raven01750
.270 WIN
Shotgun: Mossberg 930 SPX w PG
Barrel - Mossberg P/N 93030 24" Fully Rifled Bore w Integrated Scope Base (isb)
Scope: Nikon 1.65-5 X 36mm - http://www.nikonsportoptics.com/Product ... oplex.html
Ammuntion: Hornady 12 GA Slug 300 gr FTX - http://www.hornady.com/store/12-ga-Slug-300-gr-FTX/
This year I am hunting Deer with the Hornady FTX 300 grain Sabot slug. The link to the Hornady website shows the ballistics data published by the company and is pretty solid. One on-line retailer usually has them in stock for about $2.00 a shell + S&H and is packaged in packs of 5 shells per box. But I see them posted all the time at around $12.00 a box which is more than I like to pay and frankly is too much anyway.
I spent a lot of time and money on these shells this last year due to issues that I wasn't completely aware of when I started. I was surpised and a bit sceptical at first when I shook the shells and they rattled inside the casing. Thinking WOW, the bullet is already unstable. But the biggest thing and the one that cost me the most money is the barrel heating up after shooting it a few times and throwing the point of impact WAYYYY off and is something that I think everyone should consider when they are sighting in their own weapons. When we are actually out hunting, we're never just shooting a bunch of shells through our guns for obvious reason. There isn't going to be any game around with shotguns blasting away! So that means you are patiently waiting in your stand or stalking or whichever method you use and our guns are cold, the barrels cold, we're cold and the ammunition is cold. You get the point. Keeping that thought in mind when sighting in is critical. 2-3" high at 50 yards is what you want out of this round. That means with your crosshairs on the bullseye, the slug should actually hit between 2 and 3" above the bullseye at 50-100 yards.
Now, this next statement, which is obvious when you think about it gets it's own paragraph. "I have found that the first shot that comes out at the range is going to exhibit the same ballistics characteristics you can most likely anticipate in the field when hunting."
I found this out with my barrel after a lot of money spent (2 bucks a shell out of a semi auto shotgun will burn some money up fast!). I can get two shots in a nice tight group and the third shot before the barrel is allowed to cool will drop 6" and the fourth shot will completely drop off the paper. Imagine how much adjusting of the scope was done before I discovered that little tidbit of information??? And every barrel is of course going to have it's own unique tendancies in how it shoots. This is just how my particular barrel reacts. Your barrel will have it's own quirks. Or not.
So anyway, the Factory Hornady FTX ammo ballistics data was I believe taken using a 30" barrel at Hornady. And I'm sure it was a quality barrel. The Mossberg Slug Barrel is 24" in comparison and won't achieve the exact same ballistics that a 30" barrel would. But you want to know what is really nice? Hornady printed the same ballistics data on the box that is on their website so you can remind yourself on what to expect when firing this round. Try finding that on a Remington box etc. But even though I haven't fired my 930 through a Chrono, I'm fairly certain that the ballistic data is still accurate.
The rise and fall of this slug is majorly different in comparison to say a 30-06 and is something that must be taken into consideration. And don't forget the amount of energy that the shell is carrying too. As a side note, my research indicates that you should have at a minimum, 800 ft/lbs of energy in your bullet to be effective on game such as Deer. That's on any round. And that means that the Hornady FTX has the energy to drop a killing blow at 200 yards easily. But knowing you have around 2000 ft/lbs of energy at 50 yards is something that must be considered. Because if you hit a deer at that range using that kind of energy, the shell is going to pass right through unless you hit a lot of bone. And depending on the adrenalin the deer is experiencing, you could have a good shot and watch the deer run away like it was never touched. You always have to do your follow up and make sure to the best of your ability that the animal wasn't critically injured and just ran away before it knew it was dead already. I took a deer last year at around 135 yards through the lungs and all it left was a piece of lung on the ground before the deer ran 30 yards and dropped.
So, lets talk accuracy of the FTX Sabot. I have had groupings touching each other at two hundred yards with a rest. Yes, it dropped 6" from the point of aim, but since I know it's going to do that anyway, the bullets are hitting exactly where I would expect. I can't ask for more than that from any ammo. So, to sum this all up, the Hornady FTX Sabot through the Mossberg Slug barrel is a deadly combination that any hunter should be able to use to their advantage and has my endorsement. Have a great day everyone.
Paul
Barrel - Mossberg P/N 93030 24" Fully Rifled Bore w Integrated Scope Base (isb)
Scope: Nikon 1.65-5 X 36mm - http://www.nikonsportoptics.com/Product ... oplex.html
Ammuntion: Hornady 12 GA Slug 300 gr FTX - http://www.hornady.com/store/12-ga-Slug-300-gr-FTX/
This year I am hunting Deer with the Hornady FTX 300 grain Sabot slug. The link to the Hornady website shows the ballistics data published by the company and is pretty solid. One on-line retailer usually has them in stock for about $2.00 a shell + S&H and is packaged in packs of 5 shells per box. But I see them posted all the time at around $12.00 a box which is more than I like to pay and frankly is too much anyway.
I spent a lot of time and money on these shells this last year due to issues that I wasn't completely aware of when I started. I was surpised and a bit sceptical at first when I shook the shells and they rattled inside the casing. Thinking WOW, the bullet is already unstable. But the biggest thing and the one that cost me the most money is the barrel heating up after shooting it a few times and throwing the point of impact WAYYYY off and is something that I think everyone should consider when they are sighting in their own weapons. When we are actually out hunting, we're never just shooting a bunch of shells through our guns for obvious reason. There isn't going to be any game around with shotguns blasting away! So that means you are patiently waiting in your stand or stalking or whichever method you use and our guns are cold, the barrels cold, we're cold and the ammunition is cold. You get the point. Keeping that thought in mind when sighting in is critical. 2-3" high at 50 yards is what you want out of this round. That means with your crosshairs on the bullseye, the slug should actually hit between 2 and 3" above the bullseye at 50-100 yards.
Now, this next statement, which is obvious when you think about it gets it's own paragraph. "I have found that the first shot that comes out at the range is going to exhibit the same ballistics characteristics you can most likely anticipate in the field when hunting."
I found this out with my barrel after a lot of money spent (2 bucks a shell out of a semi auto shotgun will burn some money up fast!). I can get two shots in a nice tight group and the third shot before the barrel is allowed to cool will drop 6" and the fourth shot will completely drop off the paper. Imagine how much adjusting of the scope was done before I discovered that little tidbit of information??? And every barrel is of course going to have it's own unique tendancies in how it shoots. This is just how my particular barrel reacts. Your barrel will have it's own quirks. Or not.
So anyway, the Factory Hornady FTX ammo ballistics data was I believe taken using a 30" barrel at Hornady. And I'm sure it was a quality barrel. The Mossberg Slug Barrel is 24" in comparison and won't achieve the exact same ballistics that a 30" barrel would. But you want to know what is really nice? Hornady printed the same ballistics data on the box that is on their website so you can remind yourself on what to expect when firing this round. Try finding that on a Remington box etc. But even though I haven't fired my 930 through a Chrono, I'm fairly certain that the ballistic data is still accurate.
The rise and fall of this slug is majorly different in comparison to say a 30-06 and is something that must be taken into consideration. And don't forget the amount of energy that the shell is carrying too. As a side note, my research indicates that you should have at a minimum, 800 ft/lbs of energy in your bullet to be effective on game such as Deer. That's on any round. And that means that the Hornady FTX has the energy to drop a killing blow at 200 yards easily. But knowing you have around 2000 ft/lbs of energy at 50 yards is something that must be considered. Because if you hit a deer at that range using that kind of energy, the shell is going to pass right through unless you hit a lot of bone. And depending on the adrenalin the deer is experiencing, you could have a good shot and watch the deer run away like it was never touched. You always have to do your follow up and make sure to the best of your ability that the animal wasn't critically injured and just ran away before it knew it was dead already. I took a deer last year at around 135 yards through the lungs and all it left was a piece of lung on the ground before the deer ran 30 yards and dropped.
So, lets talk accuracy of the FTX Sabot. I have had groupings touching each other at two hundred yards with a rest. Yes, it dropped 6" from the point of aim, but since I know it's going to do that anyway, the bullets are hitting exactly where I would expect. I can't ask for more than that from any ammo. So, to sum this all up, the Hornady FTX Sabot through the Mossberg Slug barrel is a deadly combination that any hunter should be able to use to their advantage and has my endorsement. Have a great day everyone.
Paul
Honestly, I wasn't quite sure why Hornady even came out with this ammo line. It's not an improvement over the SST's. And even the supposedly "new"300 gr MonoFlex FTX bullets have less velocity and energy plus they cost about 20% more. Just marketing I guess.