Shotgun Hunting

[Larry]

First thing we don’t use iron in gun barrels we use something called barrel steel there is a difference between iron and steel. Shotgun barrel mostly have a twist rate of 1 in 35 or 36 there a few with 1 in 28 rates. What this mean if you have a rate of 1/35 the rifling makes 1 full turn in 35 inches as compared to a rifle that could have a rate of 1/9. Also the rifling on a shotgun isn’t as deep.

Now for the slug has “rifling” this so called rifling primary use is to help with barrel fit, not to put a spin on the slug. It may or may not in part a spin on the slug though air going what’s left of the rifling in while in flight. What keep a rifle slug going straight is it weight forward design. When going through a rifled barrel the barrel will put rifling on the slug only where there is contact between the barrel and the slug it will still put a spin on the slug.

[bigbuckhunter]

i have hunted with scopes, front and rear iron sights, and just a bead. for me the two easiest are the scope and the front bead. if your gonna use iron sights its just quicker and easier to use a bead

[monza626]

i have a 535 with 28 " smooth bore barrel and i shoot rem sluggers and i use a reciever mounted scope 1.5 fixed scope and have made kill shots out to 80 yrds

[WNYBuckHunter]

I have no experience I don't really know but logically, if a rifled slug goes through a rifled barrel and the rifling doesn't match, the iron barrel will bend the lead slug but wouldn't that slow down the bullet tremedously? I mean isn't it basically ripping the bullet as it's travelling down the barrel? Just asking.

Lead is softer than steel, it conforms to the barrel, not the opposite.

[WNYBuckHunter]

That agood ? i only shoot remington pumpkin balls that what i call them the only thing the box says is 16 guage slugs nothing about rifling been useing for as long as i can rember i would say if the box say rifled its for rifled bores

Not the case. Again, the ONLY shotgun slugs you cannot shoot out of a smoothbore are sabots. Any slug can be used with a rifled barrel.

[monza626]

i have a 535 12 gauge with a fixed 2x scope with smoothbore and slugger slugs and knock them down as far out as 80 yrd i get 2-3 inch groups at 75 yrds at the range

[screamon demon]

Not the case. Again, the ONLY shotgun slugs you cannot shoot out of a smoothbore are sabots. Any slug can be used with a rifled barrel.

I bought a shot gun two years ago with a rifled barrel. The mossberg manual specifically states to not shoot rifled slugs through it. The cheapness in me had me asking questions since I did not like dropping $3 a shot on Sabots. I found a lot of different answers but decided on not risking it and decided to shoot Sabots. I had never asked the question about sabots in a smooth bore though.

Edited October 26, 2011 by screamon demon

[hunter]

I use Remington Buckhammers out of my 870 with a rifled barrel and they are great and reasonable. I was paying almost twenty dollars for five sabots before I switched two years ago.

[NYDeer]

Shooting plain slugs out of rifled barrels is ok, just realize you'll need to clean that barrel out.

As for cost, I just picked up 3" Remington Premier Copper Solid Sabot Slugs, PR12MCS, at Dicks for $15 & change, & they have a $5/box mail in rebate.. Gonna make a range trip this weekend hopefully..

[phade]

Not the case. Again, the ONLY shotgun slugs you cannot shoot out of a smoothbore are sabots. Any slug can be used with a rifled barrel.

Lightfield sabots actually say you can shoot them in a smoothbore on the box itself...they note best results with an improved cylinder in the smoothbore. I've shot quite a few deer with a Mossberg 500 smoothbore and the lightfield sabots using an improved cylinder. First one I ever shot was about 90 yards and DRT. Probably not the best pairing for most situation, but the lightfields can work if need be.

I no longer use them due to cost and finding the cheap (but dirty as heck) Federal Truball slugs shoot great groups out to 80 + yards.

Edited October 26, 2011 by phade

[pawle76]

I shoot rifled slugs out of my 870 pump with a rifled barrel and I am dead on at 100 yards all day long. I'm also using a receiver mounted 1.75x5 scope. Seems to work well for me.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Lightfield sabots actually say you can shoot them in a smoothbore on the box itself...they note best results with an improved cylinder in the smoothbore. I've shot quite a few deer with a Mossberg 500 smoothbore and the lightfield sabots using an improved cylinder. First one I ever shot was about 90 yards and DRT. Probably not the best pairing for most situation, but the lightfields can work if need be.

I no longer use them due to cost and finding the cheap (but dirty as heck) Federal Truball slugs shoot great groups out to 80 + yards.

I used to shoot Lightfields out of my smooth bore with an IC, and they worked good. They are a hybrid sabot, which allows them to be used in smooth bore. You cant use a regular sabot, like a Remington Copper solid, Hornady SST, Winchester Premier, etc in a smooth bore gun though.

I use the Hornady SSTs out of a rifled barrel now. Nice and clean and great groups at 100 yards. Havent shot them out further yet, but Ill be seeing what they do at 200 in a week or two.

[phade]

I think the Lightfields key to the barrel itself...which is what I assume allows them to be accurate out of the smoothbore...no bouncing around in the barrel like others do.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Yup. They are all lead with no jacket, and the little plastic deal on the back pushes forward and causes the lead to swell outwards, filling up the bore. Funny you mentioned it, as I just caught a clip of them talking about it on their sponsored hunting show the other day lol.

[Red]

mossberg 500 28" bird barrel front and rear sight shoots good for me for deer hunting im 30yrs old and have 21 deer with it

[Nomad]

BPS smooth bore. Dead on at 75 yards with Federal Truball . Held a little high this year on a 95 yard shot, dropped him where he stood .I shoot a fair number of slugs, don't want to pay the price of sabots. Gander mtn . has a sale each year on them 99 cents a box after rebates. couple trips through line for the wife and I as there is a limit.

Watching fields with longer then 100 shots I'll bring the ML

[phade]

BPS smooth bore. Dead on at 75 yards with Federal Truball . Held a little high this year on a 95 yard shot, dropped him where he stood .I shoot a fair number of slugs, don't want to pay the price of sabots. Gander mtn . has a sale each year on them 99 cents a box after rebates. couple trips through line for the wife and I as there is a limit.

Watching fields with longer then 100 shots I'll bring the ML

I've started to lean this way, too. I've got a dedicated Mossberg 20 gauge for deer with the rifled barrel all dudded up in camo including the scope...and I haven't hunted with it 2 out of the three years I've owned it.

My 12 gauge smoothbore with those truballs have served me well for the 100 and less shots. If I'm hunting a stand with 75-125 yd shots...i'll bring the Vortek UL.

It's so much cheaper to shoot those truballs and the extra time at the range proves useful in the stand.

[arrow nocker]

what happens when you shoot sabats out of a smooth bore?

Doesn't it tumble and go way off course?

[ELMER J. FUDD]

Like a knuckle ball in baseball.

[Karpteach]

Savage 220, Remington AccuTipps dead on to 200+ yards