rifled barrels and shot?

[FLORIDA KEVIN]

Have any of you ever fired shot loads through a shotgun barrel that is rifled for slugd ? i would thin that the spin imparted by the rifling would open the patern up very rapidly ! I dont currently own a rifled barrel shotgun ,but am considering the purchase ! Kevin :

 

[rcmodel]

You are exacty right.
Patterns will be dismal, and depending on the shot-cup wad design, barrel leading may be severe.

And don't even think about letting a steel-shot load get in it!


rcmodel

 

[FLORIDA KEVIN]

i guess what I was considering is that at very close range of say 7-20 ft would there be value in having the pattern open so quickly ! Like for inside the home defense ! Hit probability would be higher although the numer of shot actually hitting the targe would be less ! just pondering ! I guess i will have to get a rifled barrel and pattern some loads ! kevin

 

[ahellers]

us here in the USCG fire buckshot as well as slugs through your rifled shot gun barrals. Im not sure what it does to the pattern though. I was asking our GMs about it one day, and they said so long as your not shooting anything too small (eg. bird shot) you should be fine. I guess the smaller shot will get in the rifling and totaly mess the gun up.

I dont know how much of this is true actuly, but thats what i was told by some one who SHOULD be a competent authority.

t

 

[3 gun]

I ran some tests with a Mossberg 500 using a 24" rifled barrel and a 18.5" cyl bore barrel. ALL shot loads are affected by the rifled barrel. Slugs punched a nice hole at point of aim with both barrels. 00 buck from the cyl barrel punched a fist size hole at 21'. From the rifled barrel the pattern looked like a dough nut but covered the target from shoulder to shoulder and belt to neck. The surprise was 3' #6 shot 2oz turkey loads. From 21' with the cyl barrel it punched a fist size hole in the target. The rifled barrel covered the target with an even pattern from chin to belt and arm to arm.

At indoor ranges a normal barrel throws a fist size pattern at best, regardless of shell type or shot size. The only shell that this did not hold true with was the Federal PD load. It uses a special wad to open the pattern quickly. It had an even 5" to 6" pattern of #4 shot at 25'. The rifled barrel opens the pattern to the extent that your max range is no more than 25' with anything other than slugs.

I did not find any build up in either barrel from the rounds fired during my testing.

If all I had was a rifled shotgun barrel I'd load it with S&B 00 loads and limit my shots to 21' or less. If I REALLY had to worry about over penetration I'd try the 3" turkey load. At 21' there was not a sq cm of the targets vital area without a pellet in it.

 

[FLORIDA KEVIN]

thanks guys !

Thanks for all your replies ! That was exactly the kind of information I was looking for ! I think iwant to get the rifled barrel ! Thanks again Kevin

 

[grenden]

Lucky I found this thread. Thanks for the info and sacrificing your rifled barrel to testing this, 3gun. I own a Mossberg 500 with a 24" rifled barrel, I got it for hunting (in Michigan, south of M-57 in LP is shotgun only), though I didn't get anything this year. I am also concerned for home defense, and right now I just have sabot slugs loaded, but I was worried about over-penetration through a wall and hitting a neighbor. Glad I can load with shot and destroy kill my barrel (right away).

 

[dogrunner]

I have a Hastings rifled tube for my A/5 Browning. The thing shoots sabot's exceptionally well and from a rest will hold every round in the diameter of a coke can at 100. That same bbl, using buck (both 00 and #1, MIGHT attain two pellets on a cardboard box 20 inches in diameter at 15 yards!

I'd add that I used to have a smooth Browning buck bbl for the same gun and it shot both slugs and shot very well. Not quite as well as the Hasting for solid projectiles, but in truth it was far more versatile.

 

[Jack2427]

The USCG is using rifled barrel shotguns? Anyway, a rifled barrel on a SG is for sabot slugs-period. Shooting anything else through it is a waste of money. The rifleing will spin the shot cup with predictable results, or should I say completely unpredictable results.
Remember that almost all US SG ammo now uses shot cups to hold the shot while traveling down the barrel, if the cup spins, when it leaves the barrel it will have the exact opposite effect it is supposed to have, instread of keeping the shot together, it will spin it in all (literally) directions.

 

[birdbustr]

I have a rifled slug barrel for my 870. I think it is 22", but anyway after sighting in with slugs at 40 yards I threw in a OO Buck with 15 pellets I hit the target with 2 pellets on the edges of a 18" target. I would expect the 28" barrel with a full choke would give a majority of the pellets hitting.

 

[FLORIDA KEVIN]

what I wanted

The point I was trying to make is that for home defense a rapidly openind pattern was more likely to produce hits on target under stressfull situations than a normal tight pattern ! look around your house how many would have a shot longer than 20 ft indoors ? some people have the idea that a shotgun will cover large areas with shot and with a rifled barrel they will! Imagine theresult to an intruder from say 15-20 ft if they were coming through your doorway or up your stairs or down your hall ? i think the rifled barrel has definate tactical advantages at close range ! By the way the USCG often uses saboted slugs to disable moving boats ! They do a great job on outboard motors !One of my sons buddies is GM on active duty with the USCG and has been trained in disabling fire !