How to sight in a red dot on shotgun for turkey hunting?

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How to sight in a red dot scope on a shotgun for turkey hunting

Red dot sights are the most favorite for the turkey hunters as it gives an eye relief, extreme accuracy, and an efficient design for eye-to use. These sights are non-magnifying, and it gives the hunters a target through LED light projected on the lens of the sight.

In general, a red dot sight can be defined as a dot with red color placed on the target to keep an eye on the dot for achieving the aim. For turkey hunting, the value of the red dot cannot be denied as it gives the facility to achieve the target with excellent eye relief. It provides a parallax-free design, so you can easily see the surroundings while you are not aiming. You can enjoy the beauty of turkey hunting using the red dot sight at the time of the shooting. You can adjust the brightness of a red dot sight according to your needs.

In this article, you will read about How to sight in a red dot on shotgun for turkey hunting .

Mounting a Red Dot Sight For Turkey Hunting

The easiest way to mount a red dot scope is by using a weaver rail attached to your shotgun. Nowadays, most of the shotguns used for turkey hunting come with a rail. The guns can also have a tapped receiver in place of a rail to mount the red dot scope. If your receiver does not have a top rail, you can attach any mounts available in the market with trigger housing pins. The mounts can also be protected between the receiver and the stock. Make sure that you do not throw the optic on top of the gun in a hurry. Examine by mounting it in its position and then check how it behaves. One significant advantage of the red dot scope is that you can place it at any position that facilitates you with excellent eye relief.

How To Zero the red dot for turkey hunting

It would be best if you zeroed the turkey shotgun when using a red dot sight. You need to get a large paper piece with a set central aiming point. It will be good to start with 20 yards that will be secure for your shoulder. Adjust the optic to the center of the pattern. For achieving accuracy, use a clean paper sheet for every shoot. If you use 1 MOA, you need to click the dial five times to move 1 inch. If you are at 20 yards initially, then after five clicks, you will be at 100 yards. You can switch to your turkey gun to ensure that you have got your zero and then move accordingly to adjust the weapon in line with the target. 

How To Sight in a red dot for turkey hunting

The sighting of a red dot scope for turkey hunting is almost similar to the sighting with a red dot scope in a pistol. It means that you can sight in a red dot scope as you have done for a pistol. 

Difference of Red Dot Sight on a pistol and shotgun

The only difference between the above two is that there are numerous points of impact on the turkey hunting with a red dot scope, whereas, on a pistol, there is only one point of impact that is the bullet point. 

You do not need to worry that you are sighting in a red dot for the pistol in the past, but now it is a new firearm. All the things will go well if you follow the following points.

  • Ensure that the shotguns you are using for your turkey hunting are lurid, and they give a hard shudder. So, you have to be careful while shooting to protect yourself. You should wear paddings for your shoulders so that they will be protected from any injury caused by the jerk of the shotgun. 
  • You will also need to buy earmuffs and glasses while turkey hunting. In this way, you will surely have a secure and successful shot.
  • Maintain a distance of almost 40 yards from the target. 
  • One thing to consider when you are shooting is that you should fire in a single round on the target. 
  • Find the deepest part of the pattern of holes in the paper by inspecting the target. And the point which you have found is your aim point that resembles a single hole on a rifle. 
  • Now check where the bullets mark and then adjust the reticle of your red dot sight at this point. 
  • Now keep practicing until you get the accurate aim, and after that, lead the shooting world. 

Best Red Dot Sights for turkey hunting

If you are a beginner and using a red dot sight for the first time, it can be challenging for you to choose the best red dot scope for turkey hunting. There are multiple red dot scopes available in the market that can sometimes cause difficulty in selecting the best one. Here is the solution to your problem. The following are some best red dot scopes for turkey hunting. You can choose one of them if you are a beginner and could not decide by yourself.

  • Aimpoint Micro T-2 with 2 MOA Red DoT Sight: it is very easy for transportation, and it also keeps your sights protected. It is used with sport rifles and shotguns. Its battery can be used for five years continuously. But it is an expensive sight.
  • BSA 30mm Red Dot Sight: It can be used with various weapons, especially with shotguns. The battery life is perfect and is the most affordable red dot sight on the market. You can adjust your eye relief and brightness that relate to the area you are shooting at. But one bad thing about this sight is that it has a poor mounting system.
  • Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 Red Dot Sight: It is waterproof and fog proof and can be used in any weather conditions. It consists of a crisp red dot reticle that you can use to adjust the brightness. It has high-quality optics that uses coated lenses. But it might prove inefficient in some conditions.
  • Truglo 30mm Red Dot Dual Color Sight: A shock-resistant red dot scope weighs up to 1000g and is also waterproof. It includes extra security in the shape of weaver style mounting system. It provides 5 MOA. But the disadvantage of this red dot scope is that its flip cap can be easily opened.
  • Field Sport Red Dot Sight: This red dot scope is very easy to carry as it is very lightweight. It includes four reticles to be used at night as well as in all weather conditions. It also facilitates users with unlimited eye relief so that they can protect themselves from recoil. The rapid-firing hunters consider this scope one of the best as it has long battery life and can move rapidly to get the target. But its mounting system needs improvement.

Benefits of red dot sight for turkey hunting

There are numerous benefits of using a red dot scope for turkey hunting that urge the hunters to use it for their turkey hunting season. 

  • Using a red dot sight, you can kill more turkeys and get a significant position in the shooting. 
  • As you will get the target quickly, it will push you to aim more and more, and thus in this way, you will enjoy your shooting season. 
  • The battery life of the red dot sights is long. It can run for the entire turkey season. It means that you do not have to spend more and more on purchasing batteries. 
  • The red dot sights are using modern optics that are very easy to mount. So, you can mount the red dot sight by following the guidelines mentioned in the book you get when you purchase the scope. 
  • To get a zero in is easy by using quality red dots. 
  • If you are using a compact red dot, then you will be on the safe side. 
  • The most significant benefit is that you can make an accurate shot from any position, and there are chances to achieve the target at any side. 
  • There are security measures that you can adopt to keep yourself away from injuries.  
  • It provides a parallax-free sight, so there is no restriction of taking a glance around you. You can watch the things around you and can focus on your target.
  • It provides excellent eye relief. It means that there is no need to put your eye directly on the hole of the red dot sight. You can keep your eye on a distance and then can take your aim. 

All the above benefits make red dot sights more popular among hunters for turkey shooting. So, if you are a beginner, you can also go for it as it is effortless to use. You can practice using it by starting with a short distance of approximately less than 50 yards, and when you get the accuracy, you can increase the distance. 

Conclusion

Red dot sights are most used for turkey shooting. You can easily mount, zero in, and sight if you follow the given guidelines. It has far more benefits, and that is why you should start using a red dot sight for turkey hunting. 

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AUTHOR

I quit my job as a high-powered lawyer to pursue the outdoors. I spend most of my time fishing and hunting but am also an avid shooter with two years experience writing about firearms related topics.

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