Shotgun Slug Shooting Question

[Quick Draw McGraw]

Back when I was a kid, I was told you cannot shoot slugs out of a barrel that has a choke tube in it. Is this true? If not, what is the limit as far as tightness? My goal is to be safe and not damage my shotgun. So if I cannot shoot a slug out of a choke-tube, that is fine by me.

[gnappi]

There ARE rifled chokes that "should" answer your question, and rifled shotgun barrels but AFAIK rifled chokes are NOT available in graduated constrictions as they are for use with shot shells. I would imagine that sending a slug up through anything more than cylinder bore will present a problem for mamma's baby's face :-)

See... www.nrafamily.org/content/how-to-shoot-shotgun-slugs-accurately-1/

[bigbrowndog]

QD, I’ve shot slugs through choke tubes as tight as Light Modiifed when I competed in 3 gun/multigun. Benelli M1’s, M2’s, SBE’s and Novas, never had any issues, my compatriots did the same from Remmy’s, Winny’s, Brownings, and many others. I would t hesitate to shoot slugs through a choke even as tight as Mod. Possibly avoid slugs through slim line tubes or barrels that have been altered to accept screw in tubes.

Trapr

[kevshell]

Lots of good stuff above. As one example, Browning made a bolt action slug gun known for accuracy. It came fully rifled or with a rifled choke tube. Most of the smooth bore slug guns were cylinder choked (little to no constriction). I believe you'll be safer with choked shotguns and foster style slugs. I would guess the sabot slugs which are more for rifled barrels would present more of a problem than a foster slug in a choked shotgun. And as mentioned I believe the retrofit slim chokes specifically state not to use slugs. That said I've known some to get good accuracy out of a choked shotgun and foster slugs. I grew up in an area where it was shotgun only for deer.

[rangersedge]

www.nrafamily.org/articles/2019/8/27/how-to-shoot-shotgun-slugs-accurately/

This talks a bit about open and improved.

[rangersedge]

FWIW: If you're in a shotgun only area, we've been very pleased with our savage 220s. If they didn't work so well, we'd probably get a rifle in 350 legend or something since Illinois now allows that.

[cas]

May 29, 2023 14:24:50 GMT -5 bigbrowndog said:

QD, I’ve shot slugs through choke tubes as tight as Light Modiifed....

I've shot them through as tight as Xtra Full. And no it did not shoot well. And it was a barrel with extremely thick barrel walls, and I wouldn't suggest it in most guns. lol


This comes up online a lot, what shoots best, and there aren't set answers. "Back when", someone said shotgun slug there was a 98% chance they meant a hollow based Fosters slug. Now days it couldn't mean all sorts of things. My experience with Fosters slugs and fixed choke guns was the tighter choked guns seemed to shoot better.
With removable chokes and all their variations and types, I don't have a set answer. Based on experience it's a try and see deal for sure (same with buckshot).
Light Mod has worked pretty well for me also, or at least well enough for what needed doing with them. Were I hunting with them, I'd still experiment.

When I was really into trying to make slug guns shoot as well as possible, before I went full handgun hunter, I found that the secret to shooting GROUPS was to shoot S-L-O-W-L-Y. Like "I'm really really slow at reloading my muzzle loader" slow, if not even slower.

[Quick Draw McGraw]

I appreciate all the responses. Mostly I shoot bird and buckshot. I've only shot slugs in open-cylinder barreled 12 faige with no tubes.

[jgt]

When I was too poor to buy any guns, I wore out my library card reading about them. I read a lot about shotguns and one of the more informative authors caught my attention. In one of his books he did an exhaustive study of the shotgun/slug issue complete with photos. He got some interesting results in his test, one of which surprised him and me as a reader. He compared a rifled barreled slug gun to a smooth bore with a rifled screw-in choke. The smooth bore with the rifled screw-in choke shot way better groups than the fully rifled barrel. He concluded most people would not allow themselves to believe such data so the information would most likely not change any minds. Time has proven him correct. That always stuck in my mind because before reading that book, no one could have convinced me of that fact either.

[kevshell]

May 30, 2023 8:49:55 GMT -5 jgt said:

When I was too poor to buy any guns, I wore out my library card reading about them. I read a lot about shotguns and one of the more informative authors caught my attention. In one of his books he did an exhaustive study of the shotgun/slug issue complete with photos. He got some interesting results in his test, one of which surprised him and me as a reader. He compared a rifled barreled slug gun to a smooth bore with a rifled screw-in choke. The smooth bore with the rifled screw-in choke shot way better groups than the fully rifled barrel. He concluded most people would not allow themselves to believe such data so the information would most likely not change any minds. Time has proven him correct. That always stuck in my mind because before reading that book, no one could have convinced me of that fact either.

Is it safe to assume he was using sabot slugs or was it another design?

[bigbrowndog]

I believe I read that article as well and drew the conclusion that it was an anomaly. Especially since it was the only example used, it could easily have been a fluke. I do not recall which type of slugs foster, sabot, or Brenneke. I have always read and heard that sabot slugs do not give good accuracy from a smooth barrel, however in a pinch I was forced to use them in a match and had no issues with Federal Sabot slugs providing decent accuracy out to 100-130 yards from my smooth bore Benelli. Perhaps too much theory is used when good old fashioned trial and error should take place instead.

Trapr

[woody]

Shot slot of slugs in my day. We used to be slug gun only for deer. But no longer are. If you’re shooting foster type slugs you can’t beat a rifles choke tube. If you don’t have one try a IC or mod. They will give you the best performance. As to shooting them through a choke tube gun. It’s not an issue at all. You must remember that manufacturers have to expect that people will shoot slugs through them.
Fully rifled barrels use sabots. You can use foster type with good success but they will lead badly.

My slug gun for years was a Remington 870 20 gauge fully rifles shooting Lightfields slugs. Great combo. For a dedicated slug gun. The Savage 220 is an awesome gun.


But with all that said I did have seen one of those cheap Winchester SXP pumps made in Turkey with a bulged choke from slugs. But who knows the whole story. It was some goofy kid that brought it into the shop.