Cantilever slug guns - accuracy?

0faustus0 said:
@ninepointer, "Why would the accuracy be bad?" referred to a cantilever barrel where the scope or optic is mounted to the barrel ... and not to the receiver. With a cantilever setup you can have lots of wiggle between the barrel and the receiver ... but your gun will still shoot to point of aim consistently.


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I think he is referring to the slop causing interface between shooter and the optic/barrel.

Shouldn't be an issue unless your gun is a limp noodle though.
 
Cantilever all the way for me. I have an SX3 deer gun/Trophy XLT 1.75x4 and maintain an MOA with 2 3/4 inch AccuTip's off a lead sled. Before this gun I was using an 11-87 with a cantilever/red dot setup and was getting slightly worse groupings at 100 yards with Winchester BRI sabots. Cantilever setups are absolutely worth their weight in gold in my opinion if accuracy is the end game.
 
todigy said:
Cantilever all the way for me. I have an SX3 deer gun/Trophy XLT 1.75x4 and maintain an MOA with 2 3/4 inch AccuTip's off a lead sled. Before this gun I was using an 11-87 with a cantilever/red dot setup and was getting slightly worse groupings at 100 yards with Winchester BRI sabots. Cantilever setups are absolutely worth their weight in gold in my opinion if accuracy is the end game.
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Did you have any problems with any other slugs before you tried the accutips? I put through over $200 in slugs last year with my SX3. Nothing resembling a group with any of them even at 50yds until the accutips which were the last ones to try. Then it was like night and day.
 
cantgetright said:
Did you have any problems with any other slugs before you tried the accutips? I put through over $200 in slugs last year with my SX3. Nothing resembling a group with any of them even at 50yds until the accutips which were the last ones to try. Then it was like night and day.
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I tried Winchester BRI sabots, and partitions, and Remington copper solids. The accutips grouped the best. The BRI and copper solids were identical. Wasn’t bad groups, I got nowhere with the partitions.

One thing I learned with this gun was that the barrel needs to scrubbed every 2-3 shots. I can watch my groupings open up if I don’t. Plastic fouling from the sabots I’m guessing.
 
0faustus0 said:
With a cantilever setup you can have lots of wiggle between the barrel and the receiver ... but your gun will still shoot to point of aim consistently.
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I can see why you would think that, but no it won't. In any gun, the energy expended and vibration created will react to external factors (and affect point of impact) in ways that can be interesting, frustrating or unpredictable until tested. "Harmonics" as they say...

A cantilever barrel that is loose on the back end should not be expected to shoot optimally, any more than one should expect (for example) such a setup to shoot well with a loose barrel nut.
 
ninepointer said:
Because the mating of the barrel to the receiver can be poor. Not wanting to permanently pin my 870 cantilever barrel, I followed some advice (probable from here) to make a shim from beer can aluminum inserted between the barrel and the receiver. This significantly improved my groups.
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ninepointer said:
I can see why you would think that, but no it won't. In any gun, the energy expended and vibration created will react to external factors (and affect point of impact) in ways that can be interesting, frustrating or unpredictable until tested. "Harmonics" as they say...

A cantilever barrel that is loose on the back end should not be expected to shoot optimally, any more than one should expect (for example) such a setup to shoot well with a loose barrel nut.
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I’m going to try this at some point, I’ve shimmed semi auto actions with success in shrinking groups and will give it a shot with my cantilever barrel. Come to think of it my 14” rifle sighted 870 barrel is really snug while installing it and it’s very accurate with any 12g load I shot through it.
 
I bought a Cantilever barrel which is threaded for Chokes. I put in an Imp Cyl for deer and use pretty much any slug. At the range at 100 yrds I get great groupings. With my eye sight it is also perfect for turkey hunting with a turkey choke.
 
ninepointer said:
I can see why you would think that, but no it won't. In any gun, the energy expended and vibration created will react to external factors (and affect point of impact) in ways that can be interesting, frustrating or unpredictable until tested. "Harmonics" as they say...

A cantilever barrel that is loose on the back end should not be expected to shoot optimally, any more than one should expect (for example) such a setup to shoot well with a loose barrel nut.
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This may be a factor in my gun’s accuracy. As I said, the barrel is so tight in the receiver, I have to seat it with a mallet. The barrel walls are also really thick. I don’t think there is much vibration going on.
 
Buy a used 870 Express with a rifled barrel. Pin the barrel and mount directly to the receiver. Mine shoots 2 inch groups at 100.

You will get enough use out of it in the future to make it worth having a solo slug gun.

I may have a HR 20 for sale soon....but it shoots a little low......lol
 
Keep an eye out for an H&R Ultra slug in the EE. They do turn up now and again. I had one a while back when we hunted a shotgun WMU that would stack Rem Accutips at 200yards with ease. Wish I would have kept it but we now hunt a muzzleloader only WMU so it's of no use to me.
 
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