What choke to use with rifled slugs?

[jtheise4]

Just picked up a Browning BPS (smooth bore) yesterday. What choke should I use when shooting rifled slugs? Thanks.

 

[chas08]

Cylinder or Improved Cylinder. Generally, the looser chokes perform better with slugs.

 

[earlthegoat2]

You could always use the rifled choke. It wont be too tight for the slug to fit into and it will impart some spin on the slug before it leaves the barrel so the rifling on the rifled slug will not have to do so much work after it is out of the barrel.

 

[RSVP2RIP]

You could also try a rifled choke if you feel like spending $40-60. Usually you will get better accuracy with a rifled choke and "rifled" slugs. Unless you want to retain the option of slipping in shot, then don't use a rifled choke.

Just beat me.

 

[seanie!]

I've shot slugs through my Skeet choke on my Supernova before because I forgot to change it after shooting some clays. No harm done.

 

[Positrack]

I use an I/C choke with the Foster ("rifled") slugs, and they seem pretty darn accurate (28" smooth bore barrel). I've heard some people say Mod. gives them the best results. YMMV.

 

[Sav .250]

My old Poly choke has an "slug" selection. Makes it kind of easy.

 

[Mr. T]

One of my old shotguns with a Poly-choke on it is deadly accurate out to 100+ yards on improved cylinder. As far as barrels with screw in chokes, I was under the assumption that you couldn't fire slugs out of them, because the barrel had been overbored at the end to accept the screw in choke...therefore it couldn't handle the pressure of a fired slug; at least that's what they said regarding my Mossberg 835.

 

[RSVP2RIP]

How does that explain rifled choke tubes?

 

[rcmodel]

because the barrel had been overbored at the end to accept the screw in choke...therefore it couldn't handle the pressure of a fired slug; at least that's what they said regarding my Mossberg 835.

That's not what over-bored means. It has nothing to do with screw-in chokes, or any weakness of the guns muzzle due to them.

The fact is, the "over-bored" barrel is closer to 11 ga then 12 ga until it gets to the choke. That makes the degree of choke step-down on the shot column more then it would have been were the barrel normally bored for 12ga.

I don't know the exact reason Mossberg says no slugs in an over-bore barrel.
But it "might" have something to do with pressure loss past the base wad on the over-bore barrel leaving the wad stuck in the bore.

Just guessing though, but I can't think of a single other good reason it would hurt anything.


rc

 

[Mr. T]

RCModel -- that's not what I said over-bored means. What I said was the modern day barrels that accept screw in chokes have been overbored to accept the screw in choke. The section that has been overbored would probably equate to a 11 gauge, so therefore the metal would be thinner at that point, so obviously the barrel at that point would not as strong as the 12 gauge portion of the barrel. I think Mossberg just wants to sell more barrels myself, but that was the recommendation they were handing down. I bought their slug barrel with the cantilevered scope mount; I fixed a Nikon Pro-Staff 2 X7 shotgun scope on it and that thing held a 4" to 4.5" group out at a 150 yards. So all in all the slug barrel wasn't the worst option to go with.

 

[JonnyBender]

On the box of remington slug it says the slugs perform better with improved cylinder chokes.




JonnyBender

 

[fastpat]

Just picked up a Browning BPS (smooth bore) yesterday. What choke should I use when shooting rifled slugs? Thanks.

Improved cylinder is the most commonly used choke in the removable choke equipped guns, mostly because that's the most open choke they come with.

If you're deer hunting with a shotgun and want to use saboted slugs that don't spin themselves, a rifled choke may work with those, but I've no experience with them.

I load my self defense shotgun with a mix of rifled slugs and buckshot, for that I use the improved cylinder choke. At the distance I expect to use the weapon, even the non-rifled saboted slugs will be accurate enough and their higher velocity makes them worth consideration.

 

[45crittergitter]

Foster and Brenneke-style slugs normally perform well in smoothbores, especially those bored on the tight side, but seldom achieve the accuracy possible with sabots in rifled barrels or rifled choke tubes.

Ithaca engineers found that 12-gauge smoothbore barrels with about 25 points of choke constriction (Improved Modified) produced the best accuracy with Foster-type slugs.

 

[DougW]

I use a Modified tube in my Benelli M1Super90 Tactical. It is the most accurate in that shotgun. I get 4" groups at 100 yards with Tactical Reduced Recoil slugs.

 

[foghornl]

Generally Speaking here, and in my experiences, cylinder to improved cylinder barrels/chokes give the best results with the plain lead 'rifled' slugs. If your gun has swappable choke tubes, you can get a rifled choke, which will (again, generally speaking) give better performance with the sleeved slugs, AKA 'Sabot Slug'.

If you have a full rifled barrel, stick with sabot slugs ONLY. Rifling used with shot loads or plain lead slugs tends to lead up the rifling very heavily, and give a spin to shot loads with the shot cup, giving patterns with HUGE gaps in the center.

Pattern with what barrel/choke/ammo combination you are going to use, as Your Mileage Will vary...and every barrel/choke/ammo combo is a law unto itself.

 

[BushyGuy]

I have a Remington 870 Express and it came with a MOD choke tube (removable), the older 870s had the dark blued choke tubes in it but mine came with a Stainless Steel Mod choke tube.

i was wondering myself what slug to use with it cuz i know the 870 barrels are built to take any kind of shotgun shells. I might go deer hunting with it since i never tried going deer hunting with a shotgun before.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I have a plane-jane Remington slug barrel with rifle sights, and it's cylinder bore, and does a fine job with Brenneke slugs, 1oz. 2&3/4 ", out to 50 yards, which is my max range where I find deer anyway.

How does that explain rifled choke tubes?

Rifled choke tubes are for sabot slugs and are a compromise between firing old style slugs as I do from a smooth barrel, and firing sabots from a fully rifled shotgun barrel as others do. If you have a smooth barrel with screw in choke tubes, and choose to use a sabot slug, then you will probably need a rifled, choke tube.

LD