true or false?


Guest littlered

Recommended Posts

Guest littlered

I've heard talk about rifled slugs being bad on the gun if the are fired through a rifled barrel. i've also heard that this is completly ok.

I shot rifled slugs through my gun this year because i couldn't afford sabots but next year i'm defiently going with sabots. i took my deer at 110 yards but it was a lucky shot.

So anyways what do you guys think about the effects of this?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: true or false?

Let me ask you a question, what happens to a handgun or a rifle when cast bullets are fired? The correct answer is nothing out of the ordinary other than some lead fouling. Why do some people think rifled slugs will harm a rifled bore? Its not logical.

Rifled slugs are pure lead. They are super soft and will not harm the rifling of a fully rifled shotgun barrel, a rifled choke tube in a smooth bore barrel, or a standard choke in a smooth bore barrel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: true or false?

It can be for best overall performance, they do not recommend the use of lead slugs in a rifled bore. This is due to the leading of the bore. This is not a safety issue, its an accuracy issue. Lets say hunter Joe buys a couple boxes of rifled slugs and uses one box to zero the gun and uses the other box to hunt with. He misses a deer or two just because he did not practice enough. He decides to check the zero on a target. The accuracy is now poor. He will blame it on the slugs and/or the barrel even though its his fault for not cleaning the bore soon enough and allowed the lead fouling to effect accuracy. Since he is not smart enough he bad mouths company A's gun and company B's ammo. He switches to sabot slugs and maybe cleans the gun. Low and behold they shoot great, this adds credibility (in his mind) to his theory that the previous ammo was bad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: true or false?

I use rifled slugs on my smoothbore benelli nova and get about a 2" group at 75 yards with open sights shooting freehand. I've only shot about 25 or 30 slugs through it and probibly 30 or 40 loads of buckshot and maybe 200 target loads. When I clean the gun the inside of the barrel looks like it did the first time I cleaned it.

I can't tell that any load affects the gun adversly. I think shooting bullets through it is what it was designed for. wink.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: true or false?

[ QUOTE ]

you make a good point, but now i have another qeustion, why do manufactures put warnings on their slugs if it isn't going to do anything?

[/ QUOTE ]

The same reason they "Color Code" the various gauges of shotgun shells. To cover their "Behinds" from lawsuits. Thus 12 gauge is RED 20 ga is YELLOW, 16 ga. is PURPLE, 28 Ga is GREEN, and .410 is RED. Firing a rifled slug, while is not recommended, will not blow up your shotgun, but if your shotgun is rifled why use rifled slugs when there are many brands of saboted loads in 12 & 20 gauges.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: true or false?

Before I got a fully rifled barrel for my 11-87, I shot rifled slugs with a rifled choke . I was suprised that I had a good group out to 80 yards, and that was with 2 3/4" slugs. This wasn't just at the range either. I took a 6 pt. and an 8pt. the same day with that gun, and put a hurt on those bucks. No doubt that a rifled barrel can be more accurate for longer ranges, but heck, out to 70-80 yards, many take deer every year, and most without a rifled choke. They say don't shoot a sabot slug out anything but a fully rifled barrel, and they are correct, but a rifled slug can fly good out of either.

too_

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: true or false?

[ QUOTE ]

Most folks think the rifling takes place of rifling in a barrel.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a very true statement. Many people do not know what the "rifling" is for. It is not there to spin the slug in the bore. The fluting or grooves in a rifled slug are there to provide expansion room for the lead as the slug is compressed when it goes from the hull/chamber area through the forcing cone and again when it passes through the choke. The slug is made slightly larger than the bore so it gets squeezed as it travels through the barrel. This is to seal the bore allowing the expanding gasses to do their job in propelling the slug out of the muzzle.

The slug is not stabilized by spinning, but by the weight forwards design of the projectile. Most rifled sligs have a hollow base. This keeps them from tumbling in flight. A slug is often compared to a shuttlecock in badminton. The heavy nose will stay in front. The downfall to this design is the slug can tip or collapse enough to effect accuracy. The Brenneke Rotweil and Federal's new TruBall design keep the slug protected from this problem by using a plastic wad or insert into the base of the slug.

A good article by Dave Henderson on many different slugs can be read by clicking here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: true or false?

Dear Mr. AJ. Thank you. There have been many misnomers about "rifled slugs" but your explanation is one of the best I have had the pleasure of reading. Somehow I knew you could break the myth.

Done a little research myself. [incidently, have you read any of the articles by Wiley Clapp in the past?] smile.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: true or false?

Well, AJ has enlightened me once again, as if that were no surprise. I do have a question though, since the rifling on rifled slugs is not necessarily to make the slug spin, does the slug spin at all, and if so when does it start, does it start in the barrel, or once out of the barrel in the open air?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: true or false?

[ QUOTE ]

...does the slug spin at all, and if so when does it start, does it start in the barrel, or once out of the barrel in the open air?

[/ QUOTE ]

There is nothing in a smooth bore barrel that will cause the slug to spin. If a slug spins at all, it is an insignificant amount and will occur after exiting the muzzle. It may make a revolition or two on the way to the target, but not enough to ensure any kind of stabilization.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: true or false?

The rifled choke will induce spinning of a slug, be it rifled or sabot. It acts like a rifled barrel. As the slug is squeezed through it (rifled choke tube) the grooves will cause the hunk of lead to spin.

In a smooth bore slug gun or standard upland barrel with regular choke installed, there is nothing that will impart spinning of the projectile.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: true or false?

Well Buddy, they say differently on their web site.

[ QUOTE ]

Question

What loads are best with what choke tubes?

Answer

...

Our Rifled and Extended Rifled deer choke tubes can be used in vent rib barrels. You can shoot the newer sabot style slugs through these Rem chokes, however your best accuracy with the sabot style slugs will come with a fully rifled barrel.

[/ QUOTE ]

Its not a safety factor and the warranty will still be intact by shooting a sabot in a smoothbore. Its a performance issue. The slug will not stabilize so it will tumble or act very erratic.

They even suggest using it on their Accessory Page under Choke Tubes.

They have either changed their tune or the person you talked to was misinformed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: true or false?

I bought the rifled choke to use in my Rem-Choke barrel specificaly for saboted slugs. It was at Remingtons recommendation at the time. I never did or intended to shoot rifled slugs through the rifled choke. I was under the impression this was the sole purpose of the rifled choke tube. I also have to say it worked well,like I said before I changed to the rifled barrel because it was shorter , more manageable in brush and I wanted the cantilever option.

I too have to believe someone gave you bad information. Certainly not your fault,and I appreciate the concern if you thought it could harm someone. Thank you!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: true or false?

The rifled choke tube for my winchester has stamped on it"sabot only". So I take it you are saying that rifled slugs or sabots either one could be fired from the standard winchoke barrel with a rifled choke tube without causing any damage to the barrel or choke tube. That is good to know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: true or false?

Hmmmm crazy.gif I always thought that it was a safety issue and it would ruin the warranty. Glad to hear I am completely off course on this LOL. but, in my defense, I did call Rem. about this, but it was at least 5 years ago. I wonder what they consider the " newer " sabots confused.gif This means I spent around $250 for a fully rifled barrel so I could shoot sabots when I already had a smoothbore with the rifled choke mad.gif Remington owes me one LOL

too_

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.