Pump gun accuracy

ff33

ff33

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I'm looking to improve the accuracy of my 870 with a cantilever rifled barrel. I can get the best results using hornady SST's but it' still can't shoot a group under 6" @ 50 yards, this to me is unacceptable. I have read that with a slower R.O.T. (rotation of twist) that I should be using a slower slug not the 1900 to 2000 FPS slugs I have been testing. I understand that the remington barrel has a 1:35 twist. If that is the case I should be using slower slugs. Who is getting decent groups with there remington barrels and what are you using.
 
Hmm, you should definitely be getting better groups than that! A couple questions...
(1) Is the gun being benched when you're shooting groups? Sandbagged front & back?
(2) Do you FLINCH? Benching a shotgun is NOT fun & the only way to know if you are flinching is for you to bring a buddy to the range & HE LOADS or DOESN'T LOAD your gun & passes it to you... When you shoot, it's either a click or a boom, you won't know, but you will flinch if you are flinching...
(3) Is everything tight? Scope rings & base... Is it a decent scope?

Others will chime in, good luck!

Cheers
Jay
 
ff33 said:
I'm looking to improve the accuracy of my 870 with a cantilever rifled barrel. I can get the best results using hornady SST's but it' still can't shoot a group under 6" @ 50 yards, this to me is unacceptable. I have read that with a slower R.O.T. (rotation of twist) that I should be using a slower slug not the 1900 to 2000 FPS slugs I have been testing. I understand that the remington barrel has a 1:35 twist. If that is the case I should be using slower slugs. Who is getting decent groups with there remington barrels and what are you using.
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Hmm... that is pretty poor accuracy, even for a slug gun. I've read the cantilever arm, which is attached on via 2 bolts, whips around under heavy recoil and doesn't maintain zero well. The most accurate slug guns seem to be the dedicated single shot shotguns like the H&R Ultra Slug Hunter. That said, my 870 rifled barrel with a cantilever mount can get 5" groups at 100m with Winchester Supreme Partition Golds. I'm not sure which brands of ammunition you've tried, but the SSTs didn't work well for me. I'm not particularly impressed with the cantilever mount rifle barrel. Luckily it came cheap with an 870 SPS. Otherwise I wouldn't recommend it to shooters looking for rifled barrel shotguns.
 
I do shoot off of sandbags on the front only. I have checked the bolts holding the cantilever arm and everything seems tight. I am currently using a banner dusk and dawn 1.5 to 4.5 scope. I would like to think that I am not flinching as the recoil is something that can't be helped therefore I don't let it bother me. It's going to happen you might as well enjoy it or sell it. I have tried win. partitions, rem. accutips, and the hornady SSt's, all of which are 1850 FPS or higher. I would like to buy a bunch of slower moving slugs but would like to find out if anyone else has already gone through this process.
 
Also, I am looking at getting a savage 212 or 220 if I can't get this to shoot any better but something in me just wants me to make this work. Stubborn I guess.
 
ff33 said:
I do shoot off of sandbags on the front only. I have checked the bolts holding the cantilever arm and everything seems tight. I am currently using a banner dusk and dawn 1.5 to 4.5 scope. I would like to think that I am not flinching as the recoil is something that can't be helped therefore I don't let it bother me. It's going to happen you might as well enjoy it or sell it. I have tried win. partitions, rem. accutips, and the hornady SSt's, all of which are 1850 FPS or higher. I would like to buy a bunch of slower moving slugs but would like to find out if anyone else has already gone through this process.
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If you shooting that many slugs and still getting 4 or 5 inches then something is wrong. Go to the range and have someone else try to shoot it. You must be flinching. I would have someone shoot it first before you go out and maybe make an investment for nothing. Have that person shoot it in a lead sled. An mtm shoulder guard is like 40 bucks at lebarons. I always use this product sighting in my slug gun to avoid the flinching. Partitions work great in my mossberg 535. Just add weights to the mtm shoulder guard. The cost is 2 boxes of sabot slugs. Trust me they work and they are cheap compared to burning ammo and money.
 
ff33 said:
I do shoot off of sandbags on the front only. I have checked the bolts holding the cantilever arm and everything seems tight. I am currently using a banner dusk and dawn 1.5 to 4.5 scope. I would like to think that I am not flinching as the recoil is something that can't be helped therefore I don't let it bother me. It's going to happen you might as well enjoy it or sell it. I have tried win. partitions, rem. accutips, and the hornady SSt's, all of which are 1850 FPS or higher. I would like to buy a bunch of slower moving slugs but would like to find out if anyone else has already gone through this process.
Click to expand...

If you're seriously looking for lower velocity, Remington's Buckhammer is designed to use heavier slugs at lower velocity. They are all lead and the design will put the lead in contact with the rifling. This can lead to some leading of the bore. Another alternative is to use 2.75" slug ammunition. They generally have lower muzzle velocity. I'm not sure it will help, as the Greenhill formula only suggests lower twist rates for velocities below 2800 ft/s. Slug velocities are all well below that, so I don't believe dropping below 1850 ft/s will show much improvement. Good luck.
 
Have you tried a different scope that is known to perform? Even high end scopes can let go under heavy recoil let alone budget scopes.
 
I have thought of the scope as well but would like to exhaust cheaper options first as a new scope could potentially run several hundreds of dollars. I do use a pad for the shoulder when sighting in at the range.
 
Try a red dot scope its held up better on my shotguns then any tube scope ive put on it and ya your grouping should be half that.
 
I have been thinking of getting a red dot scope but know nothing about them yet, may have to start researching them, Who makes a good one?
 
Somethings really scewey. Your shots should be close to touching (if not touching) at 50m with that rig.

FWIW ive had good luck with Winchester Rackmasters out of both smoothbore and rifled barrels. And they're a hell of a lot less money then Sabot slugs.
 
Now matter what you should get a better quality scope, if it isn't shot loose now it soon will be. It has been my experience that those low end model have an average life span of about 150 rds of .30-06 recoil levels...slug loads in as little as 7 shots! The Bushnell 3200 & Nikon Prostaff are pretty decent quality and won't bankrupt you. Try the Challeger slugs and other full sized ones...my 870 and BPS prefer them than most sabots.
 
I do have the cheap scope remington supplied with the barrel I have never used, if I can get better results using that I will go out and get a better scope. It seems to me as if that should fix things up. I was getting better groups with the smooth bore barrel and the bushnell when it was new 4 years ago. The scope must not be holding zero.
 
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