What do you consider "acceptable" slug gun accuracy?

[NYH1]

I haven't used a slug gun in the last few years.   Been hunting in the rifle area part of the state....which I greatly prefer!   This year I'll be hunting in both areas so I have to set my slug gun up again.   It's a Remington 11-87 Sportsman Deer 12 ga.   It has a 21 inch fully rifled barrel with the cantilever scope mount and a Leupold VXII 2-7x32mm Shotgun Scope.   I'm also going to be using a 21 inch smooth bore barrel with the Remchoke system (with imp. cyl. and rifled choke tubes) with open sights for walking and doing deer drives where my shots will be under 50 years.   I'll be switching back and forth.

I'm going to try a bunch of different 2 3/4 inch sabot slugs for the scope set up.   I bought a few boxes of slugs today.
Hornady SST 1900 fps, 3/4 oz.
Federal Vital Shok Barnes Expander Tipped Slugs 1900 fps, 3/4 oz.
Fusion 1900 fps, 3/4 oz.
Remington Premier Accu Tip 1850 fps, 385 gr.
Lightfield Hybred XEP 1450 fps, 1 1/4 oz.
I'll try a few more slugs too.   I want to try Winchester's Platinum slugs (1700 fps).   Last time I shot the Partition Golds, they didn't group to well.   I could always try a box again.

The smooth bore barrel I'll probably use Foster type slugs or maybe something like the Remington Buck Hammers or Winchester Rack Master slugs.   I'll see how they group with the rifled choke tube.   I'll use the imp. cyl. choke tube with the foster type slugs.

So my question is, what do you consider "acceptable" slug gun accuracy?   I hear all the time about guys shooting 1.5 to 2 inch groups with slug guns.   However I've never actually "SEEN" anyone shoot anything under a 2 inch group at 100 yards with a slug gun, and that was only a 3 shot group with NO WIND at all.   So under normal conditions I'm thinking with my scoped set up a 3 to 4 inch group at 100 yards is going to be good, closer to 3 inch would be preferable.   

I'd like to get the same size groups with my open sight set up but at 50 yards.   I'm being realistic here.   How does this sound to you guys?

[bobg]

    How many deer do you think you will miss with a gun that shoots 3 or 4 inch groups at 100 yards? I did own a Mossy slug gun that would shoot three shots touching each other at 100 yards. My go to slug gun now is a smooth bore 870 that will keep five shots on a paper plate at fifty yards. Where i hunt the deer are close shots. Between 10 and 20 yards. If it was a varmint rifle. I wouldn't keep one that shot over 1" 100 yrd. groups.
   bobg

[SHOOTALL]

if the kill zone of a deer is 6 inches and you can shoot a slug gun well enough to group 3-4 inches and call the shot . If you miss its your fault .

[Cabin4]

With a rifled slug gun you should be able to get 3 inch groups off the bench. They are pretty darn accurate enough for their use.

[Rj 1]

My USH 20 w/remmington buckhammers will cloverleaf at 50yds, do not know about 100 as I have never shot it at that. Tarhunt recommends a 50yd line in as these big bullets catch alot of wind. Go to their web page and read the article.

[NYH1]

    How many deer do you think you will miss with a gun that shoots 3 or 4 inch groups at 100 yards?    bobg

If I can get it to shoot 3-4 inch groups...none lol.   

I've only shot 4 deer so far.   All 4 were shot with rifles (2 w/ a 308 Win., 1 w/ a 280 Rem. and 1 w/ a 35 Rem.) and I only fired 5 shots.   The last one needed a finisher when I walked up to it.   It was a weird shot through really thick woods at about 75 yards and it turned as I pulled the trigger, but it worked.   I had to wait until I wasn't going to hit any limbs or brush or anything.         

[NYH1]

if the kill zone of a deer is 6 inches and you can shoot a slug gun well enough to group 3-4 inches and call the shot . If you miss its your fault .

Yep!   Gotta get there first though!

[SHOOTALL]

fair enough , Go to Tarhunt .com . Go to the how to shoot a slug gun and read it several times . It is the best advice you will get . Nope I don't know them , no i don't have one of their guns and have never ordered anything from them . I do use lightfield slugs as they work well .
 I have both a 20 and 12  870 set up with screw in chokes on a rifle sighted bbl . The 12 groups better than a Hastings full rifle bbl i had ( note this was before i visited the tarhunt sight and started using their advice ). The odd thing is the short rifled tube i have out shoots the extended tube i have in the same bbl. both are Rem chokes . The 20 rifle tube just got here a few weks ago and i have not shot it .

[NYH1]

Thanks for the link.   I can't get it to open right now.   I'll try again later. 

[PHATINJUN]

I've got a old Rem Model 11 auto loader that I use for deer drives it shoots 4" groups at 60 yrds with the sluggers and a sawed off bbl great for walking and driving deer it has killed many deer on drives. Kurt

[spikehorn]

I have a mossberg 500 trophy with a heavy rifled barrel and a bushnell banner 3X9X40 and can clover leaf hornady SST's at 75 yards. In my part of N.Y. there's not alot of shots over 100 yards. I've only ever shot one deer over 100 yards with that gun and it was an open field shot.

[gunrac]

Hitting a gallon jug of water at 100yd. "freehand"

[Cabin4]

I have 2 Mossberg 500 slug guns with the rifled bbls and each has a 1-4x20 scope on them. 3 inch groups at 100 yards, I'm happy.

[GLHolmes]

Cabin4, what sabots do you shoot out of those Mossbergs?

[gunrac]

Cabin4, what sabots do you shoot out of those Mossbergs?

I use Win. Super X 3" 1oz. in my Mossy.  3" groups are normal off the bench.

[Cabin4]

Cabin4, what sabots do you shoot out of those Mossbergs?

Win Super X.

[SHOOTALL]

My Savage 210 with Lightfield will give 2-3 inch groups allday if ammo is new . My sons 210 likes winchester . All guns have their likes .

[NYH1]

I went to the range today.   I'm all set with my smooth bore ghost ring barrel set up.   With Remington Foster style slugs I'm shooting right around 4 inch groups at 50 yards.   I'm happy with that.

I still have some work to do with my rifled cantilever barrel set up.   I was only shooting to see which slugs shot the best.   I wasn't to concerned about my point of impact.   I shot an amazing 3 shot 2 1/2 inch group with Federal's 2 3/4", Vital Shok 3/4 oz. Barnes Expander Tipped Slugs.   That's the best group I've ever shot with a slug gun.   

I shot 6 different 2 3/4" slugs, The Federal's mentioned above,   Fusion slugs, Lightfield slugs, Hornady's SST slugs, Remington's Ultra Bonded Core-Lokt slugs and their AccuTip Bonded slugs.   The Federal's were the only slugs that I was happy with.   The rest wouldn't shoot any better then 4 inch groups at 100 yards, with the exception of the Lightfield slugs, I didn't shoot them at 100 yards, only 50 yards, so I don't know how well they are at 100 yards.

The other slugs not shooting as well as I wanted could be from my barrel getting dirty I don't know.   I shot the Federal's about halfway through my shooting session.   I was switching back and forth between my 2 slug barrels and my Marlin 336C 35 Rem so the barrels were cool.   

I'm going to clean the whole gun and shoot some more groups and set my point of impact to zero at 100 yards with the Federal slugs.

[Varmint Hunter]

The Federal 2 3/4" Barnes 3/4oz slugs shoot better from my Rem 11/87 w/21" fully rifled bbl than any other sabot slug I've tried.

If you can get 3"-3.5" @ 100yds then you're good to go. Slugs aren't really very practical at more than 125yds anyway unless you have a particularly accurate gun/slug combo and lots of bench time with the gun. Shooting lots of slugs is awful expensive.

[Dee]

Have any of you guys drilled and tapped the barrel to the receiver? I have done a bunch of reading on this, and am thinking about trying it on a Model 1100 Remington 12 gauge with rifle sights. I have read that this will greatly enhance accuracy, and it makes sense. The shotgun groups foster type slugs very well at 50 yards (under 3") but, if it did not help, I could simply take the screws out with no harm done.
Anybody know?

[NYH1]

I switch barrels with my shotgun so pinning the barrel won't work for me.   

[spikehorn]

I've read a little bit about barrel pinning, but I'm happy with the way mine shoots so it seems like a waste of time and money for me.

[Dee]

That's what's in the back of my mind. I use mine seldom opting instead for a 3030 or 357 mag rifle but, I'm thinking about hogs not deer.
A big hog in this part of Texas is a little over 400, and I'm thinking although it is not really necessary, it could be a boon in the brush, when thing rarely get dicey and you jump a sow with little ones. They can get ornery if you get between her and her babies.

[spikehorn]

Only ever hog hunted once here in N.Y. Some Russian bore got loose from a game farm. Yeah a nice hard hitting slug from a pump or a semi for quick follow up shot if needed doesn't sound like a bad idea. I'm 6'4" and with my long arms I can rack my pump almost as fast as my friend can shoot his semi.

[unclematt]

Well I think it absolutely necessary that one be able to hit a deer in the "boiler room" and put it down quickly. Only ethical shots such as that are acceptable to me.

So, that being said, I believe that a deer's "boiler room" is fairly well represented by a paper plate. So a hunter's shot should be limited to a range that he/she can consistently tag a paper plate in practice sessions no matter what the yardage.

100 yards with Brenneke 3" Gold Mags

[gunrac]

Well I think it absolutely necessary that one be able to hit a deer in the "boiler room" and put it down quickly. Only ethical shots such as that are acceptable to me.

So, that being said, I believe that a deer's "boiler room" is fairly well represented by a paper plate. So a hunter's shot should be limited to a range that he/she can consistently tag a paper plate in practice sessions no matter what the yardage.

100 yards with Brenneke 3" Gold Mags

I wish I could shoot that good free-hand.

[unclematt]

Well I think it absolutely necessary that one be able to hit a deer in the "boiler room" and put it down quickly. Only ethical shots such as that are acceptable to me.

So, that being said, I believe that a deer's "boiler room" is fairly well represented by a paper plate. So a hunter's shot should be limited to a range that he/she can consistently tag a paper plate in practice sessions no matter what the yardage.

100 yards with Brenneke 3" Gold Mags

I wish I could shoot that good free-hand.

Yeah - me too. But that is not shot freehand. We have gun rails on most of our farm's treestands and I always have a shooting stick

[gunrac]

Yeah - me too. But that is not shot freehand. We have gun rails on most of our farm's treestands and I always have a shooting stick

Yes, I figured that.  I can also shoot decent groups on the bench. Our style of hunting is completely different. We do small drives on several small wooded tracts of ground, usally posting up in a open field. Bread baskit shots can be  difficult to get, the way we get the deer flyin. Then its your turn to beat the brush in the next woods. So draging a gun is about all you want to pack with you. I did pick up a fold-up set of sticks that you can carry in a belt pouch. I will give them a go this year, they seem awfully flemsy, but they work an may prove to be better then nothing.