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Shotgun Slug Accuracy Tips from the American Slug Shooting Association
Photo by Travis Rathbone
In the not-so-distant smoothbore days of slug shooting, people bragged about shotguns that could hit a 5-gallon milk can at 100 yards. Now, shooters brag about shotguns that could hit a shot glass at the same distance.
The American Slug Shooting Association (slugshooting.com) does more than talk tight groups. Its members compete every month, pushing the envelope of slug performance. The format is simple: Shoot from a bench at 100 yards. The tightest five-shot group wins. The current 100-yard record stands at an astounding .787 inch; the world is full of centerfire rifles that don’t group as well as that.
Because serious slug shooters are like wild pandas—scattered so widely that they rarely see one another—the ASSA holds postal matches, allowing shooters to compete by sending in targets for scoring. ASSA president Bill Davis has scored a lot of targets in the six years of the group’s existence, and has learned plenty that can help you be a better slug shooter, whether your target is paper or protein.
Guns and Loads
When ASSA shooters submit targets, they specify which gun, ammunition, and sights they used. Here’s what performs well for them:
> Guns and Barrels: The NEF Ultra Slug Hunter is a favorite. This accurate and inexpensive single-shot features a stiff, heavy barrel and a solid lockup. It comes in 12 and 20 gauge. A Hastings rifled barrel on an 870 or 1100 is also a popular choice.
> Scopes: Nikon and Sightron scopes prove most capable of withstanding slug recoil. Many shooters choose 3X–9X scopes; some favor high-powered varmint scopes. That record .787-inch group, however, was shot with an Aimpoint red dot and no magnification.
> Slugs: Hastings Laser Accurate Slugs are top performers, but Davis says shooters shouldn’t get hung up on a particular brand of ammunition. “Many slug guns are inexpensive and not precision-built, so they vary. Three different Mossberg 500s might like three different brands of slugs.”
Davis does recommend premium ammunition. “Premium slugs perform consistently,” he says. “We’ve chronographed some inexpensive sabots and seen variations in velocity from 300 to 500 fps in the same box.”
Match the slug to the gun: The faster the slug, the faster the rifling twist you need to stabilize it. Slugs in the 1200- to 1500-fps range work best from a slower twist rate such as 1 in 34 inches. Faster 1900- to 2000-fps slugs perform better through a 1-in-30 barrel.
Winning Technique
The gear is only half the equation. “We use five-shot groups in our competitions. Three shots show what the gun and slug can do. Five shots show that the shooter knows what he’s doing, too,” says Davis. Here are his tips:
> Get a Grip: Rest the front part of the fore-end and the barrel on the sandbags. Your front hand goes on top of the barrel to hold it down; your trigger hand pulls the gun firmly back into your shoulder. If the gun has iron sights that don’t permit a top-down hold, grasp it firmly by the fore-end and pull down to keep the muzzle from rising while the slug is still in the barrel.
> Plant the Flag: “Shooting slugs is like firing beer cans. The wind can move them quite a bit,” says Davis. If your range doesn’t have flags, stick surveyor’s flags in the ground. In a crosswind, you might have to hold 3 to 4 inches off the target to compensate.
> Live With Recoil: “We see lots of targets with three shots together and two about 6 inches high. Shooters say the barrel fouled. We say you flinched,” says Davis. “There’s no easy answer. You have to toughen up.” Many competitors install a Dead Mule recoil reducer (a heavy cylinder that fits into the stock; 100straight.com) and add a soft aftermarket recoil pad. An increasing number shoot 20-gauges. Davis cautions that a sled-type rest isn’t the solution: If a gun can’t move freely under recoil, you can damage some optics.
> Keep It Clean: You should clean your barrel after every 10 to 20 shots with lead slugs, every 30 to 40 shots with sabots.
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Comments (34)
wow an interesting article lots of good information ill have to try some of the tips
always been unsure about shooting slugs. good tips
I have killed more deer with 20 ga. slugs than anything else. I shoot a smoothbore and have 2 inch groups at 50 yards, no need for a riffled barrel.
RichardF What type smoothbore slugs do you use. I shoot a mossberg 535 with 2 3/4 remington 1oz sluggers.
mmm . . . lower velocities work better out of longer twist lengths . . . I am currently shooting 2000 fps Hornaday slugs out of a 1/36 inch rifled Mossberg 500 slug barrel . . . I think I may go out and buy some Remington Managed-Recoil Copper Solids with a 1200 fps velocity and see what type of groups I get . . .
2 3/4 inch Brenneke Classics, The shoot great out of my 870 but out of my brothers 870 they do not do as well. I guess it is the barrel, he shoots Federals but I am not sure which one.
Has anyone tried the federal tru-ball slugs for the smoothbore barrel.
very useful article!
Anyone had a chance to shoot the new Remington 870 SPS Super Slug ?
I am thinking about adding a slug gun to my gun case for tight ,thick cover hunting . Is the SPS worth the money . It's not cheap but I love the 870 as a rule .
Thanks for your help & safe hunting !
Scutt Dog
I love the 20gauge it nice to use when your in alot of brush thats all my son uses and he also shoots a prety good group.
we'll use these suggestions and see how it works.
very good article.
Agree, great review of technique and ballistic info!
Hammer72 --
I've shot very good groups with Federal TruBalls in smoothbore barrels. I had an Ithaca 37 that would group them well under 2" at 50 yards.
hey guys, are 20 gauge winchester super X 2 3/4 3/4 ounce slugs any good? They have 1600fps. If they are good are they good for boar, coyote, and javelina?
Nice to know Sightron scopes prove most capable of withstanding slug recoil. I have one on my 25-06 and plan to top my Savage ML-10 after the BSA scope had one hell of an allergic reaction!
Hitting one gallon jugs at 100 yards reminds me of Dad shooting deer at 300+ yards with his Winchester Model 12. He installed a set of sights and shot groups about 2 inches at 100 yards off the hood of a 2 wheel drive Willy's Jeep Wagon. The areas Dad hunted was restricted to shotgun only and talk about hundreds of deer, WOW! Vandenberg AFB California had a serious over population and deer were getting on the runways and had to be thinned out.
For those who want to shoot slugs the was a paradise!
I have an 11-87 special purpose mag with a hasting rifled barrel and a leapers 6 power scope. I have been using 2-3/4" Light fields and have sub 2" groups at 125 yrds. I switched to Hornady SST 2-3/4" with same gun and have 1-3/4" +/- groups at same distance. The big thing I have found is 1. the Hornady's kick a little more 2. Hornady's drop less at 200 yards. I have confidence that I would be able to drop a deer with mu slug gun at 200 yards easy.
I got my Father to switch the Hornadys as well but his Winchester 1300 does not like them as much as the light fields. Plus his gun kicks like a mule with the hornadys being a pump gun.
I have an Ithaca Model 37 Deerslayer with a fixed, rifled barrel. After trying several brands of sabots, I found that I got the best groups at 50 yards with Federal Barnes xpanders. However, I recently tried the Hornady SST's and found them to be even more accurate and flatter shooting.
I use a 870 Wingmaster 20ga. with a smoothbore slug barrel. I also use Rem Sluggers. I have killed 4 deer with it in the past 2 years.
I bought a new Remington 870 with a rifled barrel. It took 6 different manufactors sabots to find what the gun likes. Surprisingly the Hastings shot the worst. On my old smooth bore Active slugs worked the best. Go figure, but that does reinforce trying all different manufactors ammo.
I am a huge shotgun fan. About two years ago I got into trap shooting. This is great and useful article on how to get the most from your shotgun. I am also excited to know that there are competitions that are for slug shooting. I will have to find a group to participate in.
MilesBlogger@Gunsellers.com
If anyone is looking for an awesome slug gun look at the Remington 870 express with the rifled barrel. Shoot the new Hornady slugs. The grouping is awesome and it is a 200 yard slug that is extremely accurate at that range. I shot a buck at 125 yards, I shot 5 slugs at the deer and all five slugs punched out the heart. In my opinion its the best set up on the market.
Never shot a deer with a shotgun. I've always wanted to and this article makes me want to even more. Guess I'll have to check on a rifled barrel for my 870. Thanks for the good read.
thank you for this article. next time I go to the range I'll practice these tips
Great artical. Indiana was slug only for a long time. After switching to rifled barrels we got better distance with better groups but the cost sure went up. My Hastings Paradox barrel seams to like the Rem Copper Solids the best but it cost plenty to find it out.
Very useful article. I just bought a Hastings fully rifled barrel with rifle sights for my 11-87 12 gauge. I ordered boxes of 3 types of sabot slugs to try at the range - Federal, Winchester and Hornady.
The recoil reducer suggestion is very helpful. The article makes me wish I had bought a cantilevered barrel and a scope. I will see how I do at the range soon. Meanwhile I need a slug gun for my daughter. To minimize recoil I am thinking of a Remington 1100 20 gauge with a fully rifled Hastings barrel, this time with a scope. The pumps would kick more. Any other ideas?
David Bershtein
www.huntingwithdaughters.com
It is amazing the accuracy that shooters have achieved.
Thank you,
discount herbs
so i need to know if i should either get a 12 or a 20 guage shotty. i will be hunting rabbits, pheasants, ducks, etc. I also will be shooting slugs for deer. So i need to know what good *starte* gun to get. THe range for money is cheap. Around 250 to 350. so thank you and please help and resopond!
hunterfisherr check out a rem 870 combo you can find them on sale for around $400. This article was awesome. I have a Rem 1100 with rifled barrel and weaver red dot that shoots a 1 hole group at fifty yards with some tear around the edge is all but never shot any groups farther do to cost.Remington 2 3/4" Copper Solids are like $19 a box. I have taken deer with it out to 150 yards with rangefinder. Held high shoulder and dropped em in their tracks. Anybody know how to get in touch with ASSA very interested in doing some slug shooting.
I got my 870 for 200 and bought a slug barrel from cheaper than dirt for around 130. Stick to remington ammo though it cycles alot better and it much more accurate
I hunted with a remington 870 with a 20 slug barrel to say accuracy was ok is a stretch. I went out and spent 200 on a h&r ultra slug 12 ga and 80 on a fixed weaver 4X scope. I shoot winchester 12 ga standard velocity sabots the grey box. Besides the gun being very heavy it shoot a little under an inch at 50 yards. If i could do it all again id go with a 20 ga. Flatter shooting and not as heavy to carry around. Killed more than a few deer with tha gun however.
I shoot a 12 Ga. H&R Ultra Slug. I was advised to try every sabot slug in every available length in order to fin my guns favorite slug. I did and here is the results of what I found out: At 50 yds, shooting from a sandbagged bench rest, every sabot slug I tried had an an acceptable level of accuracy for deer hunting. At 100 yds the same. It was out beyond 100 yds where the sabot slugs started varying enough to cause potential misses. In my Ultra Slug, the 3" federal Hydra Shok seems to be the favorite sabot slug. At 100 yds, this slug consistently shoots cloverleafs. At 150 yds I get 2 to 2.25" groups. I personally don't take shots beyond 150 yds because there are too many variables that can (and usually do) adversely impact the sabot and it's accuracy. If I cannot be assured of a clean 1-shot kill, I would much rather let the deer walk. I know that others can and do make kills at 200 yds and even beyond but that is them and I am me.
Has anyone purchased and/or shot the new Browning A-Bolt 12 ga?
ok here is the question of the hour. How do you shoot tighter groups with slugs useing a smooth bore shotgun? I really dont want to go out and buy a rifled slug barrel. I have a 870 tactical for all around use would like to know if it is even possible with out a rifled barrel to shoot consistant groups
On the subject of accuracy using a smoothie instead of a rifled barrel, it's good to remember that these were the ONLY slug guns for a couple of hundred years, so there have been plenty of "tricks" invented to address the accuracy issue. Most important is to make sure the bore really is smooth, perhaps going so far as to pull some hard grit patches STRAIGHT through the barrel to clean and impart a bit of draw-polishing to the bore. Any pits, dings, distortions from the correct round bore will affect the slug as it makes the breech to muzzle journey. Pick a good quality full bore slug with flutes to help spin it. Brenneke makes an excellent one that is also inexpensive. Don't get all magnum crazy. Recoil is not your friend in accuracy shooting. DO mount a scope on the gun if you're older than about 40, so you eliminate the worst component of ruined accuracy, poor long distance vision. Know that if you are hunting deer, any shot with a smoothbore at an animal more than about 75 yards away is a high risk shot, and likely to have you tracking the rest of the day, making no friends amongst the other hunters whose day you ruin along the way. Most important aspect of it all: PRACTICE! Take your gun to the range and spend all the time and ammo required to become expert with your selected package of gun,ammo,sights, and your own abilities. Take your time, spot your shots, and work out what happend each time that made a good or bad shot. Muscle memory is a good thing developed by shooting practice. Recoil fatigue is the bad thing that also develops with long practice sessions. Just another set of life's trade-offs.
Post a Comment
wow an interesting article lots of good information ill have to try some of the tips
I have killed more deer with 20 ga. slugs than anything else. I shoot a smoothbore and have 2 inch groups at 50 yards, no need for a riffled barrel.
RichardF What type smoothbore slugs do you use. I shoot a mossberg 535 with 2 3/4 remington 1oz sluggers.
always been unsure about shooting slugs. good tips
very good article.
mmm . . . lower velocities work better out of longer twist lengths . . . I am currently shooting 2000 fps Hornaday slugs out of a 1/36 inch rifled Mossberg 500 slug barrel . . . I think I may go out and buy some Remington Managed-Recoil Copper Solids with a 1200 fps velocity and see what type of groups I get . . .
2 3/4 inch Brenneke Classics, The shoot great out of my 870 but out of my brothers 870 they do not do as well. I guess it is the barrel, he shoots Federals but I am not sure which one.
Has anyone tried the federal tru-ball slugs for the smoothbore barrel.
very useful article!
Anyone had a chance to shoot the new Remington 870 SPS Super Slug ?
I am thinking about adding a slug gun to my gun case for tight ,thick cover hunting . Is the SPS worth the money . It's not cheap but I love the 870 as a rule .
Thanks for your help & safe hunting !
Scutt Dog
I love the 20gauge it nice to use when your in alot of brush thats all my son uses and he also shoots a prety good group.
we'll use these suggestions and see how it works.
Agree, great review of technique and ballistic info!
Hammer72 --
I've shot very good groups with Federal TruBalls in smoothbore barrels. I had an Ithaca 37 that would group them well under 2" at 50 yards.
hey guys, are 20 gauge winchester super X 2 3/4 3/4 ounce slugs any good? They have 1600fps. If they are good are they good for boar, coyote, and javelina?
I have an 11-87 special purpose mag with a hasting rifled barrel and a leapers 6 power scope. I have been using 2-3/4" Light fields and have sub 2" groups at 125 yrds. I switched to Hornady SST 2-3/4" with same gun and have 1-3/4" +/- groups at same distance. The big thing I have found is 1. the Hornady's kick a little more 2. Hornady's drop less at 200 yards. I have confidence that I would be able to drop a deer with mu slug gun at 200 yards easy.
I got my Father to switch the Hornadys as well but his Winchester 1300 does not like them as much as the light fields. Plus his gun kicks like a mule with the hornadys being a pump gun.
I have an Ithaca Model 37 Deerslayer with a fixed, rifled barrel. After trying several brands of sabots, I found that I got the best groups at 50 yards with Federal Barnes xpanders. However, I recently tried the Hornady SST's and found them to be even more accurate and flatter shooting.
I use a 870 Wingmaster 20ga. with a smoothbore slug barrel. I also use Rem Sluggers. I have killed 4 deer with it in the past 2 years.
Nice to know Sightron scopes prove most capable of withstanding slug recoil. I have one on my 25-06 and plan to top my Savage ML-10 after the BSA scope had one hell of an allergic reaction!
Hitting one gallon jugs at 100 yards reminds me of Dad shooting deer at 300+ yards with his Winchester Model 12. He installed a set of sights and shot groups about 2 inches at 100 yards off the hood of a 2 wheel drive Willy's Jeep Wagon. The areas Dad hunted was restricted to shotgun only and talk about hundreds of deer, WOW! Vandenberg AFB California had a serious over population and deer were getting on the runways and had to be thinned out.
For those who want to shoot slugs the was a paradise!
I bought a new Remington 870 with a rifled barrel. It took 6 different manufactors sabots to find what the gun likes. Surprisingly the Hastings shot the worst. On my old smooth bore Active slugs worked the best. Go figure, but that does reinforce trying all different manufactors ammo.
I am a huge shotgun fan. About two years ago I got into trap shooting. This is great and useful article on how to get the most from your shotgun. I am also excited to know that there are competitions that are for slug shooting. I will have to find a group to participate in.
MilesBlogger@Gunsellers.com
If anyone is looking for an awesome slug gun look at the Remington 870 express with the rifled barrel. Shoot the new Hornady slugs. The grouping is awesome and it is a 200 yard slug that is extremely accurate at that range. I shot a buck at 125 yards, I shot 5 slugs at the deer and all five slugs punched out the heart. In my opinion its the best set up on the market.
Never shot a deer with a shotgun. I've always wanted to and this article makes me want to even more. Guess I'll have to check on a rifled barrel for my 870. Thanks for the good read.
thank you for this article. next time I go to the range I'll practice these tips
Great artical. Indiana was slug only for a long time. After switching to rifled barrels we got better distance with better groups but the cost sure went up. My Hastings Paradox barrel seams to like the Rem Copper Solids the best but it cost plenty to find it out.
Very useful article. I just bought a Hastings fully rifled barrel with rifle sights for my 11-87 12 gauge. I ordered boxes of 3 types of sabot slugs to try at the range - Federal, Winchester and Hornady.
The recoil reducer suggestion is very helpful. The article makes me wish I had bought a cantilevered barrel and a scope. I will see how I do at the range soon. Meanwhile I need a slug gun for my daughter. To minimize recoil I am thinking of a Remington 1100 20 gauge with a fully rifled Hastings barrel, this time with a scope. The pumps would kick more. Any other ideas?
David Bershtein
www.huntingwithdaughters.com
It is amazing the accuracy that shooters have achieved.
Thank you,
discount herbs
so i need to know if i should either get a 12 or a 20 guage shotty. i will be hunting rabbits, pheasants, ducks, etc. I also will be shooting slugs for deer. So i need to know what good *starte* gun to get. THe range for money is cheap. Around 250 to 350. so thank you and please help and resopond!
hunterfisherr check out a rem 870 combo you can find them on sale for around $400. This article was awesome. I have a Rem 1100 with rifled barrel and weaver red dot that shoots a 1 hole group at fifty yards with some tear around the edge is all but never shot any groups farther do to cost.Remington 2 3/4" Copper Solids are like $19 a box. I have taken deer with it out to 150 yards with rangefinder. Held high shoulder and dropped em in their tracks. Anybody know how to get in touch with ASSA very interested in doing some slug shooting.
I got my 870 for 200 and bought a slug barrel from cheaper than dirt for around 130. Stick to remington ammo though it cycles alot better and it much more accurate
I hunted with a remington 870 with a 20 slug barrel to say accuracy was ok is a stretch. I went out and spent 200 on a h&r ultra slug 12 ga and 80 on a fixed weaver 4X scope. I shoot winchester 12 ga standard velocity sabots the grey box. Besides the gun being very heavy it shoot a little under an inch at 50 yards. If i could do it all again id go with a 20 ga. Flatter shooting and not as heavy to carry around. Killed more than a few deer with tha gun however.
I shoot a 12 Ga. H&R Ultra Slug. I was advised to try every sabot slug in every available length in order to fin my guns favorite slug. I did and here is the results of what I found out: At 50 yds, shooting from a sandbagged bench rest, every sabot slug I tried had an an acceptable level of accuracy for deer hunting. At 100 yds the same. It was out beyond 100 yds where the sabot slugs started varying enough to cause potential misses. In my Ultra Slug, the 3" federal Hydra Shok seems to be the favorite sabot slug. At 100 yds, this slug consistently shoots cloverleafs. At 150 yds I get 2 to 2.25" groups. I personally don't take shots beyond 150 yds because there are too many variables that can (and usually do) adversely impact the sabot and it's accuracy. If I cannot be assured of a clean 1-shot kill, I would much rather let the deer walk. I know that others can and do make kills at 200 yds and even beyond but that is them and I am me.
Has anyone purchased and/or shot the new Browning A-Bolt 12 ga?
ok here is the question of the hour. How do you shoot tighter groups with slugs useing a smooth bore shotgun? I really dont want to go out and buy a rifled slug barrel. I have a 870 tactical for all around use would like to know if it is even possible with out a rifled barrel to shoot consistant groups
On the subject of accuracy using a smoothie instead of a rifled barrel, it's good to remember that these were the ONLY slug guns for a couple of hundred years, so there have been plenty of "tricks" invented to address the accuracy issue. Most important is to make sure the bore really is smooth, perhaps going so far as to pull some hard grit patches STRAIGHT through the barrel to clean and impart a bit of draw-polishing to the bore. Any pits, dings, distortions from the correct round bore will affect the slug as it makes the breech to muzzle journey. Pick a good quality full bore slug with flutes to help spin it. Brenneke makes an excellent one that is also inexpensive. Don't get all magnum crazy. Recoil is not your friend in accuracy shooting. DO mount a scope on the gun if you're older than about 40, so you eliminate the worst component of ruined accuracy, poor long distance vision. Know that if you are hunting deer, any shot with a smoothbore at an animal more than about 75 yards away is a high risk shot, and likely to have you tracking the rest of the day, making no friends amongst the other hunters whose day you ruin along the way. Most important aspect of it all: PRACTICE! Take your gun to the range and spend all the time and ammo required to become expert with your selected package of gun,ammo,sights, and your own abilities. Take your time, spot your shots, and work out what happend each time that made a good or bad shot. Muscle memory is a good thing developed by shooting practice. Recoil fatigue is the bad thing that also develops with long practice sessions. Just another set of life's trade-offs.
Post a Comment