Hornaday SST shotgun slugs

Big Bad

Big Bad

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In Kenland
I can't say I'm given a lot of free ammunition, but at the range yesterday I was, a kindly stranger handed me a box of the above 12 G slugs, saying they were capable of pinpoint accuracy out to 100 M and warning that they really slam you when fired. The shells themselves are a distinctive black and the slugs sit inside them with only their red polymer tips showing, rather like little nuclear missiles in their dark silos.

Technically, the shells are 2 3/4 inch jobs with 300 g slugs and are "for a weapon proofed by 1370 bar." Nice to have the specs I guess, but the kicker is that they are also "for rifled barrels." Since I only have smoothbore shotguns, I'm wondering what the effect on accuracy etc will be if I fire these things, anybody know? These are the first slugs for rifled barrels I've ever had to deal with, at least knowingly so I personally have no clue. The generous donor was firing a rifled barrel so he wouldn't have either. Seen in the photo below, the box says "rifled barrels only," the box I have does not say that.

hor8623.jpg
 
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Well, now maybe somebody will give me a rifled barrel... someday, but I'll be saving these as a museum piece for now. Title on the shelf: "The time someone gave me free ammo."

Good answers guys, thanks.
 
Curiosity got the better of me and I had to explore the anatomy of one of these shells. Removing the crimp, I see that what would be the shot cup in an ordinary shell is actually a thick smooth plastic one surrounding the copper expanding slug, and is obviously what the rifling on the intended barrel bites into to impose spin. Firing one out of a smooth barrel is going to produce mere musket accuracy, with the added problem that the pointed slug is going to tumble, as seen in the video. And I'm guessing you would also want to have a good supply of plastic remover on hand in order to clean your barrel after the cup has skidded down it. I guess I'll look for a guy with a rifled barrel to pass these on to, no point in them going to waste. Too bad though, because just before I got these, there was someone on the handgun range with me who was test firing his slug gun and he likely would have been a good candidate.
 
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