Ballistic charts for rifled sabot slugs

[Steve Foss]

I'll be shooting Barnes tipped expanders in 2 3/4 with 1 oz loads, in my Mossberg 695 over open sights, and will be scoping and sighting in the gun. I'm looking for ballistic charts for those rounds to shorten the sight-in curve (and cut down on shoulder bruises.)

Any help would be appreciated.

[Steve Foss]

Did some more searching and found charts out to 125 yards for the slug on the Federal Web site. Not quite as far as I'd hoped, but it'll do for now.

[Jackpine Rob]

Steve, its been my experience that most of the ballistics charts are only marginally useful.

I'm using the Federal Barnes Expander tipped slugs in 2 3/4 out of my Hastings barrel with a Burris scope. The punishment I put up with getting the rig dialed in was awful. The guys at the range were laughing - because "Mr No-Flinch" was flinching big-time. It was ugly, but useful.

What I discovered is that from 25-100 I was shooting as flat as can be. It was scary to realize, and I tossed my notes and tables in the range bag after a few rounds, and approached the project totally cold. Maybe your rig will be different, but I wasted some time and money and bruising before realizing that if I dialed in dead-on at 50 I was still dead-on at 100 and going only marginally down at 125 - still within tolerances to kill a gopher. At 150 I'm only down 3 inches.

These newer slugs are incredible, and much flatter than the charts give them credit for.

As a caveat, I don't have a good first-hand handle on the terminal performance. The only deer shot with them was dead on impact - heart shots will do that, particularly when both lungs are perforated. My old Federal one ounce sabots were particularly wicked, and I'm hoping these newer slugs have half the impact.

[Steve Foss]

if I dialed in dead-on at 50 I was still dead-on at 100 and going only marginally down at 125 - still within tolerances to kill a gopher. At 150 I'm only down 3 inches.

Thanks Rob. That's mighty useful info.

I was using Barnes Expanders (untipped) 2 3/4, 1 oz loads, over open sights for my 9-pointer last fall. Fifty-sixty yards, neck shot. Deer standing angled slightly away. Bullet entered mid neck, ranged all the way up the neck and exited between the eyes. Deer went down and didn't even twitch. When I dressed it out, the damage was massive. Neck was as limp as a thawed tube of ring bologna.

I'll be using the tipped Expanders from here on out, as they appear even more accurate than the untipped Expanders. Well, that's what Federal says, anyway. We'll see. I'm really looking forward to getting the combo on the range. I've coupled it with a Leupold 3-9 x 40mm Rifleman.

I'm sure my right shoulder won't be as excited after I'm done sighting it in, but that's OK. The sheer knockdown power of a 12 gauge slug is a wonder to behold.

[lawdog]

I have long thought that the modern 12 gauge slug was THE single best reason ever for the Caldwell lead sled! I hate sighting mine in...