Slugs in a bolt action shotgun

Slugs weigh less then a standard load, I've had a bunch of Mossberg bolt and they shoot them pretty good.

Should be fine. Rifled slugs are standard operating pressure and made to shoot in any choke including full. Your shoulder may be the issue. Good luck.

There’s no pressured issue. Any SAAMI spec slug will be fine in that gun as Troy notes. I do think shooting slugs through a full choke is a problem - both swaging down the slug and maybe prematurely stripping the wad. Less than full chokes should all be fine.

You should worry about the choke, more so than the action strength. Like DocRock says, I'd shy away from shooting slugs through a Full choke. Ironically, Modified usually shoots the tightest groups with Foster-type slugs.

My very first shot as a young man was from a bolt action shotgun in 12 ga, not a slug, just a standard field round.. The target, an oil can set up on a fence post (while my Dad and his friend watched.... ). I did hit the can but that bolt action (unknown make...) sure made an impression... Think I was 12 or 13 at the time... (that and the "oil can" will provide an approximation of just how many years ago that was since I'm 72 now).

Can't say I've had a lot of experience with bolt action shotguns but if memory serves I'd worry about my shoulder more than the shotgun...

When the rifled slug first came out most hunting shotguns had full chokes. The rifled fins on slugs were put there to provide a tighter fit as the slug traveled down the barrel and when it got to the choke the soft lead would swag down to fit the choke without damaging the barrel.

The problem with shooting Foster style rifled slugs through a full choke is not pressure or safety.
It is lack-urracy (lack of accuracy) especially on repeat shots with build up of lead in the full choke.

Edited. The bolt action shotguns were designed to handle commercial factory ammunition and in good condition will fire slugs safely.

Might give YouTube a try on your question.
Might find an audio/visual on the subject.

When I was a kid my dad had a Marlin “Goose Gun”a guy gave him. Remember those ridiculous long Tom bolt actions? Anyway I shot at a shaving cream can at about 50 yards with one of those clear green hulled Remington slugs and drilled it dead center. I was flabbergasted

The only caveat I would add is to NOT shoot sabot slugs through anything tighter than cylinder bore and actually even that would be a waste of money at $3 or more per round for something designed for rifled bores. I shoot a bolt action shotgun, a Savage 220, which I call my Illinois deer rifle.

PapaG said:

The only caveat I would add is to NOT shoot sabot slugs through anything tighter than cylinder bore and actually even that would be a waste of money at $3 or more per round for something designed for rifled bores. I shoot a bolt action shotgun, a Savage 220, which I call my Illinois deer rifle.

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Unless it's the BRI sabot slug sold by Winchester. Despite their statement that they're only accurate through rifled bores, they were designed and originally sold by BRI to be used in smoothbores.

Jaymo said:

Unless it's the BRI sabot slug sold by Winchester. Despite their statement that they're only accurate through rifled bores, they were designed and originally sold by BRI to be used in smoothbores.

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I have two boxes of them sold by S&W-Fiocci. One says Police, the other hunting. The police slugs were hardened and would snap at the neck sometimes if shot through much of a choke. The hunting slugs were softer and could go through choked barrels. I'd forgotten about them. We sold a ton of them in the early seventies.

They (the hunting version) were the most accurate slug through my dad's 1100 Hastings barrel.

We used the original Ithaca Deerslayer with the tapered bore.

A lot of good information here. Slugs through a bolt action sounds like fun.