Slug questions
11-22-2006, 04:41 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 6
Slug questions
Hey everyone, I just had a few questions. Iwill be shooting a Remington 870 express with a riffled barrel or a Mossberg 500 with a slick barrel for deer hunting. Which slugs are pretty accurate out of each gun? I have tried a couple of different brands with huge groupings and rather then spend a boat load of money looking for the right load I figured I would just ask you guys. Thanks for the help.
11-22-2006, 05:16 AM
#2
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: On an Island in Vermont
Posts: 22,605
RE: Slug questions
I use 2 3/4" Winchester Partitian Gold Sabots 385 gr at 1900 feet per second out of my Ithica slug gun (rifled barrel). Hits like a ton of bricks and is dead accurate. The only negative is they are expensive but worth it to me. You really have to shoot them to see if any slug will fly well from a particular gun.
11-22-2006, 06:19 AM
#3
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Ponce de Leon Florida USA
Posts: 10,079
RE: Slug questions
The only answer is to buy a few boxes of slugs and try them out. If you can hit a styrofoam plate at 100 yards with every shot then you have your answer. Different guns will shoot different brands and types differently.
11-22-2006, 06:56 AM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Dover, De
Posts: 1,125
RE: Slug questions
I have an 870 and i find that the lightfield hybrids shot the best in mine, and there 2 3/4 shells. Also the Breneke's shot real well and no to mention there real cheap and are one of the sabots out there.
11-22-2006, 02:50 PM
#5
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Blissfield MI USA
Posts: 5,293
RE: Slug questions
The honest truth is no one can tell you what will work out of your gun, you just have to try them. Everyone told me to try lightfields out of my H&R ultra but they were not very good.
For starters don't bother shooting sabots out of that smoothbore mossberg, they will not shoot well and will be a waste of money in that gun. For the rifled barrel in the remington people seem to have good luck with the remington copper solids and winchester platinum tips. My buddies 870 likes the winchester BRI sabots as well. whether they are 3 inch or 2 3/4 will make a difference as well. The above gun will shoot the 3 inch winchesters great, but the 2 3/4 inch ones open up to about 4 inches or so at 100 yards.
For the smoothbore my mossberg liked winchester supreme rifled slugs, the 1700 fps ones. That doesn't mean yours will, you could try them though. You could give the federal truballs a try as well, and brenneke makes some good slugs. Rifled slugs are cheap enough that it would be worth trying several until you find some that work well for you.
It will also depend on what sort of distances you are talking about. I have found my rifled slug gun will shoot just about anything well at 50 yards or so, but gets finnicky at 100 yards. Most smoothbores are only going to be good out to 70 yards or so anyway, maybe less. Sometimes you find one that will shoot pretty well out to 100. Probably not with a simple beed sight though. Get some clamp on fiber optic sights that are adjustable, they make quite a difference.
My opinions anyway.
Paul
For starters don't bother shooting sabots out of that smoothbore mossberg, they will not shoot well and will be a waste of money in that gun. For the rifled barrel in the remington people seem to have good luck with the remington copper solids and winchester platinum tips. My buddies 870 likes the winchester BRI sabots as well. whether they are 3 inch or 2 3/4 will make a difference as well. The above gun will shoot the 3 inch winchesters great, but the 2 3/4 inch ones open up to about 4 inches or so at 100 yards.
For the smoothbore my mossberg liked winchester supreme rifled slugs, the 1700 fps ones. That doesn't mean yours will, you could try them though. You could give the federal truballs a try as well, and brenneke makes some good slugs. Rifled slugs are cheap enough that it would be worth trying several until you find some that work well for you.
It will also depend on what sort of distances you are talking about. I have found my rifled slug gun will shoot just about anything well at 50 yards or so, but gets finnicky at 100 yards. Most smoothbores are only going to be good out to 70 yards or so anyway, maybe less. Sometimes you find one that will shoot pretty well out to 100. Probably not with a simple beed sight though. Get some clamp on fiber optic sights that are adjustable, they make quite a difference.
My opinions anyway.
Paul
11-22-2006, 03:53 PM
#6
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Illinois
Posts: 330
RE: Slug questions
If your gun has a 3" chamber you should shoot 3" shells. The "jump" from the chamber to the barrel is thrown off when using 2-3/4" shells. This explains why the groups opened up to 4" when shooting the 2-3/4" loads.
Try at least two boxes of each shell you are considering and don't forget to clean the barrel often at the range. Sabots prefer a very clean barrel.
Good Hunting,
Bowflex
Try at least two boxes of each shell you are considering and don't forget to clean the barrel often at the range. Sabots prefer a very clean barrel.
Good Hunting,
Bowflex
11-22-2006, 05:43 PM
#7
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Blissfield MI USA
Posts: 5,293
RE: Slug questions
Actually that is completely false, his gun just happens to like the 3 inch version of that ammo. Probably has more to do with barrel harmonics than anything.
I know waay to many people that have great luck with 2 3/4 shells for that to be the case. Me being one of them. In most cases the shorter shells actually shoot better, however that is not always the case so the longer ones are worth trying.
As a matter of fact some of the better and more popular high end sabot loads are 2 3/4 inch, and almost every slug gun out there right now has a 3 inch chamber.
Paul
I know waay to many people that have great luck with 2 3/4 shells for that to be the case. Me being one of them. In most cases the shorter shells actually shoot better, however that is not always the case so the longer ones are worth trying.
As a matter of fact some of the better and more popular high end sabot loads are 2 3/4 inch, and almost every slug gun out there right now has a 3 inch chamber.
Paul
11-23-2006, 05:45 AM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Maryland
Posts: 1,364
RE: Slug questions
Jaycar,
I think Paul has given you some good advice. How about some details on the disatances you expect to shoot? Way too many variables to consider to make a generalized answer.
SteveF
I think Paul has given you some good advice. How about some details on the disatances you expect to shoot? Way too many variables to consider to make a generalized answer.
SteveF
11-23-2006, 07:23 AM
#10
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Blissfield MI USA
Posts: 5,293
RE: Slug questions
Greg, I think they do, some simple research on the net would confirm that. Even if they did I wouldn't want to shoot it[
].
I'm pretty sure you can shoot regular 12 ga ammo out of it. Most 3 1/2 inch guns will chamber 2 3/4 and 3 inch shells. It should say on the barrel or in the manual. Being a semi, it may not cycle with them though. I would have to look that up as well. I know the SPR 453 or whatever it is will cycle all three.
Paul
].I'm pretty sure you can shoot regular 12 ga ammo out of it. Most 3 1/2 inch guns will chamber 2 3/4 and 3 inch shells. It should say on the barrel or in the manual. Being a semi, it may not cycle with them though. I would have to look that up as well. I know the SPR 453 or whatever it is will cycle all three.
Paul