Anyone here know anything about Slug Guns? I've researched till I'm tired but don't find squat! I've heard that there are some folks that shoot these but man....they don't put much out over the airwaves about it!!

Thanks!

The NMLRA still has a very active slug gun contingent. Ed Stutz, who watches this board, is a serious slug gun guy. Perhaps he'll respond.

Dale53

This to me...is a SLUG GUN!

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I am new and visiting here,and a few of us over on
AR have developed hairy singleshot slug guns or
bore rifles as they were called in old days.
Here is picture of the brass case we deveoped next
to regular 12ga plastic case, which can also be fired
inour chambers.Cartridge named 12Ga From Hell...Ed.


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Gentlemen:

I think Ed's cartridge is ideal for offhand shooting. Remember, offhand is scored to the leaded edge...

Glenn

There are "deer slug" firing shotguns and there are proper bore (20 through 8 bore) rifles and Paradox guns (which are shotguns having a short length of rifling at the muzzle). The big heavy, often large caliber, bencrest slug guns described by joe33050 bear no resemblence to the guns mentioned above. That said, both the large-bore "bore rifles" firing conical bullets and the benchrest slug gun using heavy conical bullets and large doses of powder appear to require real men to shoot them!

The "slug" guns are still shot at Friendship at the west end of the range - out to 500yds.  The picture posted looks good - these rifles generally weigh in around 80 lbs.  More of the shooters on the line at Friendship are George Mitchell of scope making fame and his wife.

rimfire

A Slug Gun is a muzzle loading bench gun that shoots a paper patched elongated bullet from moderate powder charges, from 100 yards out to 500 yards at Friendship Ind (home of the NMLRA), I have shot these guns for twenty years.

They come in weights (historically) from 10 pounds to 100 pounds, the average today is around 35 to 40 pounds. Almost all have false muzzles. Calibers from .36 to .68, bullet weights from 250 grs to 1750 grs. Average today are .38 to 50 cal. most shoot .45 cal of about 520grs to 540grs. 

We use paper patching mostly strips, some use chase patches usually about .003" to .005". Lubricated with oils such a sperm, bear, mineral or what have you. 

Most use a sealed ignition using modern rifle primers (some pistol primers). We shoot Blackpowder usually 2f no pyrodex (yuck!)

They will shoot inside MOA. One must become an accomplished wind reader as well as other conditions such as light and mirage, and be aware of temperature and humidity changes. 

The bullet is custom made for each rifle and can be of one or two pieces, the two piece has a base of pure lead and the nose is of an alloy. Most shoot two piece but there are those who swear by the one piece and therein lies a raging controversy I shoot two piece.

We shoot with target scopes as they did in the 19th century and is one reason Slug shooting is called an old man's game. Most of the competetors have 15 or more years experience in other venues but have developed eye problems that make open sights invisible. In other words the Slug Gun Shooting at Friendship has some really tough competetion

The Guns are a lot of work to shoot and maintain and takes a very dedicated shooter to enjoy them. Most do not like to make bullets and cut patches etc and fall by the wayside.

Hope this gives a better insight to what Slug Guns are about.

Ed

Ed - I would like to second what Dale said - I have stood behind the lines at Friendship and watched for many years but have never shot there.  Thanks again for your input.

rimfire

Steve,

Thanks for the info, would likr to know more.

Ed

All that and nowhere to go.
Sorry
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Art

Hi,Rimfire.
Thanks for the clarification."Chunk Gun" or "Stump Gun" being distinct from "Slug Gun" seems correct to me,though the terms seem to overlap.
The thing they seem to have in common is the focus on accuracy...gotta love that.
Art

Quote:

You should try to buy or borrow a copy of "The Muzzle-Loading Cap Lock Rifle" by Ned H. Roberts.  He has a page on H. V. Perry, of which this is an excerpt:

"There are abundant records to prove, beyond all doubt or question, that Perry was an unusually skillful marksman, and that he made some of the most accurate rifles that have ever been made--not excepting the modern high velocity rifles.  He was a very particular and skillful workman and his rifles were much better finished than the majority of the rifles of those times."

Perry spent most of his career in Jamestown in western New York state, where he died in 1897.  I just vacationed in that area, and visited the local gun shops on the chance that there might be a Perry rifle lurking about.  No luck, of course.  Perry's rifles have been dispersed to collectors and shooters all over the country.

Doug

Sharpsman,

If it is avaiable at your local library you might wish to check out Ned Robert's "The Muzzleloading Caplock Rifle" This book is an excellent resource. Reading the history of these rifles is almost as enjoyable as to actually shooting them

Robert's  manner of writing is most entertaining. The book covers the care, loading, and development of those very accurate target rifles.  Many first hand accounts of the matches of those days are featured as well as Robert's annecdotes, and interviews with those old builders.

Bruce

About Ned Roberts, he's a good writer, however you will notice thru his books that EVERY gunsmith he is speaking about is "The most skillful, made the best, most accurate rifle, etc, etc." I guess Mr Roberts had no formal critial thinking, as it's impossable for every gunsmith to build the most accurate, best rifle, etc, etc. You rather get tired of him praising to the ceiling every Gunsmith you ever heard of, and many that you have not.

Use caution when reading the Robert's book. Don't misunderstand me I think we are fortunate to have it. I also know that there are many mistakes in it. An example is the report of the "Little Gerorge Lainhart" rifle and the one mile one hundred eighty seven foot, "measured not guessed at", shot that killed the Confederate General. Never happened.

Bent-Ramrod you're correct about Sawyer and the way he wove fiction and fact. It makes for good reading too. He never intended for the story to be taken literally.
Unfortunately some less than scrupulous people got into the act and later owners of the rifle passed the story off as true. It was published as fact in a well known magazine and Jack Webb got ahold of the story and made a t.v. show out of it entitled "One Shot To Kill". He also presented it as fact and so the story goes on.
My problem is that Roberts put the story in his book and states that it is the truth. He also says that he examined the War Department records of the event.
Too bad as there is plenty of interesting true information about the old guns, old makers and old matches. 
                                                       Rich

Jeffer1942,

Thanks for the kind words.

I read lots about H.V. Perry, he was an accomplished shooter and rifle maker in the Slug Gun era. He also had a reputation for challenging other shooters then negotiating his wy out of the match when he couldn't get his way. He tried it one year with Horace Warner and after several weeks of hassling Warner backed him into a corner and Perry could not get out without ruining his reputation as a gun builder. They each built a new gun for the match which was 4 or 5 10 shot string measure targets winner take all (don't remember the cash amount). Warner won easily. Seems Perry showed up with a .45 cal and Warner showed up with a 96# .68 cal shooting a 1250 grain two piece bullet.
Perry didn't learn anything from that experience cause a few months later he was challenging other shooters.

Ron Wozny from Chicago a fellow Slug shooter from Friendship owns both the Perry and the Warner used in the Match. He brought the Warner to Friendship one year and allowed some of the shooters to shoot, unfortunately I missed out.

In my opinion I believe that Warner was the best rifle maker of the late Slug Gun era. The ASSRA has some of his letters in the archives. I have a set and loaned mine to Pete Mink who took on the task of transcribing the hand written missives in to type written form that is currently available from the archives on CD form for I understand a very modest cost, I learned a great deal about shooting from those letters. I think Pete deserves the gratitude of us shooters as this material is not lost like so many others.  Thanks Pete!

A moment of nostalgia here as I recall that I have shot Slug Guns for 20 + years and have made many friends and learned from them, Marlin (Bass) Bassett, Ken Bresein who made my first slug gun, Gerry De Vaudreul (spelling) Ron Wozny, George Mitchell, Branch Meanly, Don Warner and many many more, each of whom taught me. I dearly love to shoot those guns, it is a labor of love, lots of work, yes a strong back is a must, and as my back is giving out on me my Slug Gun days are about over, but what a great time I have had. Shooting at Friendship, Canal Fulton, Camp Perry, Tusco, and Phoenix.

I am now in a new venue meeting new friends and learning to shoot these wondeful Single Shot rifles. Those are wonderful guns but they aint a Slug Gun!!

Ed

This match was  seperate from what Roberts reported and is documented in Shooting and Fishing and in the Warner letters.
If you have access to Shooting and Fishing you can follow the whole saga of challenge by Perry and the subsequent negotiations which Warner won, if he hadn't there would not have been a match. That's how Perry worked his challenges, by getting his opponent disgusted enough to break off the negotiations, hence no acceptence to the challenge and Perry wins by default. S&F documents several challenges by Perry as did some of the other magizines of the era. 

Yes he loaded the gun himself they were not wimps back then nor is George Mitchell when it comes to loading and shooting the SS Illinois, his version of the Warner .68 cal.

I shoot a 35 pound .46 cal, which I plan to do in September, finally.

BTW Perry and Warner competed many times over the years. Perry had to withdraw on more than one occasion when he saw that Warner was winning. Can't compete with a malfunctioning gun. That has been documented also. It is a shame as Perry was a good shot and maybe could have won some of those matches, but apparently his ego wouldn't take the chance.

Ed