Shooting sabot slugs through a smoothbore shotgun
- Thread starter Kentak
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Regolith
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Nothing. It just won't be that accurate.
a mass of expanding gas will propel the projectile down the bore of your shotgun until it leaves the barrel, then it will lose velocity and drop at the rate of gravity's hold on it's weight. Air resistance will cause significant drag on the object and lower it's speed.
That same analogy applies for all firearms. What you're looking at here is a non-rifled slug in a non-rifled barrel.... essentially you're launching 1oz of lead tumbling on itself at 1600 fps like a football thrown in a 'banana flop'. There's a reason why all quarterbacks throw a 'spiral'.
That same analogy applies for all firearms. What you're looking at here is a non-rifled slug in a non-rifled barrel.... essentially you're launching 1oz of lead tumbling on itself at 1600 fps like a football thrown in a 'banana flop'. There's a reason why all quarterbacks throw a 'spiral'.
pdowg881
Member
The sabots I shot in my smoothbore didn't tumble at all. But the few I've shot were at 50yds. One blew a bowling pin apart, and I shot one through a defibulator. They both made a clean hole. No keyholing or anything. I found them intact after and still have them. The one that went into the pin is almost pristine, the defib one has the sides shaved off.
Fred Fuller
Moderator Emeritus
Might as well strike a match to a handful of dollar bills, if you're going to make a habit of buying sabots for a smoothbore. Other than wasting $$$ you won't hurt anything. Though for obtuse reasons the occasional smoothbore seems to like certain sabot loads. But i wouldn't bet on that being the case.
lpl/nc
lpl/nc
kmrcstintn
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forster style (aka: rifled slugs) are what you need for smoothbore; sabot slugs are what you need for rifled barrels and smoothbores equipped with a rifled screw-in choke; there are a few designs that state that they will work in both types (often times these are 'improved forster style' slugs; one example is the Brenneke KO slugs which have a higher antimony content that hardens the lead and may help reduce lead shaving when using rifled barrels or rifled chokes);
my current setup is smoothbore with rifled screw-in choke and Lightfield Lite 12 ga saboted slugs; I decided to not use a shotgun/slug as the primary setup and feel that this combo will do fine out to 50 yards (I have a bunch of the slugs from a previous setup that I was going to trial); this setup will serve as a backup if my father decides to use my rifle for deer season (the rifle was his and he passed it on to me)
my current setup is smoothbore with rifled screw-in choke and Lightfield Lite 12 ga saboted slugs; I decided to not use a shotgun/slug as the primary setup and feel that this combo will do fine out to 50 yards (I have a bunch of the slugs from a previous setup that I was going to trial); this setup will serve as a backup if my father decides to use my rifle for deer season (the rifle was his and he passed it on to me)
trueblue1776
Member
Foster slugs aren't rifled, those slots help an oversized slug compress to get through a coke.
115grfmj
Member
Sabot were originally designed....
as a better barrier penetrator...to be fired from SMOOTHBORE....police shotguns. They will be just fine out of your smoothbore...obviously a rifled bore will spin them....and offer greater accuracy. Their mass is greatest on the forward part of the slug....to stabilize them in flight (basically like a badminton shuttle cock). They offer no advantage to cheaper rifled slugs for hunting, in terms of accuracy....so as others have said why waste the $$$. They will not tumble in flight....unless something is seriously wrong with your SG
. In my experience, with my 870 Ic choke, I get 4" groups at 50yds (winchester 3" rifled does 2" at that range).
as a better barrier penetrator...to be fired from SMOOTHBORE....police shotguns. They will be just fine out of your smoothbore...obviously a rifled bore will spin them....and offer greater accuracy. Their mass is greatest on the forward part of the slug....to stabilize them in flight (basically like a badminton shuttle cock). They offer no advantage to cheaper rifled slugs for hunting, in terms of accuracy....so as others have said why waste the $$$. They will not tumble in flight....unless something is seriously wrong with your SG
. In my experience, with my 870 Ic choke, I get 4" groups at 50yds (winchester 3" rifled does 2" at that range).115grfmj
Member
Also
Not to change the subject but Foster slugs actually....ARE...rifled. Generally it is agreed that they do not impart much (if any) spin with in the barrel. However, if fired in IC or CYL choke shotguns, the slug is not deformed much. A lot of tests have sugessted that the rifling acts as vanes (like on an arrow) and they do infact spin when they hit the air. And one must admit that they are infact more accurate than fullbore diameter, non rifled, projectile for some reason. Just thought you should know.
This is a related thread. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=239787
Not to change the subject but Foster slugs actually....ARE...rifled. Generally it is agreed that they do not impart much (if any) spin with in the barrel. However, if fired in IC or CYL choke shotguns, the slug is not deformed much. A lot of tests have sugessted that the rifling acts as vanes (like on an arrow) and they do infact spin when they hit the air. And one must admit that they are infact more accurate than fullbore diameter, non rifled, projectile for some reason. Just thought you should know.
This is a related thread. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=239787
MCgunner
Member
The new Remington Buckhammer is supposed to be for rifled barrels, but it looks as if it might work in a smooth bore, but haven't tried 'em. The Brenneke is the smooth bore alternative of choice, more down range energy, good accuracy. I haven't actually TRIED 'em, but just going on what I've read. I have a bunch of foster slugs in 12 and 20 just because. I've fired 'em at 50 yards and they're accurate to that range. Sometimes I carry a twice pipe when I'm small game hunting with a shot load in one barrel and a foster slug in the left in case I happen upon a hog. I sorta think of my doubles as combo guns with this capability. A slug could slap a hog pretty good out to 50 yards, 12 or 20 gauge, but the 12 has more horsepower of course. The only think I've found in a double is, you have to hold a little off to account for the regulation of the barrels, but once you know this, it's easy to keep 'em into 2" at 50 yards even with just a bead sight. Wouldn't worry about anything any further, though.
Okay. I was just curious from a theoretical point of view. I couldn't think of any way doing this could be harmful or dangerous. I just wanted to ask to be sure. I was also asking thinking about the use of sabots in my Mossy 890 for a anti-personnel SHTF scenario and longer ranges than buckshot, like 50 to 100 yards. My shotty throws rifled slugs nicely at that range, but I don't like the lead fouling. Maybe I'll just take a box of sabots to the range some day and try a box or two for fun. They are pricey though.
PS: I enjoyed the funny smart-ass answers, too.
K
PS: I enjoyed the funny smart-ass answers, too.
K
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