Author Topic: Which Slugs For a Cylinder Bore Shotty?  (Read 24636 times)

fightingquaker13

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Which Slugs For a Cylinder Bore Shotty?
« on: January 03, 2011, 06:58:34 AM »
I have very limited experience with slugs. I carried a couple in my vest quail hunting in Tx. to deal with javelina. I even killed a couple of hogs using el cheapos out of a single shot modified cylinder. But for SD work with an 18" barrel Maverick in cylinder bore, what do I want? I'm not looking for fancy here, just a solid, hit a pie plate at 50 yards and under (probably sub 25 yards) round. I'm not looking for the best from a rifled bore, but a short smooth bore with no tubes. Thoughts?
Thanks
FQ13

billt

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Re: Which Slugs For a Cylinder Bore Shotty?
« Reply #1 on: January 03, 2011, 07:26:38 AM »
With a cylinder bore it's pretty much wide open. (No pun intended). Any of the Forester El-Cheapo $4.00 for a box of 5 will work well out to 50 yards in my Mossberg 500 with an 18" cylinder bore. You can also fire the more high priced solid Copper Sabot rounds if you choose to. A lot of them are meant for rifled barrels and or chokes, but I've gotten the "minute of pie plate" results easily, many times much better. The best thing to do is buy a 5 round box of several, then set up a big enough target at 50 yards and put the biggest "Shoot-N-C" stick 'em target you can find on it, then have at it. Aim dead center with all of them and see where they track.

Slugs are a bit funny that way. I don't know if it's the varying degree of rotational spin they seem to get subjected to from different barrels or what, but many will print differently. In many cases I've found the cheap Forester hollow base models shoot a bit truer in this regard. Back in the 70's Forester slugs was about all that was avaliable except for the Rottweil Brenneke slugs that had those "rifled" wads attached to them. That was big stuff back then. They were loaded into transparent cases and you could see the slug, wad, along with the powder charge. Back in Illinois during shotgun slug deer season you were considered a real "Magaffer", (guy who had to have the latest of everything), if you showed up in camp with Rottweil slugs in your gun. One slug I haven't tried are the Remington Solid Copper Sabot models. I forget the trade name Remington has put on them, but they are big bucks, and everything I've read on them has been good. Especially for defensive shooting. I would never use slugs for that purpose simply because out here the houses take nothing to penetrate.  Bill T.

fightingquaker13

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Re: Which Slugs For a Cylinder Bore Shotty?
« Reply #2 on: January 03, 2011, 07:40:47 AM »
Thanks Bill. Could you or someone give a primer on slug types? Forrester, rifled, sabot etc.? I really haven't looked into them at all over the years,as they were never really an option for hunting. I just used a rifle. Now, I feel that this was an error as I want to have them as an SD option in my riot gun. Its not geared for hunting accuracey, just good enough for down the street type ranges. Just a basic bestiary of what they offer, and pros and cons with various barrel types would be helpful.
Thanks
FQ13

rat31465

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Re: Which Slugs For a Cylinder Bore Shotty?
« Reply #3 on: January 03, 2011, 08:33:24 AM »
Fiocchi still loads the old Breneke type slugs which have always performed very well for me.
This are rifled slugs which have an attached basewad....very accurate in the Rem 870 I used to shoot them from.
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wtr100

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Re: Which Slugs For a Cylinder Bore Shotty?
« Reply #4 on: January 03, 2011, 08:34:55 AM »
The best I've found are the Federal 'Tru-ball' they're not very expensive and they are impressively accurate in a smoothbore.

There is some kind of a plastic ball behind the slug - it seems to somehow make'em fly more straighter  
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Re: Which Slugs For a Cylinder Bore Shotty?
« Reply #5 on: Today at 11:40:24 PM »

billt

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Re: Which Slugs For a Cylinder Bore Shotty?
« Reply #5 on: January 03, 2011, 09:13:37 AM »
Thanks Bill. Could you or someone give a primer on slug types? Forrester, rifled, sabot etc.?
Thanks
FQ13

http://www.chuckhawks.com/shotgun_slugs.htm

This is a link to a Chuck Hawks article on the different shotgun slug types. It's a pretty good one overall, and he covers most of the major types. Slugs, like a lot of things have gotten complicated in the last 10 to 15 years. A lot like "modern muzzle loading" has. There have been a plethora of new designs, types, and even some highly specialized slugs that have come on the market in recent years. Most notably the solid Copper Sabot rounds. Federal, Winchester and Federal all produce them in one size, shape, style or another. These are very expensive, some costing over $3.00 per round. Depending what you're going to do with them, they can be very effective. Many of them are just about ideal as large Bear defense rounds.

 Overall it's hard to beat the old Forrester rounds. They offer the most "bang for the buck", so to speak. The shoot well from most any shotgun or choke combination. They fly like a badminton shuttlecock and don't require any spin as they fly nose forward because all of the weight is in front. I never understood why they call them "rifled" slugs. Most likely because of the angled lead bands or "rifling" they have on the sides. These don't put any spin on the projectile, so there really isn't any direct purpose for them. Just something that stuck, and remained to this day. Look for sales on them. Midway often offers volume sales on the Winchester 2 3/4" Military Slug loads. These are the Forester type loads, and they are avaliable quite cheaply. They're a lot of fun to play with. Bill T. 

Big Frank

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Re: Which Slugs For a Cylinder Bore Shotty?
« Reply #6 on: January 03, 2011, 03:36:05 PM »
Everything I've ever read about them said that sabot slugs in a smoothbore is a waste of money. They were made for rifled barrels and you won't get the full capability from a smoothbore. Some will have the same accuracy as rifled slugs but at a much higher cost.
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PegLeg45

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Re: Which Slugs For a Cylinder Bore Shotty?
« Reply #7 on: January 03, 2011, 06:59:11 PM »
With a cylinder bore it's pretty much wide open. (No pun intended). Any of the Forester El-Cheapo $4.00 for a box of 5 will work well out to 50 yards in my Mossberg 500 with an 18" cylinder bore. You can also fire the more high priced solid Copper Sabot rounds if you choose to. A lot of them are meant for rifled barrels and or chokes, but I've gotten the "minute of pie plate" results easily, many times much better. The best thing to do is buy a 5 round box of several, then set up a big enough target at 50 yards and put the biggest "Shoot-N-C" stick 'em target you can find on it, then have at it. Aim dead center with all of them and see where they track.
  Bill T.

+1

Best shooting slugs in my 1300 Defender (18" cyl bore) are the cheap Remington 2 3/4" 1oz slugs. They will hold minute of milk jug at 50 fairly easily.

Lucked up several years ago and Sportsman's Guide had them on sale for $1.87 per 5-round box. I ordered 10 boxes of them along with 10 boxes of 00 Buck (same price). Now they push $5.00 per box, still kinda cheap, depending on how much you shoot.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=86264
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mkm

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Re: Which Slugs For a Cylinder Bore Shotty?
« Reply #8 on: January 03, 2011, 07:09:12 PM »
Not trying to get too far off subject, but is a cylindore bore required for shooting fullsized slugs?  Looking at FQ's original post, I would have to say not necessarily.  Howevever, my Nova didn't come with a cylinder choke, and I would hate to launch part of the barrel with the slug.

PegLeg45

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Re: Which Slugs For a Cylinder Bore Shotty?
« Reply #9 on: January 03, 2011, 07:23:56 PM »
Not trying to get too far off subject, but is a cylindore bore required for shooting fullsized slugs?  Looking at FQ's original post, I would have to say not necessarily.  Howevever, my Nova didn't come with a cylinder choke, and I would hate to launch part of the barrel with the slug.

I have read that Improved Cylinder works really well on rifled slugs. I used cylinder bore because that is what the gun came with (Winchester 1300 Defender, 8-shot).

Here is some more useful info on slugs and such:

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot46.htm
"I expect perdition, I always have. I keep this building at my back, and several guns handy, in case perdition arrives in a form that's susceptible to bullets. I expect it will come in the disease form, though. I'm susceptible to diseases, and you can't shoot a damned disease." ~ Judge Roy Bean, Streets of Laredo

For the Patriots of this country, the Constitution is second only to the Bible for most. For those who love this country, but do not share my personal beliefs, it is their Bible. To them nothing comes before the Constitution of these United States of America. For this we are all labeled potential terrorists. ~ Dean Garrison

"When it comes to the enemy, just because they ain't pullin' a trigger, doesn't mean they ain't totin' ammo for those that are."~PegLeg

 

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