Are the Savage 220 slug guns still available? Anyone here ever used one? We have put in for tags in Iowa this year for deer season and it is slug/muzzleloader or handgun only. Years ago I took a few deer with a smooth bore shotgun shooting the old Foster style slugs but accuracy was certainly questionable beyond more than 50 yards or so.

Still available and very accurate with Remington Accutips.

Thanks. I will have to do some searching

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/64356

Absolutely the most accurate slug ammo in the Savage 220 and not always easy to find.

Doc

I hear good things

Duckster-- I have hunted slug/muzzleloader areas for each of the last 10 seasons and have had a great chance to see different platforms and rounds at work.

The Savage 220 is an absolutely tack driver and a great choice for a slug gun with a quality 3x9 slug scope you are in for a treat.

I would test out several brands of sabot slugs to see what yours likes the best. I know it is an expensive proposition but I have seen wide variances and each gun is different. It is much more apparent than in most rifles I've seen.

Best Performance-- Hands down is the Winchester Partition Gold, 2 3/4" 20 ga. It is an absolute hammer, great penetration and in three different platforms it was the most or second most accurate which is the kind of consistency I'll spend money on. Velocities through the chrono were close to 'as advertised'.

The accu-tips were incredibly accurate out of my H&R BUT my 870 hates them. As a result I did not harvest any game with them.

Hornady SST-- Hands down the most accurate-- BUT I had the worst terminal performance. Harvesting 4 animals, all one shot kills-- 2 were not pass throughs on broadside shots under 100yds and they left no blood trail. To me this is not ideal.

Rem Copper Solid-- This is the best slug out of my 870-- the all copper penetrates like a champ and great accuracy-- however- the velocities were well below advertised and based off the verified trajectories I limit those shots to 100yds and in.

Hope this helps and good luck!!

Recently sold mine due to retirement/pending move to western USA. Bought it about seven years ago and shot several deer with it as I was involved in deer culling. Since it's a 110 action it acts/handles like a rifle. I used the (then) recommended Federal ammunition.

Mounted a 3-9 Leupold on it and got a 1.5" 3-shot groups at 100 yards on my first range outing with it. After that it was check POI prior to the season and go whack deer with it. Under proper circumstances I felt it capable out to 150 yards (key word "proper" as I'm very cautious about shooting any big game at distance).

Most of the deer I shot were around 60 yards and the sabot projectile passed completely through.

Only thing you have to be mindful of is ejection; run the bolt crisply! All the way up on the bolt and all the way back like you mean it. You are expelling a length of plastic and there is not a lot of room for error.

I can't think of a better overall shotgun slug platform than the 220. Perhaps the Browning A-Bolt 12 gauge but I don't have any experience with those. The 220 is accurate, handles/feels like a rifle, and packs plenty of wallop for deer.

Great information fellas. Thanks for all the tips. I should hear of Iowa draw results in early July

Buddy has one and loves it. Only caution or something to think about is ....the first scope he wanted me to mount on it for him was too short, ie.. not enough distance between the two bells on either end. He had to bring me another to put on with a longer tube. Its a fair distance between rings, just keep that in mind, but a great shooter it is.
FWIW I prefer a 20ga slug gun over a 12ga.

I have shot deer with both smoothbore 20 and smoothbore 12 ga in the past and could not see a bit of difference besides the 12 ga kicking more!

I just ordered one of these, and was wondering if it takes the same mounts as a Savage 10 or 110. Looking at Talleys.

I went with the DNZ one solid mount for my 220 savage.

So, I picked up a Savage 220. I have been trying some different brands of slugs. So far, no real consistency. Trying to now figure out if I need to try a new scope. The scope I put on the slug gun is a older Bushnell Trophy that came off another rifle. Here are the best groups at 75 yards.



Other groups were worse. I tried the Remington Accutip first and it was not really any better. Maybe I am excepting too much?

It could be the scope but I would be sure your bases and mounts are tight and the stock isn't touching the barrel at some point. You are correct to expect much tighter groups!

Duckster, something isn't right as the 220 is capable of much (much!) better accuracy than that. Start the process of eliminating problems.

FYI, I used the EGW base/rings as when I bought mine that was what Savage recommended.

I shot mine very little sitting in the safe now. Area went to rifle hunting. Anyways my limited shooting was off a crappy rest on the hood of my truck. Every ammo I tried shot half those size groups at 100 yards if not better. I would take a serious look at all your screws. Make sure the action is seated in the stock and the screws are tight. Then make sure your base is screwed down tight. I also went with the EGW. You will hear varying opinions but I loctite all the screws for the mounts and rings.

Your scope is also suspect to me. The bushnell trophy aint the highest quality and the 220 is up there on the recoil scale.

Brings me to another point with no offense intended how are you at handling recoil. I find the recoil of the 220 to be manageable for me but it gets my attention more than anything else I shoot. Currently running a Ruger 77 in 350 mag and it feels like less recoil to me than the 220.

Seems perceived recoil really varies among shooters of the 220. If your sensitive to the recoil that could play into your group size.Now my Savage 212 sluggun was a whole different beast. I am so glad Savage replaced it with the 220 when they could not get the damn thing to feed reliable.

there's a YouTube video of three guys on three nights taking 3 deer at 300 yards with one. deer just dropped.

i would buy one if i get into slug hunting

Are you using 3 inch sabot slugs?That is all I use in my 220,Federal barnes tipped vital shocks,and remington accu tips.I shoot 1-2 inch patterns at 100 yards.

I got one about 2 weeks ago. Put a new Nikon 3x9 slug hunter. Shot 2 3/4 Remington accutips. After just a few sight in shots got a 1.25" group at 100 yds. Thats 5 shots, not 3. I'm sold on the combination.

Screws on the scope and bases are tight. I will recheck the action screws.

Not a recoil issue as the groups were fired from a Lead Sled so little to no perceived recoil.

The accutips were what I had tried first. Not as good as the groups in the photos but the searches that I had done also suggested that they generally shot the best.

Probably going to have to switch out the scope.

Put a new VX-1, 3x9 on it last night. Now to get it to the range and try things out.

Make sure you take your time when shooting that barrel heats up and sabots will shoot like crap

The new scope seems to have fixed the issue

Zeroed mine in this morning. Federal premium 275 grain saboteurs slugs. Put the last three in 2" @ 100 yards from the bags. I'm happy with mine. Bill call it my 62 caliber rifle.

Congrats! looks like you're back in business.. I've been watching this thread. Never owned a Savage 220 but I'm a big fan; I've seen them at work in the deer woods and on the range and I've yet to see one that isn't a tackdriver, (as far as slug guns go). If I had to purchase a slug gun today that's what it would be. I'm getting kind of old for those 12 ga. slug guns and am totally convinced that deer can't tell the difference because they seem to expire just as quickly from a 20 ga. as a 12. It's all about accuracy and those 220's deliver.

Need to get out and shoot at some longer distance, not for a group but just to see where it hits. I usually use 8 inch paper plates for that kind of stuff

Shot at 100 yards yesterday. About a 2 1/2 inch 3 shot group, just a inch or so high so should be OK out to 150 yards for sure