Slug Zero

[entropy]

Did a search here, couldn’t find a direct discussion. Kinda surprised me...

What’s the consensus for a slug gun (not sabot) with iron sights? 25 and hold over for 50 or vice versa. 00 FC buck (or #1) is the planned primary.

[GJM]

Did a search here, couldn’t find a direct discussion. Kinda surprised me...

What’s the consensus for a slug gun (not sabot) with iron sights? 25 and hold over for 50 or vice versa. 00 FC buck (or #1) is the planned primary.

I zero the shotgun and PCC the same. Initial zero with slugs at 25, that puts it a bit high at 50, back on at 75 yards, and a bit low at 100. When I zero for slugs, my buck POI has always been fine.

[revchuck38]

I zeroed my 870 to hit POA at 25 yards with Federal reduced-recoil slugs and FC eight-pellet 00 POI is good out to that range.

[fatdog]

Notch and post or ghost ring, I also go for 25 yards and the 25 yard center of the pattern of the flight control seems to be about the same as the slug at that range.

[TCinVA]

Did a search here, couldn’t find a direct discussion. Kinda surprised me...

What’s the consensus for a slug gun (not sabot) with iron sights? 25 and hold over for 50 or vice versa. 00 FC buck (or #1) is the planned primary.

What is your use case?

If slugs will be your primary munition, find the slug that does what you want and zero your gun for the distances you expect to realistically shoot. If, for instance, I was setting up a gun to use as a defense against charging bear, I would set it up so that I had no significant holdover to account for inside 25 yards because odds are that's the range I'll be needing to make rapid accurate hits and I won't have the spare brain power to do math.

If I was deer hunting and wanted to be able to hit out at 75, I might have a different zero.

Since you mentioned you're planning to use buckshot as your primary, I'm assuming you want slugs to supplement the shotgun's ability in case you need to hit a point target at distance. That's fairly typical.

My advice for that would be:

Find a slug that shoots to the same point of aim as your buckshot.

Zero the gun for what you are most likely to use it for. If you are using the gun for home defense and you plan to use buckshot, zero the gun for point of aim point of impact with your buckshot. Then find a slug that hits to the same point of aim. Then do a little shooting with the slug at distance to find out what sort of holdover you need...where, coincidentally, you will have more time to think about the mechanics of making the shot.

Finding a slug that shoots to the same point of aim as your buckshot isn't the easiest thing in the world. In most of my guns, for instance, Federal's Tru Ball slugs shoot to the same point of aim as the Federal Flight Control buckshot I use. I have a bunch of Fiocchi slugs I acquired for free that shoot 3" low and left of point of aim. Except for my backup 1301 where the Fiocchi slugs shoot to point of aim but the Tru-Ball loads shoot 3" low and left at 25 yards.

[nycnoob]

Over 10 years ago I was at a Louis Awerbuck class and I had my first shotgun zeroed at 75 yards (reliably hit some small steel at that distance with ghost ring sights and various Remington Sluger loads). This should be dead on at 25 yards as well. I have taken shotgun classes with most of the instructors who offer classes with this gun and have never had to move the zero in all this time. Tom Givens classes in particular use paper targets and he is a stickler for shot outside of the target area, but I have had no trouble with either the close up or 25 yard portions (flite control) of his classes.

[entropy]

Thanks all.

I’ll start at 25 after I do the initial patterning with birdshot and go from there. I’ll use my supply of Winchester and Brenneke slugs and see what I got. It’s not a deer gun but a utility/SD set up. Trying to find different loads may be a bit problematic, so fingers crossed what I have works.

[GJM]

My experience, with both a red dot and ghost rings, is that a 25 yard initial slug zero is slightly high at 50 and intersects again at 75 yards. That is with full power slugs. Are others finding something different?

[GJM]

From the Brenneke website:




50471

[revchuck38]

My experience, with both a red dot and ghost rings, is that a 25 yard initial slug zero is slightly high at 50 and intersects again at 75 yards. That is with full power slugs. Are others finding something different?

I haven't tried mine over 25 yards yet. I might be able to squeeze in the time now.

[Suvorov]

I’ve always used a 50 yard zero for my slugs and set my sights accordingly. Why 50 yards? Because that was the ballistics data on the box back in the 90s when I started trying to learn the shotgun.

This has provided me a more than acceptable “battle sight” for the purpose of hunting in the brush where I would be using a shotgun (I used it in Iowa where rifles were not legal) as well as for any reasonable self defense scenario. The offset of my sights is minimal enough in my opinion not to need much compensation when trying to make a precision shot at room distance. I have never noticed any shit in point of impact when shooting buckshot or birdshot inside those distances.

Probably not the 100% solution but it has always worked for my needs.

[Sammy1]

I use a 50 yard zero with slugs and pattern my buckshot at 25yards and then I'll try it at 50 yards.

[GJM]

I’ve always used a 50 yard zero for my slugs and set my sights accordingly. Why 50 yards? Because that was the ballistics data on the box back in the 90s when I started trying to learn the shotgun.

This has provided me a more than acceptable “battle sight” for the purpose of hunting in the brush where I would be using a shotgun (I used it in Iowa where rifles were not legal) as well as for any reasonable self defense scenario. The offset of my sights is minimal enough in my opinion not to need much compensation when trying to make a precision shot at room distance. I have never noticed any shit in point of impact when shooting buckshot or birdshot inside those distances.

Probably not the 100% solution but it has always worked for my needs.


I use a 50 yard zero with slugs and pattern my buckshot at 25yards and then I'll try it at 50 yards.

Doesn’t a 50 yard zero put you low at 25 and 75?

[Sammy1]

Doesn’t a 50 yard zero put you low at 25 and 75?

Not that I've noticed but I'm usually shooting IALEFI Q target or steel, (also I don't have a 75 yd shooting point). I did a ton of shotgun shooting at the Sig Academy Master Shotgun Instructor but again, Q target or steel and I didn't notice any hold over or under until I got to 15yds and less when using red dot or high ghost ring sights. Beed sight on a 18.5 inch gun, always had to aim low until 50yds, (belly button hold).

[GJM]

Not that I've noticed but I'm usually shooting IALEFI Q target or steel, (also I don't have a 75 yd shooting point). I did a ton of shotgun shooting at the Sig Academy Master Shotgun Instructor but again, Q target or steel and I didn't notice any hold over or under until I got to 15yds and less when using red dot or high ghost ring sights. Beed sight on a 18.5 inch gun, always had to aim low until 50yds, (belly button hold).

If you look at the trajectory information from Brenneke, that I posted a few posts back, you will see what I am talking about.

[Suvorov]

Doesn’t a 50 yard zero put you low at 25 and 75?

Yes. About 4 inches at 100 yards and about half my sight height (0.75 inches) at 25 theoretically. In practice consider both to be within my acceptable error and it has proven to work on the range and the one time I took a deer with it at about 35-45 yards. Just as me selecting a 100 yard zero for my rifles, I tend to like zeroing at the maximum ordinance of trajectory so I only have to apply correction in one direction. Philosophically I consider my shotgun to be a 100 yard weapon with slugs so this has worked so far for me.

[Sammy1]

If you look at the trajectory information from Brenneke, that I posted a few posts back, you will see what I am talking about.

I understand what you're saying but I haven't had to do any holdover or under until I get to 15yds and under. You referenced Brenneke, those are some hard hitting hunting slugs. I'm shooting 1oz rifld slugs. From the Federal website here is the trajectory with a 100yd zero;
25 Y 50 Y 75 Y 100 Y 125 Y
+2.2 +3.4 +2.7 0 -5.1

[entropy]

Got the opportunity to sight in today using slugs and buckshot.

Started at 25yds using a combination of Remington and Winchester 1oz Foster slugs. Took just a few to zero as even without my glasses, those holes are damn easy to see. After that, I did some steel work. Very little as the impact kept shearing the single carriage bolt holding the IPSC plate. *Note to self*. Decided I might have better luck with the buckshot. I patterned both inexpensive 9 pellet Rio #00 and 8 pellet Hornady Black #00. Due to present circumstances, I could not find FFC anywhere. Research said the Hornady had the same type wad.

Results were interesting. While the Hornady did indeed have slightly tighter groups from 5-15yds, they were not significantly tighter beyond 10yds, averaging only 1” better. At 15yds, the difference was pretty insignificant with each load displaying a consistent flyer. In closer, the Rio Royal #00 as stated was only about 1” wider pattern with all pellets fairly equal spaced and centered.

I took the Rio out to 25yds and shot the same Vickers V-TAC target, this time on the silhouette side. All pellets hit consistently (3 targets) with only the occasional pellet or two impacting the upper arm.

I have pics, but connectivity issues preclude me from trying to attach here. It takes forever to load them. I will post later perhaps. I’m eager to try the FFC, but it most likely will be unobtanium for the near future. I can’t say that I’m entirely disappointed with the Rio #00. I think inside of 20yds, it would certainly suffice.

Just as a note, all the shooting was out of a Remington 870HD with an 18.5” barrel.

Fun stuff. Tomorrow I’ll take it out to 50 and 100yds.

A few more things I learned:

1. I need to whack off about 1.5” of stock and get a recoil pad that isn’t so sticky.
2. I really need to take a class.

[GJM]

Be extremely careful shooting stationary steel with slugs. I would be 50 yards, or further, and only that on steel that moves like a MGM lollipop.

[entropy]

Appreciate the advice.

Using HangFast bracket, tow chain, and T-post.