Bad scope

[erikwells]

My brother recently bought a new mossberg shotgun with the rifled slug barrel and scope. I bought one as well however mine is used and has a higher end scope than the one he has on his gun. At any rate I was able to zero my scope in at 75 yards nicely with very little effort. His scope on the otherhand has been a nightmare. I have shot a lot of sabots out of it. The original adjustment on the scope had me dead on at 25 yards. I moved the targets out to 50 yards and was low by 6 inches. I clicked the scope 6 inces (each click 1/4 inch) and just about punched the same hole that was 6 inches low. I checked the gun and scope to be certain everything was tight and it was fine. This is the second time I have tried to help him sight this gun in. I told him bring it back to the store and ask if they will upgrade him or at a minimum swap his scope with a different one. I just about threw his gun into the woods this time. It a cheap scope however all that should keep him from doing is shooting well at 150 yards. We should be able to shoot nice groups at 25,50 and 75. Any thoughts on what this problem might be (potentially operator error)? Thanks.

[LightningBG]

Unfortunately, I think it's the scope. When I bought a rifled barrel (w/cantilever) for my 870, I experienced the same thing. I talked to remington about it, they played dumb, said to send it in. I didn't, not worth the time or effort. Ended up just throwing it in a drawer.

I'd just use the open sites or buy a decent shotgun scope and call it a day.

[leechlake]

my concern with cheaper scopes is that if and when the weather gets snowy/rainy the real problems crop up with fogging etc not to mention the normal wear and tear that can be experienced while hunting, slight bumping, getting hung up on things. Throw that in with the problems you are already having and I'd try to find a way to get a different scope. Nothing worse than not having confidence in your gun, it wouldn't be worth the aggravation to me.

Try a swap or get a little discount due to the bad scope on buying a new one.

[Tom7227]

With the setup your brother bought he ought to be able to get six inch results at 50 yards without a scope. I would have thought the problem may have been a cheap scope made for a 22 and not able to take the shock from a slug, but if it was sold on a slug gun it certainly should have been able to take it.

I would go back to the store and give them a hard time. I also wouldn't bother with a low end scope. You really want one that will help gather light for the early morning and late afternoon. If you're going to replace it go as high an end as you can afford. I have a Redfield Widefield on my shotgun and I love it.

[harvey lee]

I would go to the iron sights until you can get a bit higher end scope as mentioned above. The scope you got on the gun could simply be bad or cannot take the recoil from the sluggun.

[PurpleFloyd]

Slug guns put a pretty good beating on a scope and the cheaper ones, even if sold with the gun, are going to be more prone to failure from shock than higher priced, higher quality scopes. I would upgrade the scope to a higher end one designed specifically for slugs. Also, even good scopes that are designed for the gun you are using can have problems once in a while. I bought a 243 some years back and was out predator hunting, took one shot and then I went for a follow up and the + on the crosshairs turned to an X as the reticles inside turned 45 degrees somehow. I took it back immediately to the guy I bought it from and he replaced it on the spot with an identical scope and this one had been flawless since.

[alumamusky]

Try different sabots also. My gun shoots Federal great and Hornady terrible.

I learned the hard way buying ten boxes of Hornady after shooting Federal the year before. Can't figure it out, I love Hornady but can't shoot them through my slug gun.

[Walleye Guy]

Also check the scope mounts to make sure they are tight. A hunting buddy went through $80 worth of slugs before he realized the scope moved around in the mount with each shot.

[erikwells]

Thanks for the advice. My brother did bring his scope back. I'm not sure if he upgraded or if he got a new one. I like my Nikon/Prostaff 2x7 32 slughunter although I don't have a lot to compare it to. I bought my gun used. I looked the scope up on the Nikon site and it appears it is around $150-$160 new. I have it dialed in pretty well right now. I'm guessing this scope is in the mid range. What is considered a mid range and a higher range scope for shotguns (cost/brands)? I just got back into hunting after 20 years and I'm loving the new technology compared to the smooth bore open sights. Although the area I'm hunting the shots will likly be 25 to maybe 50 yards. Thanks again.