• Mossberg Owners is in the process of upgrading the software. Please bear with us while we transition to the new look and new upgraded software.

Ghost ring sights for Mossberg 930 tactical

O

okie930owner

Copper BB
I have a Mossberg 930 tactical with the door breacher muzzle break. I'd like to replace the fiber optic front sight with a ghost ring front and rear setup. Yeah I know I shoulda' bought the SPX. Well one wasn't available in the area at the time I bought mine, I really don't like the SPX front sight and I like the gun I have with the muzzle break on it. Having got past that my question is what type of winged front sight could I mount on the 930 tactical barrel and what would work with, say, an LPA ghost ring rear sight mounted directly to the receiver? I prefer it to be as low profile as possible. Call me crazy but an M-14 front sight would be perfect but would it work and could it be mounted to the barrel? Then could it be sighted in with the LPA rear sight? Seriously! Could this be done?
 
XS Sights makes a ghost ring set-up for the 930 similar to whats on the 930 SPX Blackwater, except with a clamp on front sight. Its designed for the non-heavy weight barrels, not SPX barrels.

http://www.xssights.com/Detail.aspx?PROD=993360&CAT=8265

ThumbnailHandler_zpsd9481698.jpg


ThumbnailHandler1_zps84273118.jpg



The problem you face is, I believe the breecher muzzle brake is furnace brazed onto your barrel. The clamp on front sight assembly is designed to slide on from the muzzle and probably won't spread apart enough to slip over the barrel otherwise.
 
Yes this is exactly what I've faced on a lot of these. And I think you are probably right that it won't spread apart enough to slip over the barrel. This is exactly why I am wondering about a sight mounting directly to the barrel. That is why I was wondering about mounting a sight like the M-14 front sight if possible.
 
What you're looking for is going to be a solely custom application, there isn't going to be anything available using an off the shelf mount.

You just need somebody to machine a block with the proper radius to fit the barrel, a dovetail for the sight and silver-braze it to the barrel.

Ned Christiansen of Michiguns does something similar mounting AR-15 front sight bases on shotgun barrels.

tymurybu.jpg


Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk
 
Interesting information and great pictures. Well I looked into the band front sight that you first showed me. The ones sold by Brownell's are actually a good looking sight set and sell for only 63.00 bucks for both the front and rear however they are for a Remington 1100 and 1187. I still had questions as to whether or not the band would open wide enough to go over the muzzle break and if these sights, both front and rear, would work on my Mossberg. So I called Brownell's and was referred to Brownell's technical support. What a joke that was! I explained, in detail, what I was wanting to do and asked if it would work. The answer I got was something like "Yeah it might but then again it might not" The guy didn't know anything. So I called the manufacturer, XS Sight Systems out of Fort Worth Texas. Very helpful people. He explained to me that the band would definitely open wide enough and go back because it is spring steel. However the Remington sights would not work. They do make a set specific for the Mossberg. The barrel has to be between 840 to 875 thousandths in diameter. I don't have a set of calipers. Does anyone know what the exact diameter of the barrel on a 930 tactical 12 gauge is or where you could get such information?
 
Well according to some info I picked up on the Mossberg rifles and shotgus Facebook page the barrel diameter can be determined by measuring the circumference of the barrel abount an inch or inch and a half in front of the forearm. Mine measures aprroximately 3 inches around giving it a diameter of .925". This sis according to some information on the GG&G site when selecting sling attachments. From what I understand Mossberg has discontinued the thinner barrels and only makes the thicker ones. My only mistery now is that the demensions that the sight mfg mentioned were no where near .925". So I'm calling Mossberg just to make sure.
 
On my SPX, the barrel measures .915" at the muzzle. The SPX is said to be a heavy profile. XS Sights specifically states their clamp-on sight for Mossbergs will not fit heavy barrels.

I suggest you spend $20 on Amazon and get an inexpensive caliper.
 
I just got a 930 HS that comes with only the bead front sight and no breacher barrel.........I definitely want ghost sights, so will get some calipers to verify my barrel's diameter. But has anyone used these "banded front" XS ghost sights and have any feedback? The only review on Brownell's is negative (dim, lame screws, etc), so for $40 more, I can probably have my local shop weld on a good set for me. Anyone have experiences with these to share?
 
I've often thought about attaching an ar15 front sight to the barrel. It looks like Ned Christiansen might just be the man. The bead front sight on my 930 tactical is a joke. It seems like someone could design a front sight that replaces the bead using its threaded hole and clamps around the barrel. That would seem solid enough for me.
 
Or.......has anyone ever JB welded a front sight onto their barrel with any luck? I'm not hard on my guns.......IOW I don't take them anywhere or shove them under or into things much, so as long as the front sight weld would hold and not corrode or require any maintenance, I'd be willing to try it.
 
I'm not sure I'd do that. I'd rather have something tough, that I know will withstand anything. It may work for you though. I've got the 930 tactical version with the door breacher at the muzzle. I don't know why someone couldn't develop a front sight that replaces the bead and clamps around the barrel where it steps down. It would be an easy enough installation. I've changed my mind on what I'm doing for now though. I'm going to mount my Aimpoint R-1 micro and use it until something better comes along.
 
I would not trust JB Weld on that. I'm not slamming JB Weld, I love the stuff and use it for a variety of things as well as keep some in my hunting packs in case something happens while afield.

I don't plan on anything happening to my guns but life does not always work out the way we want and I prefer to have confidence that my equipment will perform in less than optimal conditions. I would not use it for something like this except in a situation where I needed something fixed and had no other means to fix it.
 
Yeah......you both have convinced me not to go the JB route. I'll try to sell my brand new 930 HD and see what I can get for it. thx
 
There's other options you might want to consider. You could buy a spx barrel. Primary arms has a new red dot you can mount on your 930 ($169) and seems to be getting great reviews. I think it's a quality Chinese knock off of the aimpoint micro family of sights. You may even want to buy one of those large clunky rail systems from black aces. You'd have the ability to add any modern ar15 sights then.
 
SPX barrels come up for sale on occasion in the Marketplace. I bought one a while back, and have since sold it.

Get a few more posts under your belt and post in the WTB section. Someone may have one they would be willing to part with.
 
It's fixed. I'm not sure why the link was lost. The pics were still on the net where I put them. It did remind me that I need a better "after" pic.
 
Very interesting option, with GREAT detail. I think I'm going to like this forum as a resource for out-of-the-box options like that one. Not sure I'm ready to tap into my brand new barrel, so might check to see if I can pick up an SPX barrel after I post enough <insert groan here>. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top