Cylinder bore - 'choke' to protect threads?

[Fez]

Hi folks, I got a used Mossberg 500A (12 gauge) for the mrs. and it came with two barrels.
1. The hunting barrel is threaded and came with a modified, full and skeet chokes. Do I need to find a cylinder bore 'choke' to protect the barrel threads?
2. How about for steel shot?

The other barrel is shorter and rifled.
1. Any problems with steel shot here?

Thanks in advance!

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[Andy54Hawken]

You can shoot the shotgun with any of the chokes you mentioned....but never shoot your shotgun without a choke installed.
Steel shot should be fine with your shotgun.

The shorter rifled barrel is for use with shotgun "saboted shotgun slugs" ( a large single projectile ) ...not shot , so no steel or lead shot here .
Andy

 

[Fez]

Thanks Andy54Hawken

 

[Andy54Hawken]

You are very welcome.
Andy

 

[bbbass]

Hi folks, I got a used Mossberg 500A (12 gauge) for the mrs. and it came with two barrels.
1. The hunting barrel is threaded and came with a modified, full and skeet chokes. Do I need to find a cylinder bore 'choke' to protect the barrel threads?
2. How about for steel shot?

The other barrel is shorter and rifled.
1. Any problems with steel shot here?

Thanks in advance!

The skeet choke is pretty close to cylinder bore. But when you say "to protect the threads" do you mean to shoot w/o a choke as Andy's response suggests? ... Yeah, don't do that. Agree with Andy that steel shot is fine with those chokes in that standard barrel. If you want to hunt geese there are some extra full, or extra tight (so to speak) chokes that you can get, especially made for tight groups with large steel shot for long distance shooting at geese, pass shooting ducks, etc.

Regarding the short/rifled barrel... As Andy said, this is a slug barrel made for deer hunting or bear. To use it properly, you would need standard hunting slugs, not the kind that spin the slug, since the rifling in the barrel will already be doing that. Use of steel shot in that barrel can damage the rifling... don't do that. Use of buckshot is not recommended because the rifling will tend to deform the buckshot, and will cause the shot charge to spin, both of these resulting in the pattern widening out and being very inconsistent. It's a slug barrel... period. I used to have one... a classic Ithaca model 37 Deerslayer... nice barrel for self defense or neighborhood defense with slugs. BTW PDX1 makes a segmented slug load that is also reduced recoil compared to hunting slug loads, which are "Express" loads and IMO pack a wallop!!

 

[Fez]

Thanks bbbass!

 

[bbbass]

You betcha!!

 

[TTSX]

What I did was buy either a modified or improved, can't remember which, choke that was just one step "tighter" than cylinder. Manufactured by Mossberg for my Mossberg and it will pass any type of shot just fine. Bought it for much the same reason you want one

The rifle barrel, as previously stated, is for sabot slugs but I'll admit to firing cheap birdshot and a couple buck shot just to see the pattern which was H-U-G-E with no shot in the center. Just something like a 6 foot spread at 30 feet distance. Sometimes I need to see for myself.

Sabot slugs kick. Hard. And they cost several dollars each.

 

[Fez]

Thanks MechaNik!
I think I'm going to try and find a 18.5" smooth bore barrel (currently unobtanium at reasonable prices) for her. In the meantime, I'll put the big barrel back on with the skeet choke so she can use bird and buckshot.

 

[bbbass]

Thanks MechaNik!
I think I'm going to try and find a 18.5" smooth bore barrel (currently unobtanium at reasonable prices) for her. In the meantime, I'll put the big barrel back on with the skeet choke so she can use bird and buckshot.

Darn, if it was the other way round, I have a 28" ribbed barrel I'd part with...

Sooooo, what is she hunting???

 

[coop44]

OK, can of worms opened. Current shotgun ammo used has the shot or slug contained in a plastic shot cup. How can that damage the bore? The shot rides in the cup until exiting the muzzle. Granted, because of the spin imparted by the rifled bore the shot will likely spread wider than desired very quickly, making it a poor choice to shoot from a rifled bore. But not because of any damage it might do.


From our friends at Browning an easy to read simple chart on chokes

How do I choose the right chokes when switching from lead to steel shot?

www.browning.com

Actually this ought to be on a "sticky" !
BTW I ALWAYS reccomend forcing cone be lengthened for steel shot ( when the barrel contour allows)

 

[bbbass]

OK, can of worms opened. Current shotgun ammo used has the shot or slug contained in a plastic shot cup. How can that damage the bore? The shot rides in the cup until exiting the muzzle. Granted, because of the spin imparted by the rifled bore the shot will likely spread wider than desired very quickly, making it a poor choice to shoot from a rifled bore. But not because of any damage it might do.

Good point. Good catch.

1. You're right... shot in a cup is not going to damage the threads of the smoothbore if the choke is left out or the rifling of the other barrel. My bad.

2. Indeed, you can shoot buckshot or other shot out of those rifled barrels, but as mentioned, the spread is crazy big because the shot charge is spinning due to the rifling.

3. Although AFAIK a Brenneke slug is not in a shot cup. They have a wad behind them. Felt, fiber, whatever. The wadding grips the rifling and spins the slug. While a lead slug or Foster slug or sabot (in a shotcup/guide) would not cause damage in the smoothbore, if left exposed the threads would/could disturb the spin or flight, causing accuracy issues also.

What it comes down to is OP wife using the appropriate choke in the smoothbore, and the appropriate ammo for the rifled barrel.

 

[bbbass]

BTW I ALWAYS reccomend forcing cone be lengthened for steel shot ( when the barrel contour allows)

Why???

 

[Fez]

Darn, if it was the other way round, I have a 28" ribbed barrel I'd part with...

Sooooo, what is she hunting???

Hopefully not me! Neither of us hunt yet but we want to learn. I figure that once we're able to use it safely and accurately we'll start by hunting lawn gnomes.
She wanted a shotgun for home defense and I prefer things that are multifunctional so we got the Mossberg.

 

[jbett98]

If the barrels choke threads were left exposed and you shot plastic wads, wouldn't the plastic get in-bedded into the threads at some point?

 

[bbbass]

Hopefully not me! Neither of us hunt yet but we want to learn. I figure that once we're able to use it safely and accurately we'll start by hunting lawn gnomes.
She wanted a shotgun for home defense and I prefer things that are multifunctional so we got the Mossberg.

Have you two decided what ammo you want to use for home defense? (N'other whole can of worms... many opinions!!!).

I use a rifled barrel with Win PDX1 pre-segmented low recoil home defense rounds. Can be useful in the yard or if the neighborhood blows up in rioting.

Some prefer buckshot. Some like 00. Some like #4 Buck. Some like #4 shot. I can't honestly recommend #8 shot but you will hear those that do.

For getting practiced up to hunt, I highly recommend any of the clay sports with the choked barrel. Even a ground thrower. Hand throwers are not my fav thing.

 

[coop44]

Why???

Eases the transition from the chamber to the bore, lessens perceived recoil. Fewer deformed shot when shooting lead. I never advocate shooting with no choke installed.

 

[ma96782]

Hopefully not me! Neither of us hunt yet but we want to learn. I figure that once we're able to use it safely and accurately we'll start by hunting lawn gnomes.
She wanted a shotgun for home defense and I prefer things that are multifunctional so we got the Mossberg.

A BIDEN voter?

BUT......this is not meant to be a NEGATIVE POST in any way. Because we are "inclusive here" at Northwestfirearms.com. And, IMHO....the Mossberg (in 12 ga) is a solid choice.

Aloha, Mark

 

[Fez]

Have you two decided what ammo you want to use for home defense?

We're probably going to go with alternating 00 buck and slugs. We're debating having the first round as birdshot as a kind of less lethal 'warning' shot. We live in an apartment with neighbors above and one one side so overpenetration is a concern but if we ever actually need to use it, things have already gotten really bad.

 

[Fez]

A BIDEN voter?

BUT......this is not meant to be a NEGATIVE POST in any way. Because we are "inclusive here" at Northwestfirearms.com. And, IMHO....the Mossberg (in 12 ga) is a solid choice.

Aloha, Mark

It's all good. My wife does have blue hair and is named Karen but we're both totally anti-Biden.

We'd like to get an AR-15 as well, but there's so many things/options to consider that it's a bit intimidating. Plus, if things go really wrong in November there might be plenty of them laying on the ground.