Mossberg 500A with 24" slugster - best types of ammo for ..

[GWARGHOUL]

So I got a used Mossberg 500A (with wood furniture) for $125 the other day.

Got it home, took the plug out (as i will be hunting no birds, except turkey possibly).

So I know very little about shotguns.. what I do know is this gun has a 24" Mossberg slugster barrel.

What would be the best ammo for 1. Hunting Turkery/Deer, and 2. Home Defense?

Any additional info on the barrel etc would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[B yond]

is the barrel rifled?

 

[GWARGHOUL]

I can't figure that out. I was told it was not by the seller, and when I cleaned it it looked mirror-smooth...
Yet I find conflicting answers on the internet?

 

[Thatmichhunter]

if its smooth its not rifled. I had one that like winchesters cheap rifled slugs, but the accuracy drops alot after 75 yds. If I was you I would keep an eye out for a used rifled barrel, JMO

 

[Fred Fuller]

For hunting turkey, you may well need a barrel you can put choke tubes in- unless your barrel is different from the one I have, it's a CYL bore. It might be some of the Federal Premium loads with FliteControl wads will pattern well enough to get you by, I don't know. I haven't used FliteControl loads in anything except buckshot. It will take some patterning on paper to find out, and buying a couple of boxes of shotgun shells might be an easier/cheaper way to find out if the idea works than going shopping for another barrel right off the bat.

For deer you'll want buckshot or rifled slugs depending on the game law requirements for your area. Sabot slugs are for rifled barrels - you can shoot them in smoothbores with no harm but they tend not to be very accurate out of smoothbores.

For home defense, ammo choices depend on your circumstances. We live out in the country with no nearby neighbors, and use Federal LE 127 00 9-pellet full velocity buckshot (see http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=7186333 ) in the magazines and Brenneke KO rifled slugs in the sidesaddles. If you live in an apartment, a suburb or have other people in the home, you might want to rethink either your ammo choice or your home defense plan.

fwiw,

lpl

 

[GWARGHOUL]

I just talked to the previous owner, it is infact smooth-bore. No rifling.

So I'll try a few different slugs, and a few different buckshot. Going to get a box of 2 3/4" Winchester OO buckshot sometime this week.

I live in a house with no other occupants besides the wife, and I have a decent sized yard. I'de rather take my chances with pellets if something happened than any single solid projectile.