# What do you consider "acceptable" slug gun accuracy?



## NYH1

I haven't used a slug gun in the last few years. Been hunting in the rifle area part of the state....which I greatly prefer! This year I'll be hunting in both areas so I have to set my slug gun up again. It's a Remington 11-87 Sportsman Deer 12 ga. It has a 21 inch fully rifled barrel with the cantilever scope mount and a Leupold VXII 2-7x32mm Shotgun Scope. I'm also going to be using a 21 inch smooth bore barrel with the Remchoke system (with imp. cyl. and rifled choke tubes) with open sights for walking and doing deer drives where my shots will be under 50 years. I'll be switching back and forth.

I'm going to try a bunch of different 2 3/4 inch sabot slugs for the scope set up. I bought a few boxes of slugs today. 
Hornady SST 1900 fps, 3/4 oz. 
Federal Vital Shok Barnes Expander Tipped Slugs 1900 fps, 3/4 oz.
Fusion 1900 fps, 3/4 oz.
Remington Premier Accu Tip 1850 fps, 385 gr.
Lightfield Hybred XEP 1450 fps, 1 1/4 oz.
I'll try a few more slugs too. I want to try Winchester's Platinum slugs (1700 fps). Last time I shot the Partition Golds, they didn't group to well. I could always try a box again.

The smooth bore barrel I'll probably use Foster type slugs or maybe something like the Remington Buck Hammers or Winchester Rack Master slugs. I'll see how they group with the rifled choke tube. I'll use the imp. cyl. choke tube with the foster type slugs.

So my question is, what do you consider "acceptable" slug gun accuracy? I hear all the time about guys shooting 1.5 to 2 inch groups with slug guns. However I've never actually "SEEN" anyone shoot anything under a 2 inch group at 100 yards with a slug gun, and that was only a 3 shot group with NO WIND at all. So under normal conditions I'm thinking with my scoped set up a 3 to 4 inch group at 100 yards is going to be good, closer to 3 inch would be preferable. 

I'd like to get the same size groups with my open sight set up but at 50 yards. I'm being realistic here. How does this sound to you guys?


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## tjbier

You can get 3" group @ 100-150 yards shouldn't be a problem. I know guys who get tighter than that. My brother uses the Hornady's and they shoot awesome! That would be my choice, but I'm stuck on bird barrel and rifled slugs. Otherwise one of my friends used too shoot remington copper sabots, but then the Hornady's came out!
Just pick what goes best out of your gun! And happy hunting!


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## M.R.

With the right barrel & scope, ammo combo, one ought to be able 
to keep most of them on a 7"-9" pie plate at 250 yards.


A few sites to poke around on.

http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewforum.php?f=77

http://www.slugsrus.com/

http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5


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## deeker

Usually 3" or under at 150 yards. Use the best for the gun. And good luck.


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## dingeryote

With a rifled Barrel I wouldn't accept less than 3MOA.

Brenneke golds and the Buckhammers both work great in rifled barrels.

I am NOT a fan of the Sabot slugs as they do not impart a true 1-1 stabilizing spin to the slugs due to engineered Sabot slippage.

Gimme a solid chunk of lead that is engraved and obturated with the bore and I'm happy. 

Somewhere around here I have an older Tar-hunt I used to tinker with, and have seen it go into 2MOA a time or two with handloads using cast slugs from a modified Lee Mould. 


With smoothbores I'll take 6MOA all day long and be happy.
One old ithica 37 I had would hold 4"@ 100m with Winchester 1 oz slugs all day long. It hated the Federal slugs though.

My current blunderbuss is a M590A1 cut for Colonial chokes(I'm a sicko...I know) and will keep the Winnie 2-3/4 1 Oz slugs inside of 6MOA using a Cyl. choke tube, and allows for the use of 00 buck when tracking wounded deer in the old orchards and swamps.

Plain old Brenneke 2-3/4 Magnum loads are hard to argue with if your smoothbore likes 'em. Mine does OK ,but not as well as with the Winnie cheapos.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote


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## NYH1

I went to the range today. I'm all set with my smooth bore ghost ring barrel set up. With Remington Foster style slugs I'm shooting right around 4 inch groups at 50 yards. I'm happy with that.

I still have some work to do with my rifled cantilever barrel set up. I was only shooting to see which slugs shot the best. I wasn't to concerned about my point of impact. I shot an amazing 3 shot 2 1/2 inch group with Federal's 2 3/4", Vital Shok 3/4 oz. Barnes Expander Tipped Slugs. That's the best group I've ever shot with a slug gun. 

I shot 6 different 2 3/4" slugs, The Federal's mentioned above, Fusion slugs, Lightfield slugs, Hornady's SST slugs, Remington's Ultra Bonded Core-Lokt slugs and their AccuTip Bonded slugs. The Federal's were the only slugs that I was happy with. The rest wouldn't shoot any better then 4 inch groups at 100 yards, with the exception of the Lightfield slugs, I didn't shoot them at 100 yards, only 50 yards, so I don't know how well they are at 100 yards.

The other slugs not shooting as well as I wanted could be from my barrel getting dirty I don't know. I shot the Federal's about halfway through my shooting session. I was switching back and forth between my 2 slug barrels and my Marlin 336C 35 Rem so the barrels were cool. 

I'm going to clean the whole gun and shoot some more groups and set my point of impact to zero at 100 yards with the Federal slugs.


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## HUSKYMAN

With a four inch group and the power of a slug you should be able to get a kill shot almost every time on a whitetail. Those slugs pack one helluva wallop.

With a little fine tuning you will surely be able to whittle that down some more


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## mbopp

Between jobs (or no jobs) and family I'd been out of hunting for 20+ years. At the time I had an Ithaca M37 12 ga with the smoothbore 20" slug barrel.
This wouldn't shoot worth a [email protected]# so I sold that barrel and bought a used 28" vent rib modified barrel. I cut 2" off the barrel back to the next rib support to take all the choke out of it. I had access to a small milling machine and cut a set of sights that clamped onto the rib. This was before you could buy the fiber optic sights today. It did shoot better but I can't remember how well.
Fast forward to last year. I had the receiver drilled & tapped for a Weaver base and put a Bushnell Holosight on it. At 75 yards it'll group my old stock of Federal Fostner slugs 3 shots into 4". For a smoothbore that's all I ask. I can't quite justify dropping the coin on a Hastings barrel for it.
I've heard the reduced recoil Fostner slugs shoot better but I haven't tried any.


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## nickblaze466

i don't know much about slug guns, i don't own one. my dad owns a couple, and claims he can throw a 3 inch group at 250 yards with a rifled slug. i have seen him throw 3 in. at 100, but 250 seems like a stretch.


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## 04ultra

Hornady SST 1900 fps, 3/4 oz. group the best out of my Rem 1100 ...


When I use my SBEII the 3" Partition Golds seem to work well..........Only ones Ive tried so far ...





.


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## Vibes

I shoot a smooth bore Mossberg with cantilever barrel. It used to shoot the cheapo Remington 1oz slugs at a 3'' group at 50yds, and generally 6'' group at 100yds. When my supply of those ran out the new ones I bought didn't shoot for CHIT. 

I tried several of the Brenneke brands and the PMC 1oz last year. They were accurate but don't have the knockdown that I liked. I hit a buck with 2 shots, right where I aimed, and we tracked him close to a mile before getting him with a 3rd shot. When I skinned him it was just as I expected. Very little penetration. I tried them on a double phone book and just as I thought, the PMC slugs only went a 3rd of the way through the first book. The Brenneke slugs weren't a whole lot better. So I'm looking for 12ga slugs again. I'm going to start with the cheapo Winchesters.

Last year I used my 20ga iron sighted H&R. Federal Premium shot real good at 100yds, but the Hornady shot better and even grouped pretty good out to 150yds. I ran out of shells, but will get more Hornady's this year.


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## CrappieKeith

With everything being said....dropping a slug into the boiler room or smacking a shoulder will put that animal down quick!


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## ShoerFast

This might sound slightly off the cuff...

Acceptable anything accuracy is a well placed, human, reasonable, well within range, confidant kill. 

A plain ol Federal 'Power Shock' 12Ga. 2 3/4" rifled slug will drop out of having that magic +1200 foot-pounds of energy right around 100 yards. A 5 MOA shotgun will still be in the bread-basket of a good sized deer at that range, if your looking at the middle of that bread-basket when you sent it off. 

Ever take venison cubed or shredded, coat them with flour and pepper, brown them in a smoking hot pan of butter. Dice in some onion,few drops of habanero sauce, then stir in a glass full gravy batter (water and corn-starch or flour) and serve over toast with eggs?


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## ShoerFast

CrappieKeith said:


> With everything being said....dropping a slug into the boiler room or smacking a shoulder will put that animal down quick!


No offense Keith...

My motto is "Flopping like crappies!" Slugs do a number on deer!

Here is my BIL's last falls Minnesota White-tail, taken with a slug.


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