Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Enclosed Red dots

Who here is hunting with a enclosed red dot on their turkey shotgun? I recently purchased a Winchester SX4 NWTF cantilever model the other day. I think on this gun I would like to run a micro tube style or an enclosed style reflex. The sights I am looking at are the Aimpoint T2, Aimpoint Acro, Trijicon MRO, etc. I want something that is going to last and hold zero. I just had a really bad experience with a Vortex Venom on my other turkey gun, so I'm looking at more rugged options for this new gun.

Never owned one, but I think it’d be hard to beat an Aimpoint, except on price, naturally. The Micro H2 is the one I’d pick for an enclosed sight.

You may have seen the Burris Fastfire3 I mounted on my CZ O/U. They can take recoil, no doubt, but the frame is a bit thin if you’re a gun-tosser. They make a mount with protective wings, but it goes on a PIC or Weaver base, not one like I had to use.

I’ve had much more trouble with red dots, mostly mid-grade ones, than scopes. Three Bushnell Trophys (no longer sold) went South in short order, a Vortex Sparc2 broke after about ten shots on a .357, and another Sparc2 lost zero on my magnum springer airgun. Don’t know if that one is broke or just jumped the tracks as I just replaced it with an airgun-rated scope without any further testing. Will probably try it on a .308 soon. Vortex will replace it with something no doubt, if it’s broke, but who needs the hassle?

My Henry SS .410 has a tiny prism sight, which works even without batteries, but those have to be placed close to your eye like a scope.

Burris is coming out with the FF4 and it looks beefier.
I like my FF3 over my Vortex Venom also.

Bushnell 25 is good for rifle shooters. Not sure on a turkey gun.

That's all I can offer. It seems like new stuff is coming out all the time. Probably spurred on by all the AR15 sales the last few years.

Good luck.

The price is certainly beefier........

I have the Bushnell TRS-25 on my Encore 12ga and one on my Benelli SBE2. I’ve shot the dog piss out of both with no issues whatsoever. I’d use one on a deer rifle in a heartbeat.

I had a Burris Speed Bead (I think that is what it is called) for one season. I was ok but I much prefer a reflex sight.
You can mount the sight in a protector mount if it would make you feel better

I lost 2 gobblers earlier this week to a Vortex Venom losing zero on my 20 gauge which was mounted on a Sumtoy protector mount. Gun had never been dropped or abused. Always taken care of in the field. It was pretty upsetting. I'm going to have to reevaluate the sight situation on that gun too. The mount Sumtoy custom made and it's for the Burris/Vortex/Docter mounting standard. So I need to find a more rugged sight for that footprint.

I think for the 12 I really want to go to an enclosed style anyway. I really think I'll end up with a Aimpoint.

I run 30mm or 35mm tube style dots on all my guns. Just looking at the reflex type sights looks to me like they're something I could manage to break easily. JMHO.

Have you determined whether it was the mount or the sight? IME, Chinese red dots can fail suddenly, usually early. QC is apparently not a thing with the suppliers. The diode in the Sparc2 that failed on me came loose inside. Fastfires are made in the Philippines, and have an excellent track record even mounted on auto-pistol slides.

The mount is bedded to the shotgun, and the sight was tight to the mount. I've never had issues up until this year. I'm willing to wager that recoil ruined it. Stout TSS loads in a 5lb shotgun generates some recoil.

I’m betting the FF3 on my CZ O/U can take it, but I’ll check it periodically. Have a FF1 that’s been on a .357 with no issues. Must be 20 years old, and has been on a lot of stuff.

Still, stuff happens. If you’ve willing go spend the bucks, Aimpoint is probably as safe a bet as there is.

At least you saw turkeys......

I run a Holosun 507C on all my shotguns. 5 years and counting with no issues. That’s 3 separate units, plus 2 more on lever guns.

You don’t really need an enclosed optic for durability, you just need a better optic to begin with. If you’re sold on an enclosed emitter, look at the Holosun 509T for a fraction of the price of a T1 or T2

Aimpoint 9000SC.

You can beat it all to hell and it doesn’t shift. Years and years of battery life. Fricking thing is bulletproof.

I had a small flat spot milled out on top of my 870 20ga for the Burris FastFire. I think it worked out great, keeps it low and it's solid! I also have a couple Ultra Dot sights, both 1" and 30mm, I like the Burris better.

As a design Engineer by trade, I am not a fan of the Sumtoy mount. The slot with the countersunk grove, leave a lot to be desired in my book. I understand what he was trying to do but the strength of the mount is lost with the slot.
I do agree with bedding the mount no matter what type you use, and I bed all of mine. I also take a toothpick and put a small drop of bedding on the post that locate the sight to the mount. Before I started bedding everything, each year my POI was always off and I had to resight even though I had not dropped or bumped them. After I started bedding everything, life got good and I have never had an issue since.

I am not saying your sight might not have crapped out as I have had several Burris FF2's take a dump. I found out the hard way that shotguns with turkey loads are tuff on optics and any of them can fail. I have a Vortex Venom, and a FF3 on two guns now and I am going to try a Holosun 507C on the gun that has the Venom on it now. The Venom has not given me any trouble and I am moving it to a pistol to try, but I want to try the "shake awake" feature on the Holosun.

I think I'll likely end up with a Aimpoint H2 on the SX4. I think on the other gun I'll try something else.

Thanks for the responses

hard to go wrong with an aimpoint.i've got a T2 on a bulgarian AK and a compm4s on a Colt AR and like em both. i'm about to buy a compm5 or m5s for a Galil ACE. i'm sure thru trial and error you could get by with spending less money but if you want a guarantee then buy the aimpoint of your choosing.
Big Ed

Did you check your poi before the season?

I have seen several sights fail, but not a venom. I was shooting the 2 1/8 oz 20 gauge load out of a pump that had a venom mounted to it and never had an issue. There is no turkey load that kicked more than this one in a 20 gauge. It compares to the old HIV loads in the mossberg 12’s.

I have seen chokes change poi after being shot as few as 20 times. Tss is hard on them. I have also seen inconsistencies in wad splits that cause poi changes.

I have a Vortex Strikefire 2 on my Turkey made 870 clone in 12 gauge with a 14" barrel (legal in Canada).
This 4 MOA optic works very well at shotgun slug ranges.
This optic has a green/red dot option.
The green dot stands out better for me in bright daytime conditions.

I just removed the FF3 from my O/U because I was having trouble shooting clays with it, probably because it’s mounted so far forward. It’ll probably go back on for turkeys in the Spring, an easy job.