Hot in da Summer...Rifled Slug Gun..shots stringing..
 

Hit the range yesterday afternoon, (96 degrees), and again this morning (91 degrees). My purpose was to do some simple range work with some new equipment I recently acquired.
After I was through I had enough time to take a few quick shots with my Savage 210 shotgun. This was the first time I remember shooting it at the range in such hot conditions so I was interested in what it would do with a hot barrel.

I was shooting Remington Core Lokts on both days. On Saturday I took four shots in relatively quick succession. I would guess they were all shot in about 4-5 min total. The first three went asexpected, with the fourth beingcalled a poor shot the minute I pulled the trigger. Jcchartgirl then added a 5th shot and we called it a day.

The thing I found interesting when checking the target was the unique orientation of my first three shot group. Even though they produced a 3in group, (the 5 shot group, shot by two different shooter was 3.5in), the group seemed unusually orderly.

Today I repeatedthe processwith another 3 shot group of the Core Lokts before I called it a day.

The moment I pulled the triggered on the third shot my suspicions were confirmed. The barrel was heating, and forming a classic example of "stringing", for the second day in a row.

Not only are the strings virtually identical in length at 3in. The spread between bullets are very similar, and even the angle of dipersion is within a few degrees.

This is something I am clearly going to have to keep an eye on even in more moderate temperatures. One more reason to shoot more in the other three seasons!

I'll post day 1, then 2 below...

RE: Hot in da Summer...shots stringing..
 

Day 2

RE: Hot in da Summer...shots stringing..
 

It's always good to know how things are going downrange. But I won't volunteer to stand in front of that target!

RE: Hot in da Summer...shots stringing..
 

you'll learn a lot more if you do a ten shot group. You need to prove the progression is consistant and ten shots.....or even seven...will help verify that you have stringing.

RE: Hot in da Summer...shots stringing..
 

I understand your point Vapodog. However the barrel was already very hot, wouldn't the barrel quickly reach a relatively maximum temperature and stop stringing?
I could see more shots being useful if I started with a colder barrel,but thebarrel was already almost 100 degrees whenI started shooting. I would think the effects of the heat on the barrel would dimish rather quickly after a certain point.
Any thoughts?

RE: Hot in da Summer...shots stringing..
 

try it again on a 65 degree day then.....if you continue to get stringing, continue the shooting to see if the string continues or if the string just happens to be a part of the group that you'd see after a lot more shots.

BTW....did you say what caliber and bullet this is?

RE: Hot in da Summer...shots stringing..
 

Remington Core Lokt Ultra 385gr Sabot 12 ga shotshells. Shot from a Savage 210 bolt action shotgun.

RE: Hot in da Summer...shots stringing..
 

at what distance is the shooting?

RE: Hot in da Summer...shots stringing..
 

100 yds...

RE: Hot in da Summer...shots stringing..
 

Do you actually expect to shoot better groups than that? Personally it looks pretty good to me for a slug at 100 yards......

RE: Hot in da Summer...shots stringing..
 

I would expect to shoot better than that with that rifle and the correct slugs. Providing you can shoot better than that with a different rifle.

Maybe your not holding the gun right?;) Sorry couldn't resist.:D. ( that was meant to be a joke,not a jab, please don't be offended by it).

How does it shoot on cooler days? I have had rifles that would do that, but they normally string vertically. You could try messing with the barrel and action. Like free floating and bedding if it has not been done, or messing the with the torque on the screws. Keep in mind when you are hunting with it, it will not see these conditions. Well that depends on where you live I guess. With my ML I fire every shot from clean cool barrel. I fully clean it after every shot. I am only concerned what the bullet will do from a clean barrel, not a fouled hot one. It is time consuming, but it works for me.

Is this a repeatable thing, or could you have just been having a bad day? I normally try not to change anything or worry too much unless I can repeat it again under the same conditions. This is really the case with archery, but applies to guns as well. If you just can't get things to go right, when they normally do just stop and try again later.

Your a lo liket me. I am sure you are looking for 1 -1.5 inch groups at 100 yards. But like said above, that is plenty accurate if that is all it opens up to with changing conditions. Unless you want to varmint hunt with your slug gun.

Good luck figuring it out.

Paul

RE: Hot in da Summer...shots stringing..
 

First let me clarify, I am not at all unhappy about the groups. In fact I am quite happy about the way this gun has been shooting. I simply wanted to point out that this is what can happen in the heat withan otherwise great gun.

My first shot out of this gun is always very good. That iswhat is most important to me. If I take a second shot it is usually at a very close distance,after I have already approached a downed animal.

If I couldmake any of those three shots on game at 100yds that is all I can really ask of the gun.

To supply you guys with some factual evidence,below is a picture of the first shot out of a cold barrel from the previous time I visited the range.

I believe the trip before that the first shot was in between the 7/6 ring.

To be honest this is a recent phenomina, I usually don't shoot that good. I think it has something to do with the way I hold my hand.....LOL...(inside joke)

RE: Hot in da Summer...shots stringing..
 

Here isa morerepresentative group. This one shot at 50yds. Two different shooters. I shot three shots, then Jcchartgirl shot the fourth. About 1.5 inches...Once again I believe the "near bull" was the first cold barrel shot.