Shooting slugs

[joshk-k]

Hey there, all...

I have a New England 20 gauge single shot that I would like to use to for deer hunting next fall. I've used this gun extensively for stuff like pheasant, but have hardly ever shot slugs before.

What tips do you guys have for getting good and accurate with slugs through this? I am worried that the kick inherent in these little single shot break actions is going to make it harder. What should I do at the range to get good with the slugs?

Thanks,
Josh

 

[zinj]

I would suggest investing a slug gun if you are serious about deer hunting. I can only imagine the pain that shooting slugs from one of those light weight single shots. Plus you want sights for accuracy.

If single shots are your thing H&R makes a slug gun that casts about $200 IIRC, although you would need to mount an optic.

A slug Mossberg 500 should also be pretty close to $200 and will come with open sights.

 

[Dave McCracken]

There's one of these here, and I'd need an awfully good reason for using slugs in a 5 lb, 9 oz shotgun. They WILL tear you a new one.

But if you must...

Get a good wearable pad on you like the PAST or Bob Allen.

Get a good pad on the shotgun, like the Pachmyer Decellerator of the KickEez Magnum. Do not trim it to help spread the push.

Use any weight you can add. A xiplock filled with lead and stuck in the stock and secured from moving will help.

Take an anti-inflammatory in advance.

HTH....

 

[joshk-k]

Where I live now is shotgun only for deer (although I'm moving at the end of May and haven't really figured out new hunting grounds for the fall). I can't shoot slugs through the barrel I've got on my other shotgun, a Mossberg 935 Magnum. I might buy a slug barrel for that. That way I have follow up shots should I need them.

THanks for the advice. I guess that sometime over the summer I'll figure it out.

Josh

 

[zinj]

Get the slug barrel. You will thank yourself, and you are more likely to make a humane kill by using real sights and getting plenty of practice (which you likely would not with that ultra-light 20).

 

[Fred Fuller]

josh,

Far as I know, no one loads reduced recoil slugs in 20 ga. Maybe soon someone will start, since there are some good 20 ga. home defense shotguns coming on the market, but not right now that i know of.

Adding weight to the gun is the first and easiest way to cut down on felt recoil. Birdshot in the stock bolt hole is an old time and easy fix, as Dr. Dave suggested. And it works, too. You can hog out some excess wood in the forearm to make room for lead there too if need be.

A really good recoil pad will help a lot also, again as Dave pointed out. It's also a good idea to make sure the gun fits you properly- shortening the stock to one degree or another helps some folks, adding length helps the longer/taller/lankier people. Gunstocks are made to fit 'average' users, some folks just aren't average.

You might be able to do quite well using the barrel you have, which I assume has a bead sight. You just have to figue out where it shoots with a given sight picture. No way to do that but to put rounds downrange, I'm afraid.

I'd suggest shooting from a standing position with a good solid rest for your support hand. Shooting a shotgun with slugs from a bench is a good shortcut to a flinch for a lot of people, and you don't need to develop a flinch. Start with a target at 25 yards, if that works well back it up to 50, then 75, then 100 yards. Learn what those ranges look like well enough to estimate them in the woods, and once you know where your gun (and you) shoot at a given range, you'll know if you should attempt a shot at that range.

Out about 100 yards with a bead-sighted gun you will most likely be hitting the wall as far as range is concerned. Could be you can't confidently take a shot at that range, only you can answer that question and only then with experience on the range punching big holes in paper targets.

Try a variety of rifled slugs (not a lot of reason to spend $$ on sabots for a smoothbore) and see if your gun likes any brand/load better than the others. All this is going to call for a good bit of shooting- don't rush the process, don't overdo it and crank in a flinch in the process. Spread it out, take your time, use good form and concentrate on your trigger pull and sight picture. Above all, FOLLOW THROUGH just like when shooting a rifle. It can work, but it will take work on your part to make it happen.

And if you can afford a slug barrel for that gun, it might not be a bad investment. A rifled bore for sabots, sights plus a little extra weight with the 'heavy' barrel can't hurt. See http://www.hr1871.com/Support/accessoryProgram.aspx for info on barrels available.

hth,

lpl/nc

 

[r2t2]

I would not worry about recoil but I would be concerned about the choke. Generally speaking the full chokes are not good patterning guns. Most slug barrels that are not rifled are open chokes. After that you will need to install a sight. There are some good ones on the market that are resonable.

RT

 

[huntsman]

I have a New England 20 gauge single shot that I would like to use to for deer hunting next fall.

Do you mean NEF? if so you can get other barrels fitted to that gun just go to
http://www.hr1871.com/Support/accessoryProgram.aspx

for what it's worth: I use this in 20 gauge.
http://www.hr1871.com/Firearms/Shotguns/ultraSlug.aspx

accurate and no recoil.