Barrel Clamps and Shotgun Slugs...

[Chris Rhines]

My usual 3-gun shotgun is a Benelli M2 Field with a 21" vent rib barrel. Great gun, very reliable, but I've always had accuracy issues when shooting slugs. Lousy groups, like 8"+ at fifty yards, and worse, the slugs would impact nowhere near the point of aim.

This was annoying. It was also costing me matches. Not cool.

So at a recent 3-gun match, one of the shooters on my squad had a suggestion - use the mag tube clamp to tune your point of aim. I finally had a chance to give it a try this past Thursday. I moved the mag tube clamp (both it and the magazine extension are from Nordic Components) to about four inches back from the muzzle, snugged it down, and suddenly my inaccurate shotgun was shooting into 3-4", offhand, at fifty yards, just above POA.

Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon?

-C

 

[dfariswheel]

Yes, this is known to the slug accuracy shooters.
This is contrary to what many people think.
Some people believe that putting a clamp on a shotgun ruins accuracy.

 

[Sunray]

Slugs aren't any different than any other factory ammo. You have to try a box of as many brands as you can to find the ammo your Benelli shoots best and cycles the action. You'll have to sight in too.
The type of slug and the choke matters as well. No sabotted slugs out of a smooth bore.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Chris, back in the 80s I was at a Firearms Instructor's school for MD DOC. The armorer's segment mentioned that clamps often improved groups. With my own 870, adding an extension and clamp almost halved group size with the slug I used then.

Moving that clamp should be a means of tuning the group just like changing forend pressure on a B/A Rifle.

I thought this was common knowledge. Sorry....