How to Squeeze the Most Accuracy from a Pump Shotgun

[Ilove12gshotguns]

I've got a 870 Police with ghost ring sights, and at the moment i dont have a bush gun. I would be using this for shots anywhere from 10 - 100m in the bush, and used against light skinned big game.

I'm hoping someone, can give me some tips and tricks to squeeze the most outta this thing.

Ive heard of guys using rubber oil filter wrench's the get the barrel nut as tight as possible, is there anything else i can do?


I will be testing off a bench at 100m with various ammo, and im not recoil shy.

 

[mildot]

I believe that the "tightest" choke you can use with slugs is MOD, I'm guessing that's a start. I'm not sure "over tightening" the magazine cap will do anything?

 

[dilly]

Pin the barrel and change the trigger to an aftermarket. 100m is asking a lot of a smooth bore.
Best I ever got was a pie plate at 100m. Finally went with a rifled canteliever barrel and scope. Now I can clover leaf at 100 with Hornady SST sabots. For up close work, I use a Beretta with buckshot.

 

[0faustus0]

Well, I can't shoot my 870P with ghost rings as accurate as my 870P with rifle sights or a red dot or a scope.
So, your sighting system or sighting setup will probably be the limiting factor ....

I have tried many slugs but the Federal TruBall 1oz slugs worked best for me out of my 870Ps smooth bores with fixed improved cylinder choke.

This is the sort of group I get with ghost ring sights:

And this is what I get with rifle sights:

And this is what I get with a rifled cantilever barrel and a scope and sabots:

And I am pretty lousy shot ....
Hope this gives you an idea of what you can expect from an 870 ...
Faustus

 

[0faustus0]

...
Now I can clover leaf at 100 with Hornady SST sabots.
...

Wowwww .... clover leaf at 100 ... now that is good shooting with a shotgun!! Dilly, can I ask you what barrel you are using? Is this a Remington cantilever barrel or a Hastings? 12ga or 20ga?

 

[dilly]

It’s actually an 870 barrel made by Ithaca. Cabelas sold them for a short period awhile back. It’s so tight in the receiver it has to tapped in with a mallet. The barrel is also quite thick and heavy. I have to shoot from a lead sled to get them to touch, but it loves SSTs. Trigger sucks though. 12ga.

 

[Boomer]

Well, I can't shoot my 870P with ghost rings as accurate as my 870P with rifle sights or a red dot or a scope.
So, your sighting system or sighting setup will probably be the limiting factor ....

I have tried many slugs but the Federal TruBall 1oz slugs worked best for me out of my 870Ps smooth bores with fixed improved cylinder choke.

This is the sort of group I get with ghost ring sights:

And this is what I get with rifle sights:

And this is what I get with a rifled cantilever barrel and a scope and sabots:

And I am pretty lousy shot ....
Hope this gives you an idea of what you can expect from an 870 ...
Faustus

I think I can explain what is happening with your groups, although either of those 50 yard groups represents a dead deer. When you use a bead front sight, it nestles into a repeatable position in the notch of an open sight, so although a bit slower than the ghost ring, it proves a bit more precision. When a bead front sight is combined with a ghost ring, a repeatable sight picture is more difficult, so precision suffers. However, the opposite would be true if you use a rectangular post instead of a bead. The rectangular post doesn't match up particularly well with a V shaped open sight, but when viewed through the ghost ring, its analogous to a scope's cross hair. The flat top is like the horizontal wire, providing a fine index of elevation, and the human eye discerns the center of the post easily, which provides an index for windage. A bead provides nether an index of elevation nor an index of windage, but when combined with a V shaped open sight, the V centers the bead on the target.

 

[dutchhunter]

I believe that the "tightest" choke you can use with slugs is MOD, I'm guessing that's a start. I'm not sure "over tightening" the magazine cap will do anything?

Rifled slugs can be shot through any choke. Heck 20 years ago that's all most guys had .we used one gun for everything from ducks to deer.

 

[Price449]

Match ammo

 

[skoal]

Rifled slugs can be shot through any choke. Heck 20 years ago that's all most guys had .we used one gun for everything from ducks to deer.

Not the tighter then a nun' s ass extra tight turkey chokes

 

[dutchhunter]

Not the tighter then a nun' s ass extra tight turkey chokes

Yes Thu can be shoot through a turkey choke lead is softer them the steel of your choke. The back side if the slugs are hollow do Thu will swell to fit tight in any shotgun barrle . Is it z good idea to shoot them through a turkey choke.probly not will kick like a mule

 

[cosmic]

Assuming you don't have a rifled barrel, then playing around with different types of slugs will yield startling results. don't get caught up with the expensive, high performance slugs. Many folks, including myself have found the plain ol' Winchester fodder the shoot the best.

 

[FarmerDanz]

If you want to waste many hours of your life, and learn a billion things about slugs, check out TAOFLEDERMAUS on youtube. Slow motion footage of basically any slug you can imagine.

Smooth bore, rifled bores, rifled chokes, lots of information on which shapes make for the best slugs, etc.

I think I will go watch some now.

 

[skoal]

Yes Thu can be shoot through a turkey choke lead is softer them the steel of your choke. The back side if the slugs are hollow do Thu will swell to fit tight in any shotgun barrle . Is it z good idea to shoot them through a turkey choke.probly not will kick like a mule

I never said turkey chokes I said the extra tight meaning extra full choke.

 

[dutchhunter]

A turkey choke is s extra full choke. For years my deer gun was a old Winchester model 12 with a 32 inch barrle and a very full choke .worked very well a little long but she shot good.