be very close to if not centered this puts you in the best place for seeing he dot every time and never spending time looking for it

buy a pack of the batteries and change it out before your hunt some have 50,000 hour lifes but most of the lower cost ones do not batteries are cheap compared to what you spend on a hunt