Slug Stuff

[Owen]

I am looking for slugs that will print fairly close to POA out to 75 yards, so I went to the range on Good Friday and shot a whole bunch of slugs.

All of the slugs I shot struck the right side of an IPSC target. The heavier the slug was, the farther to the right the slug hit. Federal 1 oz slugs centered about 4" to the right of the target centerline and Brenneke 1 3/8 slugs were mostly off the paper. Buckshot and birdshot pattern right over the top of the bead at 40 yards.

I am shooting an 11-87 with a 20" barrel with either a improved cylinder or a modified choke. Is this due to recoil? Do I need to square up to the target more or less?

owen

 

[Steve Smith]

Here I go again, a non-"shotgunner" talking out of his keister. I bet it's due to recoil. Just the same as putting a bigger front sight on a heavy caliber pistol, your shotgun is twisting your upper body to the right (I bet you're right handed) while the slug is still in the barrel.

 

[sm]

Steve makes a good point.


I also wonder :

-If your gun shoots POA/POI ( easy to check btw)*
-Gun fit and proper mounting if either is off - the gun will be off.
-Anticipation of recoil can cause you to be off. Like Steve said
- Really stiff triggers, trigger use, amount of finger in /on trigger can affect this as well.

Oh my...can 2 Steve's agree on this forum?

Well we are either both right or both wrong...

If you have any questions on gun fit , POA/POI ...etc., and the old threads don't answer...holler out.

*Close your eyes and keep closed, using proper technique mount the gun to face and on the fourth mount, you should be / have your eye sitting atop the bbl...appears as such. If you have to move your head to get this , the gun fit is off. The Reason we close hte eyes is too often a person will "adapt his face to the gun"...meaning he will NOT shoot where he thinks he is looking.

If you get the gun fit right, and mount right, use light target loads and , use a pattern board. From low gun mount quickly, but smoothly gun to face and fire at a spot on pattern board, lower gun and repeat twice more. Now look at pattern. This is where you shoot in relation to seeing. Your pattern should consistenly be the same.

Even with slugs, when you have to take a shot in a hurry the gun fit and proper mount is crucial. One does not have the time to get "all situated around the gun" , when a deer, adrenlin, clays, or fowl or being shot .

Remember : Always bring the gun to face. Proper fit means the instant the gun comes to face you are on target and hit what pointing at.

Proper gun fit and mounting lessens felt recoil. Even on slugs for a stationary target...it that deer takes off...you will have the added benfit on a running target.

HTH

 

[Al Thompson]

What sort of sights are on the shotgun? If it's a plain bead, that may be the problem. They are quite difficult to use for slugs, IMHO.

 

[Owen]

yes its a plain bead, but I was actually managing to shoot about 8" groups offhand, so my accuracy was ok.

 

[Al Thompson]

The problem with beads and slugs is that your eye is the rear sight.

The slightest shift in cheek weld and the slug goes elsewhere. Many years ago, I was hunting deer on Ft. Benning and had to use slugs. My 1100 grouped fine at the range, but I had some strange shots in the field. Turned out that I was changing my cheek weld due to different clothes, excitement, awkward shooting positions, etc.,etc.

A cheap set of clamp on front and rear sights straightened all that out.