Shooting a standard shotgun bead.

[ckhawkeye51]

Is it ok to shoot a stock bead off of my Browning Maxus?? I hear a lot of talk about Point of Impact. I am shooting Heavy 13-3 1/2" #6 shot with a .670 Jellyhead choke. I don't really care to shoot a red dot or scope....I'm assuming just line up the bead and fire away!!! Any thoughts???

[HogBiologist]

Pattern your gun to see where it is hitting.  Then you will know if you can hold dead on of if you have to adjust for "Kentucky Windage".  You dont have ta have adjustable sights, if you know how to adjust you POA.  But can you remember in the heat of the moment to adjuts for POI?

[Clay]

I definitely prefer to turkey hunt with a stock bead!  I've got no desire to hunt with a scope and I once tried the add-on rifle type sights from tru-glo, but they eventually lost zero.  However you HAVE to pattern your gun with the load you'll be shooting!   

I had a Benelli SBE I that patterned just a bit low with the old Winchester Supremes, so I just covered the gobbler's head with the bead and all was good.  However, I made the mistake of switching to hevi type loads without patterning and saw two gobblers escape death before I patterned it and found that the hevi loads all shot about 10" low through that gun.  I eventually traded that gun for an SBE II because I wanted to shoot hevi loaded, but didn't want to scope it.  the new SBE II shoots perfect with the hevi type loads and a 6 o'clock hold. 

[BigPeck215]

i prefer beads but since i moved to a shur shot stock on my 870 the comb is too high for a bead so i have to shoot rifle sights, if i ever move back to a regular stock i will be shooting beads again

[dlquinn]

I prefer the stock bead as well. That's all there was for years, just like lead shells...

Had to remove the middle bead on my 11-87 though it was messing me all up. Once it was gone my eye is on the bead better and faster.

[redleg06]

I wouldnt mind shooting the bead but I've only had one gun that the factory bead matched POI & POA with the choke and shell combo I wanted to shoot so I've since moved to adjustable sites.

There is nothing WRONG with shooting the factory bead, you just need to know where it's going to hit with the choke and shell combination you are going to carry to the woods. I think a lot of folks just assume that they are good to go and never know the difference, unfortunately.

[SWAMPFOX]

love the bead as well. have 2 guns with optics. ff2 on daughters 870 and eotech on ssi-1. never hunt with them as i always go bead.

[goblr77]

I'm shooting beads on many guns now. If they shoot to POA I stick with the bead. If not, I add optics. No need to overcomplicate things if you don't have to.

[surehuntsalot]

that's mostly all I shoot

[MizzouOutdoors]

I prefer the bead when possible.  Less parts for potential malfunction.

[trkehunr93]

I have always used the factory bead, I've slipped in the woods and dropped my shotgun and with the bead I have never had to worry about knocking my sights out of adjustment.  I have never had an issue with POA/POI with my 835 or 500.  Knock on wood

[paboxcall]

I had a Mossberg 500 that shot 3"-4"  left and 3"-4" low with the factory two beads on the vented rib.  Installed aftermarket rifle sights and with those maxed out, still had to do a little Kentucy aiming.

Missed a gobbler in tight, and got rid of that gun later that year.  I shoot a gun today with factory rifle sights, which I prefer, though nothing wrong with shooting beads at all.

Got to pattern them to see if they are hitting where they are aiming.

[TANK]

I personally HATE the fiber optic anythings! They give off a haze that blures the target for me. I wish gun makers would put both options on guns for the consumer. My Browning NWTF Silver came with some garbage plastic fiber optic rifle sights on it. I called Browning and luckily found a white bead that I mounted on it......If I couldn't have done away with the fibers the gun was going to be for sale. Since the modification I've killed 2 spooked flying gobblers & 1 spooked gobbler running. If you watch tv though, you can't kill a turkey unless you have the latest Tru-Glo sales gimmick..........

[BrowningGuy88]

As long as the gun shoots to POA I run the beads. No need to over complicate things. Now a red dot or rifle sights may help you not shoot over a bird.