Smoothbore shotgun slug accuracy?
 

It seems fairly common knowledge that a smoothbore shotgun with rifled slugs will not shoot as accurately as far out as a rifled shotgun barrel will.

Experimentation with a given smoothbore and different rifled slugs will reveal its potential, but I'd like to know what to expect.
How far out do you think a smoothbore coudl reliably keep a 6 inch group? 75 yards, 100?

I don't care so much about how much drop there is, as I know it's considerable, just about predictable point of impact at a given range.


Keep 'em all in the Bull.

Edited by - bulzeye on 12/10/2002 12:56:36

RE: Smoothbore shotgun slug accuracy?
 

About 75 yards for most guns. If you use 3" slugs, a little farther.

"Hey ya'll, watch this"

RE: Smoothbore shotgun slug accuracy?
 

My dad can get 3.5-4" groups at 100 yards out of his Win. 1300 with winchester rifled slugs. I have a 1300 as well, but only tryed once and couldn't get it to group at 100 yards with remington slugs. It all depends on your shotgun.

RE: Smoothbore shotgun slug accuracy?
 

With a smooth slug barrel on an 870, iron sights, and factory Rem slugs, I've found 2" groups at 50 yds and 4" groups at 100 yds to be quite attainable off the bench.

RE: Smoothbore shotgun slug accuracy?
 

I've never tried patterning slugs past 50yrds but I intend to. Keep up the conversation I'd like to know.

Nahum 1:7

RE: Smoothbore shotgun slug accuracy?
 

I can hold a 4" group with my 870 smoothbore double bead using winchester super X 1oz. slugs
from 125yds with no problem.
You just have to find a combo that works well and practice.
Remmy slugs always work good in 870's as well.

RE: Smoothbore shotgun slug accuracy?
 

first lemme say that you should set your goals abit tighter than a 6" group. In theory a 6" group will get the job done but out in the woods in a hunting situtaion is alot different than off the bench at the shooting range. You should try for under 3" groups to give yourself a small margin of error out in the field.

how far can you EXPECT? 50 yards for an average smoothbore

a few people get lucky and get a gun/ammo combo thats stretches it out to 75 yards. I have never even heard of a smoothbore that will shoot 125.

many people have bouts of 'wishful thinking' and/or exaggerate when it comes to the effective range of their slug gun. ONE or two lucky groups at 100 yards doesnt make the gun a 100 yard gun. If someone tells you they can shoot 3" groups at 100+ yards with a smoothbore ask them to take you to the range and prove it....watch how fast they backtrack on ya. I'd even offer to pay for the ammo if they could really do it.... but I wanna see several consecutive 3-5 shot groups at 3" and not one lucky group out of 5.

** I almost got him but I refuse to take a marginal shot **

RE: Smoothbore shotgun slug accuracy?
 

Every gun is different and as a result some will shoot better than others, it is impossible to say what smoothbore shoots the best. The only thing you can do is figure out first what brand/type of slug performs best out of your gun and then practice with it to see what kind of drop you are getting.

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Founder and President of
Virginia Disabled Outdoorsmen Club

RE: Smoothbore shotgun slug accuracy?
 

Well I own several shotguns and have been shooting slugs through the old smooth bores for 20 years and I also agree that it is rare to find a 100 yard gun. I have an old JC Higgins 12 gauge with full choke that will put them in a butter dish at 100 yards with about 6 inches of elevation. with most smooth bores you are lucky to hit a five gallon bucket at 100 yards if truth be told.

Try your gun with a number of different slugs to find the one that shoots the best out of it.

With the price of rifled barrels and sites so cheap these days it is almost a sin not to just buy another barrel and use it.

" Anyone can be a father, but it takes a real man to be a Dad"

RE: Smoothbore shotgun slug accuracy?
 

I am one of the lucky ones I guess, I have a Rem 870 that I use for deer hunting on one of the tracks of private land here in CT. I usally do not get shots farther than 75yds max while hunting. I sight the gun in at 50yds and can make each 3 shot group touch, my son can make it into a short leaf clover at that range. At 100yds my spred goes out to about 2.5-3.5" my son can still make them touch. This is with a 28" vent ribbed barrel, IC choke tube with a Simmons scope on top. I spend a lot of time at the range and know my firearms very well. I would not try this with others I have owned and own now. Knobby, I would gladly let you buy me some ammo if the oppertunity ever came up. That said, if it didn't shoot as well as it does I would by a rifled barrle in a min, might anyways. All in all, stay well within 75yds and you should have no problems. Practice,practice and then practice some more.

Misplaced Buckeye