Pattern testing my Ithaca deerslayer

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Centurian22

Centurian22

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Got out to the range yesterday and ran some shells through my Ithaca 37 12ga deerslayer, smooth cylinder bore, no choke, meant for slugs 19" barrel (I think). I had Fed BB, Rem 8 (target), and the real point of the test were the "Prairie Storm" #6 with "Flite Control Wad" and "Flite-stopper" 70 copper plated round pellets and 30% nickel plated Flite-stopper shot. All shot far better than I expected them to from this gun.

The BB was slightly larger than my hand spread (9-10") when shot from 10yards and opened to a fairly consistent 30" pattern at 25yrds. The #8 was similar with a slightly larger spread at 10yrds and much larger spread by 25. The prairie storm (after I recovered from the slam of 1 1/4 oz at 1500fps in a very light pump gun) punched just larger than fist size at 10yrds (with many pellets seeming to either still be in the wad or a tight column). The pattern opened to around 24-30" at 25 yards with still acceptable density. At 25 yards the performance of the prairie storm was the same or slightly better out of my cyl bore 37 than my buddies full choke 870 (18.5" barrel).

Can't see working a day of clays or high action birds with that hard kicking of a load though. Anyone else have any exp with the prairie storm loads? Or any others like black cloud?
 
I have not (which is odd for me, come to think of it), I've always just gone of what I was told / read about the deerslayer barrels. How would I measure? Would Calipers at the muzzle work? Also I'd have to research the measurements of the different restrictions as I don't know what they are. Thanks for the input, I'll check it out today.
 
the older Deerslayer barrels were not choked cylinder. the Deerslayer barrel on my set (I have a VR / Deerslayer combo from the late 80's/early 90's era) that was very tight.

it was so tight that I had it reamed out to cylinder bore so that somewhere down the road someone (other than myself) didn't try to run a sabot down the tube and possibly cause a pressure issue.

you can measure it at the muzzle with dial calipers, but it would help if you could get someone to measure it for you about 2 or 3 inches back in from the muzzle and just in front of the chamber.

those 2 measurements would let you know the bore diameter all the way through (with a reasonable expectation of accuracy)
 
I heard somewhere (this may or may not be true) that some of the Ithaca smooth bore deer guns were choked full along the entire length of the bore in order to provide better bore contact and hence accuracy when shooting with slugs.
 
Calipers at the muzzle would tell you the bore diameter at the muzzle. If you know someone who has a Baker bore gauge they can tell you what the diameter is all the way down.

I wouldn't be surprised if you found it smaller than .729"...
 
Don't know why anyone thinks the barrel of your shotgun has any restriction or choke or is anything other than cylinder bore. The spread you measured is right on the 1" spread per yard of travel IE 9-10" at 10 yd and 30" at 25 yd. This assumes you are talking about extreme spread. Harder the shot the tighter the pattern, a copper plated lead shot holds tighter pattern than a softer shot. Steel shot shoots much tighter and one can usually figure it will shoot a choke tighter than the choke being used. Wads like the Federal flight control keeps tighter patterns too.

shot_strings_choke_effect.jpg
 
Deerslayers typically have tighter than normal bores for use strictly with foster type slugs, to allow for a tighter bore/slug fit. Once upon a time I believe they were as tight as .690, and now run around .705-.710, since several manufacturers have made there foster type slugs larger in diameter for better accuracy in .729-.730 barrels.

Per Jim Cirillo in his book Guns, Bullets, and Gunfights: Legends and Tales of a Modern Day Gunfighter, a rifle sight equipped Ithaca 37 Deerslayer would put 5 slugs inside a cigarette pack at 100 yards.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr
 
LeonCarr nailed it, I got .710 when I broke out the calipers and stuck them in the muzzle, I don't have a way (that I know of) to measure all the way down, I could pull off the barrel and measure the other end but that's it. According to my google foo, .710 = modified diameter. Sounds like its straight all the way through. Explains a lot about what I was seeing. I'm sure a cylinder bore with choke at the end (or forcing cone in the case of a fixed) must produce better patterns than my straight tube but this shot gun just got a lot more versatile, or should I say its operator is getting out of the way of what the gun 'can and can't or shouldn't be able to do'. Lol

Thank you all for your input and setting me on the right path to better info!
 
this shot gun just got a lot more versatile, or should I say its operator is getting out of the way of what the gun 'can and can't or shouldn't be able to do'.

If you could bottle that lesson and sell it, you'd get rich :D.

And it would make Dave smile to have heard you say it, too.
 
This thread motivated me to check my M37 DSPS...rifle sights and a .706" muzzle. I am surprised it's that tight.
 
I don't remember what mine measured, it has been a long time ago that I measured it, but, as I said in the post above, it was so tight I was concerned that someone would run a sabot round down the barrel.

I do not remember the source, but I read that the barrels were made tight because the slugs back then were undersized.

My gunsmith friend that did it said he really had to lean into the reamer there was so much material in the barrel.
 
Desidog: happy to inspire. I'm un-familiar with the Deerslayer police special (had to google to see what the PS of the DSPS WAS).

Fred Fuller: very true about bottling up that lesson. I appreciate the compliment but have to ask what appears to be a dumb question: Who is Dave?
 
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