Bought a 20 Gauge Mossberg, combo with rifled barrel and field barrel, and I can't get it to sight in. I have tried a scope and open sights and my shots are all over the place. I have tried 5 types of sabots and none to make a difference. Any suggestions??
20 gauge Mossberg: Rifled Barrel
- Thread starter Gobbler24
- Start date
Not sure how much experience you have with this sort of thing, so I will start off with the basics.
1. Not trying to insult you (I don't know you from Adam), but the problem might be you. Shooting slugs is a good way to develop a flinch. Make sure you are wearing hearing protection and throw a little padding between your shoulder and the butt of the gun. If you are fairly new to shooting get an experienced friend to try shooting it. Even if you are experienced get a friend to try shooting it, I'm sure they will enjoy it.
2. Slug guns are hard on scopes and scope mounts. Make sure that everything is tightened up well and that you are using a quality scope (Leupold or Bushnell elite if you can afford it, but I do realize that money doesn't grow on trees), but since you said you can't get it sighted in with iron sights I will presume that the scope isn't the problem for now.
3. I have heard that it can make a difference how you tighten the barrel on the magazine tube. Some guns like it tightened right down. Others shoot better with it firm, but not torqued overly hard.
4. Shoot with a clean barrels. The sabot slugs are a different animal than a regular rifle. These guns are basically shooting a plastic bullet, in the sense that the plastic is what engages the grooves and the lands, not copper of lead like a 'real' rifle. Get a 20 gauge bore snake and see if it makes a difference if you clean it after every shot, every 5 shots, see if your gun has a preference. I'm assuming that you have shot at least 25 slugs through it at this point in time, so it should be cleaned.
5. When trying out different slugs, make sure to try a few that aren't the whizz-bang 2000 fps varieties, your gun might not like them. There are plenty of deer that have been killed with slugs that travel 1600 fps, the fast ones won't do you any good at 100 yards if you can't hit the broad side of a barn with them.
I was out with a buddy last night, shooting a 20 gauge 870 rifled barrel. We didn't have a ton of time or ammunition, but the remington copper solids seemed to show some potential, if you haven't tried them they might be worth looking into.
I'm sure that some others on here will have something to say about this, just give them a little time.
1. Not trying to insult you (I don't know you from Adam), but the problem might be you. Shooting slugs is a good way to develop a flinch. Make sure you are wearing hearing protection and throw a little padding between your shoulder and the butt of the gun. If you are fairly new to shooting get an experienced friend to try shooting it. Even if you are experienced get a friend to try shooting it, I'm sure they will enjoy it.
2. Slug guns are hard on scopes and scope mounts. Make sure that everything is tightened up well and that you are using a quality scope (Leupold or Bushnell elite if you can afford it, but I do realize that money doesn't grow on trees), but since you said you can't get it sighted in with iron sights I will presume that the scope isn't the problem for now.
3. I have heard that it can make a difference how you tighten the barrel on the magazine tube. Some guns like it tightened right down. Others shoot better with it firm, but not torqued overly hard.
4. Shoot with a clean barrels. The sabot slugs are a different animal than a regular rifle. These guns are basically shooting a plastic bullet, in the sense that the plastic is what engages the grooves and the lands, not copper of lead like a 'real' rifle. Get a 20 gauge bore snake and see if it makes a difference if you clean it after every shot, every 5 shots, see if your gun has a preference. I'm assuming that you have shot at least 25 slugs through it at this point in time, so it should be cleaned.
5. When trying out different slugs, make sure to try a few that aren't the whizz-bang 2000 fps varieties, your gun might not like them. There are plenty of deer that have been killed with slugs that travel 1600 fps, the fast ones won't do you any good at 100 yards if you can't hit the broad side of a barn with them.
I was out with a buddy last night, shooting a 20 gauge 870 rifled barrel. We didn't have a ton of time or ammunition, but the remington copper solids seemed to show some potential, if you haven't tried them they might be worth looking into.
I'm sure that some others on here will have something to say about this, just give them a little time.
I have a the 500 in 20g too. With a ported cantilever fully rifled bbl.
So far I zeroed it with the scope it came with (bushnell sportsman 3-9x32) with good results, I then switched to a Bushnell Banner 1.5-4.5x32 with circle retcle. I use Weaver rings too. The sabot slugs which I tested were the Rem copper solids which grouped 1.75 inches at 50yds, I was very impressed.
Then I tried some Winchester BRI sabots which grouped only slightly larger by an eighth of a inch and much lower (off the paper). I am sure both these slugs would do the task given to them with pure confindence. Jus recently now, I picked up a box of 10 Challenger 20g slugs which say they are equally ideal in smooth or rifled barrels. They advertise them at 1610fps from a
2.75`` magnum shell. Since I have never seen these out west I will stock up with a few boxes b4 I head back, hopefully they`ll work out.
With your accuracy problems I can only suggest to check the tightness of your rings. The low recoil of the 20 as compared to the 12 should`nt cause any if at all any flinch. Good luck,
So far I zeroed it with the scope it came with (bushnell sportsman 3-9x32) with good results, I then switched to a Bushnell Banner 1.5-4.5x32 with circle retcle. I use Weaver rings too. The sabot slugs which I tested were the Rem copper solids which grouped 1.75 inches at 50yds, I was very impressed.
Then I tried some Winchester BRI sabots which grouped only slightly larger by an eighth of a inch and much lower (off the paper). I am sure both these slugs would do the task given to them with pure confindence. Jus recently now, I picked up a box of 10 Challenger 20g slugs which say they are equally ideal in smooth or rifled barrels. They advertise them at 1610fps from a
2.75`` magnum shell. Since I have never seen these out west I will stock up with a few boxes b4 I head back, hopefully they`ll work out.
With your accuracy problems I can only suggest to check the tightness of your rings. The low recoil of the 20 as compared to the 12 should`nt cause any if at all any flinch. Good luck,
