# Rifled Barrel Shotguns



## maximini14 (Dec 19, 2007)

I am in the market for new shotgun with a fully rifled barrel. Would appreciate any comments regarding accuracy and different slug loads tested.


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## Bowhunter57 (Nov 28, 2010)

maximini14,
Do you prefer a pump or semi-auto action?
Wood or synthetic stocks?
Full camo or blued finishes?
12 or 20 guage?

It's difficult to beat a Mossberg for their reliability and affordability. 8) I own a Mossberg 500 Turkey Special, that has been nothing short of spectacular for turkey, coyote and waterfowl. I intend to purchase a rifled cantalever barrel for it, to complete this shotgun as a deer killing machine.

The fully rifled cantalever barrels are the way to go for both accuracy and convenience being able to sight it in with a scope, take the barrel off and store it until the next season. Since the scope stays with the barrel, all that has to be done is checking the zero, before hunting the next season.

Good luck with your choices!
Good hunting, Bowhunter57


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## Kelly Hannan (Jan 9, 2007)

I have been shooting Hornady SST 12 ga. Good accuracy, flat and not as expensive as some. Remington Core Lok Ultra another very good choice, but hard to find and expensive.

Buy an 870 combo, you will have 2 good shotguns. Will come with scope rail. Nikon has a slug scope with bullet drop compensator, nice

If you shoot slugs now, and are moving up to rifled and Sabot slugs, be prepared. 5/ 3.99 compared to 5/11.99 or more


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## Bernie P. (Sep 25, 2008)

My Mberg 835 shoots great with any of the slugs I've tried.The H&R Slugger is very accurate if you can live with a single shot.


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## maximini14 (Dec 19, 2007)

Thanks for your input guys. I presently shoot an 11/87 in 12 ga, w/ an Aimpoint Compc3 red dot scope on it. The 11/87 has an 18 " rifled slug barrel. It is accurate enough at 50 yds w/ under 2" groups w/ Rem Accutips, but out there at 100 yds they are 12 to 13 " groups. Not too impressive. Tried Hornady SST's as well, about the same as the Rems. I have had a couple opportunites this year on bucks at 100 yds or so, and flat miss. I take some of the blame, but I generally don't miss, so feel I'm really expecting too much out of the 11/87. I've read magazine articles on several designated rifled slug guns, really want to know what my fellow hunters are really experiencing for slug gun accuracy. I'm a lefty, so a pump or auto, either will work. Looking at the Savage 20 Ga, but multiple calls to Savage yield a "no" on a left handed bolt gun. How about more of you Mossberg owners. What kind of groups do you get with your 500 LPA rifled slug barrel and what load. Anyone w/ a Bennelli slug gun? I'm leaning toward a 20 ga right now because of better ballistics we're told, but a 12 would sure work if it gives me 2" at 100yds, that's all I want!


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## Kelly Hannan (Jan 9, 2007)

your 11/87 should shoot better than that. I would look at fouling in the barrel, loose sights something. I have a 24" fully rifled barrel on my Win. X3 and a 3-9 x 40 scope. 1- 1 1/2 inch at 100 yards, 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 at 150 yards. Would be better if I was better.

I shot some of the cheaper Win. sabot slugs a few years ago and had your issues. A really good cleaning of the barrel and a different slug and problem solved. I can consistantly shoot 1 1/2 inch groups with my old Browning smooth bore shot barrel and cheap Rem. sluggers at 75-100 yards


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## maximini14 (Dec 19, 2007)

my buddies and I have been discussing this and we thinks it due to the short barrel. Was using a Caldwell Lead Sled during shooting trials so my results should be pretty indicative of the guns performance I havn't tried the Win xp3 slugs. Our shotgun season ended the other day so have till next fall to come up w/ a solution. keep it comin.


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## Kelly Hannan (Jan 9, 2007)

You still could have fouling in the barrel, get a good copper cleaner and scrub the barrel very well. Then use a reg. type cleaner. Then just a little light oil, then a dry patch to wipe out excess oil.

The Win. X3 i refer to is my gun SX3 by Winchester


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## maximini14 (Dec 19, 2007)

Hey Kelly,

Not payin attention- sounds like your Winchester SX3 is doin you right. With 1 to 1 1/2" groups, it just went to the top of my wish list. I will go thru a good cleaning process and try again as I don't really want to have to buy another gun. Also goin to try putting my Bushnell Elite 4200 1.5 x 6 scope on it and see what that does. One of my buddies saw a show featuring the Aimpoint and the conclusion was that its really meant for close quarters combat and 30 yds is its effective range. 2 yrs ago when I first put the Aimpoint on this gun I took a decent buck on the run at about 25 yds so felt confident in my setup. This years comparatively long range shots I missed have definitely shatterd my confidence for 100 yd shots and that is unacceptable. Keep it comin.

Maximini14


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## Kelly Hannan (Jan 9, 2007)

make sure that scope has enough eye relief, or you won't like the results. Makes it really hard to make a second shot when your eye is full of blood, then it freezes in the cold. I speak from experience

There are alot of good guns out there, and alot of good slugs also. Go back to the rifle sights if all else fails, but I wouldn't be to quick to give up on the gun. I personaly don't like the reputatio from the 11-87, but when they work I think they shoot good. The price of an SX3 might change your mind. Also there is alot of difference between 25 yard shot at a running deer and 100 yard shot. Got to lead them a bunch. I shot at a buck this year, about 60-70 yards, trotting. Aimed in front of the shoulder and hit in front of back leg. Not a killing shot, but it stopped him and my Son-in-Law finished him.


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## maximini14 (Dec 19, 2007)

The Elite was on this gun b4, w/ same results, not very good groups at longer range, but better than w/ the Aimpoint. No problems w/ cut eye. Put the elite on my muzzleloader w/ good results, 1 1/2 " proups at 100. Like the wide FOV of the 1 1/2 x 6 Elite, 66' at 100 yds plus good view at short ranges. will put it back on the 11/87 and start over. Lots of guys seem to have good results w/ Rem Buckhammer slugs. not my first choice, but will try em.


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## Kelly Hannan (Jan 9, 2007)

one of the biys has very good luck with Lightfield slugs. I believe in a white box.


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## JimFromTN (Dec 15, 2010)

Try a slower/heavier slug like the 2 3/4 inch lightfield hybrids or 2 3/4 inch buckhammers. You don't need a super fast sabot for shooting out to 100 yds. Sight in 2 inches high at 50yds and the slower slugs should hit dead on at 100 yds. If you do that, you should be able to put the sights in the boiler room and be able to make a clean kill anywhere from 0 to about 120 yds.


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## Csquared (Sep 5, 2006)

I've got 2 H&R's but I prefer my 1100 with a Ithaca rifled barrel. I like 2 3/4" Fed Premiums with Barnes Expanders. 2" is VERY good @ 100 yds, and although I've bested that I can't say it's common for me. All 3 guns will shoot under 3" all the time, and inside their effective range of about 175 yards (a tad more with a 3/4 oz bullet) that's more than accurate enough. My buddy's son just used my 1100 to take his first mature buck this year, and 125 yards was a piece of cake!

Does your current barrel have the cantilever scope mount?

Beware of the "20 ga has better ballistics" logic. Both shoot sabots about the same speed but one is much heavier than the other. Just do the math. Unless you're bothered by 12 ga recoil, shoot the biggest piece of copper you can accurately shoot at em. The darn things can be almost bullet proof during the rut sometimes :wink:


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## TEALMAN (Sep 27, 2006)

One bit of advice I can give about shooting sabots is to clean your gun often when sighting it in as they seem to leave alot of plastic residue. I think at times this can affect the sabots accuracy. I shoot an Ithaca Deerslayer III, quite possibly the heaviest gun on the market but it is very accurate.


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## striped1 (Aug 17, 2005)

maximini14 said:


> Hey Kelly,
> 
> One of my buddies saw a show featuring the Aimpoint and the conclusion was that its really meant for close quarters combat and 30 yds is its effective range.Maximini14


something is wrong with your set up then and not the Aimpoint. Depending on what your reticle subtends, you should be able to hit reliably, easily out to 100 + yards with slugs.

Aimpoints will effectively place accurate shots beyond 300 yards on my ar.

The first thing I would check is the base and mount. Next I would try some different ammo.


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## maximini14 (Dec 19, 2007)

I doubt there is anything wrong w/ the Aimpoint, I think its more "me". Been using a regular scope on my firearms for over 40 yrs. Looking thru the scope is so ingrained in me that when under hunting conditions requiring fast response as when shooting "driven " game, I automaticly try to look thru the Aimpoint instead of both eyes open and on the target. Looking thru the Aimpoint distorts the target and I miss. Goin to put the Elite back on the 11/87 for next yr and stick w/ what I'm accustomed to, but will probably change barrels. An Ithaca barrel on an 1100? I wonder if that would fit my 11/87. Did you find the Ithica barrel to imbalance the gun making it very weight forward? Will try the Lightfields and Federal/Barnes sabots. Just heard of a new sabot from Sabotech thats supposed to be very accurate- need to find out more about that. I am considering a "Hastings" barrel, but heard Hastings is "out of business", anyone know anything about them?


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## Csquared (Sep 5, 2006)

I had a Hastings rifled barrel and could not find any ammo it would shoot accurately enough for me. Might have been a bad one, but I was far less than impressed. I don't know if Ithaca made barrels for the 11-87...I'll check. I bought mine as a factory second on e-bay, I believe. The commie libs won't allow barrels on e-bay anymore so I'd check gunbroker. As far as out of balance, I think it's 24", and not a heavy contour like on the single shots, and my guess would be it's no heavier than the original 26" vent rib barrel it came with. As posted above, the Ithaca deerslayers have always been EXTREMELY accurate. WAY ahead of their time. That's why I decided to try the Ithaca barrel, and I'm glad I did.


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## maximini14 (Dec 19, 2007)

thanks csquared- let me know what you find out about the Ithica barrel for an 11/87.

I got a call from Rick at Sabotech last nite. Says they did some slow mo photography of different shot gun barrels and slugs and determined that the 20 " slug barrel is actually the ideal length. Seems that a photo of a 20" barrel shows the slug has allready left the barrel before there is perceptible barrel movement due to recoil. Rick says longer barrels still have the slug inside as recoil forces start muzzle jump contributing to poor accuracy. So its really a matter of finding the right slug ammo for a 20 " barrel to get good accuracy. Rick will be marketing the new slug thru "sabotech" sometime this summer. He says also that Rottweil will also be marketing the new slug called the "exact slug". So some interesting things coming up in next few months, and hope to see some improvement in my 11/87 w/ this new slug.


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## Csquared (Sep 5, 2006)

Can't find where they made any for the 11-87, and a search of gunbroker showed only one for a super-x.

Still wondering if you have a cantilever mount or if the scope is attached to the receiver?

I think Rick is splitting hairs with his thoughts on barrel length affecting accuracy potential due to recoil, but I definitely agree you don't need 24". If Ithaca made one shorter I would have bought it


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## maximini14 (Dec 19, 2007)

thanks for checkin csquared. The barrel is cantilever for scope mount


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