Lol I noticed the red dot cover too... I've never seen one on a non-slug shotty before though.
Lol I noticed the red dot cover too... I've never seen one on a non-slug shotty before though.
The rather odd configuration of the gun comes about because I found I was mostly using the Mossberg to take out crows on some sitty trees around a pond rather than shooting at fast-moving flying targets.
To get the maximum killing range out of the Mossberg - necessary to reach out across the pond-, I decided to go for maximum accuracy so added a red dot, but once I'd done so I found that neither the factory stock, or the Hogue replacement, gave a good head position, so I fitted the ATI AR-style stock and grip shown in the photos.
The original sight fitted was a cheapo Chinese copy of the Docter sight. But that needs a new battery, so the Eotech was parked on top just in case I got a chance to go shooting before I could get the other sight powered up again!
On a still day, it is more effective to use an air rifle around the pond, but as soon as there's a bit of wind -i.e., most of the time- the Mossberg comes into its own. I find it almost as effective as a normal 12g, but considerably less likely to alarm other quarry or livestock in the area. From the shooter's perspective, it doesn't sound much quieter than an unmoderated gun, however.
I've also begun to load subsonic cartridges with #4 and BB shot, which I hope will get me a bit more range and make the gun a viable tool for ambushing foxes too.
Yes, it did shoot low, which I took to be due to the fact that extra diameter of the moderator compared to the standard barrel places the bead higher in relation to the muzzle, and thus causes the sight-line to diverge from the bore.
As well as the need to blot out the target with the moderator, I also found the lack of a sighting rib hard to get used to. Adding the low-profile Chinese red dot increased the kill rate because it let me place the centre of the pattern on the target whilst still keeping it in view.
Meanwhile the ATI kit raises the comb, provides adjustable LOP and gives better control under recoil, as well as a better trigger position.
The only problem with it is that it is a bit too light, making the gun more muzzle-heavy than with the standard stock, but I'm thinking of fitting an ATI shell-holder to the butt in the hope that half-a-dozen cartridges will redress the balance a bit.
Well Mr GAin, what an interesting man you are Couldn't agree more about the camotape getting messy - what a great idea this camo sleeve is! I'll PM and ask for one straight away.
AND you're solving my dilemma about subsonic fibre 4s Homeload them! Of course.....!
How is their development going? Would you be interested in making some 5s too? We were going to ask Eley to make some but they wanted a minimum batch of 10 000 IIRC
ATVB and thanks to the bbs for making easy the sharing of developments such as this
Marksmanship = Accuracy, Consistency, Observation and a little of The Force
SharpshootingUK www.sharpshootinguk.com
Thanks for the compliment, Rich.
I've only just finished loading up my first batch of subsonics. They're BBs, but I've also got a container full of #4 shot which I'll try once I've got the BBs right.
I couldn't find a pre-existing felt-wadded recipe, so I've based my load on what I found in the factory Hushpower cartridges. After quite a lot of fiddling to get the press to produce loaded shells that didn't look like they'd been made by Dr. Frankenstein, I'm hoping they'll shoot reasonable patterns and actually be subsonic, but I suspect I still need to do a bit of fiddling with the height of the wad column.
All good clean fun!