Range report!
I got the new to me Slugster out for a test drive today and all went well. The gun function well except for one round that stuck in the chamber for a bit and of course I forgot my cleaning rod! I took the barrel off and tried to get at the rim but couldn't easily and didn't want to do any damage so decided to end my day there. Put the barrel back on and slammed the action shut then opened it and the hull ejected!
Not sure why the double extractors couldn't seem to get a grip then suddenly did but that's the facts. I thought at first the hull might have been dirty of brass (coated steel head) rusted or rough but there was no sign of any issue with the hull. Loads were not hot so not likely over pressure. All I can think of is this was range pick up hulls and a few had very tight primers when I ran them through my Sizemaster so maybe when the primer was pushed out the head bulged a bit? I'm thinking thicker rim or less edge for the extractors?
Other than that the gun worked well and no further problems. I shot around 40+ slug loads off the bench. Nothing shot particularly well except 0.678" RB's in shotcups.
First target was at 25 yards to check sight settings and low hold on my 4" square diamond targets got me pretty much center of target so sights are good. Hard to see but lined up well for the slugs I shot.
I took with me:
- 35 Lee 1 oz. slugs. with glue skirts in Winchester yellow 1 1/4 oz. wads. These were sized down to remove taper then skirt added and paper patched to snug fit in bore.
- 5 Lee 7/8 oz. slugs as cast with glue skirt added. In Claybuster 1 oz. wads which are thin I had to use one wrap of paper to make snug fit.
- 5 Lee 7/8 oz. slugs as cast in the same wad
- 10 Russian Paradox slugs and wads KrackenFan69 sent me some time ago ~ these seem to be perfect fir for this Mossberg bore though they mic'd a bit small, they are a snug push into the muzzle.
- I also had some 0.678" round ball loads from last outing and some Lee 1 oz. slug loads
I shot all but 5 of the 1 oz. slugs with glue skirts, all 10 of the 7/8 oz. slugs, the 10 Paradox slugs about 10 of the previously loaded Lee slugs and about 10 of the previously loaded 0.678" RB's so lots of shooting off the bench!
Accuracy at 25 yards seemed pretty decent but groups were larger than I would have expected. I think partly new gun, partly sights a bit hard to see and partly heavy trigger pull, very heavy trigger pull!
Winchester wads all looked good but the Claybusters not so much. I'll look then over closer but it seems the gas seals failed again. There were other people at the range so I didn't get to look much for wads and slugs, got a few but not a lot.
First thing I noticed is less recoil than my single shot but not unexpected since this gun seems heavier. Second thing was the enormous fireball muzzle flash I got from both Blue Dot, SR4756 and Unique but not Green Dot. I have not noticed muzzle flash so much in my single shot but the barrel is a few inches longer. It makes a big difference! Third thing was that the sights are pretty much right on. Somewhere in the midst of that I noticed the heavy trigger pull.
So, after sorting things out and being confident sights were reasonably close I tried 50 yard shooting. Not very good! Again, new gun, sights very difficult to see depending on light, and very heavy trigger pull. Between the sights and trigger pull I think those were the main reasons for poor accuracy.
No complaints about the gun though, I like it. I do want to lighten up the trigger so if anyone has tips please pass them on.
Sights will be getting the nail polish treatment so I can see them better. The rear sight may need to be filed a little wider too but I'll try some bright pink nail polish on the front sight then see how that looks.
Since the intended use if primarily for bear protection these things are not critical because at 25 yards it was accurate enough to dispatch a bear if need be. However, I do want to get a better sight picture and lighter trigger pull. The gun seems quite tight (barrel to receiver) but I'll look at whether shimming would help.
On the rifled barrel front, the same place I bought the gun now has a rifled barrel for $150.00 CDN which seems like a good deal to me. Not sure if I will buy it or finish my rifled choke tube first to see how that works but for $150.00 I'm thinking I may just buy the barrel.
As for slugs, I was a bit disappointed. The 0.678" RB's shot as well as the Lee 1 oz. and 7/8 oz. with or without glue skirt and the Russian Paradox slugs. I'm sure some of my accuracy woes are due to sight picture and trigger pull so may be easily fixable. We'll see. For now I will focus on Lee slugs with and without glue skirts and round balls.
I have not bought one of the NOE Lyman clone mould yet though I would like to but at around $200.00 CDN by the time I get it. I'm not sure I will be buying one. I think I'd rather get the rifled barrel for $150.00... but then I need a scope so...? Then there's the option of buying a Maverick with rifled barrel and being able to swap barrels then use the Maverick for a beater. Too many decisions! Too little money!
In the meantime I'll see what I can find on lightening that trigger and rectifying sight picture. Those are high on my to do list after shooting today. I do like that gun though!
Longbow