[obxned]

Does anyone know what would happen if buckshot is fired in a rifled shotgun barrel. It should give a wider patern, and be better for extreme close range.

[Fred Fuller]

Almost always you DO get a wider pattern with shot out of a rifled barrel- but often with a hole in the middle. Try it on paper and see what happens with your gun and load, and ask yourself if the result you see on paper is really what you want. If it is, carry on...

lpl/nc (who prefers tight patterns)

[dfariswheel]

If you shoot buckshot in a rifled barrel you don't get much of a pattern.

The rifling causes the shot to "swirl" as it passes down the bore, and the centrifugal force causes the shot to disperse quickly as it exits the barrel.
What you get is an uneven, ragged "donut" pattern with a large hole in the middle.
Any hits on what you're aiming at are purely luck.

In addition, the rifling tears up the plastic shot cup exposing the shot, which causes the bore to lead BADLY, and the leading is very hard to get out.

Shooting buckshot in a rifled bore is safe to do, but the results are bad, and the clean up is difficult.
Rifled bore shotguns are intended for use with sabot slugs ONLY. No shot, no buckshot, and no standard Foster-type rifled slugs.