My contribution this Saturday night is an (almost) complete Mossberg project.
I was hung up on optics until I remembered SWFA. I figured as a home defense weapon the Mossberg was justified in having some decent optics, and I had to economize somewhere. Their "sample list" has been good to me in the past (the ACOG on my PS90), so I looked again. Got a mid-grade Eotech at a real good price, although they mis-described it as using AAs, when it really uses N cells. The model number, 512A65, is clearly an "N" model, I guess they just didn't proofread their description.
While the N cell is a lot more expensive than AAs, it makes up for it by being a lot cheaper, and giving me a bit more room on the rail. I'll carry a spare pair inside the pistol grip, although run time is vey generous.
The other changes are the sidesaddle shotshell carrier, an OEM aluminum trigger guard to replace the plastic one, and a IR-reflective IFF flag for the Velcro patch on the ammo holder. It looks reddish due to the flash, but it looks like black and light tan in normal light. When viewed with NVGs and illuminated with IR, it reflects very brightly.
And, a view from the driver's seat.
The lack of a night vision setting on this Eotech also helps keep the cost down. This one was a demo model, and really pristine. It was a bit cheaper than a comparable Zeiss Z-point. The Zeiss is nice, and was my second choice, but an Eotech at this price really rocks. Nothing like seeing a nice, eye-catching aiming point at infinity projected into your eyeball.
As I was "putting it to bed" by using Loctite blue on threads that shouldn't be moving, I realized this isn't really a "shotgun" any more. It's now used just like a rifle, for aimed fire. So it needed a rifle-type sight, in this case the Eotech. It's just there may be projectiles like shot, slugs, or flechettes exiting the barrel, and not just a single bullet.
I also realize that I now need backup rifle sights, so I have a fold-down M16 front and rear rail-mount sights on order (the underlying theme of this entire project). If things go south, the Eotech comes off, and the iron sights get flipped up. This is no longer a "sporting" shotgun that just needs a bead front sight to give you some idea of where the muzzle is.
At one time, this would have been a perfectly fine shotgun that some liberal would allow me to have, provided I got government permission. Now it's something that, I hope, gives them nightmares.
This is one project that really ballooned. I started out putting on the tritium front sight, then decided to replace the notorious Mossberg plastic safety with a steel one. One thing led to another, and here's the (almost) final results.