12 Gage slug accuracy

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Maple57

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I don't hunt with shotgun slugs, but I have been wondering what kind of accuracy you guys get.

Many years ago, I do recall spending some time at the range testing slugs, but I don't recall that accuracy, but if I did, I have no idea how that might relate to what guys find to be good or bad slug accuracy at 100 yards

Also, what slug accuracy difference might be reasonable to expect between a smooth bore shot gun and a rifled slug barrel?

Do you guys have any realistic numbers, like how accurate certain slugs tend to be at 100 yards?
 
I had a Savage 212 a while back when I used to hunt a shotgun/muzzleloader WMU and it would have no problem holding a 2" group @ 200 yards with Remington Accutips. Foolishly, I sold it off as I hunt a muzzleloader only WMU now. I wish I would have kept it.
 
Rem 7/8 ounces rifled slug at 1900 fps is stellar in my Benelli M4 smoothbore, it will put 5 slugs in 4 inchs at 30 yards, offhand, with peep sights. JP.
 
The best I ever got with a smoothbore was with Federal TruBall slugs .... 100 meters group.


The gun

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100 meter group

870_Police_Ghost_Rings_100_Meters_TruBalls_4inchGroup.jpg
 
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The extent of my accuracy testing and sight in with both challenger and black goose slugs is at 50y, which is my max intended practical use for a slug. I’ve shot out to 75-80y for fun but was shooting a 8” steel gong, was relatively easy to hit repeatedly. I’m not in a slug only area for hunting so my intended use would be for predator defence while in the bush or if I’m grouse hunting and a deer appears unexpectedly within a 50-60y range. 12.5” Smooth bore, bead sight and 14” & 18” with adjustable rifle sights, haven’t found a 12g sabot that my rifled barrel likes yet, 50y groups were garbage and I didn’t bother with 100y attempts.

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Maple57 said:
I don't hunt with shotgun slugs, but I have been wondering what kind of accuracy you guys get.

Many years ago, I do recall spending some time at the range testing slugs, but I don't recall that accuracy, but if I did, I have no idea how that might relate to what guys find to be good or bad slug accuracy at 100 yards

Also, what slug accuracy difference might be reasonable to expect between a smooth bore shot gun and a rifled slug barrel?

Do you guys have any realistic numbers, like how accurate certain slugs tend to be at 100 yards?
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My 12ga deerslayer with challengers would consistently drop 3 to 4 inch groups at 50 yds offhand with open sights.
My 20ga 870 with challengers would do the same.

If I swapped in my rifled barrel on the 870 and used accutips with a TRS-25, it would group just under 3” at 100yds. Partition golds would add about 4 inches to the group size.
The savage 220 would group around 2.5” at 150yds with a 3-9 dusk till dawn on it.
 
100 yards? Oh my, I am still trying to put slugs on paper at 50 meters. The bead is doing nothing for me. I have a Mossberg 590 Shockwave SPX.

I haven't used anything but Challengers and S&B so far, but I don't think it matters for me. I got these Federal Tactical HST ones that I may try but I think there is something else fundamentally wrong in my shooting technique and form that has nothing to do with ammo.
 
thegazelle said:
100 yards? Oh my, I am still trying to put slugs on paper at 50 meters. The bead is doing nothing for me. I have a Mossberg 590 Shockwave SPX.

I haven't used anything but Challengers and S&B so far, but I don't think it matters for me. I got these Federal Tactical HST ones that I may try but I think there is something else fundamentally wrong in my shooting technique and form that has nothing to do with ammo.
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You need to try more brands of slugs. I went through this a few years ago, tried several brands, and found quite a range of performance. Premium slugs did no better, in the end, the cheapo Winchester slugs shot into a 3 inch circle at 50 y. I was using a shotgun with a front bead only, benchrested, so I considered this to be very good.
 
Many years ago I was shooting an 870 express with a smooth slug barrel at our range . my shots were almost touching at 50 yards with Winchester 12 gage slugs . 1600fps .
 
A sure shot at 30 yards in a dense brushy vegetation with a slug from a smootbore is a glorious shot especially if it fall in it's tracks. JP.
 
cosmic said:
You need to try more brands of slugs. I went through this a few years ago, tried several brands, and found quite a range of performance. Premium slugs did no better, in the end, the cheapo Winchester slugs shot into a 3 inch circle at 50 y. I was using a shotgun with a front bead only, benchrested, so I considered this to be very good.
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Benchrested... That may be my problem. I am shooting standing mostly because of the configuration of my 590.

https://www.mossberg.com/product/shockwave-spx/

I don't shoot from the hip at the range, but shoot it holding it up.

I did buy a traditional stock with buttpad and put it on for a couple of outings but that was before I joined my range. I will try putting that stock back on and try it bench resting along with your suggestion of different ammo. I may also put that Opsol adapter back in and use the Aguila mini shells slugs, to see if less recoil helps (I took the adapter out after shooting birdshot minishells in the bush, and they were manageable but since I joined the range, it is slugs only).
 
OfaustusO, that is amazing @50.
Years ago 2 guys BOTH said their 870’s (18” Deer barrel) would do a deer out to 80 yards, so 6”(?).
I tried BOTH of their toys & they proved to give identical results with 3 types of shells, 2 shots into 4”+, and a 3rd was 6-7” higher/wider.
I wasn’t impressed.
A year later another guy convinced me to try the 870 with a FULLY RIFLED deer barrel with sabots. At 100 yards I could get all shots into a 6” target with 3 different types of ammo using peep sights. (The eyes are getting bad now so it’s scopes only). The problem is, I’m too cheap to spend $3-$4++ each time I touch the trigger. I began to cast LYMAN slugs as, the last time I priced it out a couple of years back, I could do a box of 25 for $6-7. Since 96.7% of my slug/buckshot shooting is done offhand @25-50 paces this is ideal FOR ME. We sometimes do 3 shot rapids &/or moving deer @25 so LOTS of trigger time I could NEVER DO with sabots. (Too old….too cheap).
 
BTW, those Lyman slugs will usually do about 4”@50, sometimes a bit better, rarely a bit worse. I haven’t used them for 2+ years but I just loaded up some to take to the range soon. I should spend more time and see what works best….Fully rifled?…..smooth bore but 3-4 different chokes.?……smooth with Rifled choke?
 
thegazelle said:
Benchrested... That may be my problem. I am shooting standing mostly because of the configuration of my 590.

https://www.mossberg.com/product/shockwave-spx/

I don't shoot from the hip at the range, but shoot it holding it up.

I did buy a traditional stock with buttpad and put it on for a couple of outings but that was before I joined my range. I will try putting that stock back on and try it bench resting along with your suggestion of different ammo. I may also put that Opsol adapter back in and use the Aguila mini shells slugs, to see if less recoil helps (I took the adapter out after shooting birdshot minishells in the bush, and they were manageable but since I joined the range, it is slugs only).
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Well - Shooting offhand, with no shoulder rest, and a short sight radius is unlikely to give decent results no matter what you use - you're just wasting ammo. Put on the regular stock, benchrested, and you will get much better results, even with the ammo you currently have.
 
I got a 3-1/5" group at 100 yds. out of a Winchester Defender smoothbore with rifled slugs. My Remington 870 20ga. (rifled) will give me an even better group at 100 yds. with sabot slugs.
 
thegazelle said:
100 yards? Oh my, I am still trying to put slugs on paper at 50 meters. The bead is doing nothing for me. I have a Mossberg 590 Shockwave SPX.

I haven't used anything but Challengers and S&B so far, but I don't think it matters for me. I got these Federal Tactical HST ones that I may try but I think there is something else fundamentally wrong in my shooting technique and form that has nothing to do with ammo.
Click to expand...

thegazelle said:
Benchrested... That may be my problem. I am shooting standing mostly because of the configuration of my 590.

https://www.mossberg.com/product/shockwave-spx/

I don't shoot from the hip at the range, but shoot it holding it up.

I did buy a traditional stock with buttpad and put it on for a couple of outings but that was before I joined my range. I will try putting that stock back on and try it bench resting along with your suggestion of different ammo. I may also put that Opsol adapter back in and use the Aguila mini shells slugs, to see if less recoil helps (I took the adapter out after shooting birdshot minishells in the bush, and they were manageable but since I joined the range, it is slugs only).
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thegazelle, no offense ... but to be honest ... I don't see how you could get a decent sight picture with that gun (590 Shockwave SPX), .. and without a decent sight picture .... there will be no decent slug grouping. The only way to shoot decent slug groups with that gun .... and from what I see is with an optic mounted .... like a red dot.

590 Shockwave SPX

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1.) Brobee has shown us that the bead sight on the Shockwaves is too low. Maybe watch this video at 2:50 minutes.

Brobee's Shockwave build

2.) Further your "590 Shockwave SPX" has that rail mounted .... and which raises the rear of the sight picture even further. You would need an even taller front sight then what Brobee mounted.

Your gun probably shoots many many many many many feet too high right now.
At 50 meters ... your gun might shoot 10 feet ... or 20 feet too high ... or even higher ...

3.) As an example, here is the sight picture that I get from my Tac-14s ... and with that raised bead and that sight picture ... they shoot more or less to point of aim.

Tac_14_Sight_Picture.jpg


Link

You would need to get something similar and to shoot slugs accurately.

A similar sight picture that shoots to point of aim!



My suggestions for your "590 Shockwave SPX": If you want to shoot slugs accurately with that gun .... mount a red dot ... like a Vortex Venom ... or something similar!

The other option ... get a different shotgun that provides a decent sight picture ....


p.s.: I don't think you will find an aftermarket front sight that is tall enough for your "590 Shockwave SPX" ...

My apologies for being the messenger of bad news ....
 
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My 14 inch 870 shoot 3 inch mag Brenneke slugs into groups of about 5 inches with the Scattergun Tech sights . Shoots about 4 inches with the 2 moa Aimpoint . The Beneli M4 shoots the same ammo into about 4 inch 5 shot groups with the sights and 3 to 4 inch groups with the 2 moa Aimpoint . 100 yards . With other 2 3/4 inch slugs groups of about 5 and 6 inches . Groups of 5 rounds .
 
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