Hog hunting with a shotgun slug.

[ltdann]

A rifle scope mounted on a shotgun will probably become scrape metal from recoil. I burned up 3 "rifle" scopes on my shotgun, a simmons, a bushnell and something else. What most frequently happens is that internals will weaken under repeated heavy recoil and it won't hold a zero. The first round will be in the bull and next will be 6" away. The second thing is the reticle may actually break internally. That happened on one of my scopes. 2 shots and chunks of the reticle were laying on the bottom of the scope.You want to buy a scope that specifcally designed for Muzzleloader or Shotguns. It has beefed internals that can handle the recoils. I use the leopold VX-1 Sabre reticle and all my accuracy problems disappeared.

 

[RodeoFlyer]

It seems for me at least that at FHL the smooth barrel/ rifled slug combo is the better option. I can hunt other game with shot, and pop a slug in if I get on a pig(s).

I'm ASSuming puting shot through a rifled barrel is a bad idea.

 

[Uncle Bambi]

It seems for me at least that at FHL the smooth barrel/ rifled slug combo is the better option. I can hunt other game with shot, and pop a slug in if I get on a pig(s).

I'm ASSuming puting shot through a rifled barrel is a bad idea.

I've read a lot about how copper slugs don't fly well out of a smooth barrel - lots of folks report tumbling or "key-holing". Is that a legitimate concern?

Since I have a Mossberg 500, a simple solution would seem to buy a cantilevered barrel combo similar to what catchdog mentioned in post #17.

 

[catchdog]

I have had rifle scopes on shotguns that worked great and still do. But you have to use a good quality scope. If a rifle scope can handle l the recoil from a 375 H&H or a 416 Win mag it can handle the recoil from a shotgun. the parelex is set at closer range on a shotgun scope. But dont think a $40 scope made for a rimfire rifle will hold up.

 

[Uncle Bambi]

I have had rifle scopes on shotguns that worked great and still do. But you have to use a good quality scope. If a rifle scope can handle l the recoil from a 375 H&H or a 416 Win mag it can handle the recoil from a shotgun. the parelex is set at closer range on a shotgun scope. But dont think a $40 scope made for a rimfire rifle will hold up.

That's what I'm looking for... thanks. I don't have a spare rifle scope anyway, so if I gotta buy one I might as well buy the right one for the job.

The Mossberg cantilever barrel - it seems like a good solution to get what I want and also have a quick-change option to get back to birding in the field if I want to. A couple of questions, since you have one:

1) What about the scope that came with the combo did you not like?

2) Does taking the barrel off and on affect zero at all, or can you take the slug barrel off and reinstall it later and expect the gun to shoot to the same point of aim?

 

[ltdann]

Shooting sabots thru a smoothbore barrel doesn't work very well, the keyholing mentioned. The slugs will be all over the place.

Unfortunately, they don't make a rifled slug that's lead free. The Ddupleks slugs claim that they can be fired from both smoothbore and rifled barrel. The reality is different. Asaxon did some tests and found that specific choke clearances are needed.

With a rifled, cantilever barrel, you get rifle accuracy out your shotgun. The point of aim isn't changed by changing barrels since the scope is attached to the cantilever on the barrel, rather than the shotgun receiver.

As Catchdog mentioned, the parallax of the shotgun scope is different, it gives you a wider field of view, close up.

I find that I can swing a shotgun faster on a running animal than I can with a rifle, probably because of the parralax.

You can certainly use bird shot shells out of your rifled barrel. It won't hurt the barrel, but since the plastic cup engages the rifling and there's no choke, the shot cup is spinning as it exits the barrel and your shot pattern will be quite large just a few yards down range.

Honestly, if you have any plans to hunt hogs or deer with a shotgun, a cantilever rifled barrel is the only way to go. I haven't killed a deer in at least 7 years with a rifle. It's all be rifled shotguns.

 

[catchdog]

The scope that came with it was a cheap bushnell but was made for shotguns. I am not a fan of the cheaper bushnell scopes. it was a 3x9 power. and I really like the 2 power for close shots. The crosshairs were thick and I'm not a fan of that. I gave it away and never even used it. IMHO the Leupold 2x7x33 is one of the best shotgun scopes. The Nikon 2x7x32 is very good also. I have only thaken my barrel off one time. When I put it back on it was still dead on. I have shot deer out to 150 yards, just put the crosshair on the top of it's back and the slug dropped right in there. You do want to shoot at the range to see what your gun and ammo will do at 50. 100 and 150 yards.. When I'm hunting I keep my scope turned down to 2x and if I see one out thereaways I turn it up. Have you ever looked at a deer or a hog at 5 yards with 4x, its just a big blob. But with 2x you can make out the shoulder. Nikon did make a 1.65x5x36 Omega that is also great for close work. But I'm not sure if they still make it. My wife has one on her 7mm08 and shoots well out to 250 yards with it. You may like the scope that comes with the combo. We are not all the same it might be lust what your looking for.

 

[Hikingwithguns]

It seems for me at least that at FHL the smooth barrel/ rifled slug combo is the better option. I can hunt other game with shot, and pop a slug in if I get on a pig(s).

I'm ASSuming puting shot through a rifled barrel is a bad idea.

Just remember that you can't use rifled lead slugs at FHL. You could get a rifled choke for your smoothbore and it might be ok. It also might be terrible.

Also take a look here:
http://www.fgc.ca.gov/regulations/current/uplandgamebirdregs.aspx#311

This seems to suggest you can only posses the appropriate shot shells when hunting turkey and not slugs. Wardens at FHL have stated this, personally I would argue that a slug does not count as "shot" but I prefer not to argue with wardens I can see how they wouldn't want turkey hunters "accidentally" using a slug on a turkey at 100 yards...

I am not sure about carrying slugs while quail hunting as I don't see how using a slug on quail would be an advantage. If anyone knows F&G code that says you can I'm all ears as 311 seems to suggest you technically can't.

 

[Uncle Bambi]

Thanks, guys - just the info I was looking for!

 

[RodeoFlyer]

Lead Free rifled slugs are in fact available.

http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm?contentID=productDetail&prodID=WNX12RS15LF

 

[Hikingwithguns]

Lead Free rifled slugs are in fact available.

http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm?contentID=productDetail&prodID=WNX12RS15LF

They are but I don't see it on the ca certified list.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/condor/certifiedammo.html

 

[Live2hunt]

So - 1st question is, what is the difference between a rifle scope and a shotgun scope?

Slug shotgun scopes have BDC reticle calculated base on ballistics of shotgun slugs.

 

[Live2hunt]

Here you go guys. This setup works.

 

[ltdann]

Lead Free rifled slugs are in fact available. http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm?contentID=productDetail&prodID=WNX12RS15LF

Not really. The product is out of stock everywhere and the Winchester Ammo website doesn't even list it. Regardless, it's not listed on the DFW lead-free list so it's not legal in CA.Currently, the choices for lead-free slugs are limited to the Federal/Barnes vital-shok, Remington Copper solid, Winchester XP3 and Ddupleks. That's all.Hornady list's a 12 ga monoflex leadfree but I've never seen it for sale or in stock. Sinterfire has a lead-free frangible slug if you want to load your own, they don't sell cartridges.So there you go. Those are your options.Above is a hog I took in Sept with my Remington 11-87, cantilever rifled barrel, Leopold VX-1 Sabre Reticle and Ddupleks Monolit 32's

 

[thewolfman]

Them Condors need to b banned fo eatin lead...hahaha

 

[thewolfman]

Nice hogs...looks lik Vandenberg to me...haha

 

[catchdog]

nice hogs guy's. LTdann I think I got your hogs sister.

 

[dthome]

I bought a Harrington and Richardson ultra light slug hunter a few years ago for deer hunting. It's a single shot, rifled barrel with scope mount. It's a tack-driver with sabots. I've killed two deer with it. Both deer dropped in their tracks. I love that gun. I paid 170 for it new. I think it's more like 270 now, though. The sabot round for a 12 gauge is at the .50 caliber scale. Pigs wouldn't stand a chance.

 

[ltdann]

nice hogs guy's. LTdann I think I got your hogs sister.

I think your right! Nice coloring!

 

[KTKT70]

i hope to get sum of these sabots for my 20g asap. those pigs look real good. nice job guys.