Slug accuracy
 

Just curious as to what kind if accuracy I can expect out of a 12 gauge pump with a 12.5 " barrel? I haven't got the shotgun yet but in my excitedness have started buying shells for it already. I'm considering hunting with it next year and would like to know what to expect. Will it be a 100 yard gun or 50?

I was hoping my other thread would have taken me here but due to my damn autocorrect, it kind if got derailed lol.

Maybe I jumped the gun a little. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Reading the regs states you can't hunt with a shotgun greater than 10 gauge?

I would say closer to 50 yards....if it is not rifled and has no sights.

LC

10 gauge is bigger than 12 gauge, 16 gauge, 20 gauge....etc. :)

LC

Ok, I get it. I was thinking numbers. 12 being bigger than 10. Good

The shotgun I got is coming with ghost ring sights.

Whether it's rifled or not makes a big difference.

Smooth bore, 50 yards max. If you can hit a six inch target at that range you are doing good from my experience. And that's with a 30 inch barrel. I think a shorter barrel would be less accurate. Accurate being a relative term.

With a rifled barrel you might be good out to 100 yards. Or so I hear.
I've never hunted with a shotgun with a rifled barrel.

i shot a mulie doe a 196 yards away this fall, took me 2 shot though. but i also
had a rifled slug barrel. you should try hornady slugs that pack more of a punch and seem to be alot faster.

Will depend on two things: how well the gun shoots, and how well you can shoot the gun.

I can't see a 12.5" barreled shotty doing very well, but you never know. One thing is for sure, a short shotty like that is going to kick like an SOB.

I have a browning Double-Auto that can put 3 shots in a 3"-4" cloverleaf at 85 yards, and that is with a smooth 21" skeet barrel. A friend of mine has killed more animals with shotgun slugs than anyone else I know. He used an old Savage pump with a smooth full-choke barrel. Farthest shot he ever made was about 75 yards.

Well I bought it mainly for two reasons. One, a fun gun to shoot and two to use as a defense/backpacking, camping gun. Then I got to thinking maybe I could hunt with it. That led me to here as I am not a shotgun guy. Very little experience with them.

To be a bit more specific. I got a dominion arms, grizzly with the 12.5 inch barrel and ghost ring sights. Smooth bore of course.

Pudelpointer makes a good point
 

IMO the reason that you don't see groups of 12 ga. slugs on here is because they are not fun to shoot. It will kill just about anything you can hit with it, including an elephant.

Did I say the deciding factor was what YOU can hit with it.

If you are able to run 100 or so rounds through it at targets without developing a flinch, let us know how you did it.

There are lots of better choices for a deer rifle.

You lost me there. How would you know it's a fun gun to shoot if you have so little experience with shotguns and you haven't even bought this one yet?

As for the defence aspect, our forests aren't that dangerous.

Whoa, now don't go turning this into one of those scary bear threads cuz it isn't one of those. Just wanted a shotgun, and I did buy it it's just in the mail :) and what gun isn't fun to shoot!

Well if you're going to hunt with a smoothbore shotgun at LEAST get a 26" barrel for it. And with a bead sight and assuming you are a smooth shooter you'd be good to <100 yards. I don't know if you can buy riffled barrels for any 870 action though but that would be much better.

12 is smaller than 10, gauge is based on the number of balls you can get out of one pound of lead.
And no, your 12.5" barrel will be a POS at 100 yards, they have too much muzzle jump and do not balance well for longer distances, as well as the shorter sighting plane.
Get a longer barrel for your shotgun and put it on for hunting.:)
Cat

Yup, several brands of barrels are rifled, Hastings is one of the more popular brands.
Cat

Maybe ill look into a longer rifled barrel for it then. For now ill stick to the bow or my 270 :)

Another option which tightened up my groups on my 28" benelli SBE 2 was to install a rifled slug choke from carlsons. I can hit a 6" plate standing pretty much every shot with 3" Winchester slugs.

I didn't mention bears, you did mention defence, what were you looking to defend against, grasshoppers? :)

Most guns are fun to shoot, no doubt about that. But I've handled a few that were no fun at all. :)

Like a worn out double barrel 12 gauge a friend owned years ago. Two 12 gauge barrels going off at the same time tend to smart a wee bit.http://th982.photobucket.com/albums/...uredSmiley.gif

Well I was thinking more zombie apocalypse kind of defense. You never know right, lol.

That's kind of funny because I've got an old 16 gauge hammer double side by side that was just passed down to me. First time I shot it, both barrels went off at the same time. Ouch, wasn't expecting that!

My cousin has a SxS that fires both barrels when he closes the action.

I was out skeet shooting with the old man and we ran into a few guys that were sharing a cheapo pump with a 12" barrel and extended mag. They were curious why they weren't hitting anything with it and asked for pointers. I told them to get off their wallet and get a real shotty ;)

Maybe one day when my wallet gets a little bigger ill get myself a nice Benelli or something. Til then ill just have fun with my 12" shotty. How practical will it be? Guess ill find out.

Will do it all.
 

I agree if it is a smooth bore you will have more fun. Reason you are going to have to shoot it more to get that accuracy for the killing shot. It will do what you can make it do. Spend some more cash on lots of different slugs and you will find one that will reach out and kill. Sabots over rifled slugs do not always do better. An old browning pump I shot loved the rifled slug and it cost me a lot to find that out.Yes Rifle barrels and even a scope above make a better package but if you keep at it you will find something the firearm likes and take that elk. 8 inch pie plate at 100 is possible. Is it ethical. Only way to know is to have that fun I was talking about. You could use it as a way to become a better hunter and get in closer. It works the same way with a new car. Spend the cash ,use the gas and have fun.
As for any defence application short is better. Quicker to swing and manover in any situation including stopping that bear. In that situation I like to stagger slugs and double 00 buck and prefer pumps over semis. To each their own when it comes to medicine. So I hope you enjoy shooting your make and model of choice.

I bought a remington defender for defence only after been charged by a couple of grizzlies at various times. I took it to the range and found I had a hard time hitting a 14 in cardboard box at 25 yards with a slug. I could hit the box every time with double odd buck but some say buck is not that effective on a bear. I rely on pepper spray and have not had to use it as so far I have only been involved in bluff charges and the bear turned back at 25 yards. Since studies in Alaska proved a 3006 with a 220 grain bullet penetrates better than a 12 guage slug I am planning on getting a smaller 3006 for trail use.

Hogie,

I have Norinco PH9 (14" barrel) and I can hit paper fairly consistently at 50 yards but that should be all you can really expect as far as accuracy goes.

Mine is 870 clone and all parts are interchangeable but if I am not mistaken Dominion Arms model you are getting is not be exact clone and parts might not be interchangeable with Rem 870 (in case you plan to switch the barrel for the longer one). I believe yours is made to look like 870 but not exact clone. Your dealer should be able to confirm this.

Leon

LOL Yeah, the surprise aspect of it only ads to the event!

zombie apocalypse you say. Mmmm, could be a concern in the future I suppose. :)

Say, I should have mentioned this before, but I forgot.

There are a fairly wide range of slug designs. Many of the newer ones are supposed to be quiet a lot better then what I'm used to.

My experience was with the old school slugs. Hollow cups really.
From what I hear some of the new offerings have taken it to a whole new level.
But even with that, I would choose a longer barrel if I were looking for a slug gun.

I've actually bought some of those Winchester hollow points to try. Ill see how they do. If slugs aren't any good out of it then ill stick to buckshot and bird shot. Either way I like the gun I bought so ill make the most of it.

Not sure which slugs you are referring to, however, if they are "sabot" slugs, meaning they are actually a rifle bullet in a plastic cup they are designed to be shot from a fully rifled barrel (at least a rifled choke) and will shoot poorly in any smoothbore shotty. You are looking for 'Foster' or 'Brenneke' type slugs. Any slug you purchase should be described in ounces and / or fractions of ounces, not in grains like other bullets.

They are rifled slugs for smooth bores.

WOW talk about a load of advise my suggestion is to ignore most of it.

I will give you some actual experience comments I hadn't shot my short shotguns in a couple of years but was out Sat afternoon with my Rem 870 12 gauge with my 14" Dlask Arms Corp barrel installed.

Shooting 3" 1 1/8 oz Foster style slugs freehand/unsupported @ 50 yards I was grouping 6" with 2 different 3 shot groups.

I wouldn't hesitate to extent my hunting range to 100 yards with a support and of course after I have shot the distance a bit more.

I had some older 2 3/4" 00 Buck loads that I reloaded years ago with me I was only getting 3 out of 9 .33" balls into the kill zone @ 30 yards.

Max I would use these 00 Buck on deer would be 20 yards.

I'm figuring your choke is similar to mine so you will get close to the same results I do know how too shoot though have had my 2 Rem 870 shotguns for at least 25 years now.