Effective range?

[DRice.72]

I'm ready to go to the range and sight in my shotgun. I'll be shooting rifled slugs in a smooth bore. My gun has a 2 3/4" chamber. What is the effective range for this slug? I was thinking of keeping it to less than 50 yards.

[hogdogs]

I feel they would still be lethal at 100 yards handily.
It comes down to the ability of you and your gun to put the slug where you aim.

I am confident with my 18 1/2 inch 20 gauge cylinder bore out to 65 yards offhand and would go to 80-85 yards if my belly were empty enuff...:o
Brent

[SeekHer]

Sight in for 2" high at 25 yards and then try a shot at 50 (+2") and another at 75 (-1) and finally at 100 (-6") yards to see where they go...POA/POI (0) should be around 67/68 yards...

these are approximate as all is dependant upon barrel length, choke, ammo brand and specific cartridge used and weather conditions

[Edward429451]

I use paper plates to judge. I can keep them on a paper plate offhand out to about 50 or 60 yards. YMMV. What barrel length?

[wnycollector]

I was at the range yesterday with some federal truball low recoil slugs and my 20" maverick 88 w/ bead sight. My first three shots (rested on a shooting bag) at 50 yards were all on a 5.5" shoot-n-see target. With my setup, that's about as far as I reel comfortable taking a shot. With a rifle sights (or a scope) 75-85 yards is reasonable

[DRice.72]

My barrell length is 26" overall. 4" of that is a muzzle break and adjustable choke. I'm looking for some clamp on sights, but at the moment I just have the bead on the muzzle break, nad the beads machuned into the reciever.

[MTT TL]

I would encourage you to get a lower powered (2-3X) shoot through scope. Then sight it in at 100 yards. Use the bead sites for close up and the scope for more distant shots. There should be enough energy left on the round at 100 yards to drop a deer. I would be skeptical about anything past that, unless you have a really accurate shooter, then maybe 125 yards.

[DRice.72]

Wow, most of the posts I had read were of people shooting 3" or 3 1/2" shells. I wasn't sure mine would reach out much past the 50 yd range. That opens me up to better possibilities for sure!

[hogdogs]

DRice, I ain't never fired a 3 inch shell in my life, nor have I bought anything but cheap Super "X" Winchester of bottom shelf Federals...:o Call me cheap... I do!
Brent

[DRice.72]

Good to know! Thanks!

(About the ammo btw, LOL)

[DRice.72]

Good lord slugs are expensive!!!!! Some of those are $4 a shell!!!!!!

[SeekHer]

DRice.72 -- Good lord slugs are expensive!!!!! Some of those are $4 a shell!!!!!!

Why I said to sight in at 25 yds and shoot only one at each of the other ranges just so you know about where they go...Although the best is to fire 3 shots at 50 and 75 yds range (6 shots) after sighting in at 25 yds which shouldn't take more then 3, 4 rounds to accomplish...If you have 1 or 2 left over then shoot at 100 to see how they drop...

Study the ballistic charts for the various rounds and work from those not necessarily from a price point...Remember that the prices usually don't include shipping so a super Internet deal may cost you more then buying from your local dealer...

Support your local gun dealer/smith whenever possible!

Once sighted in (2x5 round boxes) and barring severe jars to the gun your box of five rounds should last you five hunting seasons if you do your part...

Try buying .470 NE rounds, $20 to $24 each but then again, once sighted in it's one shot per elephant etc...

I'd keep my shots to within 75 yds with the 2¾", 90 yds with the 3" and 100 yds with the 3½"...Yes, they're rated for a little more then that but I'd rather shoot in the ideal then the extreme range of a cartridge's capabilities...

Oh, it's rated to 125 yds, maybe I'll try that shot on the 150 yd deer--Have you shot at that range, know how much holdover to take or are you just going to guess and maybe wound the animal...I'm a lazy guide and want to see animals drop or stagger a few steps and then drop...I don't want to waste time, energy etc. tracking a wounded animal...Ok, you've shot at 150 yds are you then going to try for that deer at 175 yds or maybe 200 yds and be assured of a wounded animal because your bullet doesn't have enough energy left to kill cleanly...

[DRice.72]

Thanks SeekHer!

The last thing I'm desperate to find is either a cheap scope, or magnetic sights, prolly the sights. I got two different brands, Winchester super X, and Remington Slugger High Velocity.
The Remington has a Ballistic chart on the box, but the Winchesters' didn't. Is that chart accurate? or should I get the data online like I'm going to on my Winchesters?

[SeekHer]

They are accurate to the specifications indicated--barrel length, heat, humidity, height above see level, cold/warm/hot barrel etc...change one thing and completely different results would occur, drastic or not, that's why you sight in with your stuff and test with your stuff--they are guidelines only...

Check online, couldn't hurt...Best shotgun stuff is from Ballistic Products (http://www.ballisticproducts.com/) but geared to the reloader still a plethora of info...check with some of the Euro shotshell makers for they make some great slugs...Brenneke (http://www.brennekeusa.com/) as an example...

Lightfield (http://www.lightfieldslugs.com/Lightfield/) makes some truly superb shells and Polywad (http://www.polywad.com/) makes some damn decent ones...

There is also: Dixie Slugs (http://www.dixieslugs.com/index.html) and Hoening Big Bore (http://www.hoeningbigboresouth.com/index.html) but only for .410...

You buy a couple of 5 packs of the cheapest possible stuff you can find and sight in with that and then get the good stuff to hunt with, fire a 2, 3 round group at 25 yd to see if it groups to the same POI, adjust and now you're set...

[DRice.72]

Thanks again! I really appreciate all the advice I have received on this forum. I have found you guys to be very helpful!

[Dave McC]

There's no ineffective 12 gauge slugs when it comes to medium sized, thin skinned game like deer.

I used 2 3/4" slugs for 4 decades with great effect. My longest shot was about 65 yards,IIRC, and there were a couple measured better in feet than yards.

From the bench, my two slug 870s can keep them around 4" at 100 yards. One's a smoothbore, the other has a rifled choke tube.

For you, test some rifled slugs and Brenekkes until you find the one that does best in YOUR shotgun. Then, using a hunting position, stick to whatever range you can stack them into a 6" circle.

If that's 20 yards at the start, so be it. As you improve, so will the ability to make a clean, humane kill at further distances.

But, best slug hunters hunt like Archers. See how close you can take them, not how far off.

Over the 90s, when I did some great slug hunting on MD's deer rich Eastern Shore, my average shot opp was about 32 yards. Out of maybe 25 or 30 deer I shot, I lost one.

HTH....

[DRice.72]

Thanks Dave.
I'm really hoping to be able to get a shot in close. This being the first year I'm hunting with this shotgun, I'm not sure I will want to go much beyond 50 yds. I will find out at the range tho. If my shooting is good there and the gun responds well I may go farther. I have been told that most deer there are taken within 75 and quite a few are taken within 40. I'm hoping to be in the 40 range.

[Dave McC]

Western NC conditions have to be similar,DRice. Wait for a good clean shot within your personal limits and take it.

Good luck...

[DRice.72]

I slipped out and paced off roughly 25 yds today. I didn't fire a slug. I shot some #4 I had. At 25 yds I was able to keep 30 pellets on a paper plate. I thought that was decent. It also was putting the bulk of the pattern about 2" high. This was using the bead, and my choke set to improved cylinder. I was pleased with that result.

[Dave McC]

Good, now pattern some shot loads and benchtest some slugs.

[bamaranger]

Until you get some type of sights or a scope, you are not "sighting in" anything, you are experimenting to see if the gun shoots to point of aim w/ the bead, and how far you can consistently hit a vital zone sized target, say a 9" paper plate.

If you are able to do that w/ just a bead to 50 yds, you are fortunate indeed.

There are a number of saddle type mounts for shotguns that allow the mounting of a low power scope, or maybe a dot sight. Until then you are not fully exploiting the gun's potential, just realizing your limitations.

I am against buck as a general rule for deer, as the range is to limited, but folks tend to wang away at 'em anyhow, resulting in cripples or an animal bayed up by hounds if dog hunting.

[DRice.72]

bamaranger I agree 100%. I have been trying to find some magnetic sights to fit my gun. I sent an e-mail to TruGlo. All the offered me was the magnetic front sight for turkey. I don't have enough money this year to buy a scope,and a decent scope would cost more than that gun is worth anyway. I guess I'm going to have to go to the range and see where my limitations with the current set up lie.

Thanks!