# slug guns having accuracy problems



## rodbender85

I just bought a H/R single shot rifled slug gun. I shot the 2 3/4 20 ga hornady SST's it shot good the first 3 shots than it started throwing the shots everywhere. The scope is tight and is a redfield made by leupold.I thought the sabots might be pluging the rifling so the next time i shot i brought my cleaning sfuff and cleaned it after every few shots but still having trouble.The gun shot good when it was cold and clean but after that it shot lousy.I also got a remington 1100 12 ga that i got a new rifled barrel for shot it at 50 yards with the SST's and im not happy with the accuracy. Im going to try the remington accu tips to see if they shoot better.Should I have to clean the guns after a few shots.Any help would be appreciated.


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## Shortdrift

Is your gun chambered for 3"? If so, part of your problem is using the 2.75" in the 3" chamber. The projectile has to "jump" .25" prior to entering the rifled portion of the barrel. I had the same problem you describe and it cleared up as soon as I started using 3" ammunition. My poorest accuracy (5 t0 6" groups) was with Remington Copper Solids but I could cut cloverleafs at 50 yards with Litefields and 3" at 100.


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## saugeyesam

Firing the 2 3/4" in a 3" shouldn't be a problem as the crimp on the shotshell opens it fills that 1/4". I wouldn't limit my ammo choice to just one brand or type of ammo. Some guns just prefer different loads to others. I have a Mossberg 500 12 ga with a fully rifled slug barrel and I have shot many many different types of slugs in 2 3/4" and 3" and the one that shoots the best is just a plain old Federal 1 oz lead slug in a 2 3/4". If I were you I would buy a box of several different brands and loads and shoot them then pick the one that shoots the best and stick with it. As for cleaning the gun after a few shots It's not necessary I would however run a brush and a couple patches between each different brand/load till you find one your gun shoots well. I will say this, finding the best shooting slug can get expensive so try and spread it out over the off season instead of waiting till just before the gun season. Because the closer we get to gun season the harder it is to buy quantities of some types and brands of slugs. This is one reason why I have gone the way of the Muzzleloader for deer I can buy bullets and powder in bulk and it lasts me quite a while. Well good luck and try not to get frustrated you'll find a slug your gun will shoot well then after that it's all up to whether or not the deer cooperate!


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## rodbender85

Thanks for the help.The H/R is a 3in and the 1100 is 2 3/4.I will go and get some other brands of slugs and see what happens.


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## ErieAngler

just keep trying diff brands. for some reason it makes a very big difference. I shoot remington buck hammers out of my moss 695 and hastings sabots out of my other riffled guns


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## C.Keith&Co

My friend Earl has Mossberg 500 smooth barrel 12 ga. shotgun and shoots Lightfield slugs - it puts a 3 shot group out at 50 yards 3 shots touch other, I have a Mossberg 500 smooth barrel 12 ga. shotgun I tried shooting those Lightfield slugs out of mine at 50 yards and I couldn't cover 3 shots with a dinner plate- you just have to try different ones.


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## PITCHNIT

Once I sight in and am happy with it, I dont clean it (barell) til the season is over.


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## rodbender85

I when back to the range today to try my luck. I bought accu tips,federal barnes expanders,winchester super x bri sabots,and brenneke KO for the 12 ga. The winchesters seemed to shoot the best but I only had one box so I didn't get to sight it in.Im going to go get some more and try to sight it in tomarrow. The H/R I didn't have very good luck with. I shot the barnes expanders, remington copper solids and 3 SST's I had left from the last time I shot. The berns exspanders shot terrible the copper soilds shot maybe a 6in group the SST's I can't figure out I've shot them three different times the first time I shot the first 3 shots touched then it shot everywhere the second time I shot the first shot was perfect then it shot everywhere the same thing happened today.Has anyone else shot the winchester super x bri one oz sabots they seemed to shoot flat 50-100 yards.I gess I'll get some more shells and shoot some more.


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## T-180

How fast are you shooting these things. Slug barrels have a very bad habit of heating up quickly & if you shoot too fast, it will stray all over the place (after the first 2 or 3). When I sight my 870 with a Hastings barrel in, I try to keep the shots at no more than 1 per minute. Also, sabots leave a plastic residue on the rifling and it can build up & kill your accuracy.
Like others have said, try several brands & let your set up tell you what it likes best. Different slug brands have slightly different outside diameters (od) & different firearm manufactures have very slightly different inside diameters & the only way to find the right recipe is to try a variety. It gets expensive & paiful, but it's well worth the effort.
T


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## buckeyeguy

I know the acuracy of a load is on a per gun basis, but my buddy has the same H&R gun and he shoots the Hastings sabots. Not only do they shoot the best in his gun, they have VERY devistating terminal performance.


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## Lewis

The Winchester BRI sabots perform very well in my Rem 870 with Hastings barrel.
Another good point that was made..let the barrel cool between shots.
If your accuracy problems continue,you might look at the scope.
Is it a shotgun scope?
Shotgun scopes are designed to take heavy recoil.


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## littleking

mine shoots the federal 3" shoulder busters, and the partition golds the best


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## Darron

I shoot 2-3/4" winchester partition golds from my 870 with no problems. Personal opinion, but the partition golds are by far my favorite slug. Compare the velocity and KE with other slugs and it's a no brainer.


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## rodbender85

I have rifle scopes on the guns .I gess this must be the problem because I can't get the H/R to shoot at all.What are some good scopes to look at. Thanks


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## jeffmo

if you have a variable scope you can check it by shooting your slug gun at different magnifications and see if it "holds zero".
if you aren't using a gun rest then you might think about buying or borrowing one to sight in with.they take most of the "human factor" out of sighting a gun in.
but you definately want a good shotgun scope.when it comes to scopes,buy the best quality you can.


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## firstflight111

sounds like your scope is broke


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## PITCHNIT

I'm starting to think scope also.


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## katfish

I put a Hastings barrel on my Rem 1100 and scoped it.
Each year I put some slugs thru it just to check zero.
At that time I check out new sabots just to see what they do.


Most stay within 3 inch group at 100 yds but 2 3/4 inch copper solids are the tightest groups.

When I tried 3 inch slugs I found the heavier weights made a pretty good arc from 0-100 yards and figured to stay with the 2 3/4 remingtons to hold dead on for dead deer to almost 120 yds.

You can try another scope and bench rest that gun. If accuracy doesn't improve you should contact the barrel company to see if they will check the barrel out.


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## donkey

I have the H&R 20 gauge and have experienced pretty much the same as you.There are several factors coming into play with this gun and ammo.First the gun has quite a bit of muzzle jump so if you do not hold the forearm tightly it will jump.Secondly the 20 gauge likes to be cleaned after several shots.Thirdly in my experience with this gun and ammo the Hornady sst slug seemed to have quite a few fliers.The sweetest round for my 20 gauge is the Copper Solid.
I have currently laid this gun aside in favor of my 12 gage Ultraslug as the variety of slugs readily available for 12 gage is much better.My 12 gauge Ultra Slug does cloverleaf groups at 50 yards with Remington accutips 2 3/4 or 3 inch. The gun was originally sighted for Hornady sst and when I switched to the Accutip there was no difference in the point of impact.
With that said give the 20 gauge to your kid or girlfriend and get the 12 gage Ultra Slugger.


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## rodbender85

Well I got the 1100 fixed.I went to cabelas and bought 2 leupold 3 to 9 shotgun scopes.I had both guns mounted and bore sighted. Went out to the range and the 1100 shot good with the SST's so I sighted it in with them then I shot the accu tips and they shot better than the SST's with a 1.5in group at 100 yards but 6in to the right. So I'm going to sight it in with the accu tips the next time i goto the range. The H/R still didn't shoot good .I only shot the SST's and the winchester supreme but couldn't even get a idea of where the gun was hitting one shoots high and right and the next shoots low and left. I've done everything I know to do.cleaned the barrel every few shots I've been shooting off a bench and sand bags I've shot every shell I could get before I changed scopes, then I changed scopes and still no better. Do you think it could be the barrel. I thought the shot gun scopes would fix both guns.Next step a new gun anyone have the savage 220 and how do you like it. Thanks


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## Jigging Jim

Are your scope ring screws tight? Check them on that H&R after every 3 shots - just in case they have been loosening up on you. If you don't use it, Locktite (the kind recommended for scope ring screws) will keep those screws tight for good.


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## Jigging Jim

rodbender85 said:


> Well I got the 1100 fixed.I went to cabelas and bought 2 leupold 3 to 9 shotgun scopes.I had both guns mounted and bore sighted. Went out to the range and the 1100 shot good with the SST's so I sighted it in with them then I shot the accu tips and they shot better than the SST's with a 1.5in group at 100 yards but 6in to the right. So I'm going to sight it in with the accu tips the next time i goto the range. The H/R still didn't shoot good .I only shot the SST's and the winchester supreme but couldn't even get a idea of where the gun was hitting one shoots high and right and the next shoots low and left. I've done everything I know to do.cleaned the barrel every few shots I've been shooting off a bench and sand bags I've shot every shell I could get before I changed scopes, then I changed scopes and still no better. Do you think it could be the barrel. I thought the shot gun scopes would fix both guns.Next step a new gun anyone have the savage 220 and how do you like it. Thanks


Don't have a Savage 220... BUT I have been reading that some new owners are having ejection problems with 3" shells. Apparently, you have to yank the Bolt back really hard to get the 3" empty shells to eject.


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