# 50 yards good.....100 yds bad!



## CaptainNorthwood (Jan 3, 2006)

So a few years ago I bought my wife slug gun. I gave her my 20 ga. Rem 870 and bought a Hastings Barrel (24" fully rifled Cantilever Scope mount) with a Nikon Slughunter 3-9x scope. Some of you may remember the fits I had with this gun a few years back. For one reason or another it never got fixed. I took gun out of the safe again this year and decided to send the barrel back to Hastings to have them look at it because I was thinking that there was an issue with the barrel because I had tried so many ammos, 2 different scopes and nothing worked. I got the barrel back from Hastings a few days ago and they said the barrel met their specs? Not sure what that means but thats all it said. So after again going to the gunsmith and doing some more trouble shooting they recommened me to try a new scope and some new slugs (buckhammers) I start shooting and everything goes good. Got it on paper 1st shot and started making my adjustment and had it dialed in at 50 yards. I shot a couple other brands of slugs while cleaning the barrel every 3-4 shots. I was feeling pretty good and then I went out to 100 yards for the real test.....this is where the wheels fell off for me the last multiple times out. Long story short there was no consistency....first slug top right hand corner of paper. 2nd slug low left corner......and so on an so forth. This is the exact same thing that happened to me last time? It just doesnt make sense to me. Why would things be cool at 50 yards and then a mess at 100yds. And yes my shooting is fine. I can shoot my 12 ga deer gun all day long and cut the center out of the target so I know its not me flinching or jerking. I've tried so many different things its really frustrating and financially its starting to drain me. I thought about having the barrel pinned but I am not really sure if that would help or not. Or is it just possible I have a bad barrel, thats what I thought originally.


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## ahoude23 (Aug 18, 2008)

Sounds like not enough spin to stabilize the projectile. I think (I'll figure it out later) you might try increasing slug weight to stabilize at slower spin. 

Andy


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## Ralph Smith (Apr 1, 2003)

Got me? One thing I can tell you is I used to have a 12 ga. 870 Rem. and went with a rifled choke. Not sure if they still make them, or in a 20 ga., but the gunsmith that sold it to me said they were just as good as a rifled barrel. Obviously he wasn't lieing or trying to get my money, since it was only about $20 and I shot sabots great at 100 yrds. Might be something to look into with your original barrel, assuming it has the screw in choke tubes. Pretty cheap if it works.


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## 2PawsRiver (Aug 4, 2002)

I have a hastings 870 barrel I will send you. Pay the postage round trip and maybe it will help I'd your problem.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Paul Thompson (Jul 16, 2007)

If the barrel meets factory specs, doesnt mean the specs are good. You can manufacture a worthless product, and still have it meet specs of the print.


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## KrossJr (Jan 20, 2009)

Beleive it or not I have the same problem a H&R 20 gauge Ultra Slug I bought. 50 yds good, 100 yds terrible off a bench. Tried Hornadys, Lightfields and Barnes with same results. Talk about frustrating. Scope is brand new Swift 1.5-4.5, and I beleive this is the problem, just have not returned it yet. Should be a simple swap since Swifts have lifetime warranty. This gun should be a tack driver out to 150 yds as seen 1st hand numerous times. 

Anybody have a guess?


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## wild bill (Apr 20, 2001)

KrossJr said:


> Beleive it or not I have the same problem a H&R 20 gauge Ultra Slug I bought. 50 yds good, 100 yds terrible off a bench. Tried Hornadys, Lightfields and Barnes with same results. Talk about frustrating. Scope is brand new Swift 1.5-4.5, and I beleive this is the problem, just have not returned it yet. Should be a simple swap since Swifts have lifetime warranty. This gun should be a tack driver out to 150 yds as seen 1st hand numerous times.
> 
> Anybody have a guess?



had the same issue with my 12 gauge. ran a few partition golds through it and been using them ever since. 3" pattern at 150 yards.


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## hunt-n-fool (Oct 10, 2006)

shoot at 50 yard target (paper) and have 100 yd target behind, might take a few shots to align, but then you should have the answer, if it shoots good at 50, and bad at 100 with a 50 yard aiming point, then it isnt the shooter or the scope, must be the projectile.


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## Mitchell Ulrich (Sep 10, 2007)

Just sell it!
Get rid of it!
Trade it in!
Remove it from inventory!
Designate it as "Bird Only!" 

Whatever, just don't force it to be a "Deer" hunting shotgun when it doesn't want to be one!

Problem solved.


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## LoBrass (Oct 16, 2007)

Mitchell Ulrich said:


> Just sell it!
> Get rid of it!
> Trade it in!
> Remove it from inventory!
> ...


Some guns just aren't that good, for whatever reason. I shoot a ML for all southern Michigan gun hunting. Satisfaction guaranteed with TC.


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## UPhiker (Jul 13, 2008)

ahoude23 said:


> Sounds like not enough spin to stabilize the projectile. I think (I'll figure it out later) you might try increasing slug weight to stabilize at slower spin.
> 
> Andy


 Actually, you should _decrease_ the projectile weight. Just like a ,223, a 1:12 rate is good enough for a 55gr but you need a 1:7 for an 80gr.


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## MI.sabot (Jan 27, 2007)

*+1* to the suggestion of trading any 20 ga. in for a muzzleloader.
That's what I did after experiencing the same frustrations with a 20 ga USH and I've never regretted that decision. 

Think about it: you're shooting the same 250 gr bullet at 1,800-2,000 fps, able to extend the deer season by a couple weeks, ammo is a fraction of the cost compared to sabot slugs, they are insanely accurate and honestly a whole lot more fun to shoot!


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## buckshot-0 (Nov 14, 2005)

I had a problem with a Hastings barrel I bought for my wife's 1100. It had the muzzle brake on the barrel, which had burrs in the porting. I'd find sabots that were all shaved up and distorted. I called Hastings and they told me to send it in and they'd test it. Their specs are like 5" @ 50 yrds. If the gun tested within their specs using Their Hastings slugs, They would charge me $75 for testing it. Needless to say, I told them to get bent. I ended up cutting the brake off and recrowning the barrel. Now I get 4" @ 100 with the Lightfield Hybrids. I will never send Hastings another cent. I think their products are mediocre and their customer service sucks!


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## Dixiedog (Aug 9, 2006)

My buddy is having the same probem with his 1100. At 50 yds it shots pretty nice. At 100 its bearly on paper. I'm talking 15 to 20 inch groups. We have tried every (well seems like it anyway) sabot slug out there. Found out it doesnt like sabot slugs. Put some old fosters in it and 3 to 4 inch groups. Must be the twist rate.


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## rcdan-o (Nov 13, 2004)

After spending stupid amounts of money on various sabot slugs for my 870 , I can tell you that we have a "go to" round. TRY the buck hammer from remington, it seems to be a good round , I have had good results with them but I have had my best with the winchester partition golds 2 3/4" 385 grain at gander mtn for $12.99. ONE of them has to work. 

if not focus on the black powder...


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## CaptainNorthwood (Jan 3, 2006)

Thanks for the replies guys. Already have muzzleloaders so its not that we "need" a deer gun for her. I just spent alot of money on a barrel and scope and it would be nice if it shot well......heck I don't even need it to shoot well at this point.....I would settle for average now! Its just frustrating to get no help from the company making the barrel and very little help from the company who sold it too me. Glad nobody stands behind what they make or sell anymore. Its almost like once they get their money whatever happens next is your problem.


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## Ron L (Nov 12, 2000)

Have you tried any foster-type slugs through it?

Also, just for craps and giggles, have you tried the barrel on another 870 receiver? 

After reading your trials and buckshot-0's tribulations, I'll tend to steer away from Hastings from now on. How a 5" group at 50 yards can be considered their acceptable "spec" for a barrel is beyond me. And to want to charge $$ to make sure their product meets their mediocre standards is a slap in the face.


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## Mitchell Ulrich (Sep 10, 2007)

buckshot-0 said:


> I had a problem with a Hastings barrel I bought for my wife's 1100. It had the muzzle brake on the barrel, which had burrs in the porting. I'd find sabots that were all shaved up and distorted. I called Hastings and they told me to send it in and they'd test it. Their specs are like 5" @ 50 yrds. If the gun tested within their specs using Their Hastings slugs, They would charge me $75 for testing it. Needless to say, I told them to get bent. I ended up cutting the brake off and recrowning the barrel. Now I get 4" @ 100 with the Lightfield Hybrids. I will never send Hastings another cent. I think their products are mediocre and their customer service sucks!


 
How do you re-crown a shotgun barrel?


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## buckshot-0 (Nov 14, 2005)

Mitchell Ulrich said:


> How do you re-crown a shotgun barrel?


When I cut off the brake, I left some of the metal on where the barrel starts to get fatter for the brake. That allowed me to chuck it in a lathe, indicate the bore and cut a recessed crown. Then I slightly lapped it to remove any burrs.


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## decoydog (May 12, 2009)

I think trying the barrel in a different receiver is a great idea. Sounds like the fit of the barrel and receiver are not what they should be and it's changing the point of aim each time the gun is fired, same problem at 50 and 100 but amplifed at 100. but you may already have the answer/junk barrel :rant:


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