Pucky Freak
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What is a reasonable budget to build a 350, not including optic?
Shotgun slugs
- Thread starter Brian in Montana
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Addicting
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If you’re not brand specific I would buy one off the shelf. There are some manufacturers that make them plenty accurate for a 200 yard gun. With the attention to detail build and Bear creek ammo mine will stretch out to near 300 if the conditions allow.
I had one built to be able to swap stocks around. I built a system for my kids to have a 223, 350, and 7mm08 that are identical. I swap the same wood chassis stock on each one. So the only thing that changes is the bore diameter.
Addicting
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3 shots at 100 with ammo from bear creek ballistics. 140g copper @ 2600fps.
MS 9x56
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You don’t need to build one Ruger offers the 350 legend in their American platform and Howa makes a neat 16” barreled 350 in their m1500 platform. Both are under $600. I have the Howa and took my personal biggest doe ever with it with one shot deer went less than 50 yards.
Bullshot
Well-known member
Yep, ended up selling my 220 and all my remaining slugs. I’ll probably never have or hunt with a shotgun slug gun again. Pricey to sight in, and everyone was screwed during the panic when trying to find ammo. I have a lifetime supply of muzzleloader roundballs, conicals, sabots and bullets that do as good if not better of a job in my state. As I said before, if you have a slug round that works, buy 20 boxes, and then shoot 1 or 2 rounds a year just to check it and/or hunt.
Bumping an old thread- find myself with about a month to put together two separate setups for my son and me for a 3 day shotgun or muzzy only hunt. Deer, pigs, Nilgai
I’m starting from a 12 ga 870
Am planning on picking up a cantilever rifled barrel and scope and hustling to find a sabot that shoots well out to say 150. From the above, sounds like i could be short on time. (And money?
)
I also have a 50 cal open sight muzzy that is good to 100 and I’ll probably just have to roll with it.
Any thoughts? Alternatively I suppose I could pick up another muzzy and scope it, probably more generally useful and accurate than the shotgun.
Finally, the zero points, no fun solution is to not buy anything other than rifled slugs and go ahead and shoot smooth bored. Which might be perfectly functional for this hunt, not sure
I’m starting from a 12 ga 870
Am planning on picking up a cantilever rifled barrel and scope and hustling to find a sabot that shoots well out to say 150. From the above, sounds like i could be short on time. (And money?
)I also have a 50 cal open sight muzzy that is good to 100 and I’ll probably just have to roll with it.
Any thoughts? Alternatively I suppose I could pick up another muzzy and scope it, probably more generally useful and accurate than the shotgun.
Finally, the zero points, no fun solution is to not buy anything other than rifled slugs and go ahead and shoot smooth bored. Which might be perfectly functional for this hunt, not sure
WildWill
Well-known member
If I were in your shoe's I'd throw a scope on the muzzleloader first. I can shoot my scoped muzzleloader (a old 50 cal TC omega) better and further then any slug gun I've shot rifled or not. If there's time and money after grab the rifled barrel for the shotgun or just go with rifled slugs. Will you and your son be hunting together or in separate compartments?Bumping an old thread- find myself with about a month to put together two separate setups for my son and me for a 3 day shotgun or muzzy only hunt. Deer, pigs, Nilgai
I’m starting from a 12 ga 870
Am planning on picking up a cantilever rifled barrel and scope and hustling to find a sabot that shoots well out to say 150. From the above, sounds like i could be short on time. (And money?
I also have a 50 cal open sight muzzy that is good to 100 and I’ll probably just have to roll with it.
Any thoughts? Alternatively I suppose I could pick up another muzzy and scope it, probably more generally useful and accurate than the shotgun.
Finally, the zero points, no fun solution is to not buy anything other than rifled slugs and go ahead and shoot smooth bored. Which might be perfectly functional for this hunt, not sure
Good feedback. I’ll look into that.
I suspect it’s an unmonitored free for all but not entirely sure yet.
Grew up hunting slugs only by law in IN starting in early 70s and have tried nearly every kind of slug gun and slug combo imaginable.
Still have a few slug guns but they don't see use anymore since so many states have opened things up to centerfire rifles of various calibers.
Worst thing about 12ga slugs is the recoil. They're painful to get sighted in.
Best slugs I've found for a rifled barrel are Federal Barnes copper expanders or Remington Accutips. For smooth bore, the Brenneke slugs performed best.
Shot a lot of deer with; Ithaca Deerslayer, Remington 870, Savage 220 & Savage 212, both smooth bore and rifled, lots of different optics combos. They all got the job done but the bolt action Savages were more accurate.
Still have a few slug guns but they don't see use anymore since so many states have opened things up to centerfire rifles of various calibers.
Worst thing about 12ga slugs is the recoil. They're painful to get sighted in.
Best slugs I've found for a rifled barrel are Federal Barnes copper expanders or Remington Accutips. For smooth bore, the Brenneke slugs performed best.
Shot a lot of deer with; Ithaca Deerslayer, Remington 870, Savage 220 & Savage 212, both smooth bore and rifled, lots of different optics combos. They all got the job done but the bolt action Savages were more accurate.
scoped i assume? what scope / reticle do you use?
i will admit publicly to not being the biggest fan of excessive recoil. especially when practicing
You'll be in for a ride with the 12 gauge slugs.
MS 9x56
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12 gauge slugs aren’t near as bad as 31/2” 21/4 oz turkey loads. They are brutal. Worse than a 450 Nitro Express elephant rifle.
Pucky Freak
Well-known member
Just my 2 cents. There are a lot of things you need to line up in a short period of time for a shotgun: barrel, loads, sights. Between sighting in, finding the right load, and practicing that is a lot of punishment on a 12 ga. 20 ga w/ vented barrel sure, but that isn’t your situation.
With the short timetable you are looking at, a decent scope on the muzzleloader as @WildWill noted, and plenty of practice, this is a simple solution that can give you some extra range with quicker results.
With the short timetable you are looking at, a decent scope on the muzzleloader as @WildWill noted, and plenty of practice, this is a simple solution that can give you some extra range with quicker results.
shannerdrake
Well-known member
Pucky Freak is spot on. I’ve spent most of my life playing around with muzzleloaders and slug guns.
Smooth bore shotgun without sights is a 50 yard proposition. Sights maybe 75. Truball slugs are the most accurate foster type slug I’ve used.
Cantilever rifled barrels on a pump gun are a gamble. I’ve seen them shoot and I’ve seen them not shoot. Even at that you are talking 100-150yd scenario.
ML are so much easier to get to shoot. Especially using a modern black powder substitute. You can also save a lot of time finding a load that will work by getting Bor Lock 270gr Solid Copper and starting with a 85% max load of black powder substitute. I’ve never had a ML not shoot that load accurate enough to hunt.
Blackhorn 209 is the best but can be finicky. If you don’t like to tinker or are short on time then 777 is my go to. It always fires and cleans with water. And you can get by with volume measurement.
For cheap and good I like a TC Impact with an entry level 3-9 leupold. Not sure how easy the impact will be to find. I’ve never shot one but lots of guys swear by the CVA Wolf for affordability and accuracy sweet spot.
Muzzle-loaders.com is a GREAT company with faith-based values and treat customers right and will answer the phone and work through what you need.
Good luck!
Smooth bore shotgun without sights is a 50 yard proposition. Sights maybe 75. Truball slugs are the most accurate foster type slug I’ve used.
Cantilever rifled barrels on a pump gun are a gamble. I’ve seen them shoot and I’ve seen them not shoot. Even at that you are talking 100-150yd scenario.
ML are so much easier to get to shoot. Especially using a modern black powder substitute. You can also save a lot of time finding a load that will work by getting Bor Lock 270gr Solid Copper and starting with a 85% max load of black powder substitute. I’ve never had a ML not shoot that load accurate enough to hunt.
Blackhorn 209 is the best but can be finicky. If you don’t like to tinker or are short on time then 777 is my go to. It always fires and cleans with water. And you can get by with volume measurement.
For cheap and good I like a TC Impact with an entry level 3-9 leupold. Not sure how easy the impact will be to find. I’ve never shot one but lots of guys swear by the CVA Wolf for affordability and accuracy sweet spot.
Muzzle-loaders.com is a GREAT company with faith-based values and treat customers right and will answer the phone and work through what you need.
Good luck!
I would always pick a good slug gun over a muzzle loader.
Muzzle loaders don't shoot any further or more accurately than a good scoped slug gun and are a pain to load plus limited to a single shot. Why do you think the frontiersmen tossed them aside and picked up cartridge rifles soon as they became available?
Muzzle loaders don't shoot any further or more accurately than a good scoped slug gun and are a pain to load plus limited to a single shot. Why do you think the frontiersmen tossed them aside and picked up cartridge rifles soon as they became available?
Pucky Freak
Well-known member
Well the ML, projectiles, and powders of the frontiersmen are all upgraded today. Plus they didn’t have scopes, so not really apples to apples comparison.
