Need a new sight on your shotgun but not sure where to start? Don’t worry! I’m going to show you how to install a new open fiberoptic sight onto your boom-stick. Today I’ll be installing a Tru-Glo Magum Gobble Dot Pro Series fiberoptic sight to my Mossberg 835 ulti-mag.
I love my Mossberg 835, but one thing I didn’t care for was the factory installed fiberoptic sights that it came with. They were cheap and after only a couple outings, one of the light tubes broke off the rear sight, and the front sight just completely disappeared. So as a temporary solution for last turkey season, I bought a magnetic front sight from Hiviz.
I had high hopes for this sight and, though I liked the concept, I quickly found out that it had issues. It slid all over the place with each recoil, so I constantly had to readjust it, then it fell right off during transport and I lost it completely. Definitely disappointing, and so I decided the magnetic sight wasn’t for me.
Instead, today I’m gonna mount this Tru-Glo Magum Gobble Dot Pro Series fiberoptic sight to my gun. It’s only about $33 on Amazon, and it’s got great reviews so will hopefully withstand the rigors of my hunting trips and transport.
Right off the bat it feels like a solid little piece of equipment. It has an all metal construction with easy windage and elevation adjustments. It even comes with a couple of hex wrenches so you have all the necessary tools to get it installed.
Rule #1
Any time you’re doing any sort of gun maintenance, always make sure gun is unloaded first!
When choosing a fiberoptic sight, regardless of the style, it’s important to choose one that will fit your gun. So there are a couple things you need to know. As I previously said, I’m mounting this sight to a Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag. This sight was built specifically for Mossberg, as it says in the package.
The other thing you need to know is the size of your rail, which is this long metal piece running along the top of the barrel. This is a 3/8” vented rail. Meaning it’s 3/8″ wide, and there are spaces or vents between the rail and the barrel.
If you don’t know the size of your rail, just slap a tape measure on there and figure it out. Rails come in a variety of sizes including 1/4″, 3/8″, 5/8″, so make sure you buy the correct size sight for the rail. Some are even adjustable to work with multiple different rail sizes.
Side Note
If you have a plain barrel shotgun with no rail, these types of rail mounted sights won’t work for you. You’ll need an alternative sight like this plain barrel sight that snaps right on the barrel. But I’m going to assume you have a rail for the rest of this tutorial.
One quick thing to note is how the barrel tapers up into the rail. This is a vented rib rail, meaning there are spaces underneath the rail for mounting purposes. As we move back toward the receiver, you can see the gaps get smaller and eventually disappear. This is important because some sights actually mount with screws that pass through these vents. You want to mount them as far back as possible, but not too far back so there isn’t enough room in the vent for the screw mounts.
This particular sight that I’m using doesn’t install with screws through the vents. Instead, it sits on the rail and the screws tighten, clamping the sight firmly to it. I like this mounting style better because it will allow me to put the rear sight farther back on the rail without having to worry about not having enough space in the vent rib.
Side note
In case you’re wondering, you want to place the rear sight as far back as physically possible to ensure the most accurate sight alignment when looking down the barrel of the gun. Too far forward and it will cause problems when you’re trying to line up a shot.
Fiberoptic Sight Installation
The one other thing you’ll need is a hex head screwdriver to fit the installation screws. I just bought this Wheeler gunsmithing screwdriver set, for like $14 off Amazon and so I’m going to use this. As previously mentioned, your sight may come with the necessary tools to properly install it.
I’ll install the front sight first, basically right behind the screw hole where a front bead would go. Once it’s where you want it, tighten the installation screws down with a hex head screwdriver. Snug the screws down firmly, but don’t crank them down as hard as you can or you can damage your sight. Just make sure it’s snug and not able to move.
Next we’ll do the back sight. Like I said, you want to install it as far back as you can on the rail to ensure maximum accuracy. Once you’ve determined where on the rail to install it, go ahead and tighten it down just like the front sight, making sure not to overtighten.
Conclusion
And that’s about all there is to installing this fiberoptic sight. It has elevation and windage adjustments that are simple to adjust with a small hex head, but we can sight it in some other time. I hope this was helpful for you and I’d love to hear which fiberoptic sights you prefer to use. Let me know in the comments!
Happy Hunting,
Cody
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