Remington 870 Cantilever Slug barrel issue

[Clyde the Pointer]

I don't know if this is beat to death here or not. What a lousy youth hunt weekend. I checked this barrel which we switch back and forth between his youth 870 and my adult model. Friday it printed 2" above the bull at 50 yds. Both this morning and this evening my son shot at deer and missed both. He is a good shot, and my subsequent test shots (3) didn't hit the target at 25 yds. The load is Hornady sabots which were the bomb on this rig last year for the both of us. I think the gun is printing high, and will confirm tomorrow. I slapped a magnetic bushnell bore sighter on it and it looked like it was on to me. This unit does not have the mandrels for the barrel, rather it relies on you measuring the distance from the top of the barrel to the scope (Leupold vari XIII 1.5x5). Not the best boresighter but usually works pretty well. Any thoughts on this anyone? Many thanks,

[W.E.G.]

Bore sight gadget = FAIL

Seems to work just often enough to make a fella risk it.

[Gazz]

Bore sighting is only recommended to get you on the paper at 25 yards. It will save you a few rounds of ammo. I have a cut down full choke barrel that I mounted a red dot to and it shoots to different places when switched from one 870 I have to the other.

[ggiilliiee]

buck fever ..guns fine ....:)

[chet]

Questions:
1. Was the barrel removed after you test fired it on Friday and subsequently hunted with it?

2. How far were the deer your boy missed ?

3. How big was the target you missed at 25 yards ?

The boresighter probably won't tell you much. As stated, it might help you get on paper when you initially mount a scope to a barrel but after that, all bets are off, especially with a shotgun.

The two gun related variables here are the barrel/receiver relationship and the barrel/magazine tube relationship. Depending on the barrel, either one of these can torque a SG barrel enough to POI. If you are moving the barrel back and forth between two guns, the POI might change each time that happens. If you tighten the barrel nut more or less or twist the barrel slightly left or right in the receiver before tightening the barrel nut, the POI might change. Shotguns can be trickier than rifles: barrels are not as rigid, looser tolerances (both in the barrel, action and ammo), and an relatively loose barrel/bolt lock up compared to most rifles.

If answer #1 is NO and #2 is <50 yards and both you and your boy felt like you made good shots, then I'd back up and punt. Put the barrel on one gun or the other and re-zero from scratch and change nothing/do not disassemble til you are done hunting with it this year.

If #1 is YES and #2 is >50 yards, I'd say you have a POI change due to the relationship change described above.

On the otherhand, if answer #3 is > 8" circle, I'd say you have a loose scope mount or a loose barrel nut.


Chet