Hi Recruit..you and I hunt with the same weapon. And I, too, use open sights. There is another thread on this board right now having to do with this question and there is lots of good info there. I posted a lengthy reply on that one, so I wont do that again here. Bottom line is I've been using my 870/rifled barrel weapon by choice for 8 years and I love it. I've found that my gun shoots best with Winchester 2 3/4" sabots. You ask if Sabots are overkill. I say no. The accuracy is great. They dont foul up your barrel as badly as Fosters. And they are DEADLY. The confidence, clean kill ability and time saved in searching for wounded game and cleaning the weapon are well worth the expense of the sabots. One thought: If you're planning to shoot six boxes of slugs at the range you are in for a very, very sore sholder. After about 4 shots it stops being fun Good luck!