XS Big Dot glue on sights experience?

[CarloMNL]

I can't hardly see the brass bead on my 870P anymore. Whether indoors or outdoors, with glasses or none, I can't see anything resembling a pedestal or a bead. I'm thinking of one of the XS Big Dots that epoxy over the factory sight.

Has anyone here used these for their house guns? I don't run my gun hard these days. I get to practice with it every couple of months, running a box or two of birdshot then a few rounds of buckshot. Given such light use, and proper prep of the mating surfaces, will the glue on sight hold for at least a couple of years?

(My sole application for the shotgun is home protection. Nothing inside my house is deeper than 10 meters so I figured a simple setup + white light might be sufficient.)

[Brian T]

I've sold a bunch. I like them if you are gonna run just a bead. If you intend on having something more than a bead, thats cool. I dont know that I like them for a stop-gap.

Installing them; always rough up the steel of the barrel and the underside of the sight.

Loctite of any kind is a no-go.

JB Weld is most common, and while it works OK, it bears caution. Keep an eye on it (see what I did there). Dont use rubbing alcohol to degrease the area on the barrel or the sight. Something about residual alcohol vapor and JB Weld doesnt mix.

If you are going to use an adhesive, I prefer the stinky stuff; Martex. Recently one of my bead-on-barrel 870s with MarTex'd on XS Sight survived a one day, 250 round HiTS course. The backup 870 with a bead-on-pedestal XS Sight with JB Weld didnt do so hot. That JB Weld was a good 8-10 years though, but it never got many rounds fired.

Bar-None, the best way to install these sights, as with all sights on gauges is to have it soldered. Obviously its the most expensive, and its permanent which could cause issues with warranty or duration, but its worth it.

[gato naranja]

I can't hardly see the brass bead on my 870P anymore. Whether indoors or outdoors, with glasses or none, I can't see anything resembling a pedestal or a bead. I'm thinking of one of the XS Big Dots that epoxy over the factory sight.

When I was still experimenting with barrels on 870's, I tried a Big Dot on one, and it really did work... even when I would try the gun without my glasses.

I found it not only very fast to pick up, but perfectly adequate just as long as I was not trying to thread a metaphorical needle with a slug (or pretend it was a carbine).

[CarloMNL]

When I was still experimenting with barrels on 870's, I tried a Big Dot on one, and it really did work... even when I would try the gun without my glasses.

I found it not only very fast to pick up, but perfectly adequate just as long as I was not trying to thread a metaphorical needle with a slug (or pretend it was a carbine).

That'll work for me. :-)

[mmc45414]

I had one briefly and liked it, enough that I was considering one they make for the 1301C vent rib, but they glue over the bead and onto the rib, I am good doing this with a Remington barrel but reluctant with the Beretta barrel that costs as much as the whole 870.

My search turned up these, that are FO with tritium:
https://www.hivizsights.com/product/litewave-compsight/
That they make for plain barrel and vent rib. I bought two and plan to dab some RTV on the rib and screw it on and they would be removable. I went ahead and bought two, they were forty something at MGW, I can have a consistent view with my three gun and skeet guns, gads I am such a gun nerd...

But if your 870 has that little baby ramp then the XS is probably a better option.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

[Bigghoss]

I had a Mossberg 500 project I was playing around with upgrades for and one of them was the XS Big Dot bead. I haven't put a lot of rounds through it but as far as being able to see and use it over the bead I loved it so much I bought one for every other defensive shotgun barrel I have. Assuming these things hang on then they are a fantastic upgrade.

[167]

I have put two on guns. One on an older 870 Wingmaster with a bead directly on the barrel, and one on a newer 870P with the bead on a pedestal. For the older Wingmaster or on Mossbergs that use the same bed setup, I think that version is more durable than the one that goes on the pedestal bead. The XS Big Dot for the pedestal bead sight is not interfacing itself with as much surface area and is susceptible to being twisted left or right and breaking the bond with whatever epoxy is used. The ones that go over a bead sight directly on the barrel don't seem to have that same issue.

[Lex Luthier]

I've got one of the ones Brian T sold; it's mounted on an ancient Ithaca 37, right over the plain bead with J-B Weld.
Works a treat, and has hung on well through a variety of buckshot, heavy field load, and slugs.

As Gato Naranja said, it's not a carbine, but really helps.

[fatdog]

I put the XS on top of the bead sight on my SBR Browning Auto 5, used JB Weld, it came loose but I captured it on the range, lucky to find it, cleaned everything off and tried again with more JB weld, it departed the second time never to be found again.

This is probably the worst case scenario however as the A5 barrel is recoiling violently itself with every shot.

[Chuck Whitlock]

I had one installed on an agency 590DA1. I was able to reasonably bust clays with it, and I'm no wing shooter.

[Gun Mutt]

I’m closing in on 20yrs with one mounted on my 870 Marine Magnum. I installed just as it came from XS a few days before my first shotgun class with Louis Awerbuck (RIP), ran it in my 2nd class with him & toted it all over Montana where it was loaded with alternating 3” magnum buck & slug. Hell, it’s outlasted both my marriages…but I could just be lucky.

[Brian T]

I had one installed on an agency 590DA1. I was able to reasonably bust clays with it, and I'm no wing shooter.

I always wanted one of those.

[Rick R]

I JB Welded one to the rib of my 21” 870 last year. A few hundred rounds later (mostly target loads with a few buckshot and slugs) it’s still attached and glowing. I’ve broken clays with it in sporting, five stand and skeet, along with pestering 8” paper plates using slugs at 50 yards. I worry if the “weld” will hold in sub zero temperatures but try to keep my carcass indoors when they happen.