Brenneke style slugs out of a rifled barrel are erratic

[chutestrate]

Ever since Remingtion tripled the price of their copper solid line and stopped manufacturing their buckhammers I have been looking for an accurate replacement hunting slug. I have gone through Federal's Fusion line, Brenneke's sabots, and Fiocchi's aerotek lines. The results have not been good. I might get one shot to point of aim, but the other 2 or 3 have a spread of 5-6 inches at 100 yds.

I'm using an 870 express with a fully rifled barrel. I guess my next step up is Remington's accutip line.

My unscientific analysis is that the sabots are not engaging the rifling fully, and I get erratic groups. The buckhammers and copper solids were giving me 2-3 inches at 100.

Has anyone else used other slugs with success?

 

[336A]

I wish that I could point you in a good direction. But I've stopped using my rifled barrel and sabot ammunition years ago do to the ever increasing price of the stuff. Have you thought of trying the Hornady SST slug? Most folks seem to like them quite a bit.

 

[chutestrate]

Thanks, it's on the list.

 

[Hunterdad]

The SST slugs have shot pretty good out of my old and new slug guns

 

[PapaG]

I have made a huge part of my shooting life's work messing with slugs. I have moulds from Lyman, Lee, and a couple of my own designs. I've shot Fosters, BRI sabots, and just about everything else. I've used Hastings Paradox barrels, Mossberg barrels, Remington barrels, smooth, rifled and with rifled choke tubes. What I've learned can be put in a nutshell.....you gotta try a bunch and see what works best in any particular barrel. Fosters are going to be unbelievable in some, horrid in others. Federal Truballs are the best I've found so far and work well in my smoothie and are surprisingly good in a Mossberg rifled barrel. My Lyman sabot style in 12 and 20 are coming along well now that I've found a source of unskived, new shells.
My standard for Fosters/homebrew/and Lees is 2 1/2" or better at fifty yards. For the three and four bucks a shot commercial sabots, I want the same group at 100. A good scope helps.
I can practice a lot with my homemade sabot slugs and not break the bank. I can even load them down to levels my wife can enjoy. After spine surgery a year and a half ago, I've been unable to continue my experiments for a while but have a hundred or so ready to test as soon as Doc gives me the o.k.
I estimate I've fired over 5000 slugs since I got interested in the "science" back in the early sixties.
I forgot....the comment was about Brenneke's. Shot terrible in my Ithaca Deerslayer from the early sixties. Shot wonderfully well in a rifled Hastings (the genius at the Gander Mtn said I'd ruin the barrel...only thing I ruined were a few deer's days.
BTW, the Nobel Strike slugs are very similar to Brennekes except the ribs are straight instead of angled. Correspondence with the Brenneke folks a few years back on the idea of using them in rifled barrels resulted in their representative telling me that their tests showed good accuracy and credited the results to the ribs being opposite the direction of most barrels rifling twist. I concur.
You gotta experiment. Find one that works and stock up.

 

[chutestrate]

I found a posting from a book and I'm going to feel pretty dumb if it turns out to be true. The recommendation is not to sight in your slug gun like a rifle. The shooter needs to hold the forend while shooting to help reduce the jump from recoil. The slug moves slower than a rifle bullet and will get affected by the recoil.

I'll be happy to prove this true if I can get the loads I've been working with to shoot accurately just by changing my shooting style. The book written by Dave Henderson is titled "Shotgunning for Deer".

 

[PapaG]

Hold the forend lightly in your hand......open palm under the forend. No death grip. Allow to recoil freely.

 

[rule303]

I have gotten great results from Rio Royal Star slugs from my rifled Mossberg 930. They are similar in design to Brenekkes, but have straight ribs. Best of all, they are cheaper than most other slugs. I have been getting consistent 3" groups at 100 yds, nearly as good as I was getting with Remington Buckhammers.