How far can your rifled barrel shoot?

[96trigger]

I read some of these posts and I keep hearing about people having shotguns and slugs that can go 200 yards. I use open sights so I am always within 100 yards, actually, I like to keep it within 50 yards. I have a few relatives that have highpower guns, and high power scopes. They are pretty comfortable out to 150 yards, I've seen them shoot that far, but 200 yards, come on, really?

If you say you can shoot that far lets here what you are using for a setup. Gun, Scope, and slugs. I am just going to assume that everybody is using a rifled barrel, that should be nobrainer.

The relatives I was talking about shoot Benelli SBEIIs with cantilever mounts. One uses a burris scope, the other uses a leopold. One uses partition gold 2 3/4 inch slugs, the other Hornady SST 300 grain.

[Larson15]

12 gauge Mossberg 500 slugster. I was using a bushnell 2x7 on it till this week, replacing it with a nikon 3x9 omega. I have shot just about every slug and swear by the Hornady SST 300grain. I can make 6-10" groups at 200 yards with this setup. I would be confident in shooting it up to about 225 or so

[lawdog]

In my opinion, if you are looking at 6-10" groups at 200 yards off a bench at the range, you are in no position to shoot at a live animal at 225 yards in the field.

I have a Mossberg fully rifle barrel on my 870 shooting Rem copper solids and 2-7x32 Nikon and I can shoot 125 to maybe 150 with good enough accuracy that I feel its an ethical shot in the field.

[vister]

if you're asking how far i could shoot it, i guess it would be over 1/2 mile. if i held the gun at a 45 degree angle.

I've been a strict rifle hunter since i got started, but once in a while, i'll take the 20 guage rem 1100 out for a few drives. but thats smoothbore with rifled slugs. i can shoot fairly decent with that up to 75 yards i'd say.

but, i guess none of this answers any of your questions regarding the original post.

with todays gadgets, is 200 yards still out of range for shotguns, or is that still a debate between an ethical/unethical shot? i'm curious to know myself.

[Larson15]

Taking a deer at these ranges is another question and a another debate. I do alot of target shooting and know what my limits are on the range. This does not mean they are the same for taking a deer. At the range you know exactly what distance you are at and are shooting at a fixed position. In the field things are usually a little different. But to answer the question what would be the maximum range for taking a deer with a rifled slug I would say it depends on the setup and how good you are. For me 150-175 would be maxing out my ethical judgement.

[picksbigwagon]

I agree Larson15, I feel comfortable out to 100 yards with my set up (open sights and rifled barrel winchester partition golds) for taking a deer. I think I could hit a deer at 150 or 175 but I don't think it would be a shot that I would expect a good hit. I have hit bowling pins at 100 yards with my set up, but I was sitting down with my arms braced off my knees and it was a stationary target. If I had a good scope and an good solid position to shoot from and a deer that was stationary, I would try a 175 yard shot if conditions were perfect....

[bhuntr]

I have a TC omega 150 grains of powder with a 223 grn shell, 3x9, no problem shooting out to 2 hundred yards, "Dead buck walking"

[picksbigwagon]

would that be a 45 caliber muzzy?>

[96trigger]

I am still intrigued by this. Wow, is all I can say. I have two guns with rifled slug barrels, neither of them have scopes. With open sights, once deer gets beyond 100 yards, all you are aiming at is deer, the sights cover up half of it. I usually keep my shots within 50 and aim at a specific rib.

Very interesting to hear this. Not that I would ever take a 200 yard shot, (I wouldn't), but its one of those, I could if I wanted to situations. I honestly, don't think I could make a shot over 100 yards open sights.

[picksbigwagon]

I agree 96, 100 yards, standing still is the max I would take. Most of my shots are under 50. with no snow on the ground, it is hard to pick out a deer at 100 yards in the woods.....let alone finding land in SE MN that will offer you a 200 yard shot at a deer

[96trigger]

hard to see 200 yards when all you can see is one side of the bluff to other.... or the next rolling hill on the farm.

[Gordie]

I have an 1956 870 2 3/4 inch with a 1972 remington smooth bore slug barrel. scoped up I have shot a deer in Wisconny at 135 yards and it hit where I was aiming and would feel confindent enough to poke one at 150yrds but anything past that I would probally pass on. I shoot 2 3/4 brennikes out of it and it is very accurate. that is why I took out to rifle zone in Wisconny that time and sure I was laughed at but in the end I was the only guy to tag a deer that year. the others couldnt hit anything with ther rifles.

[koonie]

I've got my 870 sps deer gun zeroed in at 150 yards. 6 inches of drop at 200 yards. Duck or die.

[Jackpine Rob]

I've got an 1100 with a Hastings cantilever barrel and a Burris 1.75-5. Shooting Federal Premium 2 3/4" sabots, I am entirely comfortable out to 150. The setup is capable of a bit more distance, but if I'm not confident of my shot within an inch or two I simply don't want to touch it off. A little bit of the target-shooter syndrome....

Of course, that is field conditions. Off a bench I'll take a poke out beyond 200 just for grins and giggles.

[harvey lee]

150 is a very long shot with a slug gun.

I believe I'm a pretty good shot and I don't believe I would take a shot at 150 yards or farther with a slug gun.

[Jameson]

...about 100 yards.

Due to past experiences, I will say from a stationary stand with rest I am confidant out to 100 yards. Due to past experiences, if I am standing or kneeling without a gun rest I should limit my shots to 60 yards.

[HOT SPOT]

If you have the right equipment 200 yrds in not out of the question. I have a SBE with a cantilever barrel with a leopold 2-7. I sighed the gun in at 150. at 100 it is about a in high. at 200 I am about 4-6 in low. I actually shot one two yrs ago at 275 yard. My neighbors wounded a nice 8 pter and he was about to cross a high river so I took a crack and got lucky. It was that are watch him float down the river.

[analyzer]

I watched one of those "white tail challenge" shows on cable. It was on the Versus channel as I recall, with host Jeff Foxworthy. They take 4 so-called experts and pit them against each other in a contest to bag the biggest buck. To decide who would pick which area first, in this particular show, they had them shoot at a target 150 yds away to see who was closest. 3 of the 4, didn't hit the paper!! We're talking about one of those standard targets on a very large sheet of paper (something like 14 x 28" ish)... and 3 of them couldn't hit the paper with their slug guns. Funny, then in the show, the oldest of the 4, who's suppose to be the doctor of whitetail hunting, takes a shot at a deer who has to be in that 150 yd range, hard to tell on TV. Completely misses a couple of times, then it gets closer to him, and all he has is a head shot, and he takes that. They were setting a horrible example for young hunters IMO.

I have an 870 remington, and switched from shooting smooth bore to rifled barrel and scope, when I lost a big buck I didn't hit very well. Even with the scope, I don't think I'd feel comfortable that I could make a good kill shot often enough to justify anything over 100 yds.

The Oakdale Gun Club has ranges at 25, 50, 100, 200. I'm sure there might be a distance I'd consider ethical a little beyond 100, but the Oakdale gunclub doesn't have the intermediate distances between 100 and 200 to check. 100 is enough of a challenge for me.

I'll say this, when I try to shoot open site smooth bore at 100 yds, the bead on the end of the barrel, takes up the entire target and a majority of the piece of paper. I really can't imagine shooting open sights any farther than that.

For me, open site, smooth bore: 50 yds.

Rifled Barrel, scope: 100 yds.

Like many of you have said, it's one thing to have a 3 or 4 inch grouping at 100 yds from a bench with stationary hands. Now get out in the field, heart racing, hands shaking a bit, mostly off-hand, and less time to aim, and you might be down to a 10" paper plate or a steering wheel. I don't want to shoot any farther than that.

[lakevet]

Alot of talk about equipment, not much about how often you practice. Often the man behind the gun is the major limiting factor. Usually the gun will shoot better than the man is capable of shooting. The longer the distance you want to shoot, the more often you should practice. That includes "hunting" type shooting positions. "Practice reality" is what my Dad said.

lakevet

[HOT SPOT]

I will be the first to admit I havent even put my slug barel on yet, But from the years past of shooting I would not hesitate a shot a 150yrds shot at any animal with my gun. I no for a fact I have shot more than 4 deer in between 150-200yrs 3 of them being in the 150-160

How about a Muzzel loader then?

[Gordie]

How about a Muzzel loader then?

same as a shot gun with a scope and with out I have taken a doe with a solid rest at a 140yrds it was the third shot but the first I miss due to my breating to hard from walking up a hill that was around 250 yrds, and I was shooting sitting down, second shot I hit the deer but grazed it and it move only a few yrds again sitting while shooting, third and final shot had a tree that was a few yards away that I used as a rest and put the sights on her and squeezed the trigger when the smoke cleared she was dead in her tracts. I also practice shooting my smokepole at 100 plus yrds with iron sights alot

[Cwboymn1]

with the modern firearms that are available now i see no problem taking a 200 yd shot! my TC Encore will do a 2" at 200yd with a 10" drop. now the other day i picked up 2 of the New Savage 220F 20 gauges and it preformes almost identical to the TC. if i was to look at my 1187 the best i can get out of that is a 2" at 100yd and with that i would not take a 200 yd shot. Sorry to say but you need to get out to the range and learn your gun, spend the $100+ in ammo and figure out what it likes, if you can only get it grouping at 50,100,150,200 that is you limit for that gun and has more to do with the scope or setup then the shooter. the bullet cetinly has enough power to take the deer down!

[paco]

I get a good laugh from you guys who say you can shoot up to 150+ with a slug gun. From my experience I couldn't agree more with analyzer 50 yds. smooth bore open sites and 100 yds. rifled barrel with a scope. For you that claim you can make these shots with a slug gun do you guys site in at these yardages with your high powered scopes(3-9 or greater)? If so what do you do with deer that are within 20 yds. on the move you would almost have to aim under the deer wouldn't you? What slugs do you use to make these shots I have yet to find a 1 or 7/8 oz slugs that could travel these distances without dropping off the table.

I can toatally agree with those that say they can make these shots with a scoped muzzleloaders but a shotgun "Come on Buddy".

Unless we have a lot of Bob Lee Swagger's out there I can't believe this is being done.

[candiru]

I just looked up the ballistics of the Hornady SST 12 ga. Slug. 300gr .50 caliber saboted bullet

50yds - 2.4" high

100yds - 2.7" high

150yds - dead on

200yds - 6.7" low

As you can see this slug is still rising between 50 and 100 yds. At 200 yds it still has 1200 ft lbs of energy (more than enough to get the job done). I shoot an 870 with a 2x7 Leupold and get about 2" groups at 100 yds. I believe most of the manufacturers have slugs with similar performance. These are not your grampa's slugs.

[paul pachowicz]

still "rising???? Gravity takes over as soon as the projectile leave the muzzle. There is no rising, period.

[candiru]

Sighted in properly they all shoot in an arc. Even the flattest shooting magnums. The bullet leaves the muzzle and goes to or above the line of sight and then starts to drop. The barrel and the line of sight (scope) are not parallel to each other. If the line of sight is parallel to the ground the barrel is pointed up slightly. The point is that in the right gun with the right scope these slugs have the energy and accuracy to get the job done at 200 yds.

[icehousebob]

I have to agree with those who say the man holding the gun is the limiting factor. If you've only practiced at 100 yards, you have no business shooting at game past that. I once hunted with a guy carrying a new 300 Win with a 4x12 scope who told me it would kill at 400 yards. I watched him miss a doe twice at 75 yards. He had shot the gun a total of 5 times before the hunt. Of course, he blamed the scope.

My slug gun is an Ithaca Deerslayer II with a 1.5X4.5 scope. With 3" Federal Sabots, it will group fist size at 130 yards. In hunting situations, I won't stretch it past 100. If you respect the game you're hunting, you won't go for wounding shots.

[paul pachowicz]

Candiru, I understand what you are saying and appreciate your knowledge of basic ballistics. I think we are spliting hairs. A bullet, on its own can not "rise". The barrel must be angled slightly upward relative to the sights. This results in a bullet being lobbed towards the target and crosses the line of sight at two points, near zero and far zero and there is that portion of flight where the projectile is flat. If a person could position the "line of bore" perfectly parallel to the earth while holding the same type bullet at exactly the same level above the ground they would hit the gound at the same time if dropped at the same instant the bullet leaves the barrel. This is because gravity is constant. Regardless of what we do the bullets are falling even when traveling upwards. If we know that a bullet will fall 2 inches low (true drop) at a given range we aim two inches high to hit the target (apparent drop). So I'm saying that a bullet can not "rise" unless we physically angle the barrel to do so. I think we were arguing (in a good sense) symantics.

[Jackpine Rob]

I get a good laugh from you guys who say you can shoot up to 150+ with a slug gun. distances without dropping off the table.

Chuckle away. Some of us actually do our homework and range work. Making longer shots isn't rocket science - it is simple physics, coupled with practice and experience.

If your only experience with a slug gun is loading up the trusty shotgun with whatever slug was on sale at Gander and heading out Opening Morning, I can understand your skepticism.

If you get the chance to pop a few caps out of a tuned-up slug gun loaded with some of the newer sabot offerings, I think you'll be amazed at what such a rig is capable of.

[96trigger]

Quote:

If a person could position the "line of bore" perfectly parallel to the earth while holding the same type bullet at exactly the same level above the ground they would hit the gound at the same time if dropped at the same instant the bullet leaves the barrel. This is because gravity is constant.

You are 100% correct. During the physics sections I teach there are a few demos that can be done to show this. The kids get a kick out of it.

I shoot alot in the summer. I know my gun well. I also know that with open sights, there is absolutely NO way to get a good kill zone shot on a deer at 100 yards. The front sight takes up way to much of the deer, so thats all you end up aiming at is the front half. I know these slugs can travel far and still retain their energy. With a scope, I would not hesitate on a 100-150 yard shot. 200 yards, for me is really pushing it.