vfg on a shotty

[eells]

so im moving out of my parents house next semester, into the city. not quite nailed down on the place yet, but we're going to go take a look at the place wensday. regardless, im planning on getting a remington 870 shotgun for home defense.
plans so far include adding a pistol grip, maybe folding stock, and prolly a laser or some other sight when i can get the money. my question is wheither or not to put a vertical foregrip on it. im getting the pistol grip because my eyes are cross dominant and feel like it might be an extra risk shouldering if SHTF. what are the advantages of a vfg, and the drawbacks? also any brands i should look into should i decide to add one?

actually while were here, any body got any recommendations of optics? ghost rings, halo sights, or do you think a laser sight would be the best. obviously not to depend on, but as a first line.

[JohnXD]

The 870 with an 18.5" or 20" barrel is a fine choice for home defense. A few things come to mind about your proposed equipment though. First, I'd get either a fixed stock or a retractable one like the Knoxx stock. After shooting my shottie from the hip shortly after I got it, i came to these conclusions:

1) it was not possible to aim, just sort of hap-hazardly point and shoot. A laser won't help you with this BTW, if there is no time to turn it on when someone kicks in your door in the middle of the night. If SHTF, you simply can't afford to waste time fumbling for the switch on a laser.
2) Quick follow up shots after shooting a round of 00 Buckshot from the hip were impossible. It's just not like you see on tv. The support given by a shoulder stock is needed to ensure proper control. You can still miss with a shotgun. Compactness can still be achieved for manuvering in your house if need be by keeping your shotgun at "low ready". It is very quick to shoulder the gun when needed from this position. As for the pistol grip, I was all ready to buy one with a pistol grip stock, untill I handled the same model shotgun side by side. One with a pistol grip stock, one with a field gun stock. I found the field gun grip pointed more naturally, and felt less front heavy. That's the one I went with, and it saved me about $50 to boot. Just pick whichever one points the best for you after handeling one of each. Oh, and don't wory about the cross eye dominant thing. I have that issue also. I'm learning to shoot with both eyes open. That's a tactical advantage anyway as it keeps both eyes on your target. My shottie has ghost rings, and while they aren't really necessary, they are nice to have for man sized targets. Clays are another matter, and you will soon end up with another shotgun if you get into that. HD shotguns in general (especially with ghost rings) and clays don't mix well. Since you only mentioned HD however, I'd say I love my ghost rings for two legged varmints that kick the door in at 3am, and particularly for shooting slugs at the range. Others may dissagree here. Riffle sights or an open bead sight are just fine for your application. Get whichever type suits you the best.

I can't offer practical advice on the vertical foregrip as I never tried one. They look bad ass, but probably aren't real important, and may just further weigh down your shotguns forend.

And one last thing I'd like to add. I'm a big proponent of adding an LED light to your shotgun. It's critical to be able to identify your target as a real threat before you fire. If your half asleep and your girlfriend or landlord shows up late at night and unexpected inside your place (happened to me already), you need to be able to identify them as a non threat. Get yourself a tac light that mounts to the mag tube, and has a remote switch attached to the forend grip. That way, it will come on without any fumbling. Can't really stress this one enough. I handeled a real nice FN SLP shotgun at a gun show last year btw, that had a holo site on it, but the switch to turn it on was so small/ hard to find in the dark, I doubt it would be of any use for SHTF either. Just get a shotgun, a shell carrier ($5 stretchy ones are fine), and a light and be done with it.

My 2 cents, and good luck.
-John

[24/7dude]

Get one if it feels right for you. I like them with or without vfg's, but I could pump it faster with them on. Just something you might want to consider.

here's the one I got for a M500 and it worked really well:

http://www.tacticalshotgunaccessorie...ar/forends.htm

[Asmodeus6]

Shotgun first - plenty of shells to practice with / bucket full of accessories later if you decide you can't live without them.

Simple is always best. Some have their place - I'm a big proponent of customizations... but most just get in the way. A VFG on a shotgun I just don't see the point. And shooting it without shouldering it is fairly pointless. You're cross dominant eyed but your worried about ghost ring sights and all this other shit.

Stick with a bead. Then even if you are funny eyed you won't have as many problems lining things up.

But before you go into some deep in depth discussion about all this - get the shotgun first.

[jokusfocus]

What Asmodeus6 said.

I'll also add, shoot the gun! I find it amazing how many people cannot 'aim' a shotgun. Yes there is a pattern, but it is pretty darn small at defensive ranges.

Pattern it, and maybe even shoot some clays. But be careful, clay shooting is addictive.

[RaisedByWolves]

Pistol grip+Cross eye dominance=Knock yourself out!


VFG on a shotgun are best used to jam the action bars and cause malfunctions.

.

[bigjrk]

IMHO, alot of gadgets on a shotgun are a waste of money.
With that said, I don't know exactly what problems your eye issue causes you. I highly recommend getting a gun and shooting at least 500 rounds through it. If you can not hit a man sized target on center at 15 to 20 feet( with your eye issue) then consider a laser for the shotgun.
Your eye problem will have to be severe to really need a laser.
If you really want an accessory for the shotgun, some type of illumination would probably be money better spent for a first hd gun.

[JayBell]

Pistol grip+Cross eye dominance=Knock yourself out!


VFG on a shotgun are best used to jam the action bars and cause malfunctions.

.

not always




and gawd, please dont call it a "shotty".. sounds like a 8yr old kid playin Counterstrike.

[eells]

the cross dominance isint THAT much of an issue, normally. problem is i cant get a decent sight picture with both eyes open, which is something im working on, but progress is painfully slow. so recap: light not laser, fixed stock over pistol grip, and the jury is still out on the vfg. though i have to ask, what makes fumbling with a laser switch so much harder than with the switch for the light?

[RaisedByWolves]

not always

Now thats not fair.....