Using 3-1/2" Slugs?
11-07-2008, 02:55 PM
#12
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 208
RE: Using 3-1/2" Slugs?
ORIGINAL: Champlain Islander
Lots of better slugs than lightfield. I wouldn't use them.
Lots of better slugs than lightfield. I wouldn't use them.
11-07-2008, 03:23 PM
#13
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Blissfield MI USA
Posts: 5,293
RE: Using 3-1/2" Slugs?
Not hard for me to beat, they have never been the most accurate load in any guns I fired them from. As far as the shorter shell issue, you will never know unless you try it. To be honest the most important part of your barrel for accuracy is the end, not the beginning. That small distance they cover until they hit the rifling probably means nothing considering they don't start spinning the minute they hit it. Chances are if there was rifling there it would just slip past it anyway.
Personally I would have looked for a barrel that wasn't chambered in 3 1/2 inch mag for shooting slugs. If you are going to hold to that rule your options are pretty limited for slug choices. If those don't give you decent accuracy your pretty much screwed and you will end up trying different shells anyway.
Being how finicky slug guns are it is for sure worth trying some others just to see how they work.
If I was one of the few companies making slugs in 3 1/2" magnum I would be telling you that you should use them too.
I don't think I have even seen the for sale in my area. And the website says not to shoot 2 3/4" shells, not 3 inch shells.
This statement is another issue I have with Lightfield's website:
"*Slug guns MUST be zeroed (sighted-in) while the slug is supersonic (above 1220 ft/sec in velocity). Therefore you must zero your gun 1 to 1-1/2 inches high (see above data for the slug you will be shooting) at 50 yards, absolutely centered above your point of aim. You will then be dead-on zeroed at 100 yards because gravity will see to it. Zeroing at 50 yards also cuts down (by approximately 60%) your chance of adjusting windage error into your scope setting."
I find it odd that I have always zeroed my slug guns and muzzle loaders at 100 yards and never had an issue with it. I have actually had problems with doing it the way they suggest. Some guns just won't shoot a slug that well at 100 yards, they will shoot great at 50 and 75 but like poop at 100. Zeroing in at 50 yards an inch or so high doesn't do you much good if you plan on shooting at 100 yards in my opinion. And I don't see what being supersonic or sub sonic has do with anything. Does that mean it is impossible to sight in round that is subsonic? I don't think so. Now if you simply can't shoot that well out to 100 yards that is a different story all together, but if you can group slugs at 2 inches or less at 100 yards I don't see why can't zero your scope at that distance.
Paul
Personally I would have looked for a barrel that wasn't chambered in 3 1/2 inch mag for shooting slugs. If you are going to hold to that rule your options are pretty limited for slug choices. If those don't give you decent accuracy your pretty much screwed and you will end up trying different shells anyway.
Being how finicky slug guns are it is for sure worth trying some others just to see how they work.
If I was one of the few companies making slugs in 3 1/2" magnum I would be telling you that you should use them too.
I don't think I have even seen the for sale in my area. And the website says not to shoot 2 3/4" shells, not 3 inch shells.This statement is another issue I have with Lightfield's website:
"*Slug guns MUST be zeroed (sighted-in) while the slug is supersonic (above 1220 ft/sec in velocity). Therefore you must zero your gun 1 to 1-1/2 inches high (see above data for the slug you will be shooting) at 50 yards, absolutely centered above your point of aim. You will then be dead-on zeroed at 100 yards because gravity will see to it. Zeroing at 50 yards also cuts down (by approximately 60%) your chance of adjusting windage error into your scope setting."
I find it odd that I have always zeroed my slug guns and muzzle loaders at 100 yards and never had an issue with it. I have actually had problems with doing it the way they suggest. Some guns just won't shoot a slug that well at 100 yards, they will shoot great at 50 and 75 but like poop at 100. Zeroing in at 50 yards an inch or so high doesn't do you much good if you plan on shooting at 100 yards in my opinion. And I don't see what being supersonic or sub sonic has do with anything. Does that mean it is impossible to sight in round that is subsonic? I don't think so. Now if you simply can't shoot that well out to 100 yards that is a different story all together, but if you can group slugs at 2 inches or less at 100 yards I don't see why can't zero your scope at that distance.
Paul
11-07-2008, 04:23 PM
#14
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: West Bend, Wisconsin
Posts: 163
RE: Using 3-1/2" Slugs?
ORIGINAL: Paul L Mohr
Not hard for me to beat, they have never been the most accurate load in any guns I fired them from. As far as the shorter shell issue, you will never know unless you try it. To be honest the most important part of your barrel for accuracy is the end, not the beginning. That small distance they cover until they hit the rifling probably means nothing considering they don't start spinning the minute they hit it. Chances are if there was rifling there it would just slip past it anyway.
Personally I would have looked for a barrel that wasn't chambered in 3 1/2 inch mag for shooting slugs. If you are going to hold to that rule your options are pretty limited for slug choices. If those don't give you decent accuracy your pretty much screwed and you will end up trying different shells anyway.
Being how finicky slug guns are it is for sure worth trying some others just to see how they work.
If I was one of the few companies making slugs in 3 1/2" magnum I would be telling you that you should use them too. I don't think I have even seen the for sale in my area. And the website says not to shoot 2 3/4" shells, not 3 inch shells.
This statement is another issue I have with Lightfield's website:
"*Slug guns MUST be zeroed (sighted-in) while the slug is supersonic (above 1220 ft/sec in velocity). Therefore you must zero your gun 1 to 1-1/2 inches high (see above data for the slug you will be shooting) at 50 yards, absolutely centered above your point of aim. You will then be dead-on zeroed at 100 yards because gravity will see to it. Zeroing at 50 yards also cuts down (by approximately 60%) your chance of adjusting windage error into your scope setting."
I find it odd that I have always zeroed my slug guns and muzzle loaders at 100 yards and never had an issue with it. I have actually had problems with doing it the way they suggest. Some guns just won't shoot a slug that well at 100 yards, they will shoot great at 50 and 75 but like poop at 100. Zeroing in at 50 yards an inch or so high doesn't do you much good if you plan on shooting at 100 yards in my opinion. And I don't see what being supersonic or sub sonic has do with anything. Does that mean it is impossible to sight in round that is subsonic? I don't think so. Now if you simply can't shoot that well out to 100 yards that is a different story all together, but if you can group slugs at 2 inches or less at 100 yards I don't see why can't zero your scope at that distance.
Paul
Not hard for me to beat, they have never been the most accurate load in any guns I fired them from. As far as the shorter shell issue, you will never know unless you try it. To be honest the most important part of your barrel for accuracy is the end, not the beginning. That small distance they cover until they hit the rifling probably means nothing considering they don't start spinning the minute they hit it. Chances are if there was rifling there it would just slip past it anyway.
Personally I would have looked for a barrel that wasn't chambered in 3 1/2 inch mag for shooting slugs. If you are going to hold to that rule your options are pretty limited for slug choices. If those don't give you decent accuracy your pretty much screwed and you will end up trying different shells anyway.
Being how finicky slug guns are it is for sure worth trying some others just to see how they work.
If I was one of the few companies making slugs in 3 1/2" magnum I would be telling you that you should use them too.
I don't think I have even seen the for sale in my area. And the website says not to shoot 2 3/4" shells, not 3 inch shells.This statement is another issue I have with Lightfield's website:
"*Slug guns MUST be zeroed (sighted-in) while the slug is supersonic (above 1220 ft/sec in velocity). Therefore you must zero your gun 1 to 1-1/2 inches high (see above data for the slug you will be shooting) at 50 yards, absolutely centered above your point of aim. You will then be dead-on zeroed at 100 yards because gravity will see to it. Zeroing at 50 yards also cuts down (by approximately 60%) your chance of adjusting windage error into your scope setting."
I find it odd that I have always zeroed my slug guns and muzzle loaders at 100 yards and never had an issue with it. I have actually had problems with doing it the way they suggest. Some guns just won't shoot a slug that well at 100 yards, they will shoot great at 50 and 75 but like poop at 100. Zeroing in at 50 yards an inch or so high doesn't do you much good if you plan on shooting at 100 yards in my opinion. And I don't see what being supersonic or sub sonic has do with anything. Does that mean it is impossible to sight in round that is subsonic? I don't think so. Now if you simply can't shoot that well out to 100 yards that is a different story all together, but if you can group slugs at 2 inches or less at 100 yards I don't see why can't zero your scope at that distance.
Paul
Good info and points.
I think at this point I am going to get two boxes of the 3-1/2 and see what they do. I usually don't have a problem with high recoil firearms. If I don't like them I will go to 3". Probably going to stay with Lightfield due to the good things I have heard.
11-07-2008, 05:08 PM
#16
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Gleason, TN
Posts: 1,327
RE: Using 3-1/2" Slugs?
Everything I've read by them sounds like a bunch of engineers talking in theory rather than from actual experience. I've tried to use 3 1/2" shells in my shotguns but none of them shot consistantly. The 2 3/4" shells shot great, so that's what I've always stuck with. That goes for slugs and buckshot. I haven't had much experience with fully rifled slug barrels though, I've always used smooth bore.
11-07-2008, 05:33 PM
#17
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: West Bend, Wisconsin
Posts: 163
RE: Using 3-1/2" Slugs?
ORIGINAL: Wiggy
Everything I've read by them sounds like a bunch of engineers talking in theory rather than from actual experience. I've tried to use 3 1/2" shells in my shotguns but none of them shot consistantly. The 2 3/4" shells shot great, so that's what I've always stuck with. That goes for slugs and buckshot. I haven't had much experience with fully rifled slug barrels though, I've always used smooth bore.
Everything I've read by them sounds like a bunch of engineers talking in theory rather than from actual experience. I've tried to use 3 1/2" shells in my shotguns but none of them shot consistantly. The 2 3/4" shells shot great, so that's what I've always stuck with. That goes for slugs and buckshot. I haven't had much experience with fully rifled slug barrels though, I've always used smooth bore.
11-07-2008, 05:51 PM
#19
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Gleason, TN
Posts: 1,327
RE: Using 3-1/2" Slugs?
ORIGINAL: GFY_Camp
So you had better luck with 2-3/4" shells rather than 3-1/2"?? Interesting.
ORIGINAL: Wiggy
Everything I've read by them sounds like a bunch of engineers talking in theory rather than from actual experience. I've tried to use 3 1/2" shells in my shotguns but none of them shot consistantly. The 2 3/4" shells shot great, so that's what I've always stuck with. That goes for slugs and buckshot. I haven't had much experience with fully rifled slug barrels though, I've always used smooth bore.
Everything I've read by them sounds like a bunch of engineers talking in theory rather than from actual experience. I've tried to use 3 1/2" shells in my shotguns but none of them shot consistantly. The 2 3/4" shells shot great, so that's what I've always stuck with. That goes for slugs and buckshot. I haven't had much experience with fully rifled slug barrels though, I've always used smooth bore.
