Are mid beads on shotguns legal?

[Deuce Stevens SASS#55996]

Topic says it all.

[Happy Jack, SASS #20451]

I hope so. I see many shooters using them.

[The Shoer 27979]

ya I hope so to I have them on all my sxs

[Grizzly Dave]

Shooter handbook pages 5, 6 8 and 9.

 

SIGHTS

ALL FIREARMS

• Sights must look like sights available during the cowboy era—bead, blade, simple post, or

otherwise approved front sights (such as the XS Cowboy Express) made of materials such as

steel, iron, ivory, faux ivory, brass, gold, pewter, copper, or silver are allowed.

• Colors other than those of the materials referenced above or any “fluorescent” materials may

not be applied to either front or rear sights.

• Rear and front sights may be “blacked” painted, or plated in the colors of the previously

listed materials. If blacking, paint, or plating is applied to a revolver front sight, it must

cover the entire rear surface of the sight to give the appearance of a solid material.

• All rear sights may have their openings adjusted.

• The front sight may be raised or lowered to bring point-of-aim and point-of-impact into

alignment.

• The back of the front sight may be serrated.

 

SHOTGUN

• Front sights may be bead or simple post types.

 

SHOTGUN REQUIREMENTS

Any side-by-side or single shot shotgun typical of the period from approximately 1860 until

1899 with or without external hammers, having single or double triggers is allowed. Automatic

ejectors are allowed on single shot break action, lever, and pump action shotguns ONLY. Sideby-side shotguns may not use automatic ejectors. Lever action, tubular feed, exposed hammer shotguns of the period are allowed, whether original or replicas. The only slide action shotgun allowed is the Model 1897 Winchester shotgun, whether original or replica. Certain shooting categories require a specific type of shotgun and ammunition to be used. Military configurations

are not allowed (i.e., trench guns). Please see the shooting categories for further information.

SHOTGUN GAUGES

• Side-by-side, single shot, and lever action shotguns must be centerfire of at least 20 gauge

and no larger the 10 gauge.

• Slide action shotguns must be centerfire of at least 16 gauge and no larger than 12 gauge.

• Side-by-side, single shot, and lever action centerfire shotguns in .410 are allowed within the

Buckaroo Category only.

ANY EXTERNAL MODIFICATION TO ANY FIREARM NOT SPECIFICALLY

REFERENCED IN THIS HANDBOOK IS EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED!

 

So, was a mid bead available in the period? Sure, don't know why it wouldn't have been.

 

Yet, that last statement would seem to mean that since a mid bead shotgun sight is not specifically mentioned, and it is an external modification, that it isn't legal. I'm looking forward to PWBs take on this.

 

Grizz

[Gold Canyon Kid #43974]

Years ago when my wife started shooting she kept missing to the left or right. I asked Hipshot if a rear bead on the shotgun receiver was legal. He said yes. It is close to her eye it is just a grey spot but it really made a difference. If a rear bead is legal don't know why a mid bead would be illegal.

[Lead Ringer]

That is a good question. I have a shotgun with a small mid post/bead. I don't ever remember seeing an old "period" shotgun with a mid bead? But maybe there was such a thing?

Ringer

[Jack Houston # 35508]

I hope so. I see many shooters using them.

YEP!

[Oklahoma Dee]

I hope so. I see many shooters using them.

 

Hah! Mine has one and I NEVER USE it!! Who really does use em in CAS? IF ya are, your kinda bringin up the rear!

 

Jus teasin!

 

The acquisition of both beads in our sport is probably " No advantage " so hopefully there is no illegal mess.

 

OkD

[Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L]

I heard at a shoot today that they are!

 

GG ~

[Ol Number4]

Yes, they are legal, so long as the material meets the sights requirements the same at Pistols and rifles.

 

Ol' #4

[Crazy Mingo]

Heeee Haaaa.. What would Make them Illeagal(what rule does fall under)..

 

Heeee Haaaa Crazy Mingo

[Ol Number4]

Mingo,

 

How would that make them illegal?

 

If the mid bead is made from gold silver, brass, copper, ivory, wood or any other natural looking material they are fine.

The same rule applies to rifle sights and coloring for pistol sights.

 

Ol' #4

[royal barnes sass #5792]

I will answer your question by saying that I have a C.G. Bonehill double and a Loomis double that both date from the 1880's and they have ivory mid beads. Gun catalogs of the era show a mid bead as an option on better made doubles. Answers the historical question and should answer the question about legality.

[WymoreWrangler SASS 46187L]

My question is why would you want one, I'm an old bird hunter and I never look at the bead, I just look at the target and pull the trigger, they normally fall down this way...

[Jacknife]

My question is why would you want one, I'm an old bird hunter and I never look at the bead, I just look at the target and pull the trigger, they normally fall down this way...

 

Egg-zakly. I have said all along that if ya are looking at the beads, ya are shooting too slow.

[Rance - SASS # 54090]

I will answer your question by saying that I have a C.G. Bonehill double and a Loomis double that both date from the 1880's and they have ivory mid beads. Gun catalogs of the era show a mid bead as an option on better made doubles. Answers the historical question and should answer the question about legality.

 

OK.. this tells me it's legal..

They next question posed is "Why do it?"

 

Just makein' a point here folks.. kind of the "Rest of the Story"

not all of us are avid hunters or raised up around firearms..

 

My wife Lacey had never shot guns until we started CAS..

She has respect of every gun and is probably the safest on a cowboy range..

But we had to go through a learning process..

 

When I tell her to put her cheek on the stock of her SxS.. "OK"

Now..look straight down middle of that rib... "Uh... What's the rib? Oh.. OK"

Now put your front bead on the target with your right eye lined up down the center of the rib... "Uh..OK I guess"

 

I've often thought about putting on a center (mid) bead..

 

Rance

Thinkin' it might help me to on flyers..

[Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L]

Maybe the 'new' gun one acquired already has it on it. Whether it's used or not - it's legal.

 

GG ~

[Noz]

My question is why would you want one, I'm an old bird hunter and I never look at the bead, I just look at the target and pull the trigger, they normally fall down this way...

 

They really shine when you have a semi-stationary target such as a turkey head. Gives an almost "rifle" feel to the sighting system.

[Ketchum Quick, SASS #72923]

I think that since they are legal, I should put about 3 or 4 on mine. Should cut down on the number of make ups!

 

KQ

[Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283]

My question is why would you want one, I'm an old bird hunter and I never look at the bead, I just look at the target and pull the trigger, they normally fall down this way...

 

Egg-zakly. I have said all along that if ya are looking at the beads, ya are shooting too slow.

 

This ain't Trapshooting, it ain't Skeet, and it ain't bird hunting. I have been saying this for years. I can hit a flying clay pigeon as good as the next guy, probably better. But our targets are not flying. They are usually sitting still. I use the front bead on my CAS shotgun exactly the same as I use the front sight on my rifle. I lay the front sight or bead on the target, then I pull the trigger. Yes, I actually form a sight picture with the bead. If a mid bead helps a shooter line up the barrels better, then by all means use one. I wish I had a nickel for how many times some of these guys who are not shooting too slow miss because they did not take a moment to line up the shot.

[Jacknife]

I can hit a flying clay pigeon as good as the next guy, probably better.

 

I'LL TAKE THAT BET, OR ARE YA JUST BRAGGING?

 

But our targets are not flying. They are usually sitting still.

 

MAKES NO DIFFERENCE FLYING OR SITTING STILL, POINT AND SHOOT.

 

 

I use the front bead on my CAS shotgun exactly the same as I use the front sight on my rifle. I lay the front sight or bead on the target, then I pull the trigger. Yes, I actually form a sight picture with the bead.

 

YA DO ALL THIS, YA ARE SHOOTING TOO SLOW.

 

 

 

If a mid bead helps a shooter line up the barrels better, then by all means use one. I wish I had a nickel for how many times some of these guys who are not shooting too slow miss because they did not take a moment to line up the shot.

 

Take the beads off completely, they are there to dress up the looks of the barrel.

[Ol Number4]

Mid-Beads are to our shooting as a mid-wife is to new babies ; they line things up, they get get things pulled and end up with a nice successful delivery.

 

Aiming ain't all bad!!

 

Ol' #4

[el Gato Gordo - SASS #15162]

Back when we started in '97, Calico Cass had trouble lining up the shotgun. When she got her own shotgun, I had a 1911 rear sight put on it. When all the hoopla about external mods started heating up about 5 or 6 years ago, I wrote a formal request about the legality of a rear sight on a shotgun. After all, the rulebook says "sights" plural, in the shotgun section.

 

The written answer was, "No."

 

So I removed it and put in a blank to fill the dovetail. She hasn't had any trouble hitting shotgun targets since I removed the sight, but it was a good training aid for a couple of years.

 

That's all that I know.

 

eGG

[Croatan Kid]

My question is why would you want one, I'm an old bird hunter and I never look at the bead, I just look at the target and pull the trigger, they normally fall down this way...

 

Me to Wymore. Shot many quail this way. I must say though I did hit the edge of a knockdown saturday and it came back up. Woulda killed a quail with the side of the pattern!

[Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283]

Me to Wymore. Shot many quail this way. I must say though I did hit the edge of a knockdown saturday and it came back up. Woulda killed a quail with the side of the pattern!

 

Maybe you were leading it too much. How fast was it moving?

[Croatan Kid]

LOL`s Driftwood. It wasn`t movin. I was and didn`t stop soon enough!!

[Doc Tombstone, SASS #49630]

I like em and use em, maybe not every shot but for a shotgun challenged cowboy shooter like myself it helps getting used to the shotgun, when I practise shouldering the gun if the beads line up and look like a figure 8 I know i have it right.

 

Doc

[Grizzly Dave]

BTT to see if PWB will offer any info.

[PaleWolf Brunelle, #2495L]

BTT to see if PWB will offer any info.

 

YES...they're LEGAL.

...installing a rear sight is NOT.

[Shooting Bull]

The feller that started this thread is far and away the fastest shooter I've ever seen with a SxS and apparently he uses the sights.

 

One of the world's foremost SxS smiths and a DARN good shooter in his own right, Johnny Meadows, swears by a big old white bead on the front of his guns.

 

Somehow I just can't bring myself to tell these world class shooters they're shooting too slow simply because they're using sights.

[Gold Canyon Kid #43974]

YES...they're LEGAL.

...installing a rear sight is NOT.

That is not what Hipshot told me when asked several years ago when I wanted to install a rear brass bead on my wife's shotgun?? It is so close to her eye all she saw was a grey shadow, but when starting to shoot, it helped her hit the targets instead of shooting left or right until she got the hang of getting the double properly to her cheek.

[PaleWolf Brunelle, #2495L]

That is not what Hipshot told me when asked several years ago when I wanted to install a rear brass bead on my wife's shotgun?? It is so close to her eye all she saw was a grey shadow, but when starting to shoot, it helped her hit the targets instead of shooting left or right until she got the hang of getting the double properly to her cheek.

 

I was referring to the type of sight ref'd in post #23.

 

You go right on ahead and put a whole row of SG beads down the rib if you want to.

[Gold Canyon Kid #43974]

I was referring to the type of sight ref'd in post #23.

 

You go right on ahead and put a whole row of SG beads down the rib if you want to.

Those might be kinda decorative, especially if the colors varied, historically correct colors only tho.

[Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L]

Those might be kinda decorative, especially if the colors varied, historically correct colors only tho.

 

Like indian tacks

 

GG ~