New to shotguns - HD slug and buck questions

[NCLivingBrit]

I realise these may have been answered before, but I turned up so many results I thought I'd just pray for forgiveness and ask again

Ok, I've not had chance or need to shoot a shotgun since I was 13 (too long ago to admit) and even then it was birdshot for clays.

I recently got a Mossberg 500A with an 18" cylinder bore barrel and a 28" barrel (also a pistol grip that looks neat but is forlorn as I prefer a stock). It's primarily going to be used for home defence rather than hunting, so I had a couple of questions concerning ammo.

Right now it's loaded with Remington Express 00 buck, but I also purchased a few boxes of Remington Slugger Rifled Slugs. After much reading, I'm happy with my choice of buckshot, but the slugs are causing me more headaches.

a) Can I shoot the Remington Slugger slugs effectively for HD purposes out of a cylinder bore barrel?

http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/shotshell/slugs/slugger_rifled.asp

b) Will the lack of rifling affect accuracy adversely over the 5-15 yard ranges they are likely to be used at? If I have to shoot something with the slugs out of the short barrel, it's already inside my home so range isn't going to be long.

c) If the Remington slugs aren't appropriate, what slugs would folk recommend for an 18" shotgun with a cylinder bore barrel, if any? I'm confident in the buckshot, but I'd like to have options available, and I'd like a box of slugs on the nightstand to go with the buckshot reloads to be one of those options.

Thanks in advance, I'm sure this will get answered quickly as it's a total noob question

Also, anyone have/used this Choate thumbhole stock? If so, what did you think of it?

http://www.combatstocks.com/Choate_MARK_6_Thumbhole_Style_Shotgun_Stock_for_Mossberg_500_600_590.cfm

 

[foghornl]

Those "Sluggers" should be good in your cylinder bore barrel. Generally speaking, for each shotgun barrel/ammo combination is a law unto itself, the rifled slugs are for unrifled barrels, while the 'sabot' [plastic-jacketed] slugs are for rifled barrels.

 

[wdlsguy]

Recoil from the Slugger rifled slugs and the Express buckshot can be a bit "frisky". You may find the "managed recoil" offerings a bit more pleasant to shoot.

http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/shotshell

 

[Dave McCracken]

They will work probably. The best way to ensure effectiveness is to shoot some.

The slugs, from a short cylinder bore barrel and with a ebad should work for you out to 50 yards and maybe beyond. Do shoot plenty of these in small increments to make sure YOU are up to the task.

 

[NCLivingBrit]

I plan to shoot the slugs plenty to get used to them, but there didn't seem much point putting up with the beating if they weren't going to be accurate enough for social work. I've not had a chance to shoot the Mossberg at all yet, but that days shooting is going to be small doses of shotshells and larger doses of my SKS, to give me some time to really grow nice bruises

Thanks for the info on the reduced recoil loads, but won't they be less effective than the regular loads? To lower recoil they must have either lowered the projectile weight or reduced the powder charge, right?

 

[Fred Fuller]

Chances are the slugs you have will be plenty accurate at the ranges you mentioned. The managed recoil offerings from Remington will most likely do just as well for your purposes but deliver less of a thumping on your end of the shotgun.

Best thing to do is to make sure your gun fits you properly, has a good recoil pad and that you are using proper form in shooting it. That will reduce the drubbing it delivers as much as possible, but there is only so much you can do where physics (every action has an equal and opposite reaction) is concerned, as you no doubt know.

It was IMHO a wise decision to stick with a conventional stock and forego the unbearable kewlness of the pistol grip accessory stock that Mossberg gifted you with as part of your package purchase. I find that after nigh 40 years of shooting conventionally stocked shotguns I prefer that style to all others, including the Choate offering you mentioned. To each his own of course, only experience will tell.

Best wishes in adjusting to life here in the Colonies, and Stay Safe,

lpl/down east in nc

 

[shecky]

I have the same gun. I find with the 18" barrel and bead sight, I can pretty consistently hit a one gallon milk jug at 20 yds using Remington 1 oz Sluggers. Same with Brenneke K.O.s.

Whether I can do this in the heat of the moment is another story, but that is what the setup is capable of.

 

[bpisler]

I too have a mossy 500A with a 18.5" barrel,
remington slugger shoot just fine at 35ft.I
have a limbsaver recoil pad on mine,it does
cut down felt recoil quite a bit.

The remington reduced or managed recoil
00 buckshot is lighter by 1 pellet and i think
it has a slightly reduced powder charge.In
my shotgun it feels like a light field load,i
could shoot them all day with no ill effects.

The reduced buckshot patterns very well
from my shotgun staying under 10 inches
at 15 yards and the sluggers will make 1
hole at the same distance

It never hurts to try various loads as
shotguns can vary in which loads works
best but i've great results with the remmy
reduced recoil buckhot in several different
guns.

 

[NCLivingBrit]

I knew I'd get good info here

Guess I'll track down some of the reduced recoil loads, as I'm all for not getting a beating if I can avoid it. Maybe I'll practice with the RR and then keep the full charge ones for visitors....

 

[Fast Frank]

Last weekend I took my shotgun to the rifle range. I wanted to experiment and find the answer to the same question you asked.

I was SHOCKED to discover that my 11-87P will group four or five inches at 50 yards.

I was DUMBFOUNDED when it did eight to ten inches at 100 yards.

I adjusted my Wilson Combat Scattergun Tech Ghost Ring sights so it's a little low at 100 yards and centered.

I was shooting Remington 1 ounce Sluggers.

That's not anything like a good scoped rifle, but plenty good enough to do the dirty deal on any bad guy that might earn himself a chance to catch one of those.

I'm not loading slugs for home defense because I don't feel like my situation warrants it.

I keep "00" for that.

But it's nice to know that if a situation did arise where lobbing slugs out there seemed like the thing to do, I have a few boxes in stock and the shottie will do the job.

 

[goon]

The cheap slugger bulk packs keep my cylinder bore Mossberg fed.
It shoots them just barely above point of aim at 50 yards with boring regularity. And that is with just the bead. I can seriously threaten a clay pigeon laying on the backstop with them at 100 yards.
I got no complaints with them.

 

[NCLivingBrit]

Good to know

I just got a couple of cases from Dicks (I know, but I was waiting for my wife to get done with her hair cut) so now I have 25rds of mixed slug and buck in my nightstand, as well as five spare buckshot on a cuff on the stock.

 

[CWL]

I have 25rds of mixed slug and buck in my nightstand, as well as five spare buckshot on a cuff on the stock.

That's alot of spare ammo (but you can never have "too much" I guess); how do you distinguish between loads in the dark? Assuming if you ever need that many, what manual-of-arms do you practice to select rounds when its 2:00AM and you do not want to light yourself up?

 

[NCLivingBrit]

The box hinges across the back, buck is the stuff on the left, slugs on the right.

It's the same system I used to use in the chem suit for resin curing vials, and that thing was more or less in the dark, just sweatier and smellier.