Can I shoot slugs??

Generally speaking, slugs can be safely shot out of a full choke barrel. I wouldn't try it with some of the extra full choke tubes intended for turkey hunting, though.

Improved cylinder usually gives best accuracy with slugs
 
No matter how "safe" it is, I won't do it. The accuracy is terrible. If you can't hit a 12" circle at 25 yards it isn't really worth it. What do you need to shoot with a slug? Or is it just for fun?
 
I have a variable choke 410 slug gun and modified choke seems to give the best accuracy with winchester's 2 1/2" shells.
2" groups at 25 yards with a modified choke is the norm. When I tried IC i got 10" groups at 25 yards. I haven't tried full.
 
stuckon308 said:
No matter how "safe" it is, I won't do it. The accuracy is terrible. If you can't hit a 12" circle at 25 yards it isn't really worth it. What do you need to shoot with a slug? Or is it just for fun?
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Every gun is different. I recall a full choke H&R Topper that shot Winchester 23/4" slugs quite well, and I also recall when some slugs did not shoot very well from an open choke gun. The OP did the right thing by asking if shooting slugs in a full choked gun was a safe practice. It is if we are talking about foster or Brenneke slugs. Now he has to find out for himself if it is a worthwhile practice in his particular gun.
 
glockenshooten said:
You can always check your owners manual for their recommendation - I know Winchester states that slugs may ONLY be shot through cylinder or improved cylinder........
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The lawyers make them say that. I'm surprised the lawyers don't make them print a disclaimer that firing ANY ammunition through the gun isn't safe. :rolleyes:
 
I have fired many a slug through full choked shotguns, the accuracy is not bad out to 25 yards, but beyond 25 is hard to judge without good sights and some practise.
 
glockenshooten said:
You can always check your owners manual for their recommendation - I know Winchester states that slugs may ONLY be shot through cylinder or improved cylinder........
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Well, I got out my magnifying glass so I could read the small print on the box of Winchester 1 oz 12 gauge rifled slugs, and there is the normal disclaimers about using cartridges only in firearms in good condition with markings exactly matching the ammunition, but there is nothing there pertaining to choke.
 
I have a mossberg pump en route and I have a couple boxes of 410 slugs lying around so i wanted to know if it was safe to do so.....I reallly have no hunting purpose for the slugs just to shoot :) them till there gone.
 
I do it all the time as my range only allows slugs to be fired out of shotguns (it's an indoor range). It generates quite a kick though!
 
I used to have a 28" bbl. Remington 11-87 SPS that would hit the center of a 2" orange dot at 50 yards every time with foster slugs and a Mod. tube in place. And that was just using the beads as a sight. We'd have a ball shooting at steel chickens at 100 yards, even if we missed the dirt cloud was worth the effort.
 
Well I have an old single shot with a full choke that has been firing slugs since 1959 without any damage but then again what do I know. I'm just a shooter and hunter.

Dave
 
I'm with dave on this one I've fired slug's all my life out of full choke gun's my father has and I have 4 generation's of my family's old gun's in everything but 10 gauge that have never had a problem with them and most are accurate at 40 yard's anny more is hard with just a bead.
 
Cil .410

I have fired many slugs through this gun and it is really quite accurate out to 50yds and years ago we always shot slugs through our shotguns ,in saying that you were just lucky if you had one that was a resonably shooter!
 
Bookworm said:
Well I have an old single shot with a full choke that has been firing slugs since 1959 without any damage but then again what do I know. I'm just a shooter and hunter.

Dave
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A friend of mine who happens to be a gunsmith has a customer's full choke single 12 ga in for repair ( I believe it may be a Cooey 840). The barrel is split from the muzzle, through the choke and towards the breach. Total split is approx. 10". The customer said it happened as he was shooting slugs and stated he never had a problem before and had shot slugs out of it for years.

My advise is NO! Buy a slug barrel (or appropriate choke tube) for slugs and use the full choked barrel for shot.
 
Firing a Foster style slug out of a full choke barrel will not hurt it a bit. Maybe I'm old but in years gone by the only shotguns that slugs were shot out of were full choke in my neck of the woods. They are undersize to begin with thus the spotty accuracy in most guns.
The guy with the split barrel either fired a hot handload or drove the muzzle into the mud before shooting. Never heard of a barrel splitting before.
 
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