Slug barrel for deer?

Silverado

Silverado

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I'd like the experienced opinions of some of you slug hunters.

Is a fully rifled barrel far superior to a rifled choke for saboted slugs accuracy wise?

I may have a chance to chase late season deer with a shotgun, and I don't mind picking up an extra barrel for the 870 for the occasion.

Thx.
 
The question you will have to ask yourself is "What is my maximum shooting range?"

If it's used as a brush gun only, a smoothie will be fine, but for longer ranges (out to 100 yds) go with a rifled barrel.

RePete.
 
Id also like to know this awnser. What kinda groups have you guys gotten with a rifled tube, what slugs? Also curious what sights were used as I know with bead your not gonna get the same acurracy as with rifle sites.
 
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Rifled choke tubes are a compromise only... they will help to stabalize foster and brenneke type slugs. They do not work that great with sabots and really crappy with the faster sabots.
You can expect your best results with a rifled tube using Winchester BRI sabots or Brenneke Rfiled slugs... with a 24 inch tube and a 5 inch rifled choke tube and a good set of sights or glass you might get 6 inch groups at 75 yards.
A rifled barrel 24"-26" or longer with a 1:28 ROT is optimum for shooting the fastest sabots made today... Partition Gold, Core Locked Ultra at 1900fps and Copper solids and Platinum Tips @1700 fps.
With Good glass these guns can be zeroed @150 yards and give 4-5 inch groups if you keep your barrel free from plastic build-up!!!
Although these new slugs have the velocity and trajectory to kill deer at 200 yards it takes a really good rig and a practiced shooter to shoot this far consistently.
I have shot consistent 3 inch groups @ 150 yards with an ES-100 and Corelocked Ultras.
And almost as well with a Browning Gold Cantilevered Barrel.
The SBEII looks like it is going to shoot even better... as soon as I upgrade the scope (4-12 VXII).
Did I mention plastic buildup... this is the most important thing to remember when shooting a rifled barrel or rifled chke tube... your regular solvent won't touch the plastic residue left behind by sabots. You can clean all you want with regular solvent and your barrel will look clean but the plastic is clear and shiny so it is not visible to the naked eye!
Use CVA sabot solvent and clean with a wet patch and brush then a dry patch and a coat of gun oil... every 4- 6 shots if you want to get good accuracy!!!!
 
2 1/2" groups at a hundred are common if I do my part. Mossberg 500 cantalever rifled bbl. Old Weaver K-4 (they seem to take the recoil) Remington Corelock sabot's.

Glad you mentioned the plastic fouling, BigRedd. My groups went for crap, until a freind told me about cleaning plastic.
 
I went to the gun shop today and was handed a bottle of Remington Bore Cleaner, now on the package it says it will remove plastic wad fouling, will this do the trick when I clean my slug barrel?

thanks
 
Big Red is way ahead of me on this subject....

On the way though with what I have.
A fully rifled/iron sited Ithaca M87 20 inch barrel on a older Ithaca M37 2 3/4 inch receiver.
Three quarter inch groups after monkeying around with the ramp setting at 35 and 75 yards!
Using Winchester Partition Gold Sabots and iron sites, I am really comfortable taking deer out to 75 yards with iron site set up. (No holdover)
Next is confirming zero with iron sites and mounting a Burris 2 3/4 power scope and trying out Winchester Platinum Sabots next.

Overall I a fully impressed with my results....and really happy with the current sabots that I have personally shot.
(I am just thankful I finally picked up a slip on Limbsaver recoil pad!)

Cheers and good luck.
 
Couple of questions for you BigRedd, most of the gunmakers seem to have much slower ROT than you mentioned (and I have heard this recommendation elswhere as well, I don't doubt your recommendation), are these fast twist barrels available for most models? If so from which manufacturer? The other question is regarding plastic buildup in muzzleloaders using sabot loads. Is this just as much of a concern for these as it is for shotguns?
 
I recently bought a 23"/870 SP cantelever bbl. How does these fair against the 20".

Also, there isn't great slug selection here in NB as there is no special season for slugs. Is there any good slug at CT for the bbl I just got? I plan on scoping it with a new Weaver 1x3.

thnx, sc


 
Silverado said:
Is a fully rifled barrel far superior to a rifled choke for saboted slugs accuracy wise?
Click to expand...

So they say.

One thing you should consider is the price of ammo. The sabots are about five times more expensive than slugs.
 
Dudu, you are certainly correct about the price.
I think what it all boils down to is a hunters individual circumstance. If for example you are hunting out of a tree stand in Nova Scotia and your shooting lane is only 23 yards down a remote abandoned logging road...obviously a
5 pack of Super X, Winchester foster style slugs in his long duck gun will do fine.
However if a deer hunter is in the Shotgun Zone between Regina and Moose Jaw, his requirements lean towars a fully rifled barrel/scoped and zeroed shotgun, with any other "rifle-like' accessories for his 100-150 yard praire deer opportunity....

PS Supercub, if I was you I would look high and low for Winchester Gold Patitions or Winchester Platinum or Remington Slugger.
Yes all pricey, but very newest technolgy sabot wise, tailored for rifled shotgun barrels,usually the easiest to find in well stocked stores....( I know, I know, I live out West)

My two cents....
 
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SuperCub said:
I recently bought a 23"/870 SP cantelever bbl. How does these fair against the 20".

Also, there isn't great slug selection here in NB as there is no special season for slugs. Is there any good slug at CT for the bbl I just got? I plan on scoping it with a new Weaver 1x3.

thnx, sc
Click to expand...


Winchester BRI sabot, around $10 at CT, and you'll giggle at the amazing groups out of that barrel:D
 
5 times the price isn't really a big deal for me.

Before I started reloading, I practiced and shot premium factory ammo almost exclusively... probably a dozen boxes a year or so...

So to burn a few boxes of expensive slugs to sight in and practice? Fine by me.
 
Longer ROT's are common like 1:32-1:36 Remington still makes a their slugbarrels with the longer Rate of Twist. (It costs money to retool!)
You get more stability out tof a 1:28 ROT and longer range.
The longer the rifled barrel the better with 24" barrels delivering much better groups and better velocity. Most of the long range custom Slugguns are 26-28 inch barrels with 1:28 twist.
This has a lot to do with sabot torque... the sabot can spin faster than the slug with some slugs and in a shorter barrrel the slug never catches up to the sabot in spin rate. This is why the Remingtons shoot so well, they have a better sabot design and a slower burning powder!
Plastic fouling is a huge problem in full sabot loads in Muzzle loaders as well! Even Power Belts will leave plastic residue on your barrel.
Remington Solvent will not remove plastic nearly as well as sabot solvent.

Hornady SST's will be all over the place this year... they are crap... stick to the Core-Locked Ultras... they are the best. Copper Solids and Platinum tips are good also. Partition Golds are not as accurate and do not deliver energy well in some circumstances, like on lighter animals and at very long or very close range shots.

A three dollar and fifty cent slug is the cheapest part of your deer hunt.... I'm serious!
 
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