riffled barrels and slugs

[fratri]

Not sure if I should post here or in ammo section... mods feel free to move it...

I own a 535 mossberg rifle shotgun... I am trying to find a good slug that will work beyond the 100yd range... I have tried a few of them but nothing super good... 3" group at 100yds with hornady sst (sabot slug) so far being the best grouping...( I keep searching because I have read some poor reviews, hornady sst not expanding and leaving a small exit wound) anyway... today I was out using Remington buckhammer (2 3/4", 1 1/4 ounce lead slug) they had some good reviews and they are half the price of a true sabot.... It looked real promising after getting a 3 shot group all touching (small clover leaf) at 50yds... but unfortunately it could not keep the group at 75 yds...(5" group).... Great slug for 50 yds though... What I don't understand is how such a tight group at 50 yds can be so bad at 75 yds... I did go back and took some more shots at 30 yds just to recheck zero before I left for the day and sure enough 2 slugs through the same hole/bulleye....Why the big difference between 50 yds and 75 yds (50 yds were 1" high -75 yards 4" high with the 5 " grouping) Any insight would be great.. thanks...

 

[Trotter]

maybe look up trajectory charts for the ammo. some rise after 50-100 yards.
the rem. copper solids definately zero at 50yds, and -1.0" at 75.

 

[Woodsman]

I'd imagine it has to do with the design of the slug and it's shuttle #### plastic at the back which allows it to have too much wind drift in windy conditions.

 

[josh1976]

125 yard tight groups

In order to get good groupings past 75- 100 yrds, you need a good rig. Proper scope, rifled barrel, and the remmington slug shown below. It rocks. I shoot consistently accurate to 125yrds, and can go further just for fun, and to suprise friends at the range.

 

[fratri]

In order to get good groupings past 75- 100 yrds, you need a good rig. Proper scope, rifled barrel, and the remmington slug shown below. It rocks. I shoot consistently accurate to 125yrds, and can go further just for fun, and to suprise friends at the range.

Thats a nice looking set up, what kind of scope are you using and what remington slug is that you are using... Any idea why the big difference from 50 to 75yds for my groupings?

 

[drvrage]

I suggest that the groupings open up so bad due to the lack of gyroscopic stabilization from using a smoothbore slug. Foster type slugs use the "mass forward" stabilization wich is not that good really. This is why rifles are...well...rifled. An accurate slug must be as well as the spin imparted by the rifling stabilizes the projectile and will keep them flying consistently.

Trotter: None of them ever rise. Ever. When you see a "rise" on a ballistics chart, it is because the gun is actually pointing "up" to account for drop at the specified range. However it is only an illusion, based ont he fact that it is rising when compared to the optics plane, but is actually dropping when compare to the plane of the barell bore.

Gravity only goes one way.

100 yards is reasonable for a slug. If you wanna go beyond that, get a rifle.

 

[josh1976]

In my experience with the smoothbore/ rifled slug combo, you are never going to see great groupings past the 50-yard mark period. I have read great reviews about the Berneki riffled slug for smooth bore, but in my experience have found it to "tumble" past 50, or "key-hole" just like most others. Like DRVRAGE said, all I've done to avoid this with my shotgun, is make my shotgun more like a rifle. The reason I've done this is because of "shot gun only" hunting areas. I am using a bushnell Legend with remington "premier accutip bonded sabot slugs". 20" fully rifled barrel of course. I have played with smooth bore, rifled slug combos in the past, and you should be happy with the grouping you listed at 75 yrds. To get any better with a shotgun, you need a completely different rig, and if you can use a rifle in the area, use it instead.

EDIT***, sorry fratri, I just re-read your OP, and realized that you ARE using a riffled barrel. Sorry for my above judgment. Maybe you could try the premier core loct or accutips and test your results then. They are definitly a superior slug made to perform like a rifle bullet. Its all about stabilizing the projectile period which results in accuracy, the accutips master that philosiphy for the shotgun in my opinion, just by design.

 

[DVXDUDE]

Franti, try using a little slow slugs. Like the Winchester Partition Golds or something around 1500fps. Not sure why there is such a big difference between 50 and 75 yards. Very weird. I have a 535 aswell and I shot Hornady SST's at 50 yards. Took 7 shots out of it and the last 3 were all touching...This thread makes me wanna try 75 and 100 yards.

the shells do go "up" from 50 yars to 100 yards, not very much though. heres whats wrote right on the box....
50yards - +2.4"
100yards - +2.7"
150yards - 0.0"
200yards - -6.7'"

 

[archie126]

Franti, try using a little slow slugs. Like the Winchester Partition Golds or something around 1500fps. Not sure why there is such a big difference between 50 and 75 yards. Very weird. I have a 535 aswell and I shot Hornady SST's at 50 yards. Took 7 shots out of it and the last 3 were all touching...This thread makes me wanna try 75 and 100 yards.

Try the Winchester 3" BRI, they are slower but work great at 100 yards out of my Ultimag 835. So do Rem's copper solids.

I cant get Winchesters or high speed sabots to work well.

[/IMG]

100 yard 3 shot group, 2 touching.

 

[fratri]

Try the Winchester 3" BRI, they are slower but work great at 100 yards out of my Ultimag 835. So do Rem's copper solids.

I cant get Winchesters or high speed sabots to work well.

[/IMG]

100 yard 3 shot group, 2 touching.

That sure is a nice group there, I have tried hornady sst and had fairly good results 3" group, I will continue trying different shells until I find something better, I just don't get why those buckhammers (1/2 the price of true sabots open up so much from 50 yds touching to 5"group at 75 yds..... Once I get back from my bear hunt I may bye some more buckhammer and give it another chance....thanks for the responses....

 

[archie126]

I tried the buckhammers as well, they seemed to be ok, never tried them at distances past 50 yards though. They weren't as good thru my gun as other slugs.

Took a 8 pt with the BRI slug used in photo. Slug expanded well, deer went 10 yards.