Slug clarification.

[Marshall]

Is this correct:

Rifled slug = Smooth bore only.

Sabot slug = Rifled barrel/Rifled choke tube only.

Brenneke, Buckhammer, etc. = Both.


I'm looking at buying another shotgun and have about confused myself, I'm thinking rifled choke tube is best since you can change it and have have the best of both worlds?

As for existing smooth bore guns, how should/should not, todays Rifled slugs and Brenneke type slugs be used in relation to choke size/cylinder bore? Oh yea, one more thing, what about the use in double guns, should they be used in single barrel shotguns only?

 

[Dave McCracken]

Read slugs 101 in the archives, but you've got the gist.

Brenekkes in full rifled barrels will work, but cleaning all that lead out is a chore.

Full rifled barrels USUALLY are most accurate, rifled chokes next then smoothbores, lots of overlapping.

 

[scout26]

Smoothbore with rifled slugs the more open the choke the better (think Cylinder or Imp Cylinder).

Yes they can be shot from SxS, but usually POI is somewhat different from POA betweent each barrel.

 

[Marshall]

Thank you.

I asked about the double guns because I read somewhere that slugs in double guns can cause crossfiring due to regulation of the barrels, whatever that is? I figured you all would know for sure?

So, can they safely be shot in modified and full choke barrels without harm to the barrel?

 

[The_Antibubba]

Dave,

I've never heard of rifled chokes. Can you elaborate?

 

[Dave McCracken]

Basically, they're choke tubes with rifling. The bore in those shotguns is smooth, but the tube gives enough spin to stabilize the slug like a rifle bullet.

 

[USSR]

Marshall,

No problem using the regular Foster-type rifled slugs in a rifled choke tube. I started out using the sabotted slugs in mine, but read an article in the American Rifleman many years ago in which they did this, so I decided to give it a try. I found the accuracy to be nearly as good as the sabotted slugs, and the knock down power to be much superior to the sabots. Have been using them for about 15 years now and couldn't be happier.

Don

 

[The_Antibubba]

So a sabot slug will fire accurately from a smoothbore with a rifled choke?

 

[Nicky Santoro]

So a sabot slug will fire accurately from a smoothbore with a rifled choke?

Correct. In general, not quite as accurate as from a rifled barrel but good for minute of deer out to about 100 or so yards. See dave McCracken's post above.

 

[USSR]

So a sabot slug will fire accurately from a smoothbore with a rifled choke?

Yep.

Don

 

[The_Antibubba]

More questions:

• How does the rifled choke affect shot?
  
• How does shot affect the rifled choke?
  
• I have a Mossberg 500A. Does Mossberg have a short barrel that will accept chokes?

This sounds like a useful survival accessory-it would allow me to use just about any 12 gauge shell in a pinch.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Rifling disrupts shot patterns badly. Rifled choke tubes work best with slugs, and ONLY actual testing will determine which slug works best in a given shotgun.

The good news is there's no ineffective slugs. Whatever you pick will do the job if and when it hits the target.

 

[scout26]

AB,

If you're looking for/soing to buy a shorter barrel for your 500. Check out http://www.mossberg.com/acatalog/pricebarrels.htm

You can get a shorter fully rifled barrel (good for bambi) or a shorter smoothbore (good for bambi using foster slugs and for HD).

Lots to choose from, and you might be able to get them cheaper then the prices listed locally.

HTH