"The accuracy standards that were set by TarHunt in 1991 are still the standards by which all other slug guns are judged today".

 

 

In 1989 TarHunt set out to make a big bore rifle to shoot sabot ammunition. We didn't want to make just another shotgun with a rifled barrel on it.
 
We searched the industry both past and present, at which point we found that nothing of the quality that we envisioned had ever been manufactured before. The precision and quality of the parts that were available was totally unacceptable. They did not compliment the quality nor the craftsmanship of the bolt action slug guns that we wanted to manufacture.
 
The decision was then made to go ahead with this new big bore slug rifle even though it meant having to do a complete redesign. We decided that if TarHunt was going to proceed with a totally new concept, we would make use of our years of experience in both building and shooting bench rest rifles, and build the ultimate slug gun, "a big bore rifle that would shoot slugs". In the Early 90’s the word rifle and slug gun could not be used together in a product description so we were forced to call our new product a (Rifled Slug Gun) hence…RSG-12. That was as close to the word Rifle as we were allowed to get.
 
Since nothing of this quality or accuracy level had ever been done before, we knew we would have to research both the entry level and advanced levels of design. We discovered that once the shotgun thinking was taken out of the equation we had to establish the following:

1.     Industry standards were 1-34 twist rate used for Foster style lead slugs. This means that the slug rotates one full rotation every 34 inches. Research showed us that this was not the proper twist rate for sabot ammunition. After one full year of intense testing (1993) of numerous twist rates including going as far as trying a gain twist barrel which means the slug would start rotating at 1 turn every 100 inches (1-100), at the chamber end of the barrel, and ended up rotating at a rate of 1 turn every 28 inches (1-28) by the time it reaches the muzzle end of the barrel. After all of the testing, we established that a straight 1-28 was the proper twist rate for 90% of all the sabot ammunition used in the 12 gauge bore size. The following year the rest of the industry followed our lead. Now even the muzzle loader manufactures’ have adopted the 1-28 twist barrels.
 
2.     The industry standard at that time was to use porting as a muzzle break system for recoil reduction (i.e. Trap, sporting clays and skeet shotguns). Research and development showed us that a 360 degree muzzle break was more efficient at reducing recoil, stopping muzzle jump and it enhanced the accuracy by creating better separation of the sabots. TarHunt was the first company to offer a muzzle brake as standard equipment of slug guns.
 
3.     TarHunt was the first production slug gun to use a heavy wall (.850ths. diamator at the muzzle) barrel as standard, reducing barrel windup (twisting).
 
4.     TarHunt was the first to use chamber designs and tolerance's more suitable for use with 12ga. rifled barrels, for rifle-like accuracy, and not the big as you can make them chambers sizes used in smooth bore hunting barrels so your tooling lasts longer.
 
5.   TarHunt perfected the proper degree of angle to use on the barrel crown, (exit angle at the end of the barrel) for use with plastic bullet parts and shotgun type powders.
 
6.     Research and development was done to establish the proper stock configuration and stiffness. Why? Because of the severity of recoil, torque generated and the vertical bounce on the forend caused by shooting medium velocity (under 1850ft/sec.) heavy recoil slugs. The decision was made to use McMillan fiberglass stocks or a wood laminated style.
 
7.     Standardize the use of a rifle style trigger as well as being able to use after-market custom adjustable triggers without any modifications to the slug gun.
 
8.     TarHunt was the first to use rifle firing pin lock times on a slug gun (Quickness of the firing pin fall until it hits the primer).
 
9.     Quality rifle type action, gun drilled from solid bar stock, not a receiver cut out of a piece of extruded tubing.
 
10.   And action able to mount 90% of available optics using commonly available mounts without gunsmithing.
 
11.   Quality Finishes:  Using older style high temperature bluing process instead of the new low temperature blacking process.

12.   Custom finishes available by Robar of Phoenix Arizona.

 

13.  TarHunt standardizes glass bedding of the action and a free-floating barrel. This is necessary because of the type of heavy recoil and the inclement weather likely to be encountered during most deer seasons. TarHunt Custom Rifles, Inc. felt way back in 1992 and feel even more here in 2010 that we have the most accurate, best looking and best feeling slug gun rifle in the industry. Field & Stream Magazine (2009) picked the TarHunt Professional bolt action slug gun as one of the "50 BEST" gun designs of all time...

From 1993 to the present, TarHunt has sold bolt action slug guns into the domestic European, African and Japanese markets. With the respect they have garnered in the shooting industry it should also come as no surprise that TarHunt has done consulting work and built research and development slug guns for every major manufacturer of sabot type shotgun slugs both foreign and domestic.

TarHunt has built guns for Remington, Winchester, Federal, Marlin and some foreign manufactures of slug gun ammo. These slug guns are used in the research and development stages of all sabot ammo developed since 1993. The TarHunt guns are use to set the bench mark for any new product during the accuracy testing stages. Think about it, the sabot ammo revolution started in 1995, two years after we introduced the RSG-12. From 1993 until the present time, all ammo manufactures’ have been trying to catch up with the TarHunt RSG-12.

The TarHunt-Lightfield Ammunition combination has currently passed some production rifle accuracy standards.

 

IT REALLY DOES…  "COST LESS TO BUY THE BEST!" 

 

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