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Old January 10, 2013, 10:21 PM   #1
Pops1085
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Advice for a possible new shotgunner

Hey fella's with all of this bologna going on concerning AR's and high cap rifles and seeing how when everything is said and done the stores never seem to run out of shotgun shells it might just be enough to make me buy a shotgun. Would a 12 gauge with a smooth bore shooting slugs be able to reach out and hit my 12 inch gong if I wanted it to? Obviously I wouldn't just be doing stationary target shooting but I do want a gun thats stronger than a 22 and is cheap and plentiful to shoot. I just want to still be able to ring that gong once in a while haha. What do you think?
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Old January 10, 2013, 10:33 PM   #2
Lee Lapin
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You forgot to say how far away your 12" gong is...

And if your gong is not solidly made and mounted, you will soon get a demonstration of what 12 gauge slugs can do.
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Old January 10, 2013, 10:38 PM   #3
Pops1085
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Haha sorry its only at 100 yards. 150 if I walk a little way into the field.
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Old January 10, 2013, 10:41 PM   #4
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If you consider your gong to be made of "Sheet metal", it will sho nuff show you what a slug can do... Plate steel gong would be the thing to ring... (Seems I am a poet and didn't know it...)

A smooth bore (even with a short barrel) in my hands from an offhand position can easily hit the 12" at 100 yards... Some slugs may perform more accurately from different guns better than others so find one you like...

I prefer Federal "low dough" or Winchester "Super X" (also low cost)...

My personal preference in shotguns are the Mossbergs... All but "mossberg international" labeled guns are American made... One day I will be getting the 930 auto loader but so far i am familiar with their bolt action and pump action guns...

Brent
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Old January 11, 2013, 02:19 PM   #5
BigJimP
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You can hit the gong at 100 yds with a slug ....if you want to ..for some reason...

But you better price the cost of "slugs" ...if you think its "cheap" - because they aren't. Yes, target shotshells...with "bird shot" ....7 1/2's, 8's or whatever are still reasonably priced at about $ 6 - $7 for a box of 25....( $0.25 - $0.35 each ) ....but most of the "slugs" I see are about $ 2 each...

you sure are not going to hit the gong at 100 yds ....with an oz of 8's...??
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Old January 11, 2013, 03:53 PM   #6
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BJP, sabot slugs and premium regular slugs ain't cheap but I never spend a buck Potter shot for the cheap ones I buy.
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Old January 11, 2013, 04:20 PM   #7
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I don't have that much experience with slugs ....and when I've fired them I've stayed with the more premium brands.../ but even if they're only $ 1 per shell....that's still expensive in my mind.

I have a nice lever action rifle - a Henry - chambered in .357 mag ...and that's pretty inexpensive to shoot --- retail ammo is about $20 - $25 for a box of 50 ( that gets your cost down to $0.50 a cartridge )....and of course you can reload the same box for about $ 9 a box ...or $ 0.18 each....

but there are lots of ways to target practice -- besides with an AR platform.../ heck a lot of guys practice with handguns, especially good revolvers, in .357 mag, .44 mag out to 100 yds. I have a really nice single action Freedom Arms - in .357 mag as well - and its a lot of fun to shoot at 50 or 100 yds..../ and from a firm rest --- it'll ring that gong all day long with about a 6" group easily in front on my crummy eyesight...with open sights.

Last edited by BigJimP; January 11, 2013 at 04:37 PM.
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Old January 11, 2013, 10:26 PM   #8
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About all I do anymore with a shot gun is shoot 3 gun matches. I use an old police 870 with 18 inch smooth bore. (Not sights, just the single bead).

Most of what we shoot is bird shot, but are also required to shoot slugs and buck shot.

I reload for everything else, so why not a shot gun. I use a Mec 600 with a 1 oz charge bar for everything. Same powder charge, 1 oz of #8 shot, 1 oz of buckshot pellets (9 each .319 pellets at 48 grs each) and a 1 ounce slug I cast my self.

Kind of nice keeping the recoil the same across the course. Plus extremely cheap to shoot. I can keep all 9 pellets inside the A zone at 25 yards and I can hit a 8 inch gong at 50 yards.

I really don't see why I would need anything else. I do like keeping things cheap so I can shoot more and keep things consistent.
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Old January 13, 2013, 12:56 PM   #9
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I reload for everything as well...and I don't think about casting and reloading slugs...but it would certainly be easy to do.

I just think when you're talking about target practicing at 100 yds you have a lot of less expensive options ...like lever action rifles / that sometimes folks don't think about ...that can be a lot of fun too .
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Old January 13, 2013, 06:08 PM   #10
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BJP, Only recently (metal price spike) have slugs gone much over $.50 per shot... I no longer plink with much of anything bigger than a .22lr... Even the venerable ol' thirty thirty is not a real cheap plinker to most workin' folks... Actually they are getting quite pricey too... Last I looked they were way north of $15.00 per 20 round box and premium rounds are north of $20 per 20...

I just recently noticed seeing a mold for your basic foster rifled slugs... That got me thinking about that option... I am still thinking that one day I will be reloading shotgun loads and slugs would have to be part of that if I do...

Brent
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Old January 13, 2013, 11:07 PM   #11
scottd913
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i too agree with kriag as hitting a gong at 50 yards is easy enough and I'm sure i could hit it at 100 yards, just wouldn't know why i would feel the need.
i use my shotguns for mainly home defense but i do have fun with them as well.
i also reload my slugs with a lee mold 1oz. slug as far as the cost goes if you wanted to do it cheaply as i used to you could go bye a bunch of bird shot cut the end out pour out the shot melt it down pour it into the slug mold and place the slug into the carcass of the shell you surgically removed the lead from in first place. but for the most part if you just want to plink i agree with hogdogs a .22 is always the cheaper (hard to blast the crap out of old tv's tho ) but cheaper! well thats my 2cents have fun
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Old January 13, 2013, 11:49 PM   #12
Pops1085
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I totally agree with you guys and do have a few 22s and an ar but I tend to get a real kick out of shooting longer ranges (long range for me haha) but I was just wondering if a hundred yards can be done or if I'd be wasting my time trying
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Old January 14, 2013, 01:19 AM   #13
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no .... 100 yards is no problem with a shotgun i hit targets with mine and its been cut to 18 inches and has no sight on it. but i have longer rifles for them ranges is all i was meaning I'm not a hunter but i have read lots of hunters taking deer at 100 to 150 yards with slugs.
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