The Mossberg 500 shotgun is a popular choice among hunters and gun enthusiasts in general. While the gun is quite good and it doesn’t require many upgrades, one of the most popular upgrades of the gun is the sight.
Using a sight will always improve your aim and make sure you are hitting your target more often. If you are tired of missing too many shots with the Mossberg 500, it’s about time you invest in an optic for it.
As there are so many good sights available on the market right now, it’s not the easiest task to choose the best sight for the Mossberg 500 among them. Don’t worry, you don’t need to think hard about this decision. I’m here to make your life easier. Without further ado, let’s jump straight into it.
How To Choose a Sight For Mossberg 500?
Now that I’ve given you so many options, how do you choose one among them? Well, that’s easy. You just need to ask yourself a couple of questions and the answer to this “hard” question will be easier in no time.
First thing, do you need a lens? If not, then there are two-night sights mentioned above that are pretty good for hunting and casual shooting. They are also good for self-defense if need be.
If you hunt a lot and want something to go well with your hunting sessions, then you have the Trophy TRS-25 and other reflex sights I mentioned earlier. All of them are fantastic in hunting and casual range practicing. Depending on what you use it on, they will rock regardless.
The last thing you need to consider is the budget. How much are you willing to pay? If you can go all out, by all means, go for it. But if you want to save a little bit and want to get more out of your money, you can take that route as well. At the end of the day, the decision will mostly depend on how much you are willing to spend and what kind of shooting you are planning to do with it.
1. Leupold DeltaPoint Pro Reflex Sight
Leupold sights are some of the most well-known in the market. While Leupold does make some high-end optics, they also make red dot sights at the budget range. This one from Leupold is known as DeltaPoint. It’s a reflex sight made for all sorts of guns out there.
The sight is made out of high-quality CNC aluminum. The machining process is flawless and there are no imperfections present on the sight itself. If you find any issues with the optic out of the box, contact Leupold immediately and they will take care of you. As for the anodization, that is smooth and really durable on this optic as well.
The lens itself is fully multi-coated. It’s a type of procedure that makes the lens more durable, scratch-resistant, and clear at the same time. The DeltaPoint also features Leupold’s light management system. It’s an advanced system that improves the low-light performance of an optical system.
Is Leupold really American?
Yes, they are. From designing to manufacturing and providing after-sales, all of that is done right here in the United States from Beaverton, Oregon.
Why are there so many options to choose from?
The different options are colors. They are all the same sight with different color finish and one option comes with a stack mount while the other has a standard mounting system.
Does it have a MOTAC?
Yes, it has a similar sensor. It activates whenever it senses the gun in motion and deactivates after 5 minutes of inactivity.
2. Burris FastFire III Red Dot Sight
When it comes to optics for hunting, not a lot of brands do it as well as Burris. The price to performance value of this sight is also unbeatable. The optic is available at 3 MOA, 4 MOA, and 8 MOA red dots respectively.
The optic itself is made out of durable aircraft-grade aluminum. The aluminum billet was turned into this beautiful chassis through CNC machining. There are no visible defects or flaws present on the optic whatsoever. If you find any flaws or marks on the optic, you should contact Burris. They will replace it for you.
The red dot also features a fully multi-coated lens. The lens isn’t scratch-proof. But it’s resistant to basic scratches to some extent. The lens is bright, clear, and has no chromatic aberration at all. That’s a good sign to see in any optics. While the optic isn’t known for night shooting, this one can handle low light pretty well. Much better than many other competitors on the market.
Is the reticle illuminated?
Yes, it is. It glows bright red and you can control the brightness of the reticle with ease. You can leave it up to the optic to decide the brightness based on your surroundings or you can manually select the intensity.
Can I adjust the windage and elevation of this?
Yes, you can. The windage and elevation process is also a toolless one. You don’t need any specific set of screws for it.
Does Burris offer any warranty with this optic?
Yes, they do. It’s under their forever warranty. That service includes no question-asked replacement.
3. Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 Red Dot Sight Riflescope
If you are looking for a traditional reflex sight that not only looks good but performs equally well, then the Trophy TRS-25 is here to clench your thirst. While it may not win you any trophies in hunting, it will definitely land you some of the nicest shots you have shot in a while.
The optic is safely tucked inside a waterproof housing. The knobs are easily reachable and they are quite easy to tune to your preference. Everything including the brightness of this optic is adjustable. Giving you full reign of what you want to do with your optics to make it feel like your own.
The lenses on this sight are fully multi-coated. They are some of the best lenses on any reflex sight. They are clear, have no glare, have no chromatic aberration, have no color fading out, literally perfect for the price you are paying. If only they were magnified! As for the accuracy, it’s as accurate as an optic realistically can be.
Where are Bushnell optics made?
While Bushnell itself is based in the USA, their optics are largely sourced from South Korea and China. They haven’t moved into doing in-house manufacturing quite yet.
Can I use a magnifier with this?
Yes, you can. If the magnifier matches the height with your optic, you can use any brand’s 3x magnifier with this optic with relative ease.
Does this optic come with any warranty at all?
Of course. It comes with a limited lifetime warranty from Bushnell. You can ask for repair or replacement if need be, within that period.
4. XS Sights Big Dot Shotgun Sight
If you are looking for something that doesn’t break the bank and won’t be that different from your iron sight, but with added bonus, you can use it during the night and you definitely will shoot more accurately. Then this is what your hearts have been craving for. The Big dot sights from XS Sights are specifically made for shotguns.
They have a big tritium fiber stick inside a steel case. The steel is forged from American made steel. In terms of durability, they are unmatched. Even if your gun breaks from drops, the sights won’t. Let’s be real, they are quite small to break from drop, to begin with.
As there is no lens involved, you don’t need to worry about keeping it safely tucked in your garage or taking extra care of it. This not so tiny sight sits on top of the gun barrel at the end of it and glows ominously during the night. The glow helps you to locate your target and shift your focus on that target. Thus, making your shots more accurate.
Does it come with any warranty?
Yes, it does. It comes with a 10 years period of warranty life with no questions asked policy.
Can I change the tritium stick?
You can. You can ask for replacement sticks from XS Sight, or you can find the same diameter stick from a third party. In short, yes, you can.
Will this sight last me a couple of years?
You are about 8 years off. I assume it will last you a couple of decades even! Night sights usually don’t break that often.
5. Meprolight (ML-34044) Mossberg Tru-Dot Night Sight
While you probably heard of Truglo night sights by now, Meprolight isn’t far behind them in the night sight business. The Mepro Tru-Dot is a huge tritium fiber optics night sight made for shotguns specifically. This one was designed for Mossberg M500 and M590. If your gun has the same patented design as these, then you can use them as well.
The tritium fiber stick is protected by a steel housing. The housing is water, shock, and dirt resistant. The usuals you expect from them. As there is no lens involved, there is no chance of fogging to begin with.
The sight has a white tritium that glows really well during both day and night time. It has a white circle around the glowing stick itself. That helps you shift your focus to that over anything else in your field of view.
Where is this made?
This sight is made in Israel. Just like all the other Mepro optics and equipment. They have good service in the USA.
Does it come with any warranty?
Yes, it does. It comes with a 1 year warranty. Which isn’t a lot considering others provide a lot more than that.
Will this work with a Mossberg 590 A1 Blackwater?
Yes, it will. There won’t be any issue with that model.
Conclusion
Would you look at the time? It’s nearing the end already. I do hope you found the sight you were looking for. All of the mentioned sights above are pretty good with any guns you may want to use. But some of them are specifically made for the Mossberg 500.
With that said, that’s all for now. I hope you found this guide useful. Make sure to return for more guides like this. Till then, take care and have fun.