Shooting slugs in shotgun with only a bead

[Dave Markowitz]

When shooting slugs in a shotgun which lacks rifle sights, having only a bead or a front sight, does raising one's head tend to raise point of impact? This question is coming up in the context of shooting flintlock smoothbores with a patched round ball, but I figured that the principle would be the same as with a modern shotgun. (The guns in question are a replica Tulle Fusil de Chasse and French M1717 musket, both with only a front sight, no rear sight. They are shooting low.)

TIA.

 

[Rshooter]

When shooting slugs in a shotgun which lacks rifle sights, having only a bead or a front sight, does raising one's head tend to raise point of impact?

Only if you raise the shotgun when you raise your head! You are looking at Kentucky windage there. You need to learn how to use the sight (bead) to mark your target until it becomes second nature.

 

[Snarlingiron]

When shooting slugs in a shotgun which lacks rifle sights, having only a bead or a front sight, does raising one's head tend to raise point of impact?

Yes.

Go to the drugstore and buy yourself some moleskin. Apply several layers where your cheek meets the stock. It will raise the point of impact. The moleskin comes off very easily and it is cheap enough to play around with to prove the point. On a gun with no rear sight your eye IS the rear sight. If you raise it, just like when you raise a rear sight, the point of impact raises also.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Snarlingiron, thanks. That's what I thought. Time for some experimenting.

 

[Jon_Snow]

Another way to think about it is that your eye IS the rear sight, so if it goes up/down/right/left then your point of impact goes with it.

 

[BCRider]

This is why rifled deer barrels come with a rear sight. If you're planning on shooting a lot of slug it may be worth fitting a rear sight to the back of the barrel or a ghost ring to the receiver.

Otherwise a couple of sighting in shots to figure out what sort of pictures you're aiming for (sorry ) and you should be good to go.

 

[dom1104]

This may be offtopic and not what you are looking for but one of my biggest surprises hunting and shooting is how accurate with slugs just a rail and a bead can be.

It doesnt seem like it should be, but with a good consistant hold it will bring home the venison.

 

[Jon_Snow]

Dom, I was suprised too. This past weekend I took my HD gun to an indoor range to see how accurate the slugs were. I shot 10 at a silouette 25 yards away. While I was shooting I kept seeing these big holes appear all over the paper and started to get disappointed. When I reeled the target back in I saw that all the holes on the edges of the paper were from the wads and all 10 slugs had gone through a 4" hole in the center of the target. All this with an 18.5" barrel and a bead sight.

 

[dom1104]

yep. I have taken my deer with a 26inch barreled winchester 140 with Brenneke brand slugs and and a bead / rail.

The rail helps a lot tho, you can center the bead on the rail itself.