Reflex Sight Mounting Location

Those of you that shoot a reflex sight, how far away do you mount it on the top of the gun? I have a picatiny rail on my gun where I had a red dot, but wondering if I should mout the reflex closer or further away. Just picked up a Burris Fastfire 3.

I mount mine all the way to the rear on the pictanny rail. I would mount it there first and and turn it on sitting like you would in turkey situation. You can see the dot no matter how close or far your cheek weld is on the stock. And you don't have to worry about scope eye with a reflex. Once you get it where you want it throw some blue LOCTITE on it and call it a day.

Rakkin6 said:

I mount mine all the way to the rear on the pictanny rail. I would mount it there first and and turn it on sitting like you would in turkey situation. You can see the dot no matter how close or far your cheek weld is on the stock. And you don't have to worry about scope eye with a reflex. Once you get it where you want it throw some blue LOCTITE on it and call it a day.

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Thanks! BTW, I just picked this one up at Academy's after seeing what you said in the other post. Thanks again!

No problem brother, you will like it I promise.

I've mounted them on a few different guns. I currently have one on a .410 pump, 20 ga O/U, and 12 ga 870. The guns all fit me a little different, so the do sits in a slightly different place. I just shoulder the gun comfortably, then have a buddy slide the sight until it's where I like it, then mark that spot.

Rakkin6 said:

And you don't have to worry about scope eye with a reflex.

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Just for the record, I scoped myself pretty good with a reflex a couple years ago. So it is possible.

Is there a story behind that lol? Which sight were you using?

Rakkin6 said:

Is there a story behind that lol? Which sight were you using?

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FF3 with the Burris 336 mount direct to the receiver.

I was set up on a field edge fighting with a field turkey. There was a little rise in the field about 50 yards out and the field dropped off on the other side. Turkey was on the low side. He would come up to the rise just enough for me to see the white cap of his head, gobble a couple times, then drift back down. After the fourth time, I got impatient and decided I could crawl up to my side of the rise, gain 6 inches of elevation, and lay prone in the shin-high grass. Then next time he came up to his side of the rise, I could get a shot. I made it about halfway before he gobbled RIGHT over the crest. I froze then saw his head periscope over. All he had to do was pull his head down to disappear, so I couldn't afford for him to get even a little nervous. I wasn't up on my elbows like you should be shooting prone. I was on my forearms, basically laying on my gun. I just laid my head down right behind the sight, found the dot, and touched off the shot.

Another cool thing about reflex sights, they are parallax free. So even if you are in terrible shooting posture, if you can find the dot and the target, you can hit it. But, the edge of that frame just above the lens is pretty sharp. So try to keep your forehead more than 3 inches behind it when possible.

Did you get the bird?

Was hunting from the ground and I shoot right handed turned a doe of course came in on my right side so I turned my body has much has I dared to without getting busted. Didn't really have it seated great in the pocket of my shoulder it was kind of loose because of the awkward body position. I knew that my cheek weld wasn't great positioned great on the stock it was right but not usually where it would be. Touched off the ol .300 Win Mag and blam right in the ol orbital socket. Didn't bleed but hurt like a SOB.

Rakkin6 said:

Did you get the bird?

Was hunting from the ground and I shoot right handed turned a doe of course came in on my right side so I turned my body has much has I dared to without getting busted. Didn't really have it seated great in the pocket of my shoulder it was kind of loose because of the awkward body position. I knew that my cheek weld wasn't great positioned great on the stock it was right but not usually where it would be. Touched off the ol .300 Win Mag and blam right in the ol orbital socket. Didn't bleed but hurt like a SOB.

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Yeah, I got him. And didn't even need stitches. But it bled plenty.

I got the doe also but was cussing the whole drag out. Second worse pain I ever felt shooting was shooting 3.5" inch Winchester Double X shells out of my Mossberg 535 tactical turkey thug. Shot three of those out of that thing and said to hell with this. It rattled my sphincter. That is a hard enough kicking gun with 3".

For a couple years I turkey hunted with a 3" O/U 12 gauge. It was light and patterned well, but my God it kicked with 2.25 oz hand loads. I had a turkey come in at my 2:00. I twisted on the tree as far as I could twist. I had my shoulder blade pushed hard into the tree and had the gun on the very edge of my shoulder. I killed the turkey but just dropped the gun and fell over. I absolutely thought it broke my clavicle. I remember laying on the ground in pain and watching the turkey flop and dealing with a weird mix of emotions. I sold the gun after that season.

bvoss - sorry we derailed your thread. If you think it would help, I'll post pictures of where I have the sights mounted on different guns.

Yeah sorry about that here it is in my 835.

I prefer mine as far away from my cheek weld as possible while still on the reciever. I want to be able to see the world through my own two eyes, with just a small window im looking through the reflex sight at. But it is all personal preference.

I'm a both eyes open shooter too. If you think about it, mounted on a handgun with arms extended vs. 10" from your eyes grants the shooter a much longer sight plane To hopefully result in fewer (ideally NO) missed opportunities. By the time I get into my gun, cheek on the stock, it's perfect.

Southern Sportsman said:

I had my shoulder blade pushed hard into the tree and had the gun on the very edge of my shoulder. I killed the turkey but just dropped the gun and fell over. I absolutely thought it broke my clavicle.

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I did the same thing once, SS. It was the year I learned to shoot left handed. On the one hand to address any other birds that came in hard right. On the other hand, I couldn't shoot right handed for weeks my shoulder and neck hurt so bad. When I got to the house I could barely lift my arm up to get my shirt off.

Southern Sportsman said:

bvoss - sorry we derailed your thread. If you think it would help, I'll post pictures of where I have the sights mounted on different guns.

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All good!

Rakkin6 said:

Yeah sorry about that here it is in my 835.

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Good looking gun! I'm a Mossberg man myself when it comes to turkeys! I shoot the 930. Thanks for sharing.

I personally like mine as close to my eyes as I can get so I have a much larger sight picture through it. Just personal preference though. I run a speed bead on mine