Changing front bead on shotgun

[snapbang]

Well, like most of you the temperature is dropping and the wind is blowing. Great day to be inside, have an extra coffee, and do upgrades on the guns. Today I would like to improve my rabbit killer. My first gun, bought when I was 12, a single shot Stevens Westpoint model 948 in a .410 with full choke. Ive been using the gun with 2 1/2 inch #4 lead shot. Today research is to put a high visability front sight on it. We have not had much snow this year and its a bugger trying to see a well camouflaged rabbit sneeking through the golden rods or underbrush. Additionally its difficult to get a "bead" on it while trying to time a shot through all this cover.

I have a sight ordered but am concerned about removing the front sight. I watched a you tube and the guy used a hair dryer to heat up the barrel a bit. He believes the factory probably installed a little lock tight or similar when they installed the sight. The heat would help release the lock tight or other compound.

Anyone ever done this before?????

 

[rangerod]

Yes. I did that once on a 22-410 over under that belonged to my grandfather. It was a piece of cake.

 

[snapbang]

Did you heat the barrel at all?????What tool did you use????

 

[MrTom]

When I did a couple of my single shot shotguns years ago, I heated the barrel with a blow dryer then used a vice grip to grab the existing pin to remove it. Probably didn't need the hair dryer as they both turned out very easily. I put the green fiber optic pins on and loved them.

 

[snapbang]

Thank you very much guys. I have the orange one coming Tom. Certainly has to be a major improvement for older eyes.

 

[bronko220002]

They are easy to change but personally I never look at or for the bead. I just keep my eye on the target, point, and shoot.
My turkey gun, a youth model 870 20 ga, sports a Millett red dot sight. Its like carrying a BB gun and with Win Super X #5s will roll a big eastern bird at 45 yards with ease.
Just be careful installing the fiber optic hi-viz sight that you don't break it.

 

[ENCORE50A]

They are easy to change but personally I never look at or for the bead. I just keep my eye on the target, point, and shoot..............

Did you shoot a lot of trap back in the day?

 

[rangerod]

What MrTom said.

 

[MrTom]

Thank you very much guys. I have the orange one coming Tom. Certainly has to be a major improvement for older eyes.

I tried an orange one but my eyes got confused with leaves and other foliage in the fall with the color. That green stands out big time and why I went with it. Look at it this way, you can always switch to the green.

 

[bronko220002]

Did you shoot a lot of trap back in the day?

No but a lot of upland and waterfowl hunting. But also it pays to have a shotgun that points where you're looking. As much as I like the higher end production over/under shotguns, they just don't fit me. When I shoulder them I am looking half way up the barrel. This would cause me the shoot over everything. The Browning Citori and Berettas are Okay but not ideal. Remington 1100s and 11-87s fit me perfectly as well as CZ side by sides.

 

[snapbang]

LOL. Well this is not a high end shoots where you look gun. It is light, quick to point, and in IMHO an excellent rabbit gun for my needs. Im left handed and if I carry a follow up shell in my right hand I can reload quickly. As stated above the rabbits going through golden rods and brush are challenging especially without the snow. So Im going to try to give myself a little edge for $10.00. I only paid $25.00 for the gun 45 years ago. I put a sling on it so I can throw it over my shoulder while kicking rabbits loose for the dog. Once jumped and I can hear the dog bringing the rabbit back I take it off my shoulder and get ready.

Im looking forward to getting the sight installed. Im comfortable doing that because of the advice here. As Tom said I may want to switch colors in time but thats OK.

BTW 2 1/2 inch #4 shells kill rabbits dead. Only killed about 5-6 with the 410 but dont think any of my misses would have turned out different with 3 inch shells or a 20 gauge. A miss is a miss. As we preach here all the power you have is no good unless you hit your target. We are at 41 of out 50 rabbit goal. Have til 3/31 to get it done.

 

[MrTom]

Those simple 410s with 2-1/2" shells are small game medicine. I've killed plenty of pheasants with a 2-1/2" 410 stuffed with 6 shot in my youth. At the cabin in the fall I have my .22 and shoot standard velocity LR solids to pop grouse in the yard. 2 shots. Two dead, but not messed up birds, two dinners. Don't need big, don't need powerful to make them dead.

 

[bronko220002]

When I did a couple of my single shot shotguns years ago, I heated the barrel with a blow dryer then used a vice grip to grab the existing pin to remove it. Probably didn't need the hair dryer as they both turned out very easily. I put the green fiber optic pins on and loved them.

Good choice. I know I can see the green more clearly. At that distance, with my eyes, a red dot appears like an infinity symbol (sideways figure 8). Odd but from what I've been told I'm not the only one this happens to.

 

[snapbang]

A sideways figure eight??? I always claim when I shoot pheasants I see two. I shoot at the one on the left. LOL

 

[birdog]

I know you have a front bead on the way but have you thought about the TruGlo Universal II shotgun sight? Not sure what kind of shape your shotgun is in but if you're looking to keep it original and avoid risking any damage I would take a look at this sight. If you snap that bead off you'll end up looking at the TruGlo anyway.

Good luck

https://www.truglo.com/glo-dot-ii-universal/

 

[birdog]

If you have a rib on that barrel then you have several more options.

 

[snapbang]

I like it birdog. I looked for a 410 compatible but never found one. We will see.

No rib. Bare bones

 

[MrTom]

On the difference between green and red.....

I fish and have used every color of line a person might imagine. Within the last six years or so I have tried the orange, green, yellow and of course the blue that Trilene and Stren offered years back. Based on observations while fishing thru ice with a camera in water colors and stages of stain that is imaginable, the green is the most outstanding and that carries thru to the gun sights. In the fishing realm, green was the only coplor that fish would swim up to and stare at the cut end glowing that bright green. Fish were seen actually nibbling on the cut ends of the blue, the orange and the yellow or chartreuse, but would shun the green... it was just too bright. In any water.

On my guns with the front sight using the short bar of dayglow tubing, green gets the nod. I can see it looking into sunlight and well after orange disappears in the evening or before reasonable early light the green is right there standing out proud. Background color don't matter.

It might be the way I see light and colors, but for me green works while even orange flunks the test.

 

[deermanok]

All my iron sight sidelocks have neon green finger nail polish applied to the blade on the front sights. It really helps me to see the target more better.

 

[davek42]

Did you heat the barrel at all?????What tool did you use????

Don’t need any heat. May want to use small pair of vise grips.
Those little sights are hard to get a hold of.
Ive changes lot of them while working in a gun shop.