Remi 870 Slug Test

[orangeninja]

I recently went to the range with about 25 slugs to do some "testing" from a kneeling and braced position to gauge the short or close range accuracy of a slug within 75 ft. Here are my meager findings to those who care.

Test gun....a 20 year old Remi 870 with a Mossberg brand Barrel in 18 1/4 for the Remi with a bead sight.

5 rounds Winchester Super X = Very tough recoil, hardest of the bunch and was able to bulls eye 2 out of 5 from 45 ft...then 75.

5 rounds Remington 1 ounce = Second toughest kicking. Shot about 2 inches high consistantly....after shooting the Winchester though, the Remi's started to make me flinch a bit. (watch that recoil). Over all though all the slugs were about within 2 inches of one another, so it wasn't all me.

5 rounds Federal = after the Remi and the Winchester slugs, these were a little softer, VERY accurate, 3 through the same friggin hole at 50 feet. Better accuracy than I would have expected.

5 rounds Breneke = Softest recoil of the bunch and ALMOST as accurate as the Federal, though that is more due to me than anything else. Aiming at 6 o'clock I was able to put all rounds within an inch of the bulls eye. The recoil was less than the 00 buck from Federal and very manageable.

Now, the #4 buck was childs play after the slugs, the Winchester and S&B were pussycats to shoot and ripped the paper apart as close as 20 feet. The spread at 50 feet was pretty good, about that of a football. Same with the 00 but with less spread and a little more kick.

I will mount ghost rings, practice a bit more and start testing at the 25 and 50 yard range on the slugs.

What I learned? The #4 Buck is my first choice in "house clearing" the devestation of the 27 pellets on that paper caused myself and others to take note. The 00 of course is a reliable standby.

Authors note: I am new to experiementing with shotties and have a lot to learn but am willing to invest the time and money it takes to master them. I will post my experiences as I go.

 

[444]

Keep us updated with your results.
Over the last two to three months I have fired over 550 slugs. However they were all from two brands and I didn't fire very many of them on paper.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Kudos!!

THIS is a very important part of becoming a shotgunner. Finding out what one's skills and gear are capable of is what separates shotgunners from mere collectors of shotgun stuff.

A couple things...

Bench work is better for finding out what the gear will do. Shooting as you did is better for finding out what WE can do with our gear. Both are essential.

Shooting kneeling and offhand will tweak your form in short order. After a few rounds, unless you start flinching, the body adjusts to the push and settles into the groove.

Plinking with slugs is great fun, and good practice. For those of us with "Practical" facilities available, a few steel plate COFs are great fun and rpactice too. Shoot against a buddy to get the competition thing engaged. While bench testing slugs gets a little onerous, I doubt I've ever felt much from a slug shooting at game, tin cans or in competition.

And your note at the end may be as true as if Writ on a Tablet of Stone by a Finger of Fire.