Slug Accuracy out of Security BBL? (Smooth bore, bead sight)

[WaltWhite]

I recently picked up a brand new Stevens 320 for a song. It includes a 28" field bbl and an 18.5" security bbl. The gun itself is a Win 1300 knock off, and a pretty decent one if you ask me. Certainly a spectacular value.

Anyhow, I'm curious if anyone has luck lobbing slugs with a smoothbore security barrel and bead. I'm talking maybe minute of pie plate at fifty yards...accurate enough for thick woods deer hunting.

Pretty much my whole life I've used either a muzzleloader or 20 gauge BPS w rifle sights on deer and neither have let me down. That BPS is smoothbore and makes me believe in the accuracy of rifled slugs within about 80 yards, but I've never tried slugs with just a bead.

Anyone with experience in this area?

 

[Predator55]

It should do fine, just remember that different brands of slugs will perform differently. Try a variety of manufactures and see what flies the best.

 

[au_prospector]

The tighter the choke, the worse it will perform.

Otherwise with an IC or even Modified you should be able to get pretty good with it once you know where to place the bead.

Rifled slugs are very effective, might even be able to stretch it to 100 yards with your rifle sight bbl.

 

[Kendal Black]

You can sort of squint and learn in advance by target practice what the gun is going to do, and shoot slugs with just a bead sight. But why would you? You will have an easier time and get better results if you cobble some sort of rifle sight onto the gun, sight in, and send your slug toward a point of aim, not "to whom it may concern."

 

[243winxb]

TRUGLO Tru-Point Turkey Sight Set

Put something like this on your vent rib barrel. https://www.midwayusa.com/s?userSearchQuery=TRUGLO+Tru-Point+Turkey+Sight+Set+ or this https://www.midwayusa.com/product/327053/truglo-tru-point-turkey-sight-set-fits-beretta-franchi-browning-shotgun-with-6mm-vent-rib-steel-fiber-optic-red-front-green-rear

 

[LeonCarr]

The last time I shot my Remington 870 Express HD with an 18.5 inch bead sight barrel, it put three full power Remington Slugger inside an 8.5 x 11 inch piece of paper off the bench at 100 yards. I was both surprised and impressed.

For hunting, use the 28 inch field barrel, put sights on the vent rib, and shoot several different slugs to find the one that shoots the tightest groups.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[jmr40]

I have an 870 Express field barrel cut to 21" and a set of fiber optic front and rear sights that I clamped onto the vent rib. I was able to hold about 4"-5" groups at 100 yards. The smooth bore doesn't hurt that much but I don't think I could have come close to that with just a front bead, but then I've never tried.

 

[lemaymiami]

With the bead sight in the groove (that tiny little groove at the receiver end of things) you ought to be able to hit a 10" paper plate almost every time at 50 meters offhand with a standard riot configured shotgun (bead sight, 18-20" barrel, four shot mag). It'll take a bit of practice but it's very do-able.

All of my hunting was of the two-legged variety though... where things were always extremely fluid and you were going to use what you had in your hands.... If I were using a shotgun for hunting with slugs I'd want a barrel with proper sights. Fortunately almost every manufacturer offers them...

 

[Sav .250]

Why not just go try it yourself !

 

[200Apples]

Anyone with experience in this area?

Leon Carr

The last time I shot my Remington 870 Express HD with an 18.5 inch bead sight barrel, it put three full power Remington Slugger inside an 8.5 x 11 inch piece of paper off the bench at 100 yards. I was both surprised and impressed.

I've only attempted 50-yard shots at the target range but with either an 870 wearing an 18.5" cyl bore bead sight barrel or with an 1100 wearing an 18.5" Imp Cyl bead sight barrel and shooting either 1150, 1300 fps (reduced recoil) or 1600 fps (full power) 1 oz slugs I can bullseye nearly every time with only the slightest change of hold. Very satisfying, that kind of accuracy and firepower for the overall cost of same.

Then there's the 24" rifled-bore rifle-sights sabot'd slug barrel and Hornady SSTs... haven't tried those yet but I suspect similar results (but with a ton more recoil!) to 150 yards.

 

[243winxb]

With just a bead , its hit or miss. In the late 50's i remember a nice buck being taken with a Punkin ball, by an old guy. Plain old break open single shot. All us young guys, with our rifles, were amazed.

 

[GRIZ22]

The agency I worked for had 870s with bead sights and required 4 out 5 slugs in the 5 zone at 25 yards to qualify. That would be about a 8-12 target. Most agents were not dedicated shooters and had no problem with that. I could shoot 3" groups at 50 yards with the 870 with bead sights.

Try some different brands of slugs. A little practice and I don't think you'll havery an issue.

 

[wnycollector]

My maverick 88 security has a bead. I don't have a problem keeping 5 slugs on a 5" target at 50 yards with it. I tried slugs from the big companies (Federal, Remington and Winchester) but none of them grouped as well as Fiocchi low recoil and Herters slugs.

 

[goon]

With practice I'd say you could keep them in the vitals to 50 yards. I've actually shot cloverleaf groups with slugs from bead sighted barrels.

It's been my experience that slugs will often group high from a cylinder bore bead sighted barrel though.

 

[Mike Kerr]

leemaymiami in Post No 8? really outlined a feasible program for shooting the bead sighted security barrel. The rear groove in the receiver top of a Mossberg 500 with a 18.5" barrel can be "squinted down" to almost a POI hold at about 25 yards with minimal practice. At 50 yard you have to really focus on how little your bead is through the receiver groove or learn to hold low on your target (by trial and error)

Once you have your "bead hold" established you can certainly go out to 80-100 yards but without a true rear sight you will need to practice 8-10 shots at varying distances because the limitation is how small you can "squint" the bead down and hold it. If you hold the bead at full size or "proud" you will shoot pretty high pretty quick .

In short its doable for defense purposes - hunting accuracy will take practice but unless the security barrel also has a rib for an expensive sight (NAH) the bead will do .