# with or without a bead



## Ryan_Todd (Apr 11, 2004)

this past week i decided to replace the bead in the end of my gun with a fiberoptic one. in the process i managed to snap off the old bead so now my rib is flat. i talked to a gun smith and he told me it was better not to have a bead and that i would shoot better than i did after i got used to it. just wondering what you guys thought. should i tap out the hole and put in a new bead or should learn to shoot without it. :huh:


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## FACE (Mar 10, 2003)

If your gun fits and shoulders consistantly then you do not need the bead, however, on shots that you miss you can remember the visual image of where the bead was in relation to the target. I know of some shotgunning classes that teach without beads or even without the rib so you can become a proficient shooter without "aiming" the shotgun. 90% of my shots are what's known as snap shooting and that is when you aquire the target, you then follow the target with the muzzle of the gun while shouldering, and as soon as the gun is shouldered you should pull the trigger and to be honest you shouldn't have even remembered seeing the rib or bead if you successfully hit the target, only if you miss is when you usually remember the image. Always keep your eyes on the target! I personally have found the fiber optics annoying except for aiming such as in turkey or slug hunting.


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## Ryan_Todd (Apr 11, 2004)

thanks face. i think i'll try it and see how it goes. i do think i aim too much when i should be focusing on the bird.


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## FACE (Mar 10, 2003)

Another fun way to get better is to shoot skeet at night with the white clays under lights shining the targets. Whats cool about that is youy hardly see the end of the gun until the muzzle flash and dissapearing clays!!! Loads of fun!!!!! When you can shoot in the twenties at night then you sometimes feel you have sonar like a bat or the "FORCE" like Yoda!!
Anyway, just have fun and practice!


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## BRYAN_REMER (Sep 24, 2003)

If you need a bead on your gun you can get those that slip onto the rib too, so that way you don't have to tap a new hole. I put a screw-in fiber-optic bead on SX2 and I have yet to actually see it when I am shooting. I am definitely going to get one for my slug gun, because after all this waterfowl hunting I have the tendency to snap shoot when I take the weekend off to go deer hunting.


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## Remmi_&amp;_I (Dec 2, 2003)

I threw on one of those cheap magnetic "Hi-Viz" sights and they seem pretty good. That may work for ya.


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

I have a bead on my gun but I never notice the bead when I shoot. I wouldn't worry about having one on.


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## Ryan_Todd (Apr 11, 2004)

i took it out and shot with it today. the first couple of shots were a little weird. i found myself looking for the bead. but after i shot it a few times i found it easier to find the target and focus on the target. i think i'll go without the bead. i also got one of those drake killer tubes and all i can say is wow. it patterns great. i also learned quite a bit about different loads and how they work. kevin really know his stuff over there at custom gun works.


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## Remmi_&amp;_I (Dec 2, 2003)

Come to think of it, it doens't seem like I use the bead when shooting either. I probably do, but don't notice it. Like everything, practice is the key. You could shoot a crooked gun good if you worked on it enough!


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## zx2dxz (Aug 20, 2004)

go get an EasyHit fiber optic sight, the same on that Tom Knapp uses i have one for every gun that i own. They are way nice, but show their strenght in the early morning hours, its dark and cold but this thing glows like a flashlight. What else is nice about it is that the bead partly goes away if ur head is not on the stock perfect. This forces u to bring ur head to the right position on the stock and in the end get a better more accurate shot off time and time again. I wouldnt go without a bead even tho u may not notice it u still use it in everyshot.

Ohhh yea no tap is needed to install this sight.

http://store.yahoo.com/easyhitus-store/index.html $22 for 1 or $36 for 2
https://tp-commerce.techpro.com/tomknapp/shopexd.asp?id=51 $23 for 1

lata, 2d


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## GooseBuster3 (Mar 1, 2002)

I fell into that fiber optic BS. I dont even use a bead anymore. I took mine off.


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## Ryan_Todd (Apr 11, 2004)

the fiber optic bead takes your focus off the target. i had one of those magnetic beads and now that i've been shooting without a bead i realized that.


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