Accurate slug?
- Thread starter CraZkid
- Start date
Over the past couple of years I have tested (painfully) every sabot slug on the market using 2 different guns. A Rem870 and an Ithaca DeerslayerII. The only slugs I have used that seem to shoot "about" the same in both guns was the Hornady and the Rem copper solids. The 870 would shoot better with some brands and the Ithaca with others. I think, unless you stumble on just the right brand of slugs, you are going to have to try different brands to see which ones YOUR gun will shoot well or best. As I am sure you have heard,, every gun shoot differently. so any hard reccommendations I may give you might not work well in YOUR gun. I wish it were simple and I could say,, Brand X is the best. I have had good luck with Federal, Lightfield and Winchester too.
If you have a rifled barrel, the Sabot can be very accurate. You'd still have to tests them, if nothing more than to sight them in. 2 MOA wouldn't be uncommon.
If you have a smoothbore, read below.
Federal TruBall has a Polymer ball that fills up the hollow base and expands it to bore size. My limited testing shows groups cut in half. It's a Foster type, hollow base slug that's softer than the Brenneke. 2 to 3 MOA might be possible. It also comes in a reduced recoil version that still produces 1300 + fps. in the 1 oz.
With Brenneke slugs, you have two different designs. The felt wad attached to the rear of the slug with a screw provides stability. The 2 3/4" 1 1/8 oz Rottweil is such a slug. The other (1oz) has a plastic type arrangement that clamps on to the rear of the slug. I suspect that, since the felt wad expands to fill up the bore, it might provide better accuracy. Wads go into the target attached to the slug. You migh get 4 MOA--maybe less--maybe better, but for those who like the most in penetration that slugs have to offer, you need the Brenneke.
If you have a smoothbore, read below.
Federal TruBall has a Polymer ball that fills up the hollow base and expands it to bore size. My limited testing shows groups cut in half. It's a Foster type, hollow base slug that's softer than the Brenneke. 2 to 3 MOA might be possible. It also comes in a reduced recoil version that still produces 1300 + fps. in the 1 oz.
With Brenneke slugs, you have two different designs. The felt wad attached to the rear of the slug with a screw provides stability. The 2 3/4" 1 1/8 oz Rottweil is such a slug. The other (1oz) has a plastic type arrangement that clamps on to the rear of the slug. I suspect that, since the felt wad expands to fill up the bore, it might provide better accuracy. Wads go into the target attached to the slug. You migh get 4 MOA--maybe less--maybe better, but for those who like the most in penetration that slugs have to offer, you need the Brenneke.
As far as slugs go, I have only fired rifled Remington Sluggers out of my smooth-bore 870 Express 12/21 (w/IC). No experience with sabots. Accuracy is very good to about 50 yards; and probably even more, although I have yet to see.
Caveat: watch out for those buttstock hickeys: They don't feel good at all, and look even worse.
Caveat: watch out for those buttstock hickeys: They don't feel good at all, and look even worse.
N.H. Yankee
New member
I second platinum tips, they are the most accurate by far in my Mossberg 500 20ga with 3 slugs in 2 inches at 100yds. They are also excellent performers on deer, I have used Federal/Barnes expanders also but found the Winchesters to be more accurate and perform just as well on deer. I have found that shotguns seem to be really picky about slugs and that each one can be vastly different.
Slug accuracy
Funny you should ask. I just finished a few days of self abuse testing several slugs in two shotguns. You didn't mention if your 870 is smoothbore or rifled. So I guess I get to tell you about both experiences.
Bottom line first.
In my 870 with 20 inch smoothbore IC barrel, best accuracy has been with the Federal TruBall 1 ounce number. None of several groups exceeded 1 1/4 inches at 50 yards. Amazing to me. At 100 yards my single 3 shot group measured about 4.5 inches and was 7 inches below point of aim. Nothing is free, and these slugs chronographed at 1450 or so. 1600 would be a whole lot better, but hey, we ain't shootin elephants.
In my spanking new 870 synthetic deer gun with rifled barrel and cantilevered mount, accuracy was better, as you would expect.
Bottom line again, the one ounce sabots at 1400 or 1500 fps are the most accurate of the more popular sabot types, my best and most consistent being the Federal Barnes Expander copper solid, giving consistent and repeatable 3/4 inch groups at 50 yards and staying within three inches at 100, with many better.
As in previous years with different guns, I found that those 1800 to 2000 fps numbers really do have the velocity and flat trajectory they claim. One inch high at 50 is two inches high at 100. Unfortunately, accuracy is poor as in previous testing. At 50 yards, those great Rem CoreLoct 385 (3/4 oz), Federal Barnes solid coppers, and the like gave me about 1 inch groups, which is fine with me. At 100 yards however, they spread to from 7 to 9 inches, with no exceptions that were better. Magnum bummer, cause these things deliver 3200 foot pounds and shoot flat.
I spent some 80 bucks on these slugs, fine tuning the point of impact for hunting to be 1 inch high at 50 and 3 inches low at 100 with the more accurate loads. Then, after finding my load and getting it real close to perfect POI and testing it's poi at different ranges, SUDDENLY, FROM OUT OF NOWHERE!!, something gave up in the scope and it would not follow corrections. Dang! Gotta start over, but I did confirm to myself that with common sabot slugs the slower 1 oz numbers are much more accurate than the lighter faster once in the three guns I have tested them in. (Hourglass shaped slugs have been less accurate and always make oval hole from my guns)
Here's another idea. My son has a rifled 870 with a saddle mounted scope that is as accurate as any slug gun I've seen. He gets amazing accuracy with the 2 bucks a box Winchester 1 oz rifled slugs (foster type). I don't remember group size, but it was way better than I could ever get with a smoothbore, and those things are great deer killers, better than the solid coppers, at close range anyway. Downside is they lead something awful in a rifled barrel.
I have heard great claims about the Lightfield 1 1/8 or so larger diameter slugs at higher velocity (1800?). I will try them when I get rescoped and my shoulder reset.
Oh yea, here is something that would have saved me a lot of time and money in my youth. When shooting from the benchrest, don't let that heavy kicker lay on the front bag. It will bounce like crazy and some of that is before the bullet is gone. I get much (much) better groups if I lay my hand on the front bag and hold the forearm in my hand. Don't pull it or push it, just hold it like you were shooting normally. Rear bag doesn't seem to have such an effect, so I let it rest on the rabbit ear bag. Bag technique is much more important than with light kickers.
Still another idea (no extra charge), there is a slug shooting organization that promotes handloading near boresize slugs in sabots that look something like shotcups with attached plastic wads. To me, they look similar to the Lightfield slug. You can get a kit to load them yourself. They claim best accuracy, and someday I hope to try them.
Now, you get back to me with your experience after you have tried some loads. If you try the Lightfields before I do let me know what you find.
Good shooting,
cptmclark
Now go have fun. And squeeze that thing, letting it surprise you. Great for your nerves if you can stand it.
Funny you should ask. I just finished a few days of self abuse testing several slugs in two shotguns. You didn't mention if your 870 is smoothbore or rifled. So I guess I get to tell you about both experiences.
Bottom line first.
In my 870 with 20 inch smoothbore IC barrel, best accuracy has been with the Federal TruBall 1 ounce number. None of several groups exceeded 1 1/4 inches at 50 yards. Amazing to me. At 100 yards my single 3 shot group measured about 4.5 inches and was 7 inches below point of aim. Nothing is free, and these slugs chronographed at 1450 or so. 1600 would be a whole lot better, but hey, we ain't shootin elephants.
In my spanking new 870 synthetic deer gun with rifled barrel and cantilevered mount, accuracy was better, as you would expect.
Bottom line again, the one ounce sabots at 1400 or 1500 fps are the most accurate of the more popular sabot types, my best and most consistent being the Federal Barnes Expander copper solid, giving consistent and repeatable 3/4 inch groups at 50 yards and staying within three inches at 100, with many better.
As in previous years with different guns, I found that those 1800 to 2000 fps numbers really do have the velocity and flat trajectory they claim. One inch high at 50 is two inches high at 100. Unfortunately, accuracy is poor as in previous testing. At 50 yards, those great Rem CoreLoct 385 (3/4 oz), Federal Barnes solid coppers, and the like gave me about 1 inch groups, which is fine with me. At 100 yards however, they spread to from 7 to 9 inches, with no exceptions that were better. Magnum bummer, cause these things deliver 3200 foot pounds and shoot flat.
I spent some 80 bucks on these slugs, fine tuning the point of impact for hunting to be 1 inch high at 50 and 3 inches low at 100 with the more accurate loads. Then, after finding my load and getting it real close to perfect POI and testing it's poi at different ranges, SUDDENLY, FROM OUT OF NOWHERE!!, something gave up in the scope and it would not follow corrections. Dang! Gotta start over, but I did confirm to myself that with common sabot slugs the slower 1 oz numbers are much more accurate than the lighter faster once in the three guns I have tested them in. (Hourglass shaped slugs have been less accurate and always make oval hole from my guns)
Here's another idea. My son has a rifled 870 with a saddle mounted scope that is as accurate as any slug gun I've seen. He gets amazing accuracy with the 2 bucks a box Winchester 1 oz rifled slugs (foster type). I don't remember group size, but it was way better than I could ever get with a smoothbore, and those things are great deer killers, better than the solid coppers, at close range anyway. Downside is they lead something awful in a rifled barrel.
I have heard great claims about the Lightfield 1 1/8 or so larger diameter slugs at higher velocity (1800?). I will try them when I get rescoped and my shoulder reset.
Oh yea, here is something that would have saved me a lot of time and money in my youth. When shooting from the benchrest, don't let that heavy kicker lay on the front bag. It will bounce like crazy and some of that is before the bullet is gone. I get much (much) better groups if I lay my hand on the front bag and hold the forearm in my hand. Don't pull it or push it, just hold it like you were shooting normally. Rear bag doesn't seem to have such an effect, so I let it rest on the rabbit ear bag. Bag technique is much more important than with light kickers.
Still another idea (no extra charge), there is a slug shooting organization that promotes handloading near boresize slugs in sabots that look something like shotcups with attached plastic wads. To me, they look similar to the Lightfield slug. You can get a kit to load them yourself. They claim best accuracy, and someday I hope to try them.
Now, you get back to me with your experience after you have tried some loads. If you try the Lightfields before I do let me know what you find.
Good shooting,
cptmclark
Now go have fun. And squeeze that thing, letting it surprise you. Great for your nerves if you can stand it.