2nd bead

[abs]

Do sporting Beretta 391 and/or 3901 have two-bead sights? What about Silver/Gold Brownings? Any other semi-auto models (besides Mossberg 930 and Remington 1100) that have two-bead sights?

Finally, Remington 1100 vs Mossberg 930: who wins?

Sorry for taking the bandwidth but in North NJ, gun shops have very few sporting shotguns while sport pros usually have O/U (too expensive for me)... Thanks!

[mikenbarb]

Remington 1100 hands down.Its been around a long time and has proven itself. And for two beads, Never used two and never had a problem hitting what im aiming at. Its just something else to distract you from the target that may only be there for a second or two. I have a couple that had two beads and took the second one off because I wasted too much time trying to align them.

[Lavid2002]

Waste of time?
I personally never saw the second bead. My face was always put in a place where the the two just lined up.
I dont bother with the seocnd one, why? I waterfowl. Weeds and marsh snag on the bead and I have to rub mud off it and beads that rip of and tie around it (Hardcore water fowler! !) a second bead would just be mroe crap to get in my line of sight. But if i was att he range I could see it as a very usefull tool for a beginner. If you cans hoot fine with one, why go up to 2? Im fine with one :P I dont even use the bead I point a shotgun....Chop my weed snagger off please :P

[hillbille]

while it may be hard to get used to the second bead has always helped me. when turkey hunting or squirrel, you have time to sight in better or at least I do. I put one on a pedrosoli muzzleloading double barrell I rabbitt hunt with, have no trouble finding it when I have that quick shot, on rabbitt or grouse. put one on my sons 410 to help with slugs when deer hunting, he always hit what he shot at.

[Frank Ettin]

I'd always want a center bead on a shotgun I used for a clay target game. Now when I am shooting, either in competition or practice, I never look at the beads (or the barrel). So you may well ask why I want a center bead on my gun.

I think of it as a training aid. Although I never use the beads while actually shooting, I spend a lot of time practicing my mount -- over and over again. I'll do that in the living room several times a week, or more frequently, with a gun that I have verified is unloaded. Each time, I'll confirm that I have mounted it correctly by verifying that the beads line us correctly. When shooting trap, I'll mount my gun a few times at the line before the squad leader has called for the first target, and verify my mount by looking at the beads. When shooting sporting clays I do so a couple of times before calling for the target.

The end result of all this is that I have programed the correct mount and can be very confident without looking that when I mount the gun that everything is correct. And so when I actually shoot, I keep my eyes away from the beads and on the target where they belong.

Now the good news is that if you buy a gun without a center bead and want to try a center bead, if the gun has a rib, it's pretty simple to have a center bead added.

[mikenbarb]

I agree that its a good referance for the beginner to learn his mounting and face position. I also dont use a bead for shooting most of the time with clays but I do use it sometimes when I have to line up in the field either waterfowl or turkey when im caught out of position and cant get my face planted where it belongs. Alot of shooters are taking their beads off their guns completely due to it being in the way of their line of sight.

[Frank Ettin]

Let me be clear Mike, I'm not a beginner. Also, many of the top trapshooters in the country do exactly what I do. I know because I've discussed this with some of them. I don't know of any top shooter who has removed the beads.

[BigJimP]

Center beads are not for beginners - they are on a lot of "target" shotguns - and many of us use those same shotguns in the field - or at least I use mine in the field ( Browning XS Skeet models - and a Benelli Super Sport are my primary fields guns and Skeet and sporting clays guns ).....

I don't know what some of you guys are doing to get stuff hung up on the beads when you're out hunting ..... or maybe I'm just not crawling thru the jungle like a sniper like you guys are .... A center bead is never a factor on a shotgun, other than making sure your mount is proper, and you aren't canting the gun as you mount - but you should never see the barrel on your gun - let alone the beads when you are executing a shot.

Some of the Browning Golds - have center rib beads - some don't - but they are easy to add if they don't have one.

Mossberg vs Remington 1100 - hands down the 1100 in my view. However, I would also recommend the Benelli inertia system vs any of the gas guns ( Browning Gold, Remington 1100, Beretta 391, etc ). The Benelli, especially with the comfort tech recoil system in the synthetic stocks, makes it a real soft shooting gun - its a very fast gun going into battery on the 2nd shell - and it shoots a lot cleaner than any of the gas guns. So I would at least consider it before you buy.

[olddrum1]

abs, to answer your question, yes and know. Browning and Beretta will put the beads on some and not others. Usally a competition gun will have the mid mount bead and a hunting may or may not have it. As lavid2002 stated, it is a nuisance for him to have it duck hunting while I find it to be invaluable when shooting clay pigeons out to sixty and seventy yards and beyond. As far as them getting in the way of your line of sight, thats what they are supposed to do. Means you can pull the trigger now.

[Frank Ettin]

Originally Posted by BigJimP

I don't know what some of you guys are doing to get stuff hung up on the beads when you're out hunting ..... you should never see the barrel on your gun - let alone the beads when you are executing a shot.

+1

When the pheasant flushes, my eyes are on the bird as I mount the gun, and I pull the trigger as soon the gun hits my shoulder.

[olddrum1]

I agree with you guys on the focus. When I shoot clays my primary focus is on the clay pigeon but It is kind of like a secondary focus on the beads. My trap guns bead is just under the barrel support on our shotgun stand where I shoot. If you pick the gun up you have a good chance of knocking the white bead off. You know something is wrong but usally it takes a second shot to figure the middle bead is gone.

[mikenbarb]

I did not say that a center bead is for beginners, I said its better for a beginner to start with one(or two)to learn his referance points where he lines up. And the range I go to has alot of front beads uninstalled. I am not a pro either but do shoot in tournaments often and have seen quite a few pros without the bead. I will post top shooters without a bead when I gather their names in future thread. I shoot with a bead on my gun but dont look at it when I shoot. I focus on the target and let the gun do the rest. And again, I never said beads are for beginners. I said its good for them to have as a referance point to learn where the gun goes and when they get used to it, It will come natural. Its kinda like shooting a stick bow instead of a compound with pins. Its natural and accurate. No offense intended so dont take it that way. If you look at a back issue of F&S they had an article that said "To bead or not to bead" I will try to find issue and post. It had quite a few cool things to know for the shooter.