Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Fastfire???!

first off, i use a reddot on my shotgun mainly for turkey hunting. I had a TruGlo red dot and that risky buy came back to slap me in the face when it got fog inside the scope and the dot wasnt always clear. So I'm done buying the "cheap" stuff now and im thinking of going with the Burris Fastfire. What I want to know is its pros and cons and any problems you may have had with a fastfire, that is... if any of you have one. I just need something that works well and a product thats dot wont disappear on me. Plus will this sight work for things like grouse hunting? Im going to try to make it to a cabelas as soon as I can.

P.S. Could I please have any pictures with the fastfire on the gun if any of you happen to have some.

I've had a Fastfire on my turkey gun for the last couple of years. Upgraded to a Fastfire II (waterproof) this year. It's been great, with the only downside being that I had to make a custom mount for it, as it sat too high with other mounts. I made a two piece mount that clamps onto either side of the rib. It would work fine for any kind of wingshooting also - if allowed in your state; some states don't allow electronic or battery powered devices on shotguns except for turkey hunting... Don't have ability to post pics here, but you can PM me if you want some.

I'm probably missing something but I don't see how a dot sight of any kind would be a good thing on a wingshooting gun. Wingshooting requires a hard focus on the bird, not the bead. If you shift your eye to the bead you will miss the bird. In this case the dot would seem to be distracting floating out there on a plane with the bird. I don't see any of these type sights on sporting clays, skeet or trap guns and I'll bet it is because it would mess up their scores. Dove, quail, waterfowl or pheasant hunters aren't buying them either. If I put one on the gun, I personally would want to be able to take it off for any wingshooting events.

I don't use a sight for turkey hunting either, just never felt the need. However, from what I can tell, the FastFire II is the sight I'd be looking at if I needed something like this.

MOGC - you're right on a shotgun with traditional sights; you focus on the bird and the bead is a subconscious blur. Same thing with a Fastfire, but the dot is a little more noticeable. Look up the Burris SpeedBead. Haven't checked, but wouldn't be surprised if organized sporting clays, skeet or trap would consider them an unfair advantage, so wouldn't be allowed...

It's a shotgun, usually the less deliberate aiming the better the end results. However, those with severe eye dominance issues may benefit. Other than that it is a step backwards.
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kc,
Someone somewhere probably makes it work great for wingshooting for them. I couldn't handle it. I shot a five stand course awhile back with a borrowed Browning Citori O/U clays gun with a bright green triangle for a front sight, it killed my score. I usually use my Beretta 686 O/U and it has a small silver bead that I pay little attention to. I do pretty well like that and average above the pack at my club in skeet, sporting clays, and five stand shoots. However, that large green triangle on the Browning drew my eye like crazy, I couldn't quit staring at it - lol! I'm sure the dot/reflex sight would do the same for me. Maybe it wouldn't bother a younger shooter not so set in their ways... maybe.

MOGC - could have been the Citori; gun fit between a Citori and 686 couldn't be more different. I've been shooting a matched set of 12 and 20 gauge 686s for about 20 years, been on skeet and sporting clays teams, never could shoot a Citori worth a darn... I painted my 686 beads white, then overcoated them with fluorescent orange; my scores went up... Put a fiber optic bead on my BPS waterfowl gun and started bagging more geese and ducks, especially on low light days. Long way of saying what you said - find what works for you... I was getting ready to take the Fastfire off my turkey gun, but might put a skeet choke in it and go shoot a round to see how it works.

I do not care for wingshooting with a bright bead, but that's alittle different than a reflex sight. I have shot turkeys running with a reflex sight and feel like I could wingshoot with them as well.

The FOV is so large that you can easily get on moving targets. You can easily shoot with both eyes open as well. Reflex sights are different than tube style scopes or red dots to me, they are made for fast shooting and work quite well for it.

I would not set up a wingshooting gun with a reflex, but feel I could easily wingshoot with a gun set up with one.

MN, I have two FFs on turkey rigs, they are great sights. I installed one on a 336 base and the other on a weaver base. I also installed another on a 336 base for a relative and he loves it. He killed 3 nice toms with it this spring and loved the ease and speed of the new FF. I took 4 toms with the FFs this spring and feel they saved my rear on a couple of them.

Here is the FF2 on a 336 mount:

Hey now loder, does the 336 base fit the curve on the 870/1187 receiver?

that looks great reloader

Tim, the bottom of the 336 base is flat, so it mates with the flat spot on top of the reciever. Just have to get two holes drilled and tapped. Like I said, I had it done on two 870s and they are rock solid. The FF is so light, it really doesn't take much of a mount to hold. The flat spot on top of the reciever is more than enough. It will work on recessed rib lines as well, as long as there is a flat area length wise, flat surface or two points to stabilize it, and enough meat in the reciever to drill and tap, you're good to go. We used red loctite on those two as well. Might have to use heat on the screws to remove them, but they aren't going anywhere.

Have a good one,

loder

I used the base that Tim told me about, (the 429) but cut it back to just what was needed on mine.

I did the same as Pullit on my 1187, cut down a 429 and just used the Burris Weaver mount.

Went with the 336 on the 870 as it was lower, lighter, and had alittle better look to my eyes.

Pullit, I have one of the protector weaver mounts now, but haven't put it on anything. Good excuse to buy another FF I guess

I put my protector to the test a time or two this year.
So far so good.

Good to hear. I don't have them on either of mine right now. Luckily I haven't creamed one yet.

I have a speed bead on my benneli. I love the mount because it is exactly in position as the front bead when shouldering the gun. Some ask what's the advantage over a regular bead? It's brighter and I can sight in my patterns. Have not tried it wingshooting yet, but see no disadvantage there.

I put one on a 870 SuperMag for my g/f. It's a nice combo for turkeys.

a Rem 7400/7600 base should.