New shotgun - what's best setup?
OK guys and gals, I can use some help. While hunting in Pa. my cousin loaned me his Mossberg 835, 3 1/2" Ulti Mag, 12 gauge which I smoked a turkey with last Sat. I liked the gun so much I went out and bought one this week. The one I bought has the white front bead with the brass colored bead that you line up when aiming. I would much rather add the fiber optic sights, so I purchased the Truglo Magnum Gobble Dot Xtreme shotgun sights. Now I have a question: Where exactly do I mount the sights on my gun? You can't really mount the front sight where the original is because the new one is a lot longer, and I'm not sure exactly where to mount the rear sight. I think if I put it where the brass bead is it would be too close to the front sight? Has anyone done this already that can tell me the solution or is it a trial and error thing until I get it shooting right.
Also, what would be a good starting point as far as load and choke to get this gun patterned? I got the X-full turkey choke that came with the gun and tried 3 1/2", Double X Magnum, 2 1/4 oz., 5 shot, which is the load my cousin uses. I fired some shots at 20, 30, and 40 yards and at 30 yards the pattern was spreading out quite a bit already. This thing really packs a whallop, so if I could get some hints about a good setup it might save me some shock to my shoulder. I know different guns will pattern differently, but I would just like a starting point. I heard the HS Strut Undertaker choke mentioned a lot on this site. Would that be a good choice? I will be trying different loads with the choke that came with the gun, but if not successful I'd like to try the next best one.
As always, thanks for any help you can give!