Definition of a slug gun: “When a slug gun is fired at a shoulder height, (considered to be 5ft above a level plain). The projectile will hit in the dirt at maximum of 250 yards down range”.
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More– New “Out of the Box Thinking” “Industry trend setting ideas”!
2021: The first full hunting season for the 20ga 2 3/4″ and 3″ NeoTec FLC 355gr Copper series slug rounds. They are loaded with the same “Hollow Bullet with Tuss” slug patent as the Schrifle round. Only the the Schrifle slug remains 10 grains heavier at 365 grains.
Both accuracy and preformance have been well recieved. Each of the two 20ga NeoTec FLC (Full Length Case) 355gr rounds are specificly loaded for the corsponding length factory chamber; to achieve the best Possible accuracy. The 355gr FLC Copper slug expand to the size of a silver dollar and retained 302 grains of it’s original weight of 355 grains. That’s 83% weight retention!
2020: The 20ga NeoTec FLC series, uses the “Hollow Bullet with Truss” Schrifle slug, with the o-jive slightly altered to use it in a factory hull in 2 3/4″ and 3″. But then Covid-19 stop all availability of any type of compoments selection or production.
2019: The 20ga Schrifle™ round is a High Performance slug round with the projectile sticking out the front of a plastic, rifle like case; while looking more like a normal big bore rifle round.”
2017: The 20ga Schrifle NeoTec series Copper slug. A non-sabot, bore size .619ths diameter (green) Copper slug. Weighting 365 grains at a velocity of 1800fps. With a muzzle energy of 2626 ftlbs. Capable of a 4″ total trajectory curve for the first 150 yards, dual aiming concept out at 200 yards, when properly zeroed. The first “hollow slug” patent # 9,372,058 B2.
2016: The 20ga Schrifle Raptor 270 grain at 1975 feet per second. with 2400ftlbs of energy and dropping 7.01″ at 200 yards, using a 150yard zero. The 240 and 260gr slugs were dropped from the slug line up.
2015: The first non-sabot, true bore size, concept slug round for big game hunting with a rifled barrel shot gun. The 20ga Schrifle Raptor. A full diameter .619ths, 240gr – 260gr slug, at 2000+fps using ALV-Lead aloy. Loaded into a new design high pressure rifle-type plastic case with close to 50% of the slug extending out side of the mouth of the case. “Case and Hollow slug” patent # 9,395,163
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Maybe the “Hollow Bullet with Truss” patent; could start to invade both the handgun and rifle projectile line? Full size and shape bullets (full flight profiles) with very interesting’s velocities! Maybe 9mm 150ga profile at 1600fps, but only weighting — say 85 grains? Seems like a real reduction in felt recoil as well?
Maybe less than 100+gr 45ACP rounds at faster that you would expect expected? I wander about full profile 750gr-50cal bullets weighting in around the 400gr mark?
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(Schri`ful) “No longer just a slug gun; but not quite a rifle, NOW, its a Schrifle”!
NeoTec FLC — Full Length Case
NeoTec FLC 3″ Trajectory:
Zeroing the 355gr NeoTec FLC 3″ 20ga round at 2 1/2” trajectory (above or below) your point of aim for the first 140yds. The current trajectory data for the 20ga 2.2” Schrifle 365gr Copper slug was generated at 50yd; with a group 2 ¼” high, dead center, above your aiming point. This gives you a 130yard zero or (10″ of drop @ 200yds) the amount of drop from the top of the back bone to the heart lug area. Note: Your trajectory curve will vary depending on how firm you’re holding the gun, practically with your left hand. And if you’re NOT shooting in a noticeable amount of Head or Tail Wind. Shooting in a noticeable diaginal wind contition past 65 yards is not recommended.
What is the 20ga “Schrifle”?
The 20ga Schrifle™ round is the 3rd generation of a hunting slug design and is the ongoing result of over 5 years of research & development. The “out of the box thinking” that culminated into this unique design and was only made possible by the advancements in precision machining from the likes of an iso certified machine shop, plastic development, and new molding techniques. Most importantly, the quality control and consistency of the new gun powders over the last decade has vastly improved.
History of the sabot slug.
The 1st generation: of sabot slug was developed in the early 1980’s for police use. In the late 1980’s that design was purchased & slightly redesigned by Bob Sowash (the BRI – Company). Then bought out by a shared venture of Winchester & Federal and re-introduced for big game hunting with rifled barrels for the 1991/1992 sabot hunting season. In 1992 the Lightfield Hybred Exp slug was also introduced. The only sabot slug (designed by Tony Kinchin, an English Engineer) ever designed with a sabot that is keyed fast to the slug to 100% assure full rotation of the slug; thus assuring full stabilization.
The 2nd Generation:
The slug revolution took place over the next four years, (1993 thru 1996) by the industry, in an effort to catch up with the accuracy of the TarHunt RSG-12 bolt action slug gun design introduced in 1992. The 2nd generation (current production) sabot slug round is a placebo at best!
It’s the industries way of giving you “the illusion that rifle like accuracy is available when sabot ammo is fired in rifled barreled slug guns.” Remington introduced the “Accelerator”; a 22cal bullet sabot in a 30-06 and a 30-30 Win case in the 1970’s. That design didn’t work then but the industry when ahead and tried to put ML & Pistol projectiles into the same design sabot for the country’s slug gun hunters anyway! 12% of sabot slug ammo are flyers using this design. 98% of the sabot 22cal rifle rounds when wherever that want to mainly do to the high velocity of rifle rounds. Guess they had to try something and keep it cheap.
Ten years ago TH started thinking about all the issues with current sabot type slug ammo the conclusion was that the industry, had pretty much, already exhausted all concepts of using sabot technology developed from the early 1980’s thru 2015. The Lightfield Hybred EXP series using a sabot that is keyed fast to the projectile, still remains the best and most consistent of the current sabot designs.
The “Schrifle”™ design slug is the 3rd generation utilizing a bore size, NON-SABOT hunting slug. This new slug concept uses “out of the box thinking” to correct a number of problems that has plagued the first two generations of sabot slugs since the beginning.
It was decided that the 20 gauge would be best gauge to start with for this “out of the box thinking” attempt to correct the issues with sabot ammo. After 4 years of ongoing research the non-sabot generation, 20ga “Schrifle™” round was released, late in 2015, in an attempt to make an “accurate” short range rifle out of a shot gun. Although, it will stabilize in any known 20ga twist rate. When fired in any of the pre-2000, 20ga RIFLED BARRELS; Accuracy may vary greatly depending on the actual bore diameter of the barrel.
For your reference: The 20ga Schrifle™ slug must fit the rifled barrel exactly, like a rifle bullet fits the bore of a center fire rifle barrel. The 20ga Schrifle™ round was designed to be fired thru a SAAMI spec rifled slug barrel. SAAMI specification for a rifled slug barrel ONLY allows for a .002ths maximum tolerance period!
The Internal size of a SAAMI specification rifled slug barrel: On top of the rifling (bore diameter) is .609ths minimum and .611ths is the maximum diameters. In the bottom of the rifling between the lands (grove diameter) is .618ths minimum and .620ths maximum diameter. The 20ga Schrifle Copper 365gr or the NeoTec FLC Copper 355gr projectile is .619ths in diameter, exactly in the middle of the (grove diameters) set at .618ths min. and 620ths maximin diameter.
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Zeroing a bolt action slug from a Shooting Bench:
Lead Sleds, usually won’t work to zero a hard kicking rifle; and is even worse trying to zero a slug gun because of the time the slug spends in the barrel, compared to a rifle bullet. If the slug gun is being held to solidly by the lead sled and NOT allowed to slide straight back while the slug is moving thru the barrel; the gun reacts by trying to just jump out of the Lead sled. If there is no real TWO hand gun control the muzzle can be pointed anywhere by the time the slug leaves the muzzle!!
“It feels and reacts like the big bore rifle”, because that’s what it is. The 20ga 3″ NeoTec™ FLC slug round may have been designed to be fired in a 3″ 20ga slug gun with a factory chamber, and a fully rifled barrel. But the slug takes almost twice the amount of time to do it, as a rifle does! That means you cannot relax your grip on the gun as you squeeze the trigger. Relaxing your grip comes after the recoil cycle is over! The tendency of most shooters is too relax their grip and back away from the gun as the trigger is squeezed; instead of continue holding the grip until the recoil cycle is almost done. Thinking this will somehow reduce the actual total felt recoil? The reality is the felt recoil is now even more as the 10lb gun gets a running shot at you shoulder. Instead of the recoil energy being used up pushing your upper body back over center and absorbing the recoil at a much more comfortable rate.
Avoid leaning forward at a sharp angle. Sitting behind a hard recoiling rifle at a sharp angle, the recoil is NOW trying slide you butt and the bench you’re sitting on backwards; causing EVEN more muzzle lift and all that goes with it!
Setting up your slug gun on the shooting bench:
You have just read all the technical reasons why the 20ga 3” NeoTec™ FLC Copper slug could move the muzzle around a lot before the slug exits the barrel; when firing off of a shooting bench. To begin with, start with how YOU physically set at the bench and how to set up your slug gun on the shooting bench. It is just as important as the technical side of controlling the slug gun itself. It would take a long time to explain how to do just that in writing. The TarHunt web site has a video that explains just that. All the major points are discussed in this video. It is well worth the 4.5 minutes it takes to view this video. BOLT ACTION ZEROING TECHNIQUES
Learn from the mistakes of others”. “You won’t live long enough to make all of them yourself.” Un-known “TarHunt Est. 1987” “In GOD we trust!”
Randy Fritz, pres.
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FYI: Related information.
The TarHunt 20ga Copper Schrifle 365gr, the 355gr NeoTec FLC Copper, and the NeoTec FLC 270gr Alv-lead alloy slug; will all stabilize in all known 20 gauge twist rates as long as the barrel bore diameter is within SAAMI specification.
The 20 gauge slug patent, “Hollow Bullet with Truss” a non-sabot round, bore size, typically produces less than 1% flyers and retains approxamently 85% of it original weight after expanding. All other current sabot-discarding production rounds average 12% to 15% flyers. The Schrifle 365gr Copper projectile will not be offered in NeoTec FLC series.
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The 20ga Schrifle™ and NeoTec FLC slug must fit the barrel exactly like a rifle bullet fits the bore of a center fire rifle barrel. The 20ga Schrifle™ and NeoTc slugs rounds were designed to be fired thru a SAAMI spec rifled slug barrel. SAAMI specification for a rifled slug barrel ONLY allows for a .002ths maximum diameter tolerance, period!
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The Internal size of a SAAMI specification rifled slug barrel: On top of the rifling (bore diameter) is .609ths minimum and .611ths is the maximum diameters. In the bottom of the rifling between the lands (grove diameter) is .618ths minimum and .620ths maximum diameter. The 20ga Schrifle Copper 365gr or the NeoTec FLC Copper 355gr projectile is .619ths in diameter, exactly in the middle of the (grove diameters) set at .618ths min. and 620ths maximin diameter.
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Warning: If a 3” case is fired in a 2 ¾” length chamber; it does not have enough to open to its full 3” length! The projectile will tear off the end of the case to move forward, down the barrel. This may cause very high pressures; way above what is allowed in shotgun barrel. Sevier injury or even death, could be the results!
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WIND DRIFT ISSUES:
INFORMATION FOR 98% OF ALL SABOT SLUGS AND HEAVY PROJECTILES UNDER 1800 FPS.
Wind Drift– Another way of saying the slug moved away from your point of aim. It is caused by the wind putting pressure on the projectile while in flight. It pertains to all rifles, slug guns, muzzle loaders, cross bows, airplaines and even your car! Anything that moves thru the air. The effect is more dramatic on slow moving projectiles under 2000fps! It amounts to the “TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME and the DIRECTION”–the wind has to push on the projectile!”
A head, tail, or cross wind, will affect all posted wind drift and drop figures. Any combination thereof can even move a slug in a diagonal or vertical direction. Head wind or tail wind also has a dramatic effect on the amount of drop seen when firing on an open firing range verses that of actual hunting conditions. With all of these wind drift variables it is obvious that ANY built in flyers (up as high as 12%) cannot be tolerated!
As you can see it ONLY takes a 10MPH cross wind to pretty much double the amount of wind drift for each additional 50yds downrange with guns under 2000fps. That’s why slug guns and most muzzle loaders CANNOT truly be compared to a rifle. Just by adding 800fps to a rifle round (@2800fps) you will have Aproxamently 75% less drift than a slug gun. That means the rifle will have Aproxamently 4″ of drift, instead of 16″ of drift at 200yds, like the slug gun.
DRIFT @ 50yds +.08″ DRIFT @ 100yds +3.6″
DRIFT @ 150yds +8.4″ DRIFT @ 200yds +15.8″
These wind drift figures are based on a steady (10 mph cross wind). Most people do not NOTICE wind Speed or Direction changes if the wind speed is 10 mph or less without some form of wind direction indicator present. NO wind indicators/flags where you hunt, you are telling me?
Any place I have ever been hunting there is ALWAYS at least one or two (foot high) weeds of some sort, being pushed in some direction by the wind! All you need to do is look for them. Watch them swinging (move one direction and hold it for a few seconds) around on the range while your practicing. You will soon learn what amount of movement gives how much wind drift. On a golf coarse where wind flags are the norm. If you removed the wind flags from a golf coarse there would be all out war back at the club house. Must be because the velocity of golf balls are also under 2000 fps. When you clean up around you favorite deer stand, in Indian Summer, before the season. Tie a few 12 to 16 inch pieces of heavy yarn where they can hang freely in the wind so the deer can get use to them moving. A few weeks before the opening day!
The average wind speed during Nov-Jan (the normal deer hunting season) is 17 to 23 MPH. Guess what the wind drift is at that wind speed? Its “FEET” ! “Considering all of these wind issues; less built in flyers in the ammo is the key to achieving the best down range accuracy when shooting a slug gun around hunting season”. “First eliminate the cause of most of the flyers, (the sabot). Then use a slug that actually fits the bore diameter of a 20 gauge rifled barrel”. “Then and only thencan you learn how to shoot a slug gun, at long ranges, in the wind”.
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NeoTec FLC Copper slugs rounds: FLC–Full Length Case
The 62cal/20ga (now 4 years old) : The 20ga 3″ NeoTec™ FLC 355gr Copper (is just shy of the normal 385gr 7/8oz slug weight) round will be loader in both the standard length 2 ¾” and 3” 20ga rounds and can be fired in any 3”chamber. “Do not fire a 3” round in a 2 ¾” length chamber.”
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The 66cal/16ga: The availability of the “NeoTec™ FLC will strictly depend on the price and availability of the proper diameter copper rod. It will be a around a 400gr Copper” slug, just few grains lighter than the traditional (1oz – 437gr) rifled slug, from years gone by. The 16ga is only loaded in a 2 3/4″ case.
The 73cal/12ga: NeoTec™ FLC will be in the one once (437gr) plus weight range. The NeoTec FLC Copper bore size slug has been designed to weight about the same as a normal trap or sporting clay round. To help hunters to understand that a 492gr slug (1 1/8oz) is NOT a real a heavy weight slug for 12ga guns. The normal (1oz – 437.5gr) bore size 12 gauge rifled slug is a very light slug for the (.730ths ) 12ga bore size. That’s one of the big reasons why accuracy suffers past 50yards in smooth bore barrels. The 12ga NeoTec™ FLC Copper round will be loaded in both 2 ¾” and 3” rounds can fired in any 3”chamber safely.
TarHunt was planning to release the new 12ga NeoTec FLC slug rounds for this 2022 fall season in both 2 ¾” & 3”. It now depends on the availably of 3/4″ Copper Rod. [On Hold, due to the current cost of 3/4″ pure Copper rod]. The new rounds will be loaded using the TarHunt patent “Hollow Bullet” design projectile.
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H&R 960 20ga owners NOW SOME GOOD NEWS
After hearing from a fair number of hunters, in the last two years, that have tested the TarHunt 3″ NeoTec FLC 355gr Copper slug in their 20ga H&R 960 Single Shot have some good news. They report that the slightly over size bore on the H&R 960 is able to group the TarHunt bore size Copper (maybe the ALV-Lead alloy slug is the same) slug inside 125yards. It appears that the longer slug, made of a bore size Copper material, is able to get enough grip on the rifling, when fired in a slower 1-35tr, to stabilize the longer bore size projectile. (The H&R 960 has a 1-35tr and is trying to spin the slug just a little over 35,000 RPM’S: while the NOW new normal 20ga 1-24tr spins the slug a just a little over 52,000RPM’S). In this case slower is better than faster! I am sure that results will vary from barrel to barrel, so testing you gun is the only way to find out for sure.
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ATTENTION: Residents of CA, CT, DE, DC, IL, KS, MA, NY, OH and WA, check your local laws before ordering ammunition products. By placing an order, you certify you are of legal age and satisfy all federal, state and local legal/regulatory requirements prior to purchase and having them shipped to you residence..
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Slug Orders: PLACE YOUR ORDER FOR THE ACTUAL “LENGTH OF THE CHAMBER” IN YOUR SLUG GUN. If the barrel is marked 2 ¾” & 3” chamber, THAT MEANS IT IS A 3” CHAMBER.
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Current loading: The 270gr Raptor Alv/Lead projectile when fired in ether the, now standard, 1-24tr, or the 0lder 1-35tr. Both twist rates are producing good accuracy out thru 135 yards. But the ft/lbs of energy available at those longer distances is a lot less that the HEAVIER NeoTec FLC 355gr Copper round.
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Fact: Of course there are always barrels that seems like they would shoot well, even with rocks, accurately! Some barrels or the action being used with that barrel appeared to be stressed and won’t shoot anything well. If you can tell me what the difference is, we will both become rich, because they always measure the same as other barrels. When this event takes place, change either one, usually changes the results.
Again, “never fire a 3” rounds in a 2 ¾” length chamber”; just it will fill into the chamber and the action will close and even extract as long as it is not fired!
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NeoTec™ — (new technology) FLC– “Full Length Case” thus— 20ga 3″ NeoTec FLC 355gr Copper (green) slug.
20ga 3″ NeoTec™ FLC rounds are AVAILABLE NOW: The 62cal 20ga: 2 3/4” & 3” “NeoTec™ FLC 355gr Copper slug is just under the so called normal 20ga slug weight (385gr 7/8oz 20ga) that has been loaded for decades.
Availability: of the (16ga 2 3/4 NeoTec FLC) and the 2 ¾” or 3” (12ga NeoTec™ FLC) rounds will depend on the PRICE AND AVAILABLITY OF THE .750 DIAMETER solid Copper rod they are precision machined from.