Stupid Shotgun Question

BiggMayn · Jan 20, 2010

This might be a really dumb question, but since I've never shot slugs, I thought I'd ask. What choke level can I have and still shoot slugs? I'm trying to choose a 18"-20" barrel w/ rifle sights for my 870. Thanks.

MountainBear · Jan 20, 2010

Most any fixed choke 18" to 20" barrel should be able to handle slugs (they will more than likely be cylinder). If its a remchoke system, I think I'd stay with cylinder or modified. I know full chokes can have issues. I believe the other two are okay.

eldbillbo · Jan 20, 2010

Thats not a stupid question at all. a good friend of mine went shooting a few weeks ago with his cousins and one of his cousins decided to load and shot a a slug well the barrel made a loud boom and exploded luckly no one was hurt even though my friend was standing to the side of him . he is guessing it was because of the choke

Doug63 · Jan 21, 2010

I have been looking at to buy a defense shotgun myself lately and what I have seen in both the Rem. 870P and Moss 590A1 and that they are both fixed choke barrels with either cylinder or improved cylinder for choking. Slugs can be feed though these shotguns with no problems. I dont know if tighter chokes can be used safely.

I hope this helps a little.

the4thshake · Jan 21, 2010

Shooting slugs seems like a lot of work. Slug and snail bait is cheap and works just fine without putting holes all over the yard. :s0114:

Doug63 · Jan 21, 2010

good

BiggMayn · Jan 21, 2010

Thanks all. I think I know which barrel I'm going to order. :s0155:

Buano · Feb 15, 2010

I grew up shooting slugs in Western NY because rifles were illegal for big game. There is more to consider:

There are basically 2 types of slugs, those made for smooth barrels & sabot loads made for rifled barrels. Slugs made for smooth barrels are normally shot from guns with an improved cylinder (IC) choke. Sabotted slugs should not be shot through any constriction as the sabot does not compress & can damage the choke or possibly burst the barrel.

In today's world you should order a rifled barrel for your shotgun if you are slug-hunting and then use rifle sights or mount a scope. This should give you a 2.5" (or less) group at 100 yards. A smooth-bore shotgun is considered very accurate if you have a 12" group at 70 yards. There is that much difference with a rifled barrel & a scope! In fact, my Mossberg Trophy-Slugster will consistently shoot 1.75" groups at 100 yards, something a lot of centerfire rifles can't match!

If you are using your shotgun for self-defense you do not want slugs. Buckshot will stop an assailant faster & it doesn't travel through as many walls so innocent bystanders are safer.

Good luck!

uscsoldier · Feb 15, 2010

Buano said:
If you are using your shotgun for self-defense you do not want slugs. Buckshot will stop an assailant faster & it doesn't travel through as many walls so innocent bystanders are safer.

Good luck!

very true

chase · Feb 15, 2010

I was shooting clay pigeons out in the woods, and had some slugs so I figured I would shoot them. At that time I had a "skeet" choke in my Remington 11-87 and it shot fine. But you should probably just use modified.

Huntbear · Feb 15, 2010

the4thshake said:
Shooting slugs seems like a lot of work. Slug and snail bait is cheap and works just fine without putting holes all over the yard.

Now that is funny!! :s0112:

MDH · Feb 15, 2010

I'll respectfully disagree with Buano. I've printed several 3.5 inch groups with Sellier and Bellot rifled slugs out of a smoothbore 18" gun (cylinder bore, which is another way to say fixed no choke). The difference between shooting rifled slugs out of a smoothbore, and sabots out of a rifled barrel, in my experience, is several inches. A shotgun will never be sub MOA but you can reliably put one in the kill zone on a deer at 100 yards with either, and both will stop an man at a longer range than that. Though on that count I absolutely agree with him. Shot is a MUCH better choice.

To stir the pot further, you can also buy rifled choke tubes for most smoothbore systems. This gives only slightly higher performance than the smoothbore/rifled slug combo, but is an option.

I also feel I should mention cost. Sabot slugs are generally between 2 and 4 times the cost of similarly weighted rifled slugs, thoguh they do have much higher ballistic coefficients and shoot flatter tighter groups.

Personally I've shot both. Hunted with both (From Michigan which prohibits rifle hunting in zone 3),and I shoot rifled slugs. I can reliably make hits out to 150 yard with good slugs, and past that, do I really need to be shooting at it?

PS: Just occured to me. I could see getting a 12" group at 100 yards if you were shooting a sabot slug down a smoothbore barrel. Slugs designed for smoothbores have rifling pressed into the lead that makes them spin. Sabots have no such thing, and would just slide down the bore REALLY fast.

cbzdel · Feb 15, 2010

I was at Bulleyes Indoor Shooting Range in Tacoma and I took my new shotgun there (this was about 6 months ago) and it is a LONG barrel, 26 or 28 IIRC, I bought it to give skeet, trap, ect. a try.. Well I jsut took it to that range because I wanted to give it a try since it was band new and it was the closest range to me. The guy kept trying to sell me 3-1/2" mag slugs becasuse they were and I quote "They are bad a-- mother f------ shells that will knock you on your a--". I kept telling the guy first of all they wouldn't fit my gun because it take only 3" max, then I kept telling the guy I didnt think they would accept slugs because of the choke, after a minute of this I said pretty much I dont want any you try to sell them again I am leaving.

Good thing I didnt try the 3" version!

I have yet to really research the whole shotgun system but hope to figure it out someday hahah!

Buano · Feb 15, 2010

MDH said:
I'll respectfully disagree with Buano. I've printed several 3.5 inch groups with Sellier and Bellot rifled slugs out of a smoothbore 18" gun (cylinder bore, which is another way to say fixed no choke). The difference between shooting rifled slugs out of a smoothbore, and sabots out of a rifled barrel, in my experience, is several inches. A shotgun will never be sub MOA but you can reliably put one in the kill zone on a deer at 100 yards with either, and both will stop an man at a longer range than that. Though on that count I absolutely agree with him. Shot is a MUCH better choice.

To stir the pot further, you can also buy rifled choke tubes for most smoothbore systems. This gives only slightly higher performance than the smoothbore/rifled slug combo, but is an option.

I also feel I should mention cost. Sabot slugs are generally between 2 and 4 times the cost of similarly weighted rifled slugs, thoguh they do have much higher ballistic coefficients and shoot flatter tighter groups.

Personally I've shot both. Hunted with both (From Michigan which prohibits rifle hunting in zone 3),and I shoot rifled slugs. I can reliably make hits out to 150 yard with good slugs, and past that, do I really need to be shooting at it?

PS: Just occured to me. I could see getting a 12" group at 100 yards if you were shooting a sabot slug down a smoothbore barrel. Slugs designed for smoothbores have rifling pressed into the lead that makes them spin. Sabots have no such thing, and would just slide down the bore REALLY fast.

Yes, I've seen 2 or 3 smoothbores that would group slugs. I had an SKB (sold as a Deerslayer) semi-auto 12 gauge that I could use Remington slugs hunting rabbits and only take head shots. The gun would hold 3 to 3.5" groups at 100 yards. Such accuracy is possible with a smoothbore, but it's not to be expected. It's like getting a used centerfire rifle in pieces, which are covered in rust, and finding when cleaned up & reassembled having it hold groups of less than .3". It's possible, because I've seen it, but I wouldn't EXPECT it.