Sight in for HD shotgun

[Dov]

Really good advice.

My only input would be decide what load/application/mission is your primary mission and if there are any compromises to be made zero to accomplish primary mission.

If for example this shotgun is dedicated home defense, then decide what type of load you want for that application and especally if using Buckshot make sure you pattern test at short range intervals from one hole to biggest pattern at max engagement range.

With Flight control and proper choke (basically no or little choke for Flight Control) that will be greatly simplified.

Also if a HD or other weapon that various family members might use, make sure sighting option works for everyone, this is one niche were lasers really shine that is seldom mentioned. If laser is zeroed then anyone that uses the weapon that can see laser can make hit. Not necessarily true with Irons, Scopes, or to lesser extent Dots.

If the gun is used in multiple roles like Bird Hunting, Deer Hunting, and HD I'd personally zero it for HD and rezero if needed for each hunting season and rezero again for HD after hunting season.

Lot of people worry about triggers, but IMVHO sights and zero are second only to reliability. Sights not only need to be reliable and correctly zeroed but easily & smoothly usable (suitable Scope eye relief for example, or proper comb and stock fit for irons vs Dot vs scope). Only after that do I worry about trigger if its really bad.

I'd also strongly encourage you to once you decide on Buckshot and Slug for particular gun you order in bulk from good place online like this good for pumps 8 pellet low recoil load https://www.luckygunner.com/12-ga-2-...-wad-250-round

Getting ammo that way insures its from same lot so if you test 5 rounds the rest will probably perform same, also IDK if it applies as much for shotgun ammo but Massad Ayoob has recommended recording lot numbers of carry ammo used in case your involved in a shooting, since it will allow for more accurate forensic tests or allow one to point out possible errors in forensic testing in documentable fashion.

HTH

[TCinVA]

What I tell people to do in class is:

1. Determine which load you are going to use for home defense. Sight your gun in so that you have point of aim, point of impact with that load.

2. Experiment on the range to find out how other loads you would like to use perform with that zero.

I use Federal's Flight Control 8 pellet buckshot load as my go-to home defense load. I set my sights up so that I have a good 25 yard zero for that load, meaning I put the sights on a particular part of the target and the pattern is centered around that exact point. I do use slugs, but mainly for demo purposes. Still, I wanted the ability to use slugs if I chose so I shot a number of different types and found the slug loads that hit closest to the point of impact of my buckshot load. I found that Federal slugs in general and Federal's Tru-Ball slugs in particular shoot to almost the identical point of aim of my preferred buckshot load in most of my guns.

In one of my 1301's, the Federal slugs shoot a little low and left of point of aim but Fiocchi Aero style slugs shoot to the same point of aim as my FFC buckshot loads. I found out that those same Fiocchi slugs shoot a little low and left of point of aim in my other 1301.

Such is the nature of shotguns.

Now if I was setting a gun up to shoot slugs for bear defense or hunting or whatnot, I would set the gun up for that use instead.

Identify what you are going to do with the gun the vast majority of the time and set the gun up to do that thing. Then find out how it works with other loads for other purposes. On a defensive gun I'm primarily interested in setting it up for my preferred buckshot and then finding a slug that will shoot as close to it as I can. That minimizes the need to remember offsets or to try and Kentucky windage shit under stress.

The end result of that methodology is that I've been able to shoot my FFC loads with precision and accountability at distances from 3-25 yards, and then I can immediately slug select and put an ounce into the upper chest of a steel plate at 150 yards. I'd say that about covers anything I'm likely to actually do with a shotgun in hand.

[TCinVA]

How much variation do you see at longer ranges?

Between slugs you can see a difference of a foot or more at 25 yards. In his Shotgun Instructor class Tom Givens does a demonstration where he puts three slugs into a playing card at 25 yards using the slugs he's zeroed his shotgun for. (It was some Winchester slugs he had a boatload of when I went through his class) Then he used another slug at 25 yards and was barely on the entire silhouette. Same shooter, same distance, same gun...different slug.

And all slugs will not shoot equally well through your shotgun. Some slugs will shoot very consistently, some will be all over the place just depending on how that particular slug interacts with your barrel.

When you find something that works well in your gun, buy a lot of it. Ammunition variance from lot to lot can make a huge difference in performance.

[Crow Hunter]

Thanks guys!

I really appreciate it.

I think this has cemented my desire to get a separate HD shotgun with GRS as opposed to using my Comp for both hunting and HD.

[entropy]

Some really good discussion here.

Thank you.