During the NMLRA National Fall Shoot at the Walter M. Cline National Range in
Friendship, Indiana, the NMLRA Museum will exhibit slug guns. These firearms can be
viewed up close and personal, even if not touched, at the museum between 1:00-3:00
p.m. for one week, from September 14-21.
All of us who enjoy shooting muzzleoading rifles find our special niche in the sport
sooner or later. For me, well, I'm at home when I'm shooting on the Slug Gun Range.
Please let me tell you some things about slug guns that I hope will add to your
enjoyment of the exhibit.
Slug guns have been shot in competition since the mid-eighteen hundreds. Scoring not
10s but Xs was the name of the slug-gun game, and that is certainly true today. To the
best of my knowledge, nowadays there are only around 120 to 150 people across the
country who shoot slug guns.
Slug guns are shot from a bench rest and most record targets are 10 shots for score. At
the NMLRA National Shoots, competitors are given two 45-minute relays to shoot 10
record shots, and the relays don't have to be together. One relay today and the second
relay two days later is quite all right; it's the shooter's choice.
At Friendship, we shoot targets at distances of 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 yards. Slug
guns have been shot at even longer ranges, but for years the norm for competition was
200 yards or 40 rods (220 yards).
When I started to shoot slug guns, I was told by a shooting friend to take all my
knowledge about shooting bench guns and use that as a starting point for learning how
to shoot a slug gun. Scopes are allowed and used with slug guns, but let me assure
you that scopes only enable you to see better. They don't make the guns shoot any
better.
A slug gun may shoot very well if each shot is loaded exactly the same way, if the gun
is cleaned exactly the same way between each shot, if the wind is steady and/or
readable, if light and humidity remain consistent, and if the shooter has the same hold
and sight picture for each shot. Then again, even with all that effort sometimes the silly
gun just can't shoot might as well set that gun in a corner, let it know you will be back
when it wants to shoot better, walk away, and have some rest and relaxation with your
friends. Be sure to come back and try again to get that slug gun to shoot, because I can
tell you that when a slug gun is shooting, the fun is just beginning.
Anyone who wants to know a little something about slug guns, do come to the exhibit. If
you are still interested, take a walk down to the Slug Gun Range and see some of
these guns in action.
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