shooting slugs with bead sight
- Thread starter leverett
- Start date
Yes, and no.
If you have consistent form then you will be able to achieve decent results. If your form is bad then you will have less than desirable results.
I can get pretty decent goups, i.e. all in a paper plate at 50 yards using only the bead on my HD gun. The key is getting your head down and getting a good consistent cheek weld on the stock. If you can't get your eye in the same spot each time you are not going to have consistent groups.
If you have a vent rib (VR) barrel it's a little easier as you can use the VR as a windage indicater to see if you are centered on the barrel or not. You can also easily attach sights to a VR barrel. (Note my HD gun does have a VR barrel)
Consistency is they key and with practice your brain will remember the correct sight picture.
If you have consistent form then you will be able to achieve decent results. If your form is bad then you will have less than desirable results.
I can get pretty decent goups, i.e. all in a paper plate at 50 yards using only the bead on my HD gun. The key is getting your head down and getting a good consistent cheek weld on the stock. If you can't get your eye in the same spot each time you are not going to have consistent groups.
If you have a vent rib (VR) barrel it's a little easier as you can use the VR as a windage indicater to see if you are centered on the barrel or not. You can also easily attach sights to a VR barrel. (Note my HD gun does have a VR barrel)
Consistency is they key and with practice your brain will remember the correct sight picture.
Agreed!
What you may have to learn with a bead sight is your hold on your target. Your point of aim (POA) may be on the bull, but your point of impact (POI) may be a few inches somewhere else. So you adjust where you hold your bead, your POA, and (assuming as MikeD said, youre consistent with how you hold the gun and aquire your sight picture), youll begin seein results in the way of shots on target, your POI will be where it needs to be.
Example;
My 590A1 groups (my POI) low recoil slugs about 3" low and 2" left of my POA. Si I adjust for 50 yards by holding my POA 3" high and 2" right of the intended target and then see POI withina 4 to 6" group centered around the bull. With a sight, you can adjust that to the correct hold rather than compensating by eyeballin it! (or Kentucky Windage!!!)
Its entirely possible to shoot slugs with reasonable accuracy outto 50 yards! More practice will produce more accuracy. Choice of ammo can impact all this too.
What you may have to learn with a bead sight is your hold on your target. Your point of aim (POA) may be on the bull, but your point of impact (POI) may be a few inches somewhere else. So you adjust where you hold your bead, your POA, and (assuming as MikeD said, youre consistent with how you hold the gun and aquire your sight picture), youll begin seein results in the way of shots on target, your POI will be where it needs to be.
Example;
My 590A1 groups (my POI) low recoil slugs about 3" low and 2" left of my POA. Si I adjust for 50 yards by holding my POA 3" high and 2" right of the intended target and then see POI withina 4 to 6" group centered around the bull. With a sight, you can adjust that to the correct hold rather than compensating by eyeballin it! (or Kentucky Windage!!!)
Its entirely possible to shoot slugs with reasonable accuracy outto 50 yards! More practice will produce more accuracy. Choice of ammo can impact all this too.
I will always recommend using the best sighting system you can afford/acquire for a given task.
When hunting you owe it to the animal to make a quick, clean, humane kill.
I have deer hunted with a shotgun equipped with only a bead sight in the past because that is what I had. Having shot that gun a lot I knew my abilities and limitations using that setup.
If you have the ability to get a barrel with sights or get some installed on the current barrel I would recommend doing that. If not then practice enough with what you have so that you know what both you and the gun are cabable of at different yardages and hunt within those ranges in which you are proficient.
I don't know your background so I apologize if you already know this but different brands/types of ammo shoot differently out of different guns, even guns of the same model. Trying different loads may also refine your groups once you get your form down.
When hunting you owe it to the animal to make a quick, clean, humane kill.
I have deer hunted with a shotgun equipped with only a bead sight in the past because that is what I had. Having shot that gun a lot I knew my abilities and limitations using that setup.
If you have the ability to get a barrel with sights or get some installed on the current barrel I would recommend doing that. If not then practice enough with what you have so that you know what both you and the gun are cabable of at different yardages and hunt within those ranges in which you are proficient.
I don't know your background so I apologize if you already know this but different brands/types of ammo shoot differently out of different guns, even guns of the same model. Trying different loads may also refine your groups once you get your form down.
I definitely would not recommend hunting with this setup but just to show what a shotgun is capable of...
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNTyCcip-ks[/youtube]
Note: Hickok is quite a shot and is definitely more skilled than I.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNTyCcip-ks[/youtube]
Note: Hickok is quite a shot and is definitely more skilled than I.
My experience with shooting a bead sight at 50 yards with a slug.... Aim low.
I am looking at having my gunsmith cut a small section of the VR out and install a fold down rear sight. I have the sight info at home and can't remember the manufacturer, -- checked Marble Arms is the manufacturer. This setup would be like the FNH SLP competition model. I like the idea for when 3-gun comps have long slug targets.
Currently my 930 barrel is being cut and rethreaded for choke tubes.
Planning on having three (yes 3) identical guns for shooting comps. One for me, one for better half, and one spare. Having the better half shooting is nice, expensive yes, but she doesn't complain about what I spend...... :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Currently my 930 barrel is being cut and rethreaded for choke tubes.
Planning on having three (yes 3) identical guns for shooting comps. One for me, one for better half, and one spare. Having the better half shooting is nice, expensive yes, but she doesn't complain about what I spend...... :mrgreen: :mrgreen: