??????Shotgun Hunters?????

[Tom]

John,
Why will Challenger rifled slugs foul up my 870 rifled barrel?

When bare LEAD comes into contact with rifling in a barrel, some will come off and become set inside the groves of the rifling. The same thing will happen with the plastic from the Sabots but just not as bad. Now with the Challanger's they are already rifled. There will be a conflect between the two different riflings (slug & barrel) which will magnify the lead fouling of the barrel. This conflect will also hinder accuracy.

Rifled slugs should only be shot out of smooth bore barrels and leave the sabots for fully rifled or rifled choke tubes.

Hope this helps.

[Annapolis]

Thanks Tom,
No more Challengers for me. I had some Challengers and some Remingtons and was using both until they were all gone.
I imagine cleaning will help, but lead in the rifling will be tough to remove??

[Tom]

IT can be removed and not to difficult. Use the brass wire brush with cleaners. If you find that it is still difficult or stubborn, get some of the cleaner solution for blackpowder guns, they deal with this problem all the time.

Good luck.

[Annapolis]

Thanks Tom

[LV2HNT]

I agree with Grizz. Those sighting in rests are great. I got one a few years ago and I can't imagine sighting in without one now. I had never had so much confidence in my guns untill I was able to see how well they shot without the human factor. They save a lot of money too in the long run because sighting in takes half the time and shells.

Since you only plan to shoot out to 80 yards I would recomend buying guns with smooth bore barrels and using the extra money on a rest. I would also consider getting those managed recoil bullets for your daughters.

If you have to get a rifled barrel, I would not recomend buying a stock one from Remington. They may be fine now but I preferred the Hastings barrels years ago when I was trying out different combos. My hastings CSD barrel on my 1187 was the most accurate shotgun I have ever had the pleasure of shooting. These days though, I would have to try american barrels because they seem to have the best product on the market due to their increased twist rate.

[Big John]

Well said Tom, thank you.
I was away from the house and did not respond in time, however I would of said the same thing.

By the way Grizzly Adam, I have been firing Shot gun Slugs from Smooth bores ,and Sabots from Rifled Barrels for quite some time now, and I don't flinch. I come form a long line of Hunters and Police Family who all use big bore and Shot guns and it all comes natural to us.
However I am familiar with quite a few people who have this problem.
I recommend they use "Smaller" calibre Guns, or Shot guns or Bows.
Better this than flinch when the shot needs to count.
Your statements are quite true though. Glad you pointed them out to some who may be unaware.

[Cedrus]

Not being a slug gun hunter, I can't comment on the various slugs on the market. I'm a .270 win man.
But, what I can comment on is the amount of recoil your girls are going to experience. 12 guage slugs kick somthing wicked! Anyone that has shot slugs out of a non-auto shot gun knows what I mean.

I would opt for 20 guage for the women folk.

I agree with Grizz and LV2HNT.

[Golden Eagle]

I made connections to borrow a scoped 20 gauge yesterday evening. I think that is the route I will take.

[Sliver]

I've been told that the remington Buckhammer slugs 1 1/4 oz. are ok to shoot from the 870 rifled barrel.... I have found that they shoot very well from this gun, But I am a bit concerned from what I have been reading here... Anyone else familiar with the buckhammers?

Thanks

Harry

[jaybird]

If you can find them in your area,try to get some Lightfield Hybred EXP sabot slugs.They shot great from my 870.When you sight in for slugs ,you need to be shooting 2 inches high at 25 yards.With that you will be dead on at 100 yards.The reason for the 25 yard sight in is that you must be at the peak velosity to get a good sight in.Gravity will slow the slug thus lowering the impact point the 2 inches to be dead on at 100 yards.

[Boo]

I made connections to borrow a scoped 20 gauge yesterday evening. I think that is the route I will take.

Your're a wise man!

[Tom]

I made connections to borrow a scoped 20 gauge yesterday evening. I think that is the route I will take.

Your're a wise man!

I agree.

With anyone that is young I would always recomend going to a lighter weapon until they get used to the kick from it, then go heavier. If they get punched hard at the start and get shy, it is difficult to change that flintch when shooting.

[huntman]

I'm going to offer a piece of advice that no one else has yet:

Consider borrowing or buying a recoil-controlling sighting-in rest before you buy a slug gun and set about determining what load works best with it. Your shoulder and cheek will thank you, and you may be saved from developing an accuracy-killing flinch.

I heartily recommend the Caldwell Lead Sled ... a sighting-in rest that adjusts and allows you to add as much as 50 pounds of weight to greatly reduce the recoil of hard-kicking rounds like slugs. It's a winner, and allows you to get groups you can't touch without something like it. It will truly show you what the gun and slug combination is really doing. Aside from a machine rest, you can't come any closer to getting all human error out of the process.

It's a macho tendency for hunters to claim they're unaffected by recoil ... but experience betrays the truth: recoil hurts, is unpleasant, and is the enemy of good marksmanship.

Something to think about.

Grizz

Grizz -- I have to agree with you 100% I am one of those hunter that flinch with the impact of my fully riffled 870! I feel myself bracing for the impact of the blow. Having said that, you reccomend using a bench rest to sight in and absorb the blow of the gun, my question is YES the gun will be sturdy and with no doubt sighted in 100% accurate, but what happens when you shoot the gun at a deer in a hunting situation? Will you be off the mark depending on your shoting habit or flinch? Or do u think that when your shooting at a deer you wont be thinking about the impact? I have had this disscusion with my brother and he believes that shooting at a target is different then shooting at an animal and that its much more important to have the gun sighted on a rest. Where i believe its more important to sight the gun to your shooting tendences? Any advice for any form member?

[Tom]

Huntman what or why most people flinch is not from one episode with a gun. If your siting in, yougenerally shoot the gun more then once and you seem to feel the kick more after each shot. You then start to expect the kick, and start to flinch.

Sighting in with recoil pads (rice bags, bench rests ect.) will eliminate that repeated kick/flinch. Also when you shot at game, you very seldom even realize the kick even after shooting, unless you were looking for it before you shot.

[Boo]

Don't forget to use ear plugs and muffs. The blast itself is enough to cause a flinch.