Choke size for slugs

[351 WINCHESTER]

I need advice on a good choke for slugs. I'm guessing any choke will do for most slugs, even full.

Does the hollow base expand to seal the bore when shot or are the slugs just rattling down the bore?

[earlthegoat2]

Improved cylinder is generally considered to be optimal. Cylinder and modified will work fine too. Theoretically you are going to see negative returns with a Full choke. I havent though.

[Lee Lapin]

I'm guessing any choke will do for most slugs, even full.

Rifled slugs I wouldn't worry about too much as far as damaging the gun. I personally wouldn't shoot sabots through a full choke or tighter, especially with choke tubes. And I don't like shooting even rifled slugs through chokes tighter than MOD, but that's just me.

lpl

[Pete409]

Use any choke you want for rifled slugs. Even a full choke is larger in diameter at its smallest point than a rifled slug.

I have a 12 gauge rifled slug which I cut out of an unfired Remington shell. I just dropped it through a Browning Invector Plus Full choke tube in 12 gauge and it slides right through. I've fired numerous slugs through full chokes with no problem, and accuracy was good.

The slug has a fiber wad at the base and this wad seals the bore when traveling down the barrel.

There have been millions upon millions of slugs fired through full choke barrels for about 100 years without any harm to the choke/barrel. These slugs are soft, hollow lead and deform easily.

Pick a choke and go shoot your rifled slugs through it.

[Guero4179]

Why are cop/tactical guns cylinder then? it seems to be all downside the bigger the choke.

[Lee Lapin]

Guero4179,

Most "cop/tactical" shotguns are Remingtons, and Remington has been making the majority of its short barrels (18- 20") in ImpCyl or even MOD for the past several years. The Express home defense versions are about the only ones that seem to come with CYL barrels any more. Of course, Remington produces major buyer's guns to order with whatever choke they want, and if an agency ordered CYL barrels, they'd get what they wanted.

CYL bores often work better with some of the variety of loads police shotguns are called on to deliver, like gas (Ferret), beanbag or rubber bullet (Less Lethal) rounds, etc. Some agencies therefore still want the open chokes. So I'm told, anyway, I have no personal experience with LEA procurement decisions.

hth,

lpl