Aimpoint S1 dedicated vent rib shotgun optic

[Dagga Boy]

@Dagga Boy, I'm sure you probably answered this question already, but why is your S1 mounted where it is? Why not closer to the receiver?


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Theory at this point, but here was my first thinking. On my carbines and defensive shotguns I mount the sight as far rearward as possible to get it in front of my eye as soon as possible from a Low ready. On these guns they start mounted and I want more peripheral vision, so farther forward gives me that. I basically split the rib and mount it centered on the rib for balance. Just a theory so far and not cast in stone, but it is working so far.

[Andy in NH]

I've got mine mounted a little closer to the receiver of my Mossberg 930; so far, so good.

[Dagga Boy]

DB,

I used to shoot clays with my dad a lot, he was very good, I'm fair to middling. One year we got some professional coaching as a gift. The change that made the biggest difference in my clay shooting was this. Treat the clay like you would a baseball. Which is to say, if you are swinging at a pitch, are you watching the bat, or the ball? With clays, the clay is tha ball, the shotgun is the bat. You probably shouldn't even see the gun, except out of your peripheral vision.

That concept is anathema to defensive shooting, and makes it hard to transition between the two. It is also a hard concept to articulate intelligibly and most shotgunners can't tell someone else what they are doing wrong. With that change, I picked up another 10-12 birds out of 100. And missed birds were usually me looking at the front bead.

Im interested in how the S1 did, and I wonder if the sight reference point which allows you to maintain a hard target focus will work in clays. It should work really well with trap, and with some presentations in clays, but much like skeet, the fast crossing birds will be hard. But those tend to be the hardest types of birds for a defensive shooter anyway.

Good luck and have fun.

Sent from my SM-P905V using Tapatalk

On the money so far with this post and my experience. Like golf, I understand clay shooting, just not good at it, and up till recently, didn't care. What generally is going on is that your focus is on the bird, and your eye is the rear sight. Yep, anathema to a defensive shooter. I have been shooting an Aimpoint on a 12 ga. Defensive gun since basically when the Comp M2 came out. For me, the red dot is the shotgun sight. We can make all sorts of various arguments for low power variables and things like ACOG's on rifles (I had ACOG number 687...early adopter on those too) versus the red dot. Valid argument. On the shotgun and sub gun....no argument, it is an Aimpoint world. So, I am very used to using an Aimpoint on a shotgun. Clays will always be nothing but fun to me. Trap will be the preferred discipline, and sporting clays will be a something different to do, no more no less. Basically, because I hate golf, and like guns.....sporting clays. When a rank newbie can go out and slaughter the first 9 out of ten clays thrown at me, there is something there with the S1 on some types of targets. I also did much better with a really good coach basically explaining the bird flight and how to both read and lead the birds on the more difficult stages. When I had someone who knows what they are doing tell me where I needed to be, the S1 let me put the barrel in that exact spot. Again, a benefit. I also don't think a lot of total rookies to the game can call shots. I know where my barrel was on every shot I missed. I think that is also a valuable thing. I would love to go to Aimpoints academy in Sweden to learn this right.

For me, from a practical standpoint, my M2 "50 state do it all long gun" is set up exactly the same sighting and function wise to my 28" barreled Benelli Sport that is a play gun. I think that is a good thing and unlike most, I think my clay shooting with the same sight that is on my defensive gun is a huge benefit because the clays becomes training doing the same thing sight wise and visually, where normally, clays is completely opposite to what we are teaching in the defensive world. I need to spend more time with both guns, but could even see getting a 28" barrel for my M2 with an S1 for my M2 and really use one gun for everything. Right now, the Benelli Sport doesn't offend anyone at the clay ranges (even with the Aimpoint, the pretty wood seems to make it sort of okay). Alternatively, if I really wanted to go low profile, I could cut a 28" Sport barrel down to 18 or 19 inches (the rib would guide the length) with an S1 and no chokes and have a great hotel room defensive shotgun that would completely fly under the radar.

I will be shooting Trap with the thing on Wed. If everything goes right, so we will see what happens with that.

[Wayne Dobbs]

After last Friday's benefit clay shoot, I'm willing to try anything. 49/100...SMH.

[farscott]

On a defensive gun with a vent rib (I built mine by cutting down a Wingmaster barrel to 18.75"), does it make more sense to mount the sight like the S1 on the rib or closer to the eye? I like the idea of having the sight at the midpoint of the rib to help keep my focus on the target, but my eyes are not the best. I am also left-eye dominant and right-handed, and I taught myself how to shoot shotguns off my left shoulder. I can see the S1 allowing me to shoot right-handed.

This thread is going to make me spend some money.

[OldRunner/CSAT Neighbor]

After last Friday's benefit clay shoot, I'm willing to try anything. 49/100...SMH.

Wait what? gotta say I'm stunned/surprised here brother, was that w/ a dot or ??

[Dagga Boy]

Wait what? gotta say I'm stunned/surprised here brother, was that w/ a dot or ??

I was the only person at the range (or likely ever at the facility) running a dot. Wayne was using a traditional gun. We were squaded differently so I can't say what it was. Wayne has shot clays for a long time even recounting shooting skeet at the range we were on as a high school kid. The mere fact that I was even close on score says a lot. Also, we were dealing with some weird wind conditions that made things a bit tough. Several stages never gave a consistent throw on the birds because of the wind.

[Wayne Dobbs]

I was the only person at the range (or likely ever at the facility) running a dot. Wayne was using a traditional gun. We were squaded differently so I can't say what it was. Wayne has shot clays for a long time even recounting shooting skeet at the range we were on as a high school kid. The mere fact that I was even close on score says a lot. Also, we were dealing with some weird wind conditions that made things a bit tough. Several stages never gave a consistent throw on the birds because of the wind.

And, not to make excuses, but lots of the stages were just plain difficult. It was still fun and the BBQ was a salve to my crappy score.

[OldRunner/CSAT Neighbor]

And, not to make excuses, but lots of the stages were just plain difficult. It was still fun and the BBQ was a salve to my crappy score.

OK, the planet seems to be back on it axis now, but as Pat sometimes referred to WD, *The Wayne Dobbs* was involved here.

Also good to hear that some Q helped a man heal up 'n hair over as we say in da piney woods.

[Dagga Boy]

OK, the planet seems to be back on it axis now, but as Pat sometimes referred to WD, *The Wayne Dobbs* was involved here.

Also good to hear that some Q helped a man heal up 'n hair over as we say in da piney woods.

Among the people there that actually shoot sporting clays for real, there were no amazing scores. It was tough and even the instructors out there said that the wind was just perfect from the right direction to make things really tough even for experienced shooters. As Wayne said though, the BBQ was epic, so it didn't matter.