00 Buck and Slugs through Vintage full choke barrel

[D.B. Cooper]

What are your thoughts on the safety (both to shooter and gun) of shooting 00 buck or slugs through a vintage (1935) Winchester full choke barrel?

I have a 1935 Model 12 Heavy Duck with a fixed full choke that I am thinking of pressing into service as a defensive gun, but my concern is with blowing out the choke. I already don't shoot steel shot in it.

I doubt it will pattern well, but that isn't my main concern.

 

[GRIZ22]

I wouldn't shoot the slugs. OO Buck should probably work okay. If you want to be a bit easier on the gun use the low recoil OO. Less pressure, lower velocity, and maybe one pellet less depending on manufacturer but I don't think the target will know the difference.

 

[Steve C]

A full choke will give slightly smaller patterns with most buckshot than an open choke and will not damage a fixed full choke so pick your buckshot and pastern a few to see how tight it is at your maximum range. Different ammo will pattern somewhat differently. Personally, out of a tight pattern gun I'd choose #4 or #1 buck as there would likely be less deformity from the tight choke thus keeping patterns a bit tighter and reduce fliers.

Foster type slugs, the typical hollow base lead slug will shoot through a full choke without damage as it will compress the soft metal hollow base to fit through the constriction of the choke. One wouldn't usually expect good accuracy beyond 25 yds from a typical field barrel with bead sight mostly due to poor sights and not the capability of the gun though I have read that some people can shoot a bead sight pretty good with practice. The ammo manufacturers say one can shoot foster type slugs through any choke. Most gun makers suggest one uses no tighter a choke than a modified. Personally I see little use in using slugs for self defense unless you are picking a fight with opponents at rifle/carbine ranges.

The link below is to an article on "The Box-o-Truth" regarding different brands of buckshot through cylinder choke and full choke.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/the-box-o-truth-44-shotgun-chokes-and-buckshot/

 

[kudu]

Foster type slugs, the typical hollow base lead slug will shoot through a full choke without damage as it will compress the soft metal hollow base to fit through the constriction of the choke.

What Steve C said. Most Foster type also have what many people see as rifling, this acts as a swaging point that squeezes down as it goes thru the choke, doesn't really help spin the slug.

 

[rbernie]

What are your thoughts on the safety (both to shooter and gun) of shooting 00 buck or slugs through a vintage (1935) Winchester full choke barrel?

It's not likely to hurt anything, so long as you don't use hardcast/Brenneke slugs. As an example - I've shot lots of Foster style slugs through my 'extra full choke' Belgian Auto-5's over the years without issue.

 

[Virginian]

I have dropped a Brenneke slug right through a 0.690" bore Full choke. Shot a few deer eons ago with slugs and a Full choke before I learned to test things, and then learned that Imp.Cyl. and/or Modified will usually give the best results. There is NO way to predict what will be the best combination without pulling the trigger.

 

[PabloJ]

I used to own one from mid-1950s. For those unfamiliar it is 30" or 32" 3" Magnum with long taper full choke. I would stick with No 1 BK or No. 4 shot and you should be fine. I would think shooting Foster slugs through that gun would be pointless. There has been some talk with issues using 2&3/4" shells through those guns so make sure whatever you pick loads and extracts reliably. Might need to go with 3" shells not big problem with long barreled 9Lb gun. My personal fav load now is Italian 2&1/4" 00 Bk shells but I use them in 870 Police type shotgun.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

I used to own one from mid-1950s. For those unfamiliar it is 30" or 32" 3" Magnum with long taper full choke. I would stick with No 1 BK or No. 4 shot and you should be fine. I would think shooting Foster slugs through that gun would be pointless. There has been some talk with issues using 2&3/4" shells through those guns so make sure whatever you pick loads and extracts reliably. Might need to go with 3" shells not big problem with long barreled 9Lb gun. My personal fav load now is Italian 2&1/4" 00 Bk shells but I use them in 870 Police type shotgun.

Yeah, I guess I could have been more specific about the gun. I'm also exploring the idea of trying to find just a barrel for it (vintage 20" IC etc.) and just swapping barrels, or splurge and try to find an original pre64 Mod 12 riot gun, and, barring that, one of the new Ithaca 37 Defense guns.