Barrel Question

[Jimbo_79]

This weekend I'm meeting with someone at a local range/club I'm thinking about joining. They have a skeet/trap range, rifle/pistol range and archery range. My Mossy 500 has the 18.5 Slugster barrel on it but never fired a slug out of it due to range restrictions in the past. So, it's only ever had 7.5 or 8 shot through it. Thanks to Gunner's and a few others suggestions I found a 28 inch accuchoke barrel on ebay for $122 plus $10 shipping! According to the seller it was used once then removed from the gun for a shorter barrel. Should arrive tomorrow along with a couple of Hiviz sights for it. My questions are 1) can that barrel fire a slug and 2) I've noticed there are rifled and non rifled slugs you can buy, for these two barrels which kind should I get if I decided to stock up on slug ammo?

While the Mossy is still my primary HD device if I join this particular club (likely) I would like to take a crack at trap and skeet shooting. Don't want the Mossy to feel left out when I take the SKS

[thughes]

Slugs are fine through that barrel. Directly from the Mossy owners manual:

Extra-Full choke tubes are not recommended for use with buckshot or slugs.

The “Improved Cylinder” choke tube will usually produce the best accuracy with most slugs

[Cgrutt]

My understanding is that you can fire a slug out of any barrel but be careful if there is choke (that significantly reduces barrel opening) on it. I think (?) the rifled slugs that you are referring to are sabbot (sp?) and are primarily intended to provide rifling affect in smooth bore barrels. Don't think firing it from a rifled barrel would do any harm though. Rifled barrel will put a spin on a normal slug for deer hunting, etc. Smooth barrel is fine for home defense but slugs are ordinarily not preferred except for special tactics that are better left to professional operators (e.g., hostage situations, shooting through concealment, etc.). Buck or bird is typically used for HD with slugs on hand if you need to swap out for special situations above.

[Jimbo_79]

Slugs are fine through that barrel. Directly from the Mossy owners manual:

Extra-Full choke tubes are not recommended for use with buckshot or slugs.

The “Improved Cylinder” choke tube will usually produce the best accuracy with most slugs

Does it matter which type of slugs?

Here's a link for the barrel I purchased.

[Meketrefe]

The full choque should only be used for turkey loads and long range loads like duck or geese.
These are too constrained for a slug. Slugs can be fired from either rifled or non rifled barrels but
they are designed for smooth bore with a modified, improved or even a skeet or cylinder choke.
This unless otherwise indicated by the manufactured.
The sabots are the ones that are dedicated design for the rifled barrel to take full advantage of the rifling
and the spin they put on the projectile.
One could also shoot buck shot from the rifled barrel but then the spreads will be all over the place
because it is not designed for that although at close range will not make a difference like in a home
defense situation.
If you are going to shoot trap I suggest a modified or improved-modified choke and 7.1/2 in the cold weather otherwise 8 is fine.
For skeet you want a skeet or cylinder choke and 9 ideally not larger than 8.1/2 or 8.
For skeet I use a skeet choke in the top barrel and cylinder at the bottom (incoming bird).

[Jimbo_79]

Thanks Meke! Does weather really make that much difference between 7.5 and 8 shot?

[Meketrefe]

Thanks Meke! Does weather really make that much difference between 7.5 and 8 shot?

Not a huge thing but with the increased air density it changes the ballistics and also the birds get a lot harder with the cold. 8 should be fine but the minimum for trap. Shoot them early as
they pickup. If they get to the maximum ordinate of the trajectory then they are gone. Some folks with a tighter choque they can get them as they start to go down but with increased
range you have a wider spread so more chances the bird will run between the pellets in the load w/o solid hits. This is a bad habit so keep and eye. So it is a better idea to pick them up quick and hard. In the summers when I go overseas for vacation I like to shoot olimpic trap that means two birds going away so if you are not super fast they are gone like the wind.
AS you know this happens in fractions of a second so there is no really time to think. Just good conditioning through repetition. If you see anyone who is an experience competition shooter ask them to look at you and they will be able to give you a few pointers that otherwise you cannot see. I used to tape myself shooting and wiht the rifle and this way I detected things I wanted to change or improve.
But don't worry after the first 250,000 loads you will be crashing them like nothing! LOL

[Meketrefe]

And btw like the pistol one needs to stay on top. you stop for a few weeks or months and while the basics stick it feels you are all rusty.
So see if you sign up for a league or otherwise practice as often as you can. It is fun!
They say it is perishable skill like the pistol. I would not say perishable but definitely the goal is to, every day, suck a bit less. LOL
I have been away from it all summer due to the travel and vacations and now work again so the first day I came back this October I shot
like Stevie wonder. LOL

[Jimbo_79]

250k loads huh? Time to get a third and fourth job to support this, lol!

[Meketrefe]

250k loads huh? Time to get a third and fourth job to support this, lol!

LMAO ... now you are getting the idea. ... they say after you shoot the equivalent of a brand new camaro then you are ready! lol.

VALUE OF CAMARO = VALUE OF SKEET LOADS = READY TO GO.

lol.

[thughes]

Breneke or Foster slugs, not sabots.

[thughes]

I've got the ghost ring sights on my 590 (18" barrel) zeroed for 50 yards with the brand of slugs I use, consistent head shots at that distance are easily do-able with just a little bit of practice.

[Cgrutt]

I've got the ghost ring sights on my 590 (18" barrel) zeroed for 50 yards with the brand of slugs I use, consistent head shots at that distance are easily do-able with just a little bit of practice.

Yeah but most people don't have a 50 yrd shot in their homes for SD shotgun. Slug usage in home are prone to over-penetration.

[Jimbo_79]

Yeah but most people don't have a 50 yrd shot in their homes for SD shotgun. Slug usage in home are prone to over-penetration.

Hone defense + home renovations. Winning!

[Meketrefe]

50 yards lol..
Most shootings happen within 2 to10 yards inside or outside the home. In a home being the closest for obvious reasons. Buck shot is the ticket. At those distances even a turkey or coyote load will make a hole the size of your fist. 00 buck is more than enough.
Slugs are more appropriate for hunting season.
By using shot we are using the shotgun as originally intended that is increasing the chances of one or multiple hits by using many projectiles and a larger hit radious. This is a trade off like everything but that is the most effective method when close and personal. One doesnt need to aim. One points and shoots.