First, sights are wholly unnecessary on a tactical shotgun that will only be used for self-defense at home. They are included on some models because a police SWAT officer, as well as a sheriff’s deputy working in a rural area, will use a shotgun for other purposes. Some of these purposes require sights. (Above Photo: Ghost-ring sights with glow-in-the-dark Tritium inserts).
For them, these “tactical” shotguns can also be loaded with specialty shells containing powered lead to breach doors and disintegrate locks, shells with crushed glass to shoot out lights, shells for launching teargas grenades, lead slugs to penetrate doors and barriers, and high-velocity long-range sabot rounds to penetrate the engine block of a car. Sportsmen also use sights if they use their shotgun to hunt game. So, since sights are useful for these purposes, you often find sights on tactical shotguns. However, they’re not needed for more routine home self-defense purposes.
Further, some tactical experts think that sights on a shotgun slow target-acquisition (reaction time needed to bring the weapon on-target). They claim that the user tends to aim-and-shoot rather than instinct shoot. In my experience, though there may be some truth to this claim, sights do make a tactical shotgun more versatile.
For example, tactical shotguns with sights are routinely carried by bush pilots in Alaska. They serve well as a multipurpose survival weapon that a downed aviator can use to launch signal flares, shoot game for food, or to provide protection against a grizzly bear. So as you consider the specifications of the gun you will purchase, it is important for you to also consider what other uses you might have for the gun, in addition to in-home self defense.
In any case, any disadvantage to having sights on a tactical shotgun is nothing that training can’t solve. You need to make your choice of weapon based on the likelihood and importance of secondary uses you might have for the gun. Remember, the more you use it, the better you will respond in an emergency situation involving family or self-defense at home.
Of course the best of both worlds, for well-funded SWAT
teams and individuals, is to add either an Aimpoint or EOTech sight made for a
tactical shotgun. Expensive, but the results are truly impressive. I’ve
routinely seen inexperienced shooters become proficient in one afternoon using
one of these sights:
Aimpoint: http://www.aimpoint.com/law_enforcement
EOTech (illustrated in photo): http://www.eotech-inc.com/product.php?id=9&cat=2
However, this VERY expensive sight is not necessary. I’ve included this information just round-out this description of options and specifications to consider. If you are an operator, bush pilot, or you have a thick wallet, consider adding either an Aimpoint or EOTech sight to your self-defense shotgun. Or, if there is a high likelihood that you will use your tactical shotgun outdoors, too, this type of sight will give you an added edge.
For most people, before opting for an expensive sight, money will be better spent on acquiring a top-notch automatic rather than a pump-action model like those used by SWAT teams and military units. Until recently the Benelli Tactical shotgun has been top-dog amongst operators, but a new Beretta is now giving the Benelli some competition. The cost of these semi-automatics is 3-5 times more than a good pump shotgun, but these are certainly impressive weapons: http://www.benelliusa.com/shotguns/benelli_m4.php