Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Federal Barnes Expanders

As I have entered my dotage, I have come to the realization that 2 3/4" slug loads provide me with all I need to keep my sinuses clear and my shoulder joints loose. Given that, I changed scopes on my 1300 and when I went to get things together for sighting in, I found that I was a bit short on 2 3/4" Federal Barnes Expanders, but had a pretty fair stash of 3"ers from the days when I was tougher. I decided to go ahead and sight in with the 3s and use them this year (if I don't go with the old 37 and Fosters). It took one complete miss at 100 yards to get me to go to 25 yards, where I should have started out in the first place. Two shots there got me where I was satisfied to go back to 100 and two more shots there got the scope and barrel working in partnership. The interesting thing is that the penultimate shot left the bottom of the target looking a bit off. (We use a tall cardboard box with stakes in each corner to hold it solidly in place.) I figured that one of the stakes was leaning in a bit and I had clipped it. This sometimes happens with rifles and results in some interesting holes in the box as well as sheared-off rebar stakes. When I got to the target, I found that the tear had been made by the base (and perhaps at least one of the petals) of the sabot. They were lying on the ground inside the perimeter of the box. Further examination of the box also revealed a perfectly circular imprint made by one of the sabot bases right next to the hole made by the slug. I found it interesting that at least parts of the sabot were staying with the slug to that distance.

Where do you want to be at 25 to be on at 100?

I took a guy out who has never shot before, for his first sight-in session. He is going to hunt this year and only has a shotgun/slug combo.

We sighted dead on at 50 yds, because that was all he was comfortable with...after some more shooting, where should he be to OK to shoot from 0-100yds? Is dead on at 50 reasonable?

Depends on what type of slug.

With most sabots, yes, 50 works but 100 works easily inward.

With Fosters/Brennekes, not so much....either way.

With the 3" Federal/Barnes in my 1300 I was about an inch to an inch and a half high at 25 and just about dead on at 100. I imagine that the individual (rifled) barrel could have a fair amount of effect on that. Rifled slug barrels are very, very individualistic. (As Hawk said, if you are using a smoothbore with Fosters things would be different.) In either case, the only way to be sure is to shoot at both distances. (Gets expensive with the sabots!) Best, John

As an aside, when I was shooting today I was reminded that there is nothing quite like the smell of a just-fired shotgun shell. Maybe it's because it takes me back to the late 50's and early 60's in NW Iowa when we could burn up a box of shells each week shooting pheasants. (Man, I would love to get into birds like that again. We had no idea how good we had it.)

The slugs we used were several kinds. Barnes triple shock (i think) slugs, that didn't group all that well, and some wicked looking Hornaday's.

Both were sabots.

I'll try to get him to 100 yds later this year. but he needs more trigger time. 50 was as far as he was comfortable with. He did pretty well at that range.

dang I wish I knew what those federal slugs were.

Were the Federal the tipped Expanders?
The Hornady's must have been the SST's
I like the 3/4 ounce Barnes expanders at 1900 fps.

Yeah, the Hornady's were the SST's. Red plastic tips like the bullets.

I'm pretty sure the Federals were Triple Shocks. They weren't tipped.

Bingo.

For sabots, I have always liked the results with Win. Nosler Partition Golds or the now defunct Win. Supreme Hi-Impacts.

If they would just have hit remotely consistant (only in a pipe dream), the Brenneke 1 1/8 2 3/4 of old was just wicked nasty when it hit.

I just don't like the idea of any .50-72 cal with the S.D. of a quarter needing a tip or "expanding". A decent nose is all that matters.

I have no knowledge of a TSX style shotgun slug, but wonders never cease.
Is it possibly a regular Barnes Expander traveling say around 1550 fps?

I like these too as well as the Platinum tips. (400 grains) and they hit like a freight train too.

They make Expanders and Tipped Expanders; essentially muzzleloader projectiles....

I haven't used the tipped ones, but the regular Expanders are devastating things.

Yes they be thats why they are my favorites.

I'll try to check next time I'm in a shop.

Thanks for the help boys, and sorry to hijack.

T