need advice. sighting in slug gun
09-18-2010, 07:54 PM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: louisiana
Posts: 93
need advice. sighting in slug gun
how do you guys sight your slug guns in without breaking the bank. those sabot slugs are like 2 bucks a piece. also advice on group size and distance.
sorry you guys im shooting a mossberg 500 with 24 in fully rifled barrel with cantilever scope mount and a nice bushnell scope
sorry you guys im shooting a mossberg 500 with 24 in fully rifled barrel with cantilever scope mount and a nice bushnell scope
Last edited by zaboo; 09-19-2010 at 11:03 PM.
09-18-2010, 09:53 PM
#2
Typical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Fulton county,IL
Posts: 617
Shop around a bit find the best deals,I buy all my ammo from Texas.http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/defa...76_16377_11604
09-18-2010, 10:13 PM
#3
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The mountains of Southwest Virginia
Posts: 547
Not sure bout slugs but there is a laser for most calibers that goes into the chamber like a standard round. Works like a bore site. Like I said, I have no idea if anyone makes one for a shotgun.
09-18-2010, 11:30 PM
#5
Fork Horn
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: S.E. Minnesota
Posts: 323
There really isnt a cheap way of doing it. My advice is to have it boresighted, throw some cheap slugs through it to make sure your on the paper, from there on your just going to have to experiment with different kinds of sabots to see what performs best in your gun. I shoot an 11-87 with hornady sst's. My 3shot group at 50 i can pretty much have each slug hole touching each other. I've never really measured my groups wiith the shotgun but out to 150 yards i can keep 3 shots in a grapefruit sized grouping, and a paper plate sized out to 200. I tried the remington accutips a few weeks but couldnt keep the groups as tight. I'm also doing all of my shooting out of a lead sled with 40 lbs of sand to hold her down.
09-19-2010, 07:57 AM
#6
Banned
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 220
The answer is - you need to dedicate a gun - just for hunting deer.
Go out and buy a couple of different types of slugs, different manufacturers and take it to the shooting range and find out which slugs your shotgun shoots best.
I don't know if I said it here or not, but often times a smooth bore shotgun barrel works just as well as a rifled shotgun barrel.
When you are throwing a big chunk of lead like that - more then 50 yards, it is hard to predict from one time to the next where it is going to hit - due to factors beyond your control such as wind speed, outside temperatures, shooting up hill vs down hill etc.
Most times it helps to have a shotgun where the barrel is physically pinned to the action. That helps to keep the barrel from moving around.
Then when you do find the type of slug that shoots best in your shotgun, you need to go back to the store where you bought those slugs and buy 10 or more boxes of those slugs. The same slug, the same lot number - everything identical to the ones that you used to sight in your shotgun. Keep them on hand and only use them for deer. If you shoot one box a year, you have a 10 year supply.
The initial expense is pretty huge, but the rewards down the road is that you are not spending $20 a year to sight in the same shotgun every year. If you have a really good scope and a really good rail type system to hold the scope and if you keep your firearm in good condition and not abuse it - letting it ride on the floor of the truck, dropping it on the ground, falling while walking, the one sight in might last the entire 10 years.
Since you probably live in a area of the country that does not allow center-fire rifles for hunting deer or hogs, this is probably your best bet.
Go out and buy a couple of different types of slugs, different manufacturers and take it to the shooting range and find out which slugs your shotgun shoots best.
I don't know if I said it here or not, but often times a smooth bore shotgun barrel works just as well as a rifled shotgun barrel.
When you are throwing a big chunk of lead like that - more then 50 yards, it is hard to predict from one time to the next where it is going to hit - due to factors beyond your control such as wind speed, outside temperatures, shooting up hill vs down hill etc.
Most times it helps to have a shotgun where the barrel is physically pinned to the action. That helps to keep the barrel from moving around.
Then when you do find the type of slug that shoots best in your shotgun, you need to go back to the store where you bought those slugs and buy 10 or more boxes of those slugs. The same slug, the same lot number - everything identical to the ones that you used to sight in your shotgun. Keep them on hand and only use them for deer. If you shoot one box a year, you have a 10 year supply.
The initial expense is pretty huge, but the rewards down the road is that you are not spending $20 a year to sight in the same shotgun every year. If you have a really good scope and a really good rail type system to hold the scope and if you keep your firearm in good condition and not abuse it - letting it ride on the floor of the truck, dropping it on the ground, falling while walking, the one sight in might last the entire 10 years.
Since you probably live in a area of the country that does not allow center-fire rifles for hunting deer or hogs, this is probably your best bet.
09-19-2010, 08:09 AM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Decatur, IN
Posts: 1,425
The answer is - you need to dedicate a gun - just for hunting deer.
Go out and buy a couple of different types of slugs, different manufacturers and take it to the shooting range and find out which slugs your shotgun shoots best.
I don't know if I said it here or not, but often times a smooth bore shotgun barrel works just as well as a rifled shotgun barrel.
When you are throwing a big chunk of lead like that - more then 50 yards, it is hard to predict from one time to the next where it is going to hit - due to factors beyond your control such as wind speed, outside temperatures, shooting up hill vs down hill etc.
Most times it helps to have a shotgun where the barrel is physically pinned to the action. That helps to keep the barrel from moving around.
Then when you do find the type of slug that shoots best in your shotgun, you need to go back to the store where you bought those slugs and buy 10 or more boxes of those slugs. The same slug, the same lot number - everything identical to the ones that you used to sight in your shotgun. Keep them on hand and only use them for deer. If you shoot one box a year, you have a 10 year supply.
The initial expense is pretty huge, but the rewards down the road is that you are not spending $20 a year to sight in the same shotgun every year. If you have a really good scope and a really good rail type system to hold the scope and if you keep your firearm in good condition and not abuse it - letting it ride on the floor of the truck, dropping it on the ground, falling while walking, the one sight in might last the entire 10 years.
Since you probably live in a area of the country that does not allow center-fire rifles for hunting deer or hogs, this is probably your best bet.
Go out and buy a couple of different types of slugs, different manufacturers and take it to the shooting range and find out which slugs your shotgun shoots best.
I don't know if I said it here or not, but often times a smooth bore shotgun barrel works just as well as a rifled shotgun barrel.
When you are throwing a big chunk of lead like that - more then 50 yards, it is hard to predict from one time to the next where it is going to hit - due to factors beyond your control such as wind speed, outside temperatures, shooting up hill vs down hill etc.
Most times it helps to have a shotgun where the barrel is physically pinned to the action. That helps to keep the barrel from moving around.
Then when you do find the type of slug that shoots best in your shotgun, you need to go back to the store where you bought those slugs and buy 10 or more boxes of those slugs. The same slug, the same lot number - everything identical to the ones that you used to sight in your shotgun. Keep them on hand and only use them for deer. If you shoot one box a year, you have a 10 year supply.
The initial expense is pretty huge, but the rewards down the road is that you are not spending $20 a year to sight in the same shotgun every year. If you have a really good scope and a really good rail type system to hold the scope and if you keep your firearm in good condition and not abuse it - letting it ride on the floor of the truck, dropping it on the ground, falling while walking, the one sight in might last the entire 10 years.
Since you probably live in a area of the country that does not allow center-fire rifles for hunting deer or hogs, this is probably your best bet.
I disagree 100% with the bold. With today's slugs through a rifled barrel, 150-200 yards is not uncommon on a consistent basis. I have both a Mossberg and a Remington sighted in with Hornaday's at 150 yards with less than $75 invested in sight-in ammo with nearly 2 boxes left over.
I've never seen a smooth bore anywhere close to consistent at that range.
09-19-2010, 08:41 PM
#8
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 608
First, be sure the firearm is bore-sighted, and you do NOT need a bore-sighter to do this (If you use a bore-sighter be sure it is removed from the barrel BEFORE you fire the gun.) BE SURE THE FIREARM IS UNLOADED. Look through the chamber end of the barrel, and center an object in it that is 75 to 100 yards away. Lock the barrel in a shooting rest or vise (be careful not to damage the barrel) keeping that object centered in the barrel. Adjust the sights so they are lined up with the object centered in the barrel. You have just bore-sighted your firearm.
Second, fire a two shot string at 50 yards. UNLOAD THE FIREARM AND LOCK THE ACTION OPEN. Check the target for nice, round holes from the slugs. Lock the unloaded firearm in the shooting rest so the sights are lined up where you aimed for the shot. Adjust the sights to center the POI.
Third, fire one or two rounds to check for zeroing. Make any fine tuning adjustments for windage and elevation. Adjust the elevation for the POI you want to have at 50 yards (2 inches high, etc.).
Fourth, fire one or two rounds at 100 yards to check elevation. Do NOT adjust windage. Slugs are very prone to wind drift. It is recommended the windage to be set at 50 yards, and you are sighting in under good shooting conditions (little to no wind, etc.). Use the number of clicks need at 100 yards for your optical sight elevation adjustment.
Fifth, fire two rounds at the maximum distance you will be shooting to check for proper elevation (2 inches low, 4 inches low, etc.)
Sixth, test the firearm with a cold barrel on another day with favorable shooting conditions by shooting a two or three shot group at your maximum distance. If adjustments are made, fire one or two more shots to verify proper adjustment.
Second, fire a two shot string at 50 yards. UNLOAD THE FIREARM AND LOCK THE ACTION OPEN. Check the target for nice, round holes from the slugs. Lock the unloaded firearm in the shooting rest so the sights are lined up where you aimed for the shot. Adjust the sights to center the POI.
Third, fire one or two rounds to check for zeroing. Make any fine tuning adjustments for windage and elevation. Adjust the elevation for the POI you want to have at 50 yards (2 inches high, etc.).
Fourth, fire one or two rounds at 100 yards to check elevation. Do NOT adjust windage. Slugs are very prone to wind drift. It is recommended the windage to be set at 50 yards, and you are sighting in under good shooting conditions (little to no wind, etc.). Use the number of clicks need at 100 yards for your optical sight elevation adjustment.
Fifth, fire two rounds at the maximum distance you will be shooting to check for proper elevation (2 inches low, 4 inches low, etc.)
Sixth, test the firearm with a cold barrel on another day with favorable shooting conditions by shooting a two or three shot group at your maximum distance. If adjustments are made, fire one or two more shots to verify proper adjustment.
09-19-2010, 09:53 PM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Illinois
Posts: 3,558
I don't know if I said it here or not, but often times a smooth bore shotgun barrel works just as well as a rifled shotgun barrel.
When you are throwing a big chunk of lead like that - more then 50 yards, it is hard to predict from one time to the next where it is going to hit - due to factors beyond your control such as wind speed, outside temperatures, shooting up hill vs down hill etc.
When you are throwing a big chunk of lead like that - more then 50 yards, it is hard to predict from one time to the next where it is going to hit - due to factors beyond your control such as wind speed, outside temperatures, shooting up hill vs down hill etc.
My best advice is start with bore sighting and go from there. How about you tell us what gun you got and maybe someone here can be of more help as they might have the same gun and can point you in the right selection as far as ammo goes.
09-19-2010, 10:13 PM
#10
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Darien, IL
Posts: 6,744
Boy everyone has jumped the gun on this one!
Boresighting? What if he ain't got a scope?
The basic way is use some cheap slug and start at 25 yards regardless of sights you have. Once you can get a tight pattern move up to 50 or 75 yards. Get set there and move on to the ammo you want to use for hunting. The hunting ammo may pattern a bit differently.
Then see how far you can do justice.
Remember a couple few inches high at 50 will be right close to dead center further out.
Now 2lunger is a dang good shot!!!!
Boresighting? What if he ain't got a scope?
The basic way is use some cheap slug and start at 25 yards regardless of sights you have. Once you can get a tight pattern move up to 50 or 75 yards. Get set there and move on to the ammo you want to use for hunting. The hunting ammo may pattern a bit differently.
Then see how far you can do justice.
Remember a couple few inches high at 50 will be right close to dead center further out.
Now 2lunger is a dang good shot!!!!
