I overheard this conversation today

B

bspillman

New member
I overheard a couple of shooters at a turkey shoot today. One guy said he was sighting in a new scope on his 270 and was hitting Bulls eyes at 100 yards with I forget his ammo choice. The other guy argued that he has a single shot shot gun with a scope the he can do the same thing by shooting slugs with as good as any rifle can do.

I'm not sure what to think of this conversation. I don't think the shotgun could do what the rifle does but I would like to know what the thoughts are on this subject.
 
How big is the bullseye?
I have seen a smoothbore shotgun - 1960s 870 with a modified choke - shoot a 3" group at 150 yards. With a bead sight. Best I could do with it was 8". That isn't typical, and I know the owner did a lot of experimenting with shells to see what worked best in that gun. I have seen some of the new rifled barreled shotguns with sabot loads and a scope that could manage 6" groups at 200 yards.
When you get out beyond 200 yards the 270 will own any shotgun.
 
Just as the November shooters hang a paper plate at 100 yards and if they hit it they are good to go. You guy's all know minute of plate accuracy.:p
 
When it comes to accuracy claims, a lot of folks have overactive imaginations.
But given enough enthusiasm, effort, and skill, shotguns can do very surprising things.
Maybe not equal to a good shootist with a good rifle, but certainly on par with a common one, in the hands of a common shooter.
 
And then there's George Diggweed. Clay pigeon flying at like 130 YARDS with bird shot. Unreal. You can watch it on YouTube if you doubt it.
 
I can do around 2" at 100 with an 870 Wingmaster and a Hastings slug barrel and Federal premium sabots, but I'd never try to compete for accuracy with it, and it degrades really fast after 100.
 
I've not shot slugs a lot, but have managed to keep 3 shots under 4" at 100 yards with iron sights and cheap Forster type slugs. I have no doubts that a better shooter with better equipment could do much better, but that is good enough for hunting. At least at that range.

Keep in mind that if you're talking pure accuracy many centerfire rifles will easily keep 3-5 shots in a group quite a bit smaller than the diameter of a single slug.
 
Whatabout the 2014 slugs? I have read flourishing claims about them so I bought a box of 12ga abd one in 20ga
The 20 is a low recoil.
Hmmmm I wonder how they'll shoot?
Never shot a slug ever.
I can't wait tp try em!
ZVP
 
I shoot a lot of rifled slugs out of my smooth bore shotgun (19" barrel CYL Choke) I found it likes plain 2.75" Remington Rifled slugs. The best I've ever done is Minute of 8" Paper Plate at 100 yrds. Now I have seen those heavy barrel H&R, NEF Rifled slug guns do some impressive work with sabots out to a hundred.
 
I was a non believer about slug accuracy until I tried a browning silver with a rifled barrel and saboted slug, I bought one the next day, unbelievable accuracy..
 
Today's slug dedicated shotguns can do some amazing things. Offerings from Savage in the form of their 212 and 220, H&R Slug Hunters, and now Browning's offering give some impressive accuracy using sabot slugs to those either forced to shoot slugs due to game laws or wanting to shoot them due to some other need or restriction.

Check out these guys if you want some info from a dedicated slug-shooting crowd.

http://www.slugshooting.com
 
I have a Marlin slug gun that will shoot 2 in at 150 yards all day with federal slugs. I bought 2 cases of them so I would have them from the same lot of powder.
 
My 870 20ga with Remington rifled/cantilevered barrel, Nikon Omega 1.5x6 scope holds a 2" group with Hornady Sabot SST slugs. Very accurite. I never shoot that far with it, most shots are 75yds or less where I hunt

IMG_20141021_222630_251.jpg
 
Claims are great, be it accuracy, performance, reliability, never lost a deer/hog/yote/bear/moose/elk, etc. People will often tell you that what they have is the most wonderful thing in the world, but few people make it happen when pressed to preform. When X fails to perform as advertised, then the justification excuses come out (ammo, wind, sun, cleaning, bad day, vision issues, bad back, humidity, wrong rest, springs, mags, etc.).

With that said, there are some very good shotguns and loads out there. There are some very good shooters out there, but unless the people at your range are all top classes kinds of folks, chances are that the stories are fudged at worst and naively optimistic at best.
 
Double Naught Spy said:
Claims are great, be it accuracy, performance, reliability, never lost a deer/hog/yote/bear/moose/elk, etc. People will often tell you that what they have is the most wonderful thing in the world, but few people make it happen when pressed to preform. When X fails to perform as advertised, then the justification excuses come out (ammo, wind, sun, cleaning, bad day, vision issues, bad back, humidity, wrong rest, springs, mags, etc.).
Click to expand...

I have learned to translate other people's accuracy claims.

"My rifle shoots 1/2 inch groups." Translation: I lucked into a 1/2 inch three shot group exactly one time in a row during an afternoon range session.
 
Claims are great, be it accuracy, performance, reliability, never lost a deer/hog/yote/bear/moose/elk, etc. People will often tell you that what they have is the most wonderful thing in the world, but few people make it happen when pressed to preform. When X fails to perform as advertised, then the justification excuses come out (ammo, wind, sun, cleaning, bad day, vision issues, bad back, humidity, wrong rest, springs, mags, etc.).
Click to expand...

Indeed. When I shoot a group that's 2'' or larger on my channel folks make all kinds of accusations that I suck at shooting, used bad ammo, etc.... (assuming they like X gun/barrel being used). Then, when I shoot sub MOA groups in a review they say I doctored the results :roll eyes: Accuracy claims are pretty much guaranteed to start a slew of accusations being thrown around.

However, one thing I've noticed from spending untold amounts of time watching average to good shooters shoot groups is that very few (maybe 10% or less) of shooters can actually maximize their guns' capabilities.
 
'Merica, If you're referring to my 870, thanks!!! I built it on the cheap. I paid $150 for the 870 at a gun show, $175 for the barrel from Midway, $65 for the stocks from Midway, and $60 for the scope on sale at a local outfitter. It shoots sweet! On a lead sled it will hold sub 2" groups at 100yds consistently. I have two 870's, my other is a Wingmaster with a field barrel. This one is an Express Mag

Here is a better pic

IMG_20141126_233016_208-1.jpg
 
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