Need help with 12 ga slugs!
Guys,
Last year I tried the Hornady SST's in my slug gun. 12ga, 2 3/4". They shot well when I sighted them in which was a few shots at the range. Sighted for 2" high at 50 yds.
In the Jersey zone I was hunting allowed for two does and one buck to be taken on opening day. Early in the A.M. I had a group of does come in at about 65-70 yds. There were 9 of them on a snow covered ground(easy to see). I leaned on my tree from my stand and fired the first shot. No reaction from the does. I re-set myself and fired at the same doe again. She dropped. The does started trooting around and I settled the cross hairs again and fired. Nothing!! Now they boogie off and the moments is over. About an hour later, a 4 ptr comes along the same trail. He never stopped even when I whistled. So I swung with him, stayed on the front of his chest and squeezed off. He drops.
I climb down and walk over. The does is hit midships and spined. Well off my point of aim( shoulder). I gut her and then move on to the buck. He's hit midships and spined. I gut him.
Later that day, I put on a small drive for my two friends and as I'm walking, I see several does coming toward me.
I squat down in a blowdown and settle my slug gun on a hefty dead branch, very solid rest. I let the does come within about 40 yds. I've got the mature does in my crosshairs. She's slightly quartered toward me. I'm centered on the point of the shoulder. I squeeze one off and she buckles. I watch her in my scope as she runs off and to my sad amazement, I see she's gut hit and the back leg is broken and dragging. These SST's were not making my day!
We followed up on the doe and my buddy dropped her.
When I researched the web, some guys complained of "flyers" with the SST's when shooting at the range. Is this for real??? When I shot yesterday, some went right on at 50 yds, others were 6-8" off. Are these slugs that poorly regulated by quality control or is my Hastings slug barrel fed up with them?
Today I spent $130.00 on slugs. Two boxes of Winchester Partition Golds, two boxes of Federal Barnes Expanders and two boxes of Remington Cor-Lokt Ultra Bonded Sabot slugs. I'll go back to the range and see which of these others will fly like they should.
Do any of you have any of the same issues with SST's if you shot them or is this a fluke incident?