Can I shoot slugs with a full choke??

[lord-humungous]

Pardon the newbness of this question, but can I shoot rifled slugs with an older break action full choke shotgun? Second question, can I change the choke ( to cylinder) by cutting the barrel? I want to shoot small game at close range and maybe slugs for deer in an older single shot.

 

[Gope]

i "think" u can shoot a slug with a full choke, never used a slug so take it with a grain of salt. and for changing the fixed choke of a gun, rather then cutting and re-crowning. for $60ish you can get it sanded down by a gunsmith.

 

[Wendell]

Yes and yes.

 

[Gunslingr]

Did just that with an old Cooey 84, didnt try it full with slugs but I cut it down to 20" barrel now its at cylinder and shoots everything just fine. Pattern is huge though, at 50m the pattern was like 5 ft wide on the back berm of the range. Other than that your gold.

 

[catseye72]

Pardon the newbness of this question, but can I shoot rifled slugs with an older break action full choke shotgun? Second question, can I change the choke ( to cylinder) by cutting the barrel? I want to shoot small game at close range and maybe slugs for deer in an older single shot.

Yes you can, just not a Full Turkey choke.

 

[lord-humungous]

Did just that with an old Cooey 84, didnt try it full with slugs but I cut it down to 20" barrel now its at cylinder and shoots everything just fine. Pattern is huge though, at 50m the pattern was like 5 ft wide on the back berm of the range. Other than that your gold.

This is exactly what I'm thinking doing with my new to me Cooey 84. What did you cut it with? I'd like to shoot slugs and birdshot at partridge/grouse/rabbit. I think that cutting it down to cylinder will work Ok for my purposes. I'll never use it for waterfowl so I don't care about the full choke.... Let me know if I'm overlooking something...

 

[syecod]

Yes you can I shot a few deer with slugs out of a model 12 full choke.

 

[pharaoh2]

You can shoot a rifled, Foster style slug through a full choke but never fire a sabot slug through there.

 

[Mike Webb]

The slugs manufactured now are called Foster slugs and are made deliberately undersize to shoot in any shotgun. They are called rifled slugs because of the raised lands on the outside of the slug which are fancied to impart a spin to the projectile. Don't know if they actually do but that's the theory.

 

[ry-guy]

It is suggested that for slugs through a full go to sabots. I did a few years ago with no problems to date and suprisingly accurate.

 

[lord-humungous]

It is suggested that for slugs through a full go to sabots. I did a few years ago with no problems to date and suprisingly accurate.

This is exactly what everyone else has said not to do. Maybe best to double check this as it seems the rifled slugs are meant for chokes and smoothbore. And the sabots are meant for rifled barrels. Says so in the federal catalogue too.

 

[pharaoh2]

It is suggested that for slugs through a full go to sabots. I did a few years ago with no problems to date and suprisingly accurate.

Jesus H Christ, never EVER shoot a sabot through a full and never suggest it. Read the bloody box!

 

[Captain Paul]

ONLY fire sabots in a full choke.

Kidding. Don't ever do that.

 

[dudu]

The slugs manufactured now are called Foster slugs and are made deliberately undersize to shoot in any shotgun. They are called rifled slugs because of the raised lands on the outside of the slug which are fancied to impart a spin to the projectile. Don't know if they actually do but that's the theory.

Excerpt from Brennekes' Worth knowing:

Brenneke slugs (with the exception of the “Gold” and “SuperSabot” cartridges) are suitable for all types of chokes. Even a tight full choke is not a problem. The Brenneke design with angular ribs is not to create spin, but to ensure problem-free choke passage.

BRENNEKE ammunition


Excerpt from Shotgun Slugs, By Chuck Hawks:

...Heavy external "rifling" was cast into these Foster type slugs, allegedly to allow the air they flew through to impart a slow spin that would help stabilize the slug. Like most something for nothing schemes, the rifling proved ineffective, but it did provide some space for some compression if the slug had to squeeze through a tight choke. The name "rifled slug" stuck and is still in widespread use today...

Shotgun Slugs, By Chuck Hawks


Excerpt from Shotgun slug, Wikipedia:

...Most modern Foster slugs also have "rifling", which consists of thin fins on the outside of the slug. Contrary to popular belief, these fins actually impart no spin onto the slug as it travels through the air. Since the slug is fired at a supersonic velocity, the nose of the slug pushing a shockwave creates a vacuum on the side of the slug, where the fins are located. The actual purpose of the fins is to minimize the friction on both the barrel and projectile and allow the slug to safely be swaged down when fired through a choke, although accuracy will suffer and choke wear will be progressively accelerated when fired through any choke gauge tighter than open...

Shotgun slug, Wikipedia

and the list goes on...

 

[brewmech]

If I am not mistaken the rifling on a slug is to allow the slug to crush as it passes out the muzzle. You can fire ``rifled``slugs through a full choke. To open up a choke you haven`t got to cut the barrel back. Get a brake cylinder hone from crappy tire and and run it in and out the muzzle till you have it ground to the desired amount.

 

[svt1940]

No problem firing slug with a fixed full choke but i think its not recomended with screw-in full coke. With interchangable choke, just screw a improved cylinder.