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rifled slugs

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jason

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Getting closer to shot gun season i've been looking around for a new load to shoot. I have a rifled barrel for my 870 and have shot sabots in the past. Now that im in college i have a limited budget, so 13 $ a box of slugs may not be in the budget. I was wondering why you couldn't shot a rifled slug out of a rifled barrel. I've heard people say that it will cause lead fauling, or ruin your rifling, but how is it different then shooting a non jacket center fire bullet or rimfire bullet through a rifle?? Sabot slugs have not been around as long as a rifled slug barrel, so do rifled slugs ruin rifled barrels, or is it a myth?? Thanks and good hunting.
 
Rifled barrels don't shoot slugs strait. You will be very disappointed in your groupings trying to shoot slugs through a rifled barrel. If you really can't shoot the sabots switch to a smooth bore with an improved cylinder choke and you'll get great result out of those less expensive slugs. The lead from the slugs will also, as you stated, fowl your rifling but it won't matter because nothing will go where you want it anyways. Rifled/sabot or smooth bore/slugs I think it is black and white but I've been told I see thing too much like that.
 
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Rifled barrels don't shoot slugs strait

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i beg to differ. rifled slugs aren't SUPPOSED to shoot rifled slugs straight. all i have ever shot out of my rifled barrel, is the cheap rifled slugs. ain't supposed to work, but there are quite a few dead deer that found out the hard way
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i don't plan on shooting to much, hopefully just 1 shot. But i know when we have our small deer drives it I wont shoot just one. I bought 2 boxes of lightfield slugs at 8 $ per box, so that isn't tobad. I'm going to shoot them this weekend so see how it groups Does anyone else shoot this slug through a 20 gauge??
 
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Rifled barrels don't shoot slugs strait

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i beg to differ. rifled slugs aren't SUPPOSED to shoot rifled slugs straight. all i have ever shot out of my rifled barrel, is the cheap rifled slugs. ain't supposed to work, but there are quite a few dead deer that found out the hard way
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I'd be happy to compare groupings with you anytime Teeroy. I'll bet I can get a better group everytime and will never wonder where that one went that did not hit the paper. Can you kill deer, I am sure you can. Can you count on shot placement, I am sure you can't. Do you care, I do.
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So what's the answer? Rifled barrels with rifled slugs, rifled barrels with sabot slugs, or smooth bore with rifled slugs?

I've always shot sabots through my rifled Winchester 1300 and have never had a problem....3-4 inch grouping out to 75 yards with open sights...after that it all goes to hell. I hardly ever shoot past that distance anyway. My philosophy is get closer.
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So what's the verdict? Who likes what better?
 
Can you shoot rifled slugs out of a rifled barrel?........yes. Would I really want to?.......no. Accuracy should be paramount with a slug, barrel combination. Sabots are for rifled barrels...plain and simple. Rifled slugs are for the smoothbores. I know people that shoot cheap, rifled slugs out of thier rifled-barrel slug guns.....but I can turn around and use the same cheap slugs and make my smoothbore slug gun look like a sniper rifle compared to their rifled-barrel-rifled slug combination.
 
I would agree that riffled barrel=sabot, smooth bore=rifled slug. On the otherhand, i have often heard that you can't shoot rifled slugs out of a weapon with a rifled choke. No that is completely wrong. I have an 11-87 with a deer barrel=rifled choke that shoots Breneke Rotwille slugs amazingly. Granted, it's scoped out but i can put sulgs in the same hole at 50 yards consistantly. I was at the range last week and put hole in the bullseye that i could stick my fist through. My dad can't touch these king of patterns with his $10.00 a box winchester supreme's.
 
I read on the internet that shooting a rifled slug out of a smooth bore is like a pitcher throwing a knuckle ball. The slug has no rotation because the rifleing on the slug has nothing to grab on to and spin it. We need a gun smith or a gun specialist on here to settle this.
 
Jason...that is almost word for word what I've heard through the years about rifled slugs out of smooth barrels. I agree...where is the gun smith when you need him!
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The whole idea of putting the rifling on the slug is to over come the lack of rifling in the barrel. There is also an issue as to how the gases propel the round. I believe if you look into it you'll find all slugs are a little larger than Sabots. There is a lot of research behind the advances in slugs and sabots. If you like cheap slugs you really need to try the new High Velocity Remington Sluggers. I have only seen them at Scheels. In shooting paper this fall I was able to get a three inch group at 100 yards with these. They are only dropping 3 inches at that distance. At just a $1 more per box they are worth it, but only if you shoot smooth bore. I also shot many Winchester Gold Partitions. -6 inches at 175 yards. These are nail drivers and worthy of a good setup. I have switched to a adjustable scope 2-7 that allows for more accurate distance shooting. 200 yards is attainable with some setup but I have not gone that far.

I guess the point I want to make is that you can put anything you want down the barrel but the results will vary and they are not unpredictable.
 
As far as size goes, winchester supreme sabots are 385 grains and you can get rifled slugs for a 12 guage upt to 1 1/8 ounces.

My advise is to buy a lot of different brands and spend a day at the range. Like i said my gun shoots Breneke Rottwille slugs great, but i've seen people that can't get them to pattern within 10 inches. You need to shoot alot and shoot different kinds of ammo.

As far as rifleing, the rifling on a slugs increases the spin, thus increasing stability leading to higher accuracy.

The main rule to follow when buying ammmo is:

-Rifled Barrel = Sabots (you don't want to destroy the riling in a $250 barrel)
-Smooth Bore = Rifled Slug
 
I agree that sabots 9 times our of 10 will produce better groupings than a rifled slug out of a rifled barrel. But does a rifled slug really ruin a rifled barrel? I've shot non-jacketed 30\06 rounds and .22 grounds all day with out noticable lead fowling and definatly no damage to the rifling. I just don't see why a slug would be any different.
 
non jacketed is one thing since there is no rifling on the bullet itself, but i have heard the rifling on a slug in conjunction with the rifling in the barrel will damage the barrel
 
It all depends on the gun, my Mossberg 500 shoots best with Winchester sabots, my sons 500 shoots best with lightfields and when he tries to shoot my Winchesters he's all over the place. My nephew shoots $3 a box slugs and doesn't have a problem, of course he doesn't try to make 150 yard shots either. You just need to try different shells until you find the one that works best in your gun. Of course on a students budget trying ever shell in the store is a little had to do. Good luck
 
I also have a 870 with a rifled barrel. I have been shooting cheap winchester rifled slugs for 10 years out of it with out a single problem. They are tack drivers with iron sights out to 75 yards.
 
I use a smooth bore with brenkey rifled slugs,i do know several people that shoot rifled slugs in their rifled barrels and all seem to agree that winchesters do the best.A local gunsmith seemed to think that the winchesters rifling on the slug was a close match to the best fit to the barrel rifling.Dont know but the people that usem seem to like em.
 
I know this is an old post but I'm waaaaayyyy behind.

I had heard that some barrles are right hand twist and some left hand twist and some slugs are right hand twist and some slugs are left hand twist and the reason some rifled barrels shoot rifled slugs better is the twist was the same direction. True or not I don't know, but it is just what I heard.

I know a guy who makes his own slugs. He called them pumpkin balls. No rifeling on the slug, just soft lead. He shot them out of a rifled barrel and he was a real deer killer. Of course he was a fanatic about making sure every round was EXACTLY the same so he knew EXACTLY where the slug was gonna go.

I suppose another factor wold be the amount of rifleing in a given barrel, 1-9 1-8 1-whatever as well as the barrel lenghth. Lots of differences to control for in your search for the perfect slug for you gun.

My Mosberg 500 Trophy Slugster shoots Federal Premium Sabots better than any other. Don't know why it does, it just does. I've tried just about every sabot and always end up with Federals.

The 'Bonker
 
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