i think i did a dum dum. help please

[rem870hunter]

the 870 express mag. i bought back in january has a fully rifled barrel with sights. i tried 2 and 3/4" shells only in it. buckhammers, win. super x, brenneke, older stock copper solids, hornady sst. i bought last week a box of federal premium sabots. copper plated lead. looks like a bri type but with a copper coating. i didn't shoot any of these yet. all did shoot a 1/2-1" group at 25 yards. a 2-3" group at 50. the super x and the copper solids did a 4" group at 75 yards. the super x went 1-2" high at 75 the copper solids went level but 3" left at 75 yards. the brennekes shot level 2" left then 2 " high then a bull. a 5" group at 50. the hornady ssts did a 1" group 2" left of the bull at 25 yards. at 50 it was like a 6-8" group. i did not make any sight adjustments between loads. but just pulled barrel off and ran a phosphor bronze bore brush a few times in and out of the barrel. i am trying to get 100 yard accuracy with the open sights. i switched to tru glo front and rear sights. my eyes are having trouble picking up the front sight. i tried white paint but no luck.

but seriously is it me? the barrel? its a used shotgun. about 5 years old. the guy had a 3.5-10x scope. almost zeroed at ???yards. never told me what distance or what ammo he was shooting. i took it off it was shooting all over the place. i plan on getting another scope for it. but not if the barrel is bad.

[jonnyringo]

To get reasonable accuracy out of a rifled shotgun barrel you need to start out with a very clean barrel and clean good every 5 shots. Are you recoil sensitive? This could also be effecting accuracy.
I get 1" accuracy out of my smoothbore IC choked 11-87 barrel with rifled sights at 50 yards with 3" Activ shells. I do about the same with my smoothbore IC Express barrels.
I use Williams Firesights. You will have no problem picking up the front sight with them and they are small which is another thing that is good - if your front sight is too large it will be difficult to zero in pinpoint accuracy. You have to have good sights when using a shotgun barrel with rifled sights.
Good luck.

[Mannlicher]

my old Wingmaster with a new Remington factory 20 inch rifle sight barrel gives me that sort of accuracy. I get an inch, +/- a half inch, at 50 yards. Between 75 and 100 yards though, the groups open up to around 5 inches.

[nutty ned]

Try foster slugs, sometimes simple is better.

[rem870hunter]

nutty ned do any make foster slugs other than brenneke ko ? i tried them right after i got the shotgun. only after using 20 of them i saw on the box max. sight in distance was only 91 yards.i was getting 6" groups at 75. at 90 and 100 yards they were going 16-20" low. :confused: so i gave up on them especially after i told the store owner of the problem. he told me i would be lucky if the wad saved me from ruining the barrel. even the brenneke sabots state they are good for 50 yards. but i want to be sighted in for 100. should i just give up? which is hard for me to do so easily. or keep at it till i find the right combination of ammo? is it possible that velocity has anything to do with its accuracy? the hornady ssts (300 gr.) did very poor.

[okiewita40]

I am by no means an expert but I have always been told that a smooth bore slug gun uses Rifled Foster or brennke slugs and the rifled bbl's are for the sabot slugs. This may help you out.

I know at work we shoot Rem 870P with 18 1/2 bbls smoothbore. Some have rifle sights some have peep sights. All are Cyl bore. and even with the rifle sights and fed rifled slugs we can get 2-3" groups shooting off hand.

[Doyle]

The okie is right. Stay away from sabots with a smoothbore. You need the rifling in the slug itself since your barrel doesn't have any.

[rem870hunter]

i understand the idea of rifled and foster type slug for smoothbore barrel. and saboted slug for rifled barrel and rifled choke tubes. some sabots state for fully rifled barrels only. they state on the package: do not used in a fixed or screw in choke type barrel. i heed this warning well, i don't want damage to me or the gun.

after reading the packages carefully before buying i know this so far:

the copper solids are for rifled barrels and rifled choke tubes.
the buckhammers are for rifled barrels and rifled choke tubes.
the hornady ssts are for rifled barrels only. .
the brenneke ko sabots are for rifled barrels only.
the brenneke ko slugs are for smoothbore and rifled barrels.
the federal vital shok (hydra shok sabot slug hp) premium sabots (i haven't shot any yet) are for rifled barrels and rifled choke tube only.
the winchester super x (.50 cal 1 oz. bri type) sabot for rifled barrels and maybe rifled choke tubes.

if the projectile has rifling on it. unless it has a enlarged basewad(foster type). its for smoothbore barrels only. ( rifled slug)

if it has a sleeve its a sabot. except the buckhammers.

muzzle velocities vary with each anywhere from 1350 -1600 fps . except the hornady being at 2000 fps. is this too fast for a 20" barrel with a 1 in 35" twist? would muzzle velocity be a problem at all? i bought a box of lightfield lights 1.25 oz at 1300 fps. and a box of hornady xtp 1 oz. shotgun slugs yesterday. they say they are for rifled barrels. the end of the casing of the hornady is closed so i don't know what they look like and no muzzle velocity is on the package either.

[newkahr]

Do you guys have creative ideas for getting sights or weaver mount on an old 12 guage bolt action smoothbore from the 60's. I have a Vizisight truglo front bead which is awesome for close range at bad dogs or something, but worthless for slugs or distance.

[GunnNutt]

Don't be insulted, but I'd try a replacement shooter for a couple of tests? As was pointed out, even smoothbores and fosters do better than that routinely. If you get the same results with three shooters, I'll buy a barrel issue maybe. Is there a choke you haven't mentioned?

[geezer in NH]

It is a shotgun not a bench rest rifle. DUH pick one load that groups the best who cares where it hits left, right, up or down. Sight it for the load and then report. You have added to many variables.

No ammo shoots to the same impact get used to it, that is real life not the internet commando advice.

[rem870hunter]

shot the federal vital shok sabots a few days ago. got a 3.5" 3 shot group into a 9" paper plate at 50 yards. near center. then shot the 2 remaing shells at 75 yards. got a 4.5" 1 center in the plate in amongst the previous 3 shots at 50 yards. and 1 at 2 0'clock just on the plate. will buy another 2 boxes and try again at 75 and 100 yards. forgot to mention about the 75 yard shots. it was a little windy the plate blew up and was kinda flapping. i taped it instead of stapeling. so i am not 100% positive which hit inside the plate shot 1 or shot 2. but will try again.