3" Slug range
 

What is about the maximum range I can expect out of my 28" smooth bore 12gauge shotgun shooting 3" slugs before it starts to drop like a brick?

It depends on your ability and your gun's accuracy at varying ranges. Don't expect anything, especially with a smoothbore. Instead, go out and practice at 50, 100, 150, 200 and see how it does (i.e. GET FAMILIAR WITH YOUR GUN AND YOUR LOAD). Personally, I would never take a shot without adjustable rifle sights beyond 100 yards. MAYBE 150 if it was a perfectly broadside shot with a clear line of sight.

I tend to agree with Nato. It's more dependant on your ability than the slug's is. If you're not scoping the gun, I personally wouldn't shoot past 100. Your iron sights are going to cover almost half a deer if you go further than that. If you scope your shotgun, the slugs will be lethal still at 125 or a little more before they start falling off fast. At least that's my experience with my Winchester model 1300 and regular ole Winchester Super X Slugs. By the way, I LOVE the price on those! 10 bucks for 15 at Wally World, gotta love it!

i shoot 3in partition golds out of my 870 with hastings rifled barrel and 3x9 scope. being a sabot round plus the rifled barrel i can shoot out to 200. i dropped my buck last year at 173 yards with this set up. with smooth bore i would limit my shots to under 100 esp with no scope. my dad uses a smooth bore 870 with rifle sights and his limit is about 75 yards but he tends to hunt deeper in cover and doesn't like a scope. i would rather be able to see and shoot further

Do you have rifle sights or just the front bead? I can still hit my target at 100 yards with just the front bead, but that's not the case with everyone. With rifle sights, I would shoot out to 200 yards at a deer, though I can nail a dinner plate at 300 with no problem with the ol' M14. :D

Thanks guys, I have shot multiple boxes of slugs at the range but haven't taken any shots any longer than 50 yards because I can't take shots much farther than that where I hunt now. I was just curious to know if a slug was a reliable round out of a smoothbore to about 100 yards, which it sounds like it is. I do not have rifle sights on it.

You'll be fine at 100 yards, but be careful. My smoothbore shoots them 2" left of POA at 50 yards and about 4" left of POA at 100 yards. It would be helpful for you to shoot it at 100 yards just to be sure of your POI. I ended up with a 90 yard shot once where I didn't think I had anything much past 50. Sometimes a perfect gap opens up. :)

28" smoothbore, be happy if you group good at 75 yards

HONESTLY....my 870 mag.shoots straight at 100yds..and I only use those 2 3/4 inch Wnchester slugs..the group is 3 inches or less. I shoot them out of the Improved Cylinder choke using the 50.00 Gobble Dot sights.
BEST SHOOTING 12 GUAGE I'VE OWNED..our range only goes to 100yds.so that;s as far as I've tested it.

I had a 3 1/2" Winchester SX2 that would put 3 out of 3 slugs in the empty slug box at 75 yards. It was a 28" bird barrel (Imp Cyl choke), and I was shooting those Federal truball or whatever they're called in 2 3/4". But I was using a red dot scope. I am terrible at "aiming" a scattergun with the bead sight.

rw