Accessory dilemma

mons-meg · October 21, 2002, 12:20 PM

After reading Frenchy's post about his new 590 with red dot scope, it got me to thinking. My 590 has the much-vilified heat shield. I happen to like it because I don't burn my hands after rapid-firing a full magazine.

Trouble is, with the heat shield, you can't put on ghost rings. I suppose I could do a red dot or similar, though, with the proper rail attachment? Anyone have any experience with this?

Jay

Al Thompson · October 21, 2002, 03:33 PM

Which part of the sight won't fit? The front? Seems to me that you could do a little hack saw and file work on the shield to make it fit.

Andrew Wyatt · October 21, 2002, 07:21 PM

I attached the front sight on my 590 by milling the appropriate flats in the front sight and screwing it on with some number 6 screws.

since the heat shield slides on from the front, the large front sight would normally preclude installation even with the proper relief cuts unless you installed the sight after installing the shield.

If i wanted to, i could put a heat shield on my gun by unscrewing the front sight, cutting the appropriate notch in the shield, sliding the shield on and then replacing the front sight.

mons-meg · October 22, 2002, 02:28 AM

That sounds like a good idea, but I hate to think what kind of mess I would make if I got out any kind of power tools.

jthuang · October 22, 2002, 10:02 PM

Jay,

IIRC the Mossy 590 manual says you cannot put a heat shield on a gun that has ghost rings, not that you cannot put ghost rings on a gun that has a heat shield?

Justin

Bruce626 · October 22, 2002, 10:26 PM

Last week I posted a "range report" of my experience using bead sight, ghost ring sight, and red-dot sight all in one "let's do a comparison" day at the range under tactical competitive conditions. To save you the trouble of searching for it, my bottom line on adding a red-dot sight to my Mossberg 500 is two-fold:

First, I liked the red-dot but it offered little improvement over my bead results under 50 yards. At 50 to 100 yards, my tired old eyes really loved the red-dot sight picture, and I shot just a little bit better than i did with a bead (YMMV... the instructor said I shoot really well with a bead among a sea of ghost ring shooters). With practice my short-range snap shots with the red-dot might get as fast as I do with a bead.

Second, you'd need to figure out which mounting system you want with the red dot... anything that does not allow you to instantly use the bead (e.g., a see-through or see-under mount) is a disaster waiting for a battery failure to happen.

I'm now trying to figure out why, for my shotgun usage scenarios, I'd want to spend money on a ghost ring sight, even tho I really liked my results with it.

--Bruce.

Bruce626 · October 22, 2002, 10:38 PM

I just re-looked at Frenchy's pics of the 590 with BSA Red Dot (which is what I have) and noticed that it looks like it is mounted on a solid top mount base, maybe the "Weaver 88A" base. I have one of these and chose not to use it because it blocks the view of the existing front sight (bead, in my case). You really gotta have faith in the Energizer Bunny battery in the Red Dot to be fully happy with this setup.

Other than that, I wish I could get a deal like that!

Andrew Wyatt · October 22, 2002, 11:33 PM

I'm primarily a rifleshooter a heart, and I prefer ghost rings, since i son't have to change anything, sight picture wise.

mons-meg · October 23, 2002, 01:06 AM

Maybe I'll just keep mine sight-free, and use the bead. After all, I wouldn't want to break an expensive aimpoint when I went into HTH with the bayonet, right?

October 21, 2002, 12:20 PM	#1
mons-meg Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2002 Location: North Central OK Posts: 206	Accessory dilemma After reading Frenchy's post about his new 590 with red dot scope, it got me to thinking. My 590 has the much-vilified heat shield. I happen to like it because I don't burn my hands after rapid-firing a full magazine. Trouble is, with the heat shield, you can't put on ghost rings. I suppose I could do a red dot or similar, though, with the proper rail attachment? Anyone have any experience with this? Jay __________________ What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it's all about!?!?

October 21, 2002, 03:33 PM	#2
Al Thompson Staff Alumnus Join Date: May 2, 1999 Location: South Carolina Posts: 3,611	Which part of the sight won't fit? The front? Seems to me that you could do a little hack saw and file work on the shield to make it fit. __________________ http://www.scfirearms.org/

October 22, 2002, 02:28 AM	#4
mons-meg Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2002 Location: North Central OK Posts: 206	That sounds like a good idea, but I hate to think what kind of mess I would make if I got out any kind of power tools. __________________ What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it's all about!?!?

October 22, 2002, 10:02 PM	#5
jthuang Senior Member Join Date: January 21, 2000 Posts: 823	Jay, IIRC the Mossy 590 manual says you cannot put a heat shield on a gun that has ghost rings, not that you cannot put ghost rings on a gun that has a heat shield? Justin __________________ Justin T. Huang late of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

October 23, 2002, 01:06 AM	#9
mons-meg Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2002 Location: North Central OK Posts: 206	Maybe I'll just keep mine sight-free, and use the bead. After all, I wouldn't want to break an expensive aimpoint when I went into HTH with the bayonet, right? __________________ What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it's all about!?!?

October 21, 2002, 07:21 PM	#3
Andrew Wyatt Senior Member Join Date: June 5, 2002 Location: Bakersfield, Kommiefornia Posts: 549	I attached the front sight on my 590 by milling the appropriate flats in the front sight and screwing it on with some number 6 screws. since the heat shield slides on from the front, the large front sight would normally preclude installation even with the proper relief cuts unless you installed the sight after installing the shield. If i wanted to, i could put a heat shield on my gun by unscrewing the front sight, cutting the appropriate notch in the shield, sliding the shield on and then replacing the front sight.

October 22, 2002, 10:26 PM	#6
Bruce626 Senior Member Join Date: June 26, 2002 Location: Handgun-Free Chicago thanks to Gun-grabber Daley Posts: 167	Last week I posted a "range report" of my experience using bead sight, ghost ring sight, and red-dot sight all in one "let's do a comparison" day at the range under tactical competitive conditions. To save you the trouble of searching for it, my bottom line on adding a red-dot sight to my Mossberg 500 is two-fold: First, I liked the red-dot but it offered little improvement over my bead results under 50 yards. At 50 to 100 yards, my tired old eyes really loved the red-dot sight picture, and I shot just a little bit better than i did with a bead (YMMV... the instructor said I shoot really well with a bead among a sea of ghost ring shooters). With practice my short-range snap shots with the red-dot might get as fast as I do with a bead. Second, you'd need to figure out which mounting system you want with the red dot... anything that does not allow you to instantly use the bead (e.g., a see-through or see-under mount) is a disaster waiting for a battery failure to happen. I'm now trying to figure out why, for my shotgun usage scenarios, I'd want to spend money on a ghost ring sight, even tho I really liked my results with it. --Bruce.

October 22, 2002, 10:38 PM	#7
Bruce626 Senior Member Join Date: June 26, 2002 Location: Handgun-Free Chicago thanks to Gun-grabber Daley Posts: 167	I just re-looked at Frenchy's pics of the 590 with BSA Red Dot (which is what I have) and noticed that it looks like it is mounted on a solid top mount base, maybe the "Weaver 88A" base. I have one of these and chose not to use it because it blocks the view of the existing front sight (bead, in my case). You really gotta have faith in the Energizer Bunny battery in the Red Dot to be fully happy with this setup. Other than that, I wish I could get a deal like that!

October 22, 2002, 11:33 PM	#8
Andrew Wyatt Senior Member Join Date: June 5, 2002 Location: Bakersfield, Kommiefornia Posts: 549	I'm primarily a rifleshooter a heart, and I prefer ghost rings, since i son't have to change anything, sight picture wise.