To choke or not to choke....

[diehard]

...that seems to be the question.

I went to the range tonight. I had one hour before closing, and my main objective was to try out a homemade peep sight on my 30-30 (a work in progress:roll:). I did however, barely have time to try out my new rifled choke on some cast Lyman sabots. Wanted to test a 100 yard target, I chose to shoot the stoutest load I had brought: 36 grains of Unviersal, in a GM hull. This one will let you know you are shooting! Wicked cool.

Here are 6 quickly fired shots at 50 yards using both an IC choke and my new rifled choke. It appears here that for once I bought something that had real potential.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/hubmonster/laurelguns002-1.jpg
However, here are two three shot groups at 100 yards. The smallest (the RC) is about 4 5/8", and the largest (the IC) is about 6 7/8" measured with a tape measure. My point of aim for all targets is 6 o'clock of the orange tape.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/hubmonster/laurelguns003-1.jpg
Here is the gun. Nothing fancy. Still in Turkey hunting camo wrap, with cheap Allen (Walmart) rib mounted dot sights.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/hubmonster/laurelguns004-1.jpg
here is what I see looking at the 50 yard target.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/hubmonster/laurelguns005-1.jpg

Today was just a quickie. I am going back tomorrow for some extensive slug testing with 7/8 Lee loads. I'm hoping the rifled choke will prove to be a good launcher for those slugs.

[longbow]

Adam604 has posted some very good 100 yard groups using a rifled choke tube with both round balls and Lee slugs.

I had thought the rifling twist was too fast but it turns out that even the old Paradox guns with rifled choke used about the same twist and they shot quite accurately. As far as I understand it they had more aggressive ratchet rifling than modern choke tubes but Adam and others have gotten some pretty good accuracy so it can be done.

I am still playing with smoothbore ~ mainly learning what doesn't work, but the journey is still worthwhile.

Longbow

[diehard]

I typed a long report that got lost in cyberspace somehow....so I''ll give the abridged version of today's range session:

Lee slugs (in the three recipes I loaded them) rarely hit paper at 100 yards, and couldn't actually be called groups at 50 yards. At 25 yards they were fun to launch rapid fire at man-sized sihouettes though with 100% torso shots. My rifled choked Mossberg 500 just didn't seem to like them much.

I shot a box of Lyman 525 with excellent result both at 50 and 100 yards, with 4" 6 shot groups the norm at 50 yards, and 4" 3 shot groups at 100 yards. this was the 36 gr Universal load.

Even the Lyman 525 shot with 22.5 gr of Unique did outstanding at 50 yards, avering 3-4" groups off hand.

I shot a box of full bore 7/8 0z Slugmaster slugs I had loaded, which did quite well thorugh both the rifled and Ic choke, averaging cloverleafs at 25 yards and 3.5-4" at 50 yards.

I haven't given up on the Lee slugs yet....going to try some HS-6 and Herco if I can find some.


Been thinking about a Red Dot load......anyone ever tried this?

[oso]

"Been thinking about a Red Dot load......anyone ever tried this?"

Well since you asked: PROMO may be similar to Red Dot. I was looking for a light load and started with a guess of 16.5 gr of PROMO in an AA shell with WW 209 primer and 7/8 oz Lee slug in a WWAA12L gray wad; averaged 1,180 fps through a Rem 870 with a 27" Poly Choked bulbous barrel. No recommendation, but pleasant shooting and good enough for paper plates at 30 yds, not a 100 yd target load. I ought to try slug loads and lining up the beads on the skeet tube.

[diehard]

Thanks for the input!

I did find SR7625 to be less than satisfactory with the the Lee slugs. Perhaps I should have use hard nitro cards instead of carboard filler, I don't know.