1st Range Day with the Vinci

[hpnewby]

3 things:

1) I've been duck hunting and shooting skeet my whole life with an 870 - this is my first auto loader. I shot 125 shells at skeet and hit more than I ever have in my life. The way this gun points and fits me feels like I picked it up from my tailor.

2) Slug POI was 12" above POA at 50 yards. This really surprised me. Sight alignment was with the front fiber buried behind the center bead. I used the same natural point for skeet that I've always used with any other vent rib gun and was obviously hitting fine. Next trip out I'll have to spend some time patterning and trying different chokes with slugs. I was using the factory improved all day. Anybody got any hints for this one?

3) Loading port is gonna need some work if Load 2 is ever gonna happen. Other than standard flaring for ease of access, the 'feed ramps' are gonna have to be opened quite a bit. The first shell gets hung up on the top lip (shell at too steep of an angle going in), and the second shell catches the bottom lip (shell not going all the way down into the port). I'm waiting on a few pictures, and hoping more people can share what they've done opening their ports.

[Brian Payne]

I have been running my new Vinci in the hopes to having it good to go for the Task Force Dagger 3-gun.

1: The "points and fits me" is spot on with my Vinci as well. I seem to be faster on the splits, not because the shotgun shoots any faster but because my confidence level is higher.

2: Slug POI/POA was spot on for me out to 100 yrds. I will be trying more a little later. I was using Federal "Tru-Ball" low recoil slugs using IC choke. I would try different slugs and chokes before becoming too concerned.

3: The loading port needed work. I won't post a picture because I used a Rasp that I use to trim my horses hooves, then files, then sand paper. Worked great but looks nasty. The shotgun isn't the cutest looking firearm in the safe but it sure does shoot well. Don't fool around too much where the shell rim sits when loaded. If you open that too far, it allows the shells to jump past the shell catch. I'm just sayin'.

Good luck.