A Question of Shot and Slugs

[TheNewbie]

A friend and I were looking around at the selection of firearms available at Wal-Mart at an offhand whim when he asked me a question that I really had no solid answer for. To sum it up a bit more simply it was...

"If I get a shotgun that's made to fire slugs, or a barrel for a shotgun made so I can fire slugs, can I use that same barrel for regular shot, too, or do I have to change the barrels out depending on the need?"

I've seen that you can buy barrels for guns you already own that are made for firing slugs through. I've also seen ones that seem to be made to fire slugs (don't ask specifics because I don't remember and I'm not 100% on it.) The only response I had for my friend on the matter was that the only thing I could imagine would be a problem is the choke of the barrel. I told him that I imagined the choke for a slug barrel and shot barrel would be slightly different and that you might get a negative effect putting shot through a slug barrel or vice-versa.

So I ask what's the score on this matter? Can we feed regular shot shells through a slug barrel, or will you be saving us from a twisted piece of metal and permanent blindness?

 

[rcmodel]

Since most slug & riot gun barrels are Cylinder bore, you can shoot anything you want to through them safely.

The problem with bird-shot is, you generally use it for hunting or clay pigeon shooting, and a tighter choke is wanted for more range then you can get with a Cylinder choke.

But it is perfectly safe to shoot it.

On the otherhand, rifled shotgun barrels designed for Sabot slugs & deer hunting are not designed for shooting shot through them, and will not perform well at all with anything except sabot slugs.

rc

 

[TMM]

there are sabot slugs and rifled slugs.
rifled slugs can be and are meant to be fired in a smoothbore shotgun barrel. there are grooves on the slug that are meant to make the slug spin once it exits the barrel. from what i've heard, the choke does not matter much.

sabot slugs are meant to be fired in a special rifled shotgun barrel. sabot slugs are just a regular bullet, more or less. and i suppose shot could be fired in a rifled barrel, but expect crappy groups.

so, a regular smoothbore can handle shot and rifled slug, and a rifled barrel is just for sabots...

tmm

 

[Hungry Seagull]

Some slugs fail to rotate out of smoothbores and just tumble.

Essentially you are firing a very big bullet with a Cadillac's weight in knock down power. Dont miss.

Rifled barrels in shotguns eat Sabots and some slugs.

Careful examination of your weapon versus manufactor's of slugs and sabot will yeild information which is good for rifled and which is not good for rifled.

I likey sluggies. But am exploring double ought and triple later this month, just need to get the really large human sized targets to use them on.

 

[Pete409]

So I ask what's the score on this matter? Can we feed regular shot shells through a slug barrel, or will you be saving us from a twisted piece of metal and permanent blindness?

Yes, it's perfectly safe to shoot regular shot shells through a slug barrel. If that slug barrel happens to have "rifling" in it, then the plastic wad will tend to fill up the rifling grooves after a box or two, but it's still perfectly safe to use. It just means that you will have a bit of a cleaning job to clean the plastic out of the grooves.

If you get a smooth bore slug barrel (which is what I suggest), then you can shoot either slugs or shot shells through it with no worry and no excessive cleaning problems. For that matter, you don't even need to buy a separate slug barrel. Just shoot the slugs out of the same barrel as you use to shoot shot shells. It's perfectly safe and plenty accurate enough for shots under 50 yards or so.

 

[Pete409]

Some slugs fail to rotate out of smoothbores and just tumble.

I've never seen this happen with any of the slugs I've shot out of smoothbores. The slugs remain nose forward during flight because most of the weight is in the nose, just like in an arrow or a dart.

 

[rcmodel]

+1

The "Rifling" on a rifled slug is there to give the excess lead a place to go when they swage down in a tight choke.

It has nothing to do with the air making them spin.

The shock-wave off the nose of the slug spreads out in a V-shaped bow wave, and very little if any smooth laminar-flow air can reach the "rifling" to make it spin.
The air that does reach it behind the V-shaped wave is turbulent air, and can have no effect on the "rifling" to make the slug spin.

Rifled Slugs fly point first and stable for the very same reason a Badminton Shuttlecock does.

Smooth sided cast hollow-base slugs are just as accurate as "rifled" hollow-base slugs.
Neither one depends on spin-stabilization to make them fly straight.

rc

 

[atomd]

rc model is 100% correct with everything he mentioned.

I say just use an improved cylinder with the rifled slugs. That should give you very acceptable results. Don't fire without a choke tube in it or you could mess up the threads. If you use a full choke your results won't be as accurate (also, some companies and other members would advise against using anything smaller than IC). Do not use a slug with any of those extra full or xx turkey chokes or whatever other trade name they are using for them nowadays.

There are also rifled chokes that you can use for shooting slugs. They aren't needed really but some people say they have had good results with them. I've never used one. If the barrel is rifled, only use it for slugs...no shot.

 

[chas08]

If the barrel is rifled, only use it for slugs...no shot.

Not because it will hurt the gun, but because it won't pattern worth a crap. the rifling will spin all the shot to the outer edge of the pattern and leave a vacant hole in the middle.