How to Zero A slug gun ?

DoctorDeath · 08-15-2007, 07:06 PM

I bought a Ithaca Deerslayer in a 12ga ....Ive toped it off with a Nikon scope .... Im shooting 2 3/4 Winchester slugs ...right now I have it hitting about 2 inches high at 50 yards ....where will that be at 100 yards? How far of a shot with this set up would be ethical as I have never hunted with a slug gun before moving here ?

dd

98Redline · 08-15-2007, 07:16 PM

Lightfield has a great article on zeroing your slug gun.

Follow the link....

http://www.lightfieldslugs.com/light...token=21393040

DoctorDeath · 08-15-2007, 08:20 PM

Thanks for the info Red ....that tells me just what I want to know.

dd

Paul L Mohr · 08-16-2007, 03:42 PM

I didn't read that article, but I think I know the one he is talking about. I have one thing to add to it. While zeroing your gun at 50 yards is not a bad idea because of the effect wind can have on a slug you shouldn't stop there. There is no substitute for actually shooting the gun at the distance you intend to hunt at. On paper it will be on at 100 yards if you sight in X inches high at 50. That doesn't mean it will really work out that way in real life. The only way to know is to actually shoot it at that distance on a nice day from a stable shooting position. Not a bad idea to try it on a crappy day either so you know what to expect with a crosswind.

I have shot my share of slug guns and I can tell you what I have seen time and time again. NEVER judge the performance of a slug gun at 100 yards and beyond by what it will shoot at 50 yards. I have shot many guns and many different slugs with some amazing and head scratching results.

Take my H&R Ultra slug gun for instances. Almost every slug I have shot out of it is pretty darn accurate at 50 yards, and most pretty good at 75 yards. Once you step out to 100 yards though things can fall apart quickly. I had slugs that looked very promising at 50 yards but wouldn't print 3 shots on a 8x10 sheet of paper at 100 yards! Good thing I didn't sight it in 1 inch high at 50 yards getting 1 inch groups and just assume it would be on at 100 yards and get 2-3 inch groups or better out of it.

I beg you if you are going to shoot at game out to 75 or 100 yards actually shoot that load at that distance. Sometimes you can touch up the sights a bit at that distance as well if its a calm day. I'm not a big fan of close up zeroing for any gun. I like to dial it in at the farthest distance I can hold decent groups at.

I could point you in the direction of some excellent slug information and tips on shooting them well. I know of a few sites that are dedicated to this form of shooting.

Good luck, I think you will have fun with it though. Not as accurate nor does it have as much range as a centerfire rifle, but when you pull that trigger... whoooohooo, hold on baby. My H&R is like shooting a shoulder mounted canon

.

Paul

eldeguello · 08-17-2007, 07:43 AM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: DoctorDeath

I bought a Ithaca Deerslayer in a 12ga ....Ive toped it off with a Nikon scope .... Im shooting 2 3/4 Winchester slugs ...right now I have it hitting about 2 inches high at 50 yards ....where will that be at 100 yards? How far of a shot with this set up would be ethical as I have never hunted with a slug gun before moving here ?

dd

I once had an old-type Ithaca Deerslayer with 20" smoothbore barrel. I had a Weaver J-2.5 scope on it, and found one lot of Remington Foster-type 1-OZ slugs that would group into 3" @ 100 yards. matter of fact, I still have maybe five or so of those slugs, although the gun itself is long gone!

I would start off by zeroing it in dead-on at 100 yards. To accomodate what that Lightfield article says, (which I think is at least half horse-feathers!!) do it on a windless day or on a day when the wind is travelling straight up or downrange.

Even if you had 6" of wind drift at 100 yards, and zeroed to compensate for that, you'd still have LESS than half that amount of "bad" windage cranked into your scope at 50 yards; probably no more than 2" at the most!(I really wonder about what someof these 'experts" write.)

Then I'd shoot it at 50, 75, and 125 yards to see how high it is closer than100 yards, and how much it drops from 100 to 125. At this time, I would also check to see if the windage is off, as alleged in that Lightfield article, and if so, by how much! Then hold accordingly at the various distances ......