Accuracy of 212 versus 500 with Lyman 525

[Mike Robinson]

Has anyone compared the accuracy of the Savage 212 versus the Mossberg 500 using slugs cast from the Lyman 525 mold?

[phaessler]

I would like to see it for sure, while the NEF Ultra-Slug is no longer in production it has been the "gold" standard of slug accuracy for me since 2006. I have had a few rifled Mossberg 500's, and only recently (6months) was I able to get one that rivaled the Ultra-slug. Granted I did alot of work to it to be sure it was "slop-free", and its no longer a take the barrel off deal.
I would like to see some Savage 212 shooters post some results. Savage makes a nice rifle, and the few I have are tack drivers.
I have shot a 220 recently and it was ok, factory loads were good enough, the owned doesnt reload, and in todays market factory ammunition is pricey.

[megasupermagnum]

Yeah, I don't know what exactly it is about the Ultra Slug Hunter, but whatever it is they are one of the most reliably accurate slug gun there is. I suspect it is the heavier barrel profile, but they do also have a really nice smooth bore usually. The H&R Handi rifles are decent shooters, but they are not known for really good accuracy like a TC Encore, yet an Encore slug gun doesn't seem to out perform an H&R USH.

As phaessler mentioned, the problem with The Mossberg 500, and any switch barrel shotgun is there is just no way they can compete with a solid barrel slug gun for accuracy. There is slop between the barrel to receiver. There is slop between the barrel lug and magazine tube. Cantilever scope mounts are flimsy. Plus a lot of those cheaper guns have cheaper barrels, which while ok, the barrels just aren't as high of quality. Many of them you can see this lack of quality with your naked eye in the form of a rough bore. Plus most all of them have pencil thin barrels. It all adds up to quite mediocre accuracy. There are many ways to take these things up though. You can shim or pin the barrel to the receiver. You can shim the magazine bolt on a Mossberg. You can lap the bore. You can use a receiver mounted scope. Basically you turn them into non-removable barrel slug guns.

The Savage bolt actions should be good shooters. I never did buy one, as I already have half a dozen rifled barrel slug guns. They are similar design to their 110 rifles which are quite accurate. I suspect the 212/220 would be a fantastic candidate for stock bedding, as Savage stocks can come with a rather poor fit. I think the biggest difference is the 212 has a rather thin barrel profile like a Mossberg 500. The 220 is not a thick barrel at all, but they are thicker than most 20 gauge slug guns out there. I'm guessing that is a factor why the 220 is more often talked about for accuracy over the 212. What I think would be an even better 12 gauge slug gun is the Browning A bolt, which is now discontinued. I can only assume the A bolt failed because it was so much more expensive than the Savage 212.

Another one to look into is the Henry single shot with slug barrel. I have not shot one yet, but their rifles are TC Encore accurate, and the slug gun appears to have a reasonable barrel thickness to it. I have a hunch this would give an USH a run for its money.

Anyway, I've recently shot the Lyman 525 slug in an USH, Benelli SBE, Benelli Nova, H&R buck 162, and Remington 870. By a wide margin, the USH was the most accurate.

[Deadcenter]

I have one of the older savage 210's (6o degree bolt throw and a molded box magazine) its one of the few slug guns I have that will shoot just about anything with reasonable accuracy. I wish I could say the same about my 220

[smokeeter]

I have adopted and use the Lyman 525 slug exclusively in all my 12 ga. guns.
The best group I got with my older Savage 210F was off of a bench with bags. (I've posted this before)
I also changed to Herco powder and shot a very acceptable off hand group with the same 210 gun.
I have also used the same load and it shot well in my Mossberg 500 rifled slug cantilevered barrel.
This combination has worked in most applications in multiple guns. the Savage being slightly more accurate.

[Blood Trail]

I have an 835 and a couple Ultra Slug guns. I haven’t shot any lyman’s through my my Mossberg, but I do know it pretty darn accurate from most everything I’ve ran through it.

One of the reasons why USH’s are accurate is due to the thickness of the barrel. Not only does it dissipate heat due to thickness of the barrel, but it also decreases barrel harmonics as the projectile is traveling down the barrel.


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[megasupermagnum]

I have one of the older savage 210's (6o degree bolt throw and a molded box magazine) its one of the few slug guns I have that will shoot just about anything with reasonable accuracy. I wish I could say the same about my 220

Have you tried bedding the action to the stock?