Target Practice With a Shotgun

[bbbass]

Well we used Sabot rounds out of a Mossberg 500 lol like you said not recommend it .but it will work lol

They work as well as a musket ball out of a smoothbore.

If he's close, that's fine. But he wants to make 100yd shots until he buys a rifle someday.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Most of my bird hunting shots are around 30 yards or less...
So that is the distance I practice out to with bird shot.

I have shot slugs out to 80 yards or so with just a a bead sight,,,unless you count the "V" notch sight on my flintlock fowler...then I have made hits out to 100 yards with this gun and roundball....

Buckshot I try and practice out to 15 yards or so ...but for fun I will occasionally try 25- 30 yards...Just 'cause....
Andy

 

[Mr Smith]

Most of my bird hunting shots are around 30 yards or less...
So that is the distance I practice out to with bird shot.
Andy

No choke?

My trap thrower launches them out to the 75yd line when you're standing next to the trap. I don't trust other people at the range to not shoot my trap thrower so I never put it out past the firing line. Besides...it needs reloaded every 50 shots..that doesn't take long to go through with a semi auto shotgun hehe..If it wasn't for wally world having cheap clay pigeons...I'd be going broke just on feeding the trap!

I usually hit them between 25 and 60 yards. Though my success rate does go down the further out they get. But that doesn't stop me from unloading 4 or 5 shots at 1 bird just cause

I only get 2 pews out of the over/under though. Get 10 pews out of the vepr though it does take a while to reload 50rds into those mags... (5x 10rd mags)


I use 2 ratchet straps to secure the legs to the table otherwise it will throw them at me after about 2 shots

 

[Andy54Hawken]

No choke?

By "bird hunting" ...I mean grouse...and where I hunt grouse 30 yards is a far shot...
As for chokes...
My guns all have fixed chokes of
Cylinder...
Improved Cylinder...
Modified...
Full...

And yes I know that my shot will "carry" much further my hunting limit of 30 yards...so I do shoot at farther distances...but I mostly practice at my hunting range for the area where I hunt.
Andy

 

[G8rHunter]

You have what, a 930 JM Pro... comes with an extended tube and holds 9 shells? Gonna have to put a dowel in it when you go hunting... check the regs to see how many shells are allowed.

Yes, I will. I plan to make a wooden dowel.

 

[RMc]

With any multiple pellet delivery system, pattern dictates the maximum range. Minimum pattern equals maximum range.

The problem then is not the shotgun, regardless of shot load or choke. It is the shotgunner who has not established, with serious pattern work, the maximum distance his shotgun/choke/load combination is capable of maintaining a killing pattern.

Your pattern board will not lie to you.

 

[best defense]

I would like to take my 12 gauge shotgun and try it out for accuracy at a target range. I have a new shotgun and have fired about 50 rounds of birdshot so far. What loads, beside slugs, can I shoot at a still target and at what distance should I start at. Also, what can I expect the limit to be for rifled slugs, since I have a smooth bore? BTW, I know I cannot use sabots

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I don't know where you plan to shoot your shotgun, but if you shoot it on a rifle range you can use sabots and slugs. You just cannot use them on most shotgun ranges. I saw one guy shoot slugs accruately out to 100 yards. I can't do that in my shotgun, but that guy had 3 holes touching a 100 yards. I would start testing a 50 yards for slugs.

Most (but not all) shotgun ranges are going to limit you to shot not larger than size 7 1/2 for safety reasons, so 7 1/2, 8, and 9 will be your choices for trap 5 stand and skeet. You can usually shoot even smaller shot if you can find it.

 

[G8rHunter]

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I don't know where you plan to shoot your shotgun, but if you shoot it on a rifle range you can use sabots and slugs. You just cannot use them on most shotgun ranges. I saw one guy shoot slugs accruately out to 100 yards. I can't do that in my shotgun, but that guy had 3 holes touching a 100 yards. I would start testing a 50 yards for slugs.

Most (but not all) shotgun ranges are going to limit you to shot not larger than size 7 1/2 for safety reasons, so 7 1/2, 8, and 9 will be your choices for trap 5 stand and skeet. You can usually shoot even smaller shot if you can find it.

Thanks, I want to test the range on my new shotgun, and see what the accuracy will be. No need, clearly, to even try shooting at deer, if I know they're out of my range.

 

[308Tom]

shotguns like rifles have a variety of factors that can effect accuracy.
Barrel length, what size choke, what kind of loads, etc.

that said: I can shoot gongs at 200yds all day long with 2 3/4" rifled slugs out of my vepr 12. (18.5" barrel)
my over/under (28" barrels) I generally only shoot moving targets with using birdshot (5-stand/trap)

That's really impressive. How big is the gong and what kind of sight.

 

[Baseacegoku]

Quick question. You said in other places that you are fairly new to guns in general correct? If so have you ever shot skeet?

 

[Mr Smith]

That's really impressive. How big is the gong and what kind of sight.

silhouette gong and the factory RPK style iron sights.

 

[308Tom]

So that a 12"x20" gong, very nice. I'd never thought about pushing slugs beyond 100. What was the round and the holdover?

 

[JRuby]

So that a 12"x20" gong, very nice. I'd never thought about pushing slugs beyond 100. What was the round and the holdover?

I would never consider a shotgun accurate simply because it could hit a 12"X20" gong with in 200 yards. To me that is not great enough accuracy to hunt ethically. Keeping it in a 6" circle should be the goal for deer. IMHO

 

[308Tom]

I would never consider a shotgun accurate simply because it could hit a 12"X20" gong with in 200 yards. To me that is not great enough accuracy to hunt ethically. Keeping it in a 6" circle should be the goal for deer. IMHO

No argument with that - Thought the subject was "target practice" and what can you do with a shotgun. Ethical Kills for Hunting are a separate issue with a new set of concepts, arguments, and ideas.

 

[Mr Smith]

shotguns even with slugs aren't meant for accuracy beyond 75yds. only so much a smooth bore can do.

if you're gonna hunt with slugs I'd definitely keep it inside 75yds. shotguns vary in accuracy, and slugs vary in accuracy by brand and load. some just tumble, others fly decently. sometimes decent slugs that usually fly true will tumble. and shooting at 200yds you use what you got, aim high and shoot...see if you need to go higher or lower, shoot again till you hear the gong, then continue to hold there and send em down range! lol it's more of a thing you do just cause. not to prove anything or win any competitions. No way in hell you're gonna have a tight group with a slug. They just don't fly well enough.

 

[bbbass]

shotguns even with slugs aren't meant for accuracy beyond 75yds. only so much a smooth bore can do.

if you're gonna hunt with slugs I'd definitely keep it inside 75yds. shotguns vary in accuracy, and slugs vary in accuracy by brand and load. some just tumble, others fly decently. sometimes decent slugs that usually fly true will tumble. and shooting at 200yds you use what you got, aim high and shoot...see if you need to go higher or lower, shoot again till you hear the gong, then continue to hold there and send em down range! lol it's more of a thing you do just cause. not to prove anything or win any competitions. No way in hell you're gonna have a tight group with a slug. They just don't fly well enough.

I was happy to just get on paper with my Mossy 500 18" barrel w reflex optic and PDX1 slugs sighted in at 100yds. I don't remember what the group size was, but I do remember thinking I could consistently hit a bad boy center mass at that range and that's all I wanted.

Not sure what the yardage expectancy is for guys that hunt with slugs... just never thought about it. Kinda never expected to think about it. Might be a new trend cuz things are gonna get real Western someday!

 

[thorborg]

Cash N carry (something else now) has rolls of white vinyl maybe four feet wide by many yards long for very little $ (party table cloth?)
For patterning, its a low cost target, the little black holes are easy to see on the bone white from a distance.
For first time slug shooting with a new gun it is nice to have a four foot target to walk in your sighting and having the giant holes clear as night and day @ 100 yards
Use by covering (taping) on 4 foot square piece of cardboard backing .Each new set, put another skin on instead of costly large targets or taping the old one up or finding more cardboard. use a wide tip indelible to make a big X for centering.
other handy uses:
I also cover the camp tables when friends families get together with the potluck or snacks, saves a lot of clean up especially if kids are being kids.
Hunting season I cover the temporary 4X8 plywood table set up to butcher on, again, easy clean up and All I have to clean up and sterilize is the butcher board plus the plywood still looks good.

Patterning really helps you visualize what's happening with each particular load / shot size used, and puts you in sync with your guns (and chokes) ability and potential effectiveness at given distances.

 

[Defense Minister]

I'll keep this simple: For your 18" cylinder bore, which is essentially a defensive use barrel, try Federal buckshot with the FlightControl wad or other similar round/technology and sight in at 25 yds. That's what I did the first, last, and only time I've ever sighted in a shotgun after mounting a Burris Fastfire II on my Mossberg 500. The FlightControl technology also comes in some game loads if needed. Done!

 

[RMc]

Sight in with 1 ounce rifled slugs is normally conducted at 50 yards. Sight in 2 inches high at 50 yards and this should put you on at 75 yards and roughly 4 inches low at 100 yards. Be sure to fire follow-on groups at 75 and 100 yards to verify.