I LIVE IN A SHOTGUN ZONE, BUT USUALLY HUNT IN THE RIFLE ZONE. ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THIS IS THE TRADITIONAL, “GOING TO THE DEER CAMP WEEK.” ANOTHER REASON IS THAT BACK IN THE 70’s THE USUAL SLUG GUN WAS THE BIRD AND RABBIT GUN. YOU JUST TOOK YOUR 870, 500, OR 37 WITH RIFLED SLUGS AND IF YOU HIT A 9” PAPER PLATE AT 50 YARDS OFF THE BENCH WITH THE BEAD, “IT’S GOOD ENOUGH.” THERE ARE ALSO SWITCH BARRELS IN SMOOTH BORE WITH RIFLED SIGHTS. THE SMOOTH BORES ARE USUALLY FED FOSTER STYLE SLUGS. FOSTER STYLE SLUGS DO NOT HAVE THE EFFECTIVE RANGE AS THE SABOT, THOUGH CAN STILL BE EFFECTIVE AT SHORTER DISTANCES. THERE ARE STILL A NUMBER OF SLUG GUNS OF THAT ERA STILL IN SERVICE. AN EXAMPLE IS THE ITHACA DEER SLAYER THAT KEPT RIFLED SLUGS IN A 6” PAPER PLATE AT 100 YARDS WITH THE RIGHT SLUG AMMO AND THE GUN HAD RIFLED SIGHTS OR A SCOPE. A FEW GUNS AND GOOD SHOOTERS DID A BIT BETTER. I, MYSELF WOULD GO OUT ON THANKSGIVING WEEKEND EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE WITH A TOPPER 58 AND REMINGTON SLUGGERS. GIVEN THE TIME TO PUT THE BEAD IN THE LITTLE NOTCH ON THE RECEIVER, AT 50 OR SO YARDS, A PAPER PLATE WOULD NOT HOLD GRAVY. RANGES FOR THESE WEAPONS WERE SHORT 40 YARDS OF THE 100 YARD MARK. SOME OF THESE WEAPONS WERE FAR FROM BEING TRULY AN ADEQUATE HUNTING FIREARM FOR THE CONSCIENTIOUS DEER HUNTER, AT LEAST BY TODAY’S STANDARDS.
STARTING IN THE EARLY 90’s A CLEAVER IDEA CAME UP IN SLUG SHOOTING. THE INVENTION WAS THE CANTILEVER OR INTEGRAL SCOPE BASE RIFLED SLUG BARREL FOR SWITCH BARREL SHOTGUNS. CANTILEVER SLUG BARRELS ALLOWED FULL BORE AND SABOT AMMO TO SHOOT MORE ACCURATELY THAN THE PREVIOUS SWITCH SLUG BARRELS. BOLT SLUG GUNS LIKE THE MARLIN, MOSSBERG, BROWNING, TARHUNT, AND SAVAGE CAME ON TO THE MARKET AS RIFLE LIKE CONFIGURATIONS. ALSO, THE ULTRA SLUG HUNTER AND DEER SLAYERS II AND III AS WELL CAME ON TO THE MARKET. THESE PARTICULAR SLUG GUNS WERE CLASSIFIED AS DESIGNATED SLUG GUNS BECAUSE THEIR SOLE PURPOSE WAS TO SHOOT SABOTS AND FULL BORE SLUGS. NEWER AGED SLUG GUNS GENERALLY HAVE BEEN GOOD TO VERY ACCURATE AT A 100 YARDS. AS SABOT AMMO HAS IMPROVED OVER THE TIMES A NUMBER OF THESE SLUG GUNS ARE PUSHING THE 200 YARD MARK WITH GOOD SHOOTERS.
BACK A FEW YEARS AGO DIFFERENT INFORMATION RESOURCES CONVINCED ME TO TRY THE SHOTGUN ZONE BECAUSE DEER POPULATIONS WERE HIGHER THERE THAN IN THE RIFLE ZONE. KEEPING A PERIODIC TAB ON SLUG SHOOTING, I CAUGHT UP ON SLUG HUNTING WITH A LITTLE RESEARCH. I DECIDED TO GET A SLUGSTER BARREL FOR MY MOSSBERG 835. THERE ARE ADVANTAGES OF THE SWITCH BARREL SHOTGUN. IT’S VERSATILITY TO TRANSFORM ITSELF AND ADAPT TO THE DIFFERENT SEASONS OF TURKEY, DUCK, RABBIT AND SQUIRREL, UPLAND BIRD, AND BIG GAME VERY WELL. THE SWITCH BARREL SHOTGUN CAN BE A DESIGNATED TURKEY GUN IN THE SPRING. IT CAN BE A DESIGNATED WATERFOWL GUN IN THE EARLY FALL. IT CAN BE A DESIGNATED SLUG GUN FOR BIG GAME IN THE LATE FALL. IT CAN BE A FINE RABBIT GUN IN THE LATE WINTER. LASTLY, IT CAN BUST CLAYS AT THE LOCAL RANGE IN THE SUMMER ON A NICE WEEKEND.
THESE DIFFERENT CONFIGURATIONS HAVE ATTRIBUTES FOR THE VERSATILE SHOTGUN USER. HOWEVER, SWITCH BARREL GUNS DO HAVE A FEW QUIRKS LIKE SOME OF THE WEAPONS PREVIOUSLY STATED. A SWITCH BARREL GUN IS A SHOTGUN THAT THE BARREL IS NOT LOCKED INTO THE RECEIVER. HENCE, THE ABILITY TO CHANGE BARRELS AT WILL WITHOUT EXCESSIVE MANIPULATION. WITH THE RIFLED SLUG BARREL ONE QUIRK BECOMES MORE EVIDENT. GENERALLY UPON FIRING AND GENERAL USAGE, (LIKE LEANING THE GUN ON A BOARD OR LOG IN THE BLIND), THE SWITCH BARREL GUN CAN SHIFT, VIBRATE, AND THE SUCH. THIS MOVEMENT CAN CREATE HAVOC WITH GROUPS WHILE SIGHTING IN. THUS, BRINGING THE COST OF AMMO CONSUMPTION UP WHILE TRYING TO FIND A LOAD FOR YOUR GUN AS I FOUND OUT ALONG WITH A LITTLE HEAD SCRATCHING. BECAUSE OF THAT, A THOUGHT CROSSED MY MIND OF AN ACCURIZING SHOTGUN KIT TO IMPROVE THE INTERCONNECTION OF THE BARREL AND RECEIVER. THE APPLICATION WILL MAKE YOUR FIREARM MORE ACCURATE AND BE ONE OF THE FASTER REPEATERS, SUCH AS THE DEER SLAYER II OR III.
AFTER INSTALLATION THERE IS STILL THE DIFFERENT AMMO TYPES THAT NEED TESTED FOR YOUR BARREL’S INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS. BARREL DIMENSIONS REGARDING BORE DIAMETER, TWIST, AND CHAMBERING CHARACTERISTICS VARY IN DIFFERENT MANUFACTURERS MAKES AND MODELS. THUS, WHILE ONE TYPE OF AMMO WORKS FOR YOUR BUDDY’S GUN. ANOTHER TYPE OF AMMO WOULD WORK FOR YOUR GUN. AMMO THAT YOU TRY SHOULD BE MORE LIKELY TO STAY IN SOME FORM OF A GROUP WITH THE ACCURIZING SHOTGUN KIT. YOU SHOULD NOTE THAT CLEANING THE BARREL WITH A BRUSH AND RAG WITH SOLVENT TO RID PLASTIC FOULING OF THE SABOTS. CLEANING EVERY FIVE OR TEN SHOTS AND/OR BETWEEN BRANDS OF AMMO WILL ALSO ENHANCE THE ACCURACY OF YOUR FIREARM. DO NOT LET THE BARREL GET TOO WARM WHILE RANGE TESTING WHICH WILL LEAD TO INACCURACIES.
STARTING IN THE EARLY 90’s A CLEAVER IDEA CAME UP IN SLUG SHOOTING. THE INVENTION WAS THE CANTILEVER OR INTEGRAL SCOPE BASE RIFLED SLUG BARREL FOR SWITCH BARREL SHOTGUNS. CANTILEVER SLUG BARRELS ALLOWED FULL BORE AND SABOT AMMO TO SHOOT MORE ACCURATELY THAN THE PREVIOUS SWITCH SLUG BARRELS. BOLT SLUG GUNS LIKE THE MARLIN, MOSSBERG, BROWNING, TARHUNT, AND SAVAGE CAME ON TO THE MARKET AS RIFLE LIKE CONFIGURATIONS. ALSO, THE ULTRA SLUG HUNTER AND DEER SLAYERS II AND III AS WELL CAME ON TO THE MARKET. THESE PARTICULAR SLUG GUNS WERE CLASSIFIED AS DESIGNATED SLUG GUNS BECAUSE THEIR SOLE PURPOSE WAS TO SHOOT SABOTS AND FULL BORE SLUGS. NEWER AGED SLUG GUNS GENERALLY HAVE BEEN GOOD TO VERY ACCURATE AT A 100 YARDS. AS SABOT AMMO HAS IMPROVED OVER THE TIMES A NUMBER OF THESE SLUG GUNS ARE PUSHING THE 200 YARD MARK WITH GOOD SHOOTERS.
BACK A FEW YEARS AGO DIFFERENT INFORMATION RESOURCES CONVINCED ME TO TRY THE SHOTGUN ZONE BECAUSE DEER POPULATIONS WERE HIGHER THERE THAN IN THE RIFLE ZONE. KEEPING A PERIODIC TAB ON SLUG SHOOTING, I CAUGHT UP ON SLUG HUNTING WITH A LITTLE RESEARCH. I DECIDED TO GET A SLUGSTER BARREL FOR MY MOSSBERG 835. THERE ARE ADVANTAGES OF THE SWITCH BARREL SHOTGUN. IT’S VERSATILITY TO TRANSFORM ITSELF AND ADAPT TO THE DIFFERENT SEASONS OF TURKEY, DUCK, RABBIT AND SQUIRREL, UPLAND BIRD, AND BIG GAME VERY WELL. THE SWITCH BARREL SHOTGUN CAN BE A DESIGNATED TURKEY GUN IN THE SPRING. IT CAN BE A DESIGNATED WATERFOWL GUN IN THE EARLY FALL. IT CAN BE A DESIGNATED SLUG GUN FOR BIG GAME IN THE LATE FALL. IT CAN BE A FINE RABBIT GUN IN THE LATE WINTER. LASTLY, IT CAN BUST CLAYS AT THE LOCAL RANGE IN THE SUMMER ON A NICE WEEKEND.
THESE DIFFERENT CONFIGURATIONS HAVE ATTRIBUTES FOR THE VERSATILE SHOTGUN USER. HOWEVER, SWITCH BARREL GUNS DO HAVE A FEW QUIRKS LIKE SOME OF THE WEAPONS PREVIOUSLY STATED. A SWITCH BARREL GUN IS A SHOTGUN THAT THE BARREL IS NOT LOCKED INTO THE RECEIVER. HENCE, THE ABILITY TO CHANGE BARRELS AT WILL WITHOUT EXCESSIVE MANIPULATION. WITH THE RIFLED SLUG BARREL ONE QUIRK BECOMES MORE EVIDENT. GENERALLY UPON FIRING AND GENERAL USAGE, (LIKE LEANING THE GUN ON A BOARD OR LOG IN THE BLIND), THE SWITCH BARREL GUN CAN SHIFT, VIBRATE, AND THE SUCH. THIS MOVEMENT CAN CREATE HAVOC WITH GROUPS WHILE SIGHTING IN. THUS, BRINGING THE COST OF AMMO CONSUMPTION UP WHILE TRYING TO FIND A LOAD FOR YOUR GUN AS I FOUND OUT ALONG WITH A LITTLE HEAD SCRATCHING. BECAUSE OF THAT, A THOUGHT CROSSED MY MIND OF AN ACCURIZING SHOTGUN KIT TO IMPROVE THE INTERCONNECTION OF THE BARREL AND RECEIVER. THE APPLICATION WILL MAKE YOUR FIREARM MORE ACCURATE AND BE ONE OF THE FASTER REPEATERS, SUCH AS THE DEER SLAYER II OR III.
AFTER INSTALLATION THERE IS STILL THE DIFFERENT AMMO TYPES THAT NEED TESTED FOR YOUR BARREL’S INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS. BARREL DIMENSIONS REGARDING BORE DIAMETER, TWIST, AND CHAMBERING CHARACTERISTICS VARY IN DIFFERENT MANUFACTURERS MAKES AND MODELS. THUS, WHILE ONE TYPE OF AMMO WORKS FOR YOUR BUDDY’S GUN. ANOTHER TYPE OF AMMO WOULD WORK FOR YOUR GUN. AMMO THAT YOU TRY SHOULD BE MORE LIKELY TO STAY IN SOME FORM OF A GROUP WITH THE ACCURIZING SHOTGUN KIT. YOU SHOULD NOTE THAT CLEANING THE BARREL WITH A BRUSH AND RAG WITH SOLVENT TO RID PLASTIC FOULING OF THE SABOTS. CLEANING EVERY FIVE OR TEN SHOTS AND/OR BETWEEN BRANDS OF AMMO WILL ALSO ENHANCE THE ACCURACY OF YOUR FIREARM. DO NOT LET THE BARREL GET TOO WARM WHILE RANGE TESTING WHICH WILL LEAD TO INACCURACIES.