Sighting In Your Slug Gun

[Lawdwaz]

Slug guns, slugs, scopes and the time it took to "sight" them in................

 

The stories I can recall over the years as a young hunter in the days and weeks before opening day sighting in with friends and family.  Scope eye, empty boxes of slugs everywhere, scopes flying off guns (honestly) running to the store trying to grab a few more boxes and all the curse words and late night gunsmithing chores........

 

I recall the days when the Hastings Barrels and BRI slugs were introduced.  Boy was that a hoot.  I'll admit that chasing groups back then was fun!!

 

I haven't spent much time with slug guns in the past 6 or 7 years as I've been using a ML here in NYS exclusively and I sure don't miss 'em!!  Now that rifle is a legal implement in Ontario County I hope & pray I'll never have to crap around with SG again!  

 

I won't be selling my Ithaca DS II anytime soon but I probably should load it up with cosmoline (SP?) since it hopefully won't EVER see the light of day again,  Yea, I know.......Erie County and Livingston County aren't in the fold yet but I'll use the ML or XP100 if need be.

 

We had plenty of good times and sure stacked 'em like cord wood over the years.  She never let me down and shows not a bit of rust, just some bare metal in spots.  The 2x7 Leupold scope has got to be 30 years old, clear as gin and never skipped a beat either. 

 

Slug guns................................

[phade]

Being in Livingston County...I stil use my H&R Ultra Slug. Once dialed in, it's pretty solid. Sighting in slug guns are a pain, but having the single shot bomber makes it pretty simply...easy to clean, maintain, etc. Looking forward to using it more than the ML this season.

 

BTW, you have something en route to you later today!

[PREDATE]

I just threw a few leftover slugs through my 51 featherweight deerslayer on Sunday. Still throws em' like a champ in it's old age!

[G-Man]

Most shots are under 75 yards and big hole from a slug leaves a good blood trail. kind of gotten a bad rap i.m.o

[ants]

I use both. My one spot (Allegheny Co.) is rifle. I hunt down there the first 3 or 4 days of gun season, and then again during the last week. The rest of the season I hunt a spot near the house thats still shotgun only. For that i break out the old Winchester 1300. I bought it in 92 and it has always shot great. It throws Lightfields right in there.

In all that time I only had to tweak the scope once.

 

[Dinsdale]

Stated with slugs from the bird barrel on my 20ga 870.

 

Then a smoothbore, but sighted barrel for same.

 

Started with the muzzleloader and that did both seasons duty.

 

This year bought a bolt action slug gun in 20ga; easy to shoot and excellent accuracy....Savage 220 with an Aimpoint 9000sc on egw rail.

 

 

[t_barb]

Slug guns have come a long way.  I shoot a Savage 220..  Built on a rifle platform and includes many attributes of a rifle (accu-trigger for one)..  With a good Leupold scope and the right slugs (3" Federal Barnes Expanders), it shoots amazingly tight groups at 100 yards.. rifle like groups) and I am confident in it out to 200...

 

Phade, I also looked at the H&R when I bought the savage, as I understand they produce similar results.  I am partial to savage and that is why I went in that direction and still happy I did (absolutely nothing against the H&R)..

 

I too remeber the brusied shoulders and dreading the sighting in process, but those days are gone for me..  Now I shoot the 220 more to get confident with it at long range and enjoy ever minute of it...  Plus, the 20 gauge provides all the knock down power you would ever need for a deer.  I have yet to have to track a deer shot with that gun..  I have shot 5 to date with it and they have all drop within my view..

[boo711]

I have been very lucky. I was given an Ithaca deer slayer with a weaver scope from my father about 5 or 6 yrs ago. The scope is probably 30 yrs old or more. But every time I take it out to the range it is about 4 inches high at 50 yds and 2-3 inches low at 100. Have never missed a deer with it. I could not be happier with the gun

Edited August 14, 2013 by boo711

[shawnhu]

Sounds like your zero is right about 70 yards.

[fasteddie]

I bought the Savage 220 this past spring . I still have to check it out with some Rem Accu-Tips .

[WNYBuckHunter]

Rifles in Ontario have buried my slug gun at this point. I use my muzzle loader most of the time now, but still grabbed the shotty for drives. Not no more! 30-30 lever action with irons will take over drive duty.

[fasteddie]

For gun season , I used to take the shotgun out opening day and then the ML the rest of the season as it is fun to shoot . Any area I hunt in Wayne County would probably be shotgun or ML as the properties are pretty flat .

[Elmo]

The moment I discovered modern muzzleloaders, I'll don't care if I never have to use a 12 gauge slug again.  I admit, that thing use to kick the snot out of me and I could never get it to group well any.  I only shoot what I can never miss so only having one shot never bothers me anyway.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I only shoot what I can never miss....

 

Theres no such thing in the deer woods

[phade]

True. I've missed more "gimmes" than I care to admit in my short time hunting.

 

[WNYBuckHunter]

Me too, like a 145-150ish 8 point at 25 yards dead broadside....ugh, I had to remind myself again! Time to go kick my own ass.....

[Elmo]

Theres no such thing in the deer woods

 

I know but it's an attitude/mindset.  It's like saying goes:

 

"Whether you think you can or you think you can't; you're probably right." (or something like that.  Can't remember word for word).

Edited August 14, 2013 by Elmo

[Two Track]

I need to sight in my grandfather's Savage '99 in .300 Savage to see how it shoots - ammo is just hard to find for it, so I until get a full box, I not taking out the few rounds I have to the range yet.  I am tempted to remove the scope as I have only shot a using a scope twice before and it felt awkward.

 

I have not sighted in my shotgun (pre-war Browning A-5 in 16 gauge) since high school (I am not that old as it was handed down to me).  It is shooting about 1 inch high to the left at ~40 yards(or it could be me) .  The only time it hurt was after sending 20-25 rounds through it wearing just a t-shirt in the summer.  Some of those were paper cartridges - haven't seen many of those since that summer.

 

My dad's using a H&R 20 gauge magnum heavy barrel with scope dialed-in at 120 yards.  Dropped two deer in one shot at 130-140 yards.  He bore-sighted it in first, then put a few rounds through it.

[oblivitar]

Dinsdale i like that rail. I have the 212 with a nikon slughunter scope but had to use two offset rings. I need to get that egw rail. Any problems ejecting the shell ?

Edited August 14, 2013 by oblivitar

[Dinsdale]

 

Dinsdale i like that rail. I have the 212 with a nikon slughunter scope but had to use two offset rings. I need to get that egw rail. Any problems ejecting the shell ?

Ejection is fine, there's plenty of clearance because of the bevel on the rail bottom edge.

I don't know......some folks don't like the EGW beacuse it adds some height. I chose it because the Aimpoint comes with the 30mm rings in weavers so the picatinny groove spacing works OK. The front scope cap JUST fits back over the tube. The comb is a tick to low for me, but a piece of foam on the back of a buttstock shell holder will fix that up.

That Savage spacing is HUGE between bases. I was still thinking about a VX3 2.5-8x32 to try on there and couldn't find the Burris Signature Zee rings I wanted to use anywhere in stock for offsets.

I guess for the time I'll have it afield for just deer season its OK. I may mill off the grooves that will not be needed and cut it shorter; have it re anodized if I keep it for a spell.

[G-Man]

Still nothing beats a slug in heavy brush, much less deflection.Great for drives as range is limited and drops off fast. I might not use mine as much as i use to but, I always keep a slug gun dialed in with shells on hand.

[cdmckane]

Since Cayuga County went rifle last year, I still used my slug gun (Savage 220F) most of the time.  I rarely get a shot past 150 yards, and I trust my 220 and my ML (either of them) unconditionally at that range.  Out past 150, however, it's either the MLs or the .30-06.  I enjoy shooting all of them, so sighting them in is half the fun.

[PREDATE]

 

I have not sighted in my shotgun (pre-war Browning A-5 in 16 gauge) since high school (I am not that old as it was handed down to me).  It is shooting about 1 inch high to the left at ~40 yards(or it could be me) .  

My grandpa left me a pre-war Remington model 11 (Browning patent, basically the same gun as the A-5). He passed 2 years ago, so I used it that deer season so I could feel like he was hunting with me .

 I found out that you have to flip the brass recoil ring over for heavy loads. The thing was recoiling back so hard that it knocked my front (tru-glo) sight off. Once I flipped the ring, all was well. I just wanted to pass that along in case you weren't aware. They are awesome guns and true workhorses!

Edited August 15, 2013 by PREDATE

[Two Track]

Thanks Predate, but already knew that.

 

My A-5 doesn't like reloading unless it is set for heavy-loads. Had in for repair 10 years ago - a piece of the reload mechanism snapped and she jammed closed with a live round in the chamber.  Of course I was up in a stand and had a deer to track at the time - what better time for that to happen.

 

Good thing my uncle was there at the next stand over to help me out of that problem (and on the other FRS radio to call him over).

 

Getting replacement parts for a 16 gauge is not easy - it was out of service for over a year. My dad had a 16 gauge double to fall back on if I needed it.  No chance of having any ammo that I can't shoot.

 

I know close range she shoots pretty straight - at 15-20 yards nearly took head off of a pheasant last year.  No shot in the body, but the neck was fairly shredded.  Made for a no worries meal - nothing to crunch on pick out (unless you did not like the bacon on top).

Edited August 20, 2013 by Two Track

[covert]

Haven't put one slug through that kickin' sumbish since they opened Oneida County to rifle.  I'd rather shoot 5 rounds through my .450 Marlin for every 1 through my 12ga model 500!