Anyone switch back to smooth bore

[Lawdwaz]

With the price of sabots going through the roof I was just wondering if anyone went back to ,or is thinking about going back to, smooth bore with the standard slugs.

I bought a rifled barrel gun last year (Browning 20 ga. BPS) but I might get rid of it because the price of ammo is just crazy . Some of this stuff is $5.00 a round

Good heavens, sell a kidney.

[ants]

Got the sarcasm,....Thanks... but I m just saying if the ammo co. keeps raising the price every year, screw em. I'm not Trump, but I can afford big buck ammo.

It's just the point.

[Pygmy]

I'd like to use a hand grenade, just once. Presto! - Killed, field dressed, skinned, and ground.

Sounds like fun Skillet, but I can't lob one that far.. I'd frag myslef along with Bambi...

[sbuff]

Over time the rifled slug will get lead in the lands of the barrel. Hence why they recommend sabot slugs in rifled barrels.I also think accuracy suffers because the rifled slug would not engage properly in a rifled barrel where a sabot slug would.I agree muzzle loading is far more fun and way cheeper to shoot. I can get fifty deep curls or xtps for 16bucks or so.

Eddie what gun are you shooting them in and how are your groups.have you tried sabots to compare?

Edited July 10, 2012 by sbuff

[fasteddie]

Winchester 1200 pump with a Weaver Qwik-Point sight . Winchester and Federal rifled slugs cloverleaf at 50 yards and 3" group at 100 . Most shots are 50 yards or less . Havn't needed to shoot more than 2 slugs a year . I used to sight in just before every deer season with no adjustment , then every 2 years then every 5 years . I havn't adjusted the sight in over 20 years and yes , I had taken the barrel off , put it back on with no adjustment .

I tried sabots a few years ago with same results and havn't found it necessary to use them .

[erussell]

I made the move to a muzzle loader partly due to the cost of slugs. I just hated sighting and practicing my slug gun because it cost me an arm and a leg.

Geeze I didnt know people still used shotguns during deer season! Ive used the T/C now for the last 5 yrs and an older inline before that. Spend about 40$ for 100 rounds of 777, 20$ for a box of hollowpoints and sabots.5$ for a box of inline primers, and 30 on asorted cleaning supplies and that will last you about 3 yrs unless you do alot of practicing.

Edited July 10, 2012 by erussell

[bubba]

I would not think the lead would be any worse than the plastic fouling from the sabots. As stated by the fast one, a little elbow grease and you are good.

[sbuff]

Well I guess if it nots broke don't fix it but I wonder what your twist is as that would help in accuracy.

Thank god i shoot a muzzle loader.

Edited July 10, 2012 by sbuff

[Larry]

I just ordered two boxes of these 12GA DDUPLEKS Hexolit32 Steel Expanding going to see how they shoot if they shoot ok i'll try them on deer

[ants]

fatsteddie.... my smoothbore is a Winchester 120 (plain Jane) with Iron sights. Awsome gun. accurate as hell and smooth to pump. I bought it years ago. Then, in 93, I went to a rilfed barrel, scoped 1300. IMHO Winchester pumps are the best pump guns, of their kind.

Last year I got it in my head that I wanted a 20ga. so I bought a browning BPS and scoped it. The Browning is ok.. but IMO cant hold a candle to the Winchesters as far as acuracy and smooth operation.

I'm seriously thinking about calling the swap sheet and dumping the Browning. It's a good gun but I just like the Winchesters better.

[Early]

To reiterate: I regularly hunt deer with three smoothbores: a 12 ga. Ithaca Deerslayer...a 20 ga. Ithaca Deerslayer...and a 20 ga. Remington 870. Any of the three is good out to 75 yards. For where I hunt...that is enough!

[bubba]

When I USED to hunt in areas where it was shotgun, I always used my muzzleloader. More accurate, and kills just as dead.

[sbuff]

Smoke them if you got them!!!!

[Pygmy]

Winchester 1200 pump with a Weaver Qwik-Point sight . Winchester and Federal rifled slugs cloverleaf at 50 yards and 3" group at 100 . Most shots are 50 yards or less . Havn't needed to shoot more than 2 slugs a year . I used to sight in just before every deer season with no adjustment , then every 2 years then every 5 years . I havn't adjusted the sight in over 20 years and yes , I had taken the barrel off , put it back on with no adjustment .

I tried sabots a few years ago with same results and havn't found it necessary to use them .

That's phenomenal grouping for a smoothbore, Eddie..I can't say I've ever seen one that would group that well, although a buddy of mine has an Ithaca Deerslayer that would come close...

I always considered myself forunate to keep all my shots on a 9" paper plate at 100 with any of my smoothbores..That's why when rifled barrels became available, I bought one for my 1100...With BRI Standard velocity Sabots it will group from 2" to 4" at 100..

Since they made rifles legal here, I haven't used the shotgun anyway...Not that I don't feel it is effective..I' have killed too many deer at woods ranges to doubt the effectivness of a slug gun...It's just that I enjoy using my rifles and my own handloads more than I do my slug gun..

[fasteddie]

Pygmy ----- It's a rifled barrel shooting rifled slugs . My response was to "sbuff" who was telling me that I shouldn't be putting rifled slugs through a rifled barrel . With my deteriorating eyesight I doubt I could group well anymore .

I have only shot it twice in the past 5 years and got a couple doe on Opening Day hunting . I havn't had it at the range in longer than that . Havn't adjusted the sight in over 20 years . I take the shotgun out opening day of gun season and carry the ML or pistol the rest of the season .

With my deteriorating eyesight I doubt I could group well anymore .

[Pygmy]

I HEAR ya on the eyesight, Eddie...Same problem here, and my hands aren't as steady as they used to be, either...I won't take an offhand shot unless the deer is REAL close. generally if I don't have a rest, I don't shoot..

Regarding shooting rifled foster type slugs through a rifled barrel, I remember years ago when Hastings first started making rifled shotgun barrels...There were very few sabot slugs available. The only one that I recall at that time was the original BRI sabots. Hastings recommended using either the BRI sabots or Super X rifled slugs with thier barrels for the best performance.

[ants]

Funny... I ran into an old buddy last night at the gas station. I have'nt seen him in about five years. We got on the subject of hunting which led to shot guns. He told me that he switched back to his old smooth bore last year because he was sick of paying for the sabots. He now shoot his dads old deerslayer with the old style aimpoint. Remington plain foster slugs

[phade]

I switched back to my 12 ga. smoothbore Mossberg 500 two seasons ago after buying a 20 gauge rifled 500 deer model.I've been shooting Truballs...$3.99 normally at Gander and they have been on .99 cent sale after rebate. I bought quite a few boxes from the same lot each time. They shoot dirty, but very good for a cheapo slug.Most sets are smoothbore ranges out to 75 yards, with 50 or less being much more common. Longer distance sites...I tote the Vortek UL.PS...I have several boxes of Activ 12 gauge...I shot the heck out of them when I was a teen. Would sell for cheap or free to a youth hunter.

Edited July 12, 2012 by phade

[Cabin Fever]

I've always shot smooth bore.

[Nomad]

Same here always used smoothbore. A BPS Buck Special, now using truballs. Last years buck dropped in his tracks at a walked off 100 paces . I do the Gander sale as well, bring the guys from work so I can load up....

As for ammo, buy it cheap and stack it deep.

Its not ever going to back down in price.

Edited July 12, 2012 by Larry302

[Dom]

I still shoot good ole pumpkin ball's/Remington's.410-20-16and 12guage mossberg bolt action's.Buy them when on sale and they work great about $1 to $3 per box is good enough for me.

[sbuff]

" My response was to "sbuff" who was telling me that I shouldn't be putting rifled slugs through a rifled barrel .."

Eddie,I didn't tell you not to shoot them, I said rifled slugs are not intended to be shot out of a rifled barrel.I am pretty sure it will say that in any rifled slug barrel manual or company that sells the barrel.I have some older Remington sluggers and it states intended for smooth bore only.The last box of sabot slugs I had and tried it said for rifled barrel only.. I guess take it for what its worth.

Hey if they shoot good for you and you get good groups,why mess with what works.

[ants]

i WOULD IMAGINE THAT STANDARD SLUGS WOULD SHOOT ok out of a rifled barrel and would'nt hurt the gun, other than some lead fouling. I guess as long as you scrub the barrel out, you would be good. IMHO

[Early]

Right on, ants....Any leading from slugs could be easily removed.

[Pygmy]

Right on, ants....Any leading from slugs could be easily removed.

I heartily agree....

Think about it....Up until about 100 years ago, jacketed bullets were exception..Lead bullets were the norm...Sabots weren't even HEARD of, unless you considered some of the paper patched bullets that were popular in the mid to late 1800s..

Part of maintaining a rifled firearm was scrubbing/dissolving the lead fouling from the bore..

Ain't exactly rocket science....< grin>...