Slug Gun

chambered221 · Posted: Tue Dec 21, 2010 6:44 pm Post subject: Re: Slug Gun

We got good groups with the Actives and Brenneke too but the ones we recovered mushroomed very little if at all.

Vince, I use to go to slug shoots and and would shoot against a guy who cast and loaded the Lee. He was tough to beat but we did get him.........most of the time !!!

slimjim · Posted: Tue Dec 21, 2010 9:32 pm Post subject: Re: Slug Gun

with slugs that big, why does it need to mushroom?

Vince · Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2010 4:45 am Post subject: Re: Slug Gun

It is fairly simple and easy to control the amount of mushroom in a slug...well a cast slug anyway. It all comes down to the quantity of lead in the alloy mix..

Pure lead "mushrooms" totally flat whereas different levels of antimony and tin will control the mushrooming. I found that pure linotype does not deform very much, if at all...Lyman #2 bullet alloy, whilst a little softer, only deforms a small amount.

It all defends on the target medium as to what the terminal performance will be...but as Slim says..."with slugs that big, why does it need to mushroom?"

Cheers, Vince

cbsweeney · Member Joined: Jun 18, 2010 Posts: 197 Location: New York

I have a smoothbore, and a friend just gave me a rifled choke for it. Have any of you gentlemen used a rifled choke? Does it make much of a difference? I haven't had the chance to try it yet. I have a couple boxes of Remington slugs that I will use when I get a chance. Just curious.

Aloysius · Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2010 9:27 am Post subject: Re: Slug Gun

And this rifled choke is supposed to function with slugs? Or is it for extra spread when shooting rabbits at short distances (with furrets)?

When it's for slugs, I would suggest to be carefull. Think about the forcing cone and the first 0.5" of a revolverbarrel when lead bullets are used. In your smoothbore the slug will arrive at the choke going at full speed... what do you think will happen?

cbsweeney · Member Joined: Jun 18, 2010 Posts: 197 Location: New York

Thanks Aloysius,
The rifled choke is made to be used with slugs, but it seems like care should be taken. I've never used this type of choke with slugs, only an Imp Cylinder.

shrpshtrjoe · Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2010 4:04 pm Post subject: Re: Slug Gun

cbsweeney wrote:

Thanks Aloysius,
The rifled choke is made to be used with slugs, but it seems like care should be taken. I've never used this type of choke with slugs, only an Imp Cylinder.

I have a slug barrel for my Rem 1100 that has a rifled choke but have not had a chance to shoot sabots in it. The rifled choke is for shooting sabots.. I would think that the slower sabots might shoot better through them. The choke tube isn't that long ..

chambered221 · Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2010 7:20 pm Post subject: Re: Slug Gun

slimjim wrote:

with slugs that big, why does it need to mushroom?

It don't...........but the deer I've killed with the Winchester 1oz (that mushroom) seem to fall where they stand. The non expander tends to allow the deer to go 25 yards or so before they pile up.

chambered221 · Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2010 7:32 pm Post subject: Re: Slug Gun

cbsweeney wrote:

Have any of you gentlemen used a rifled choke?

I use one and found it to be very particular on what ammo it likes. So much so that lot to lot difference is a factor. I'm on my third go around with finding something that will shoot well in the gun. I now only have 7 boxes left of that ammo. When it's gone I'm either going back to shooting a smooth bore or buying a rifled barrel.

To my understanding your not supposed to shoot rifled slugs in a rifled tube.

Aloysius · Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 3:48 am Post subject: Re: Slug Gun

And in my opinion the rifling on a slug was only meant as extra safety when they are shot through a full choke... you can compare it with a banded monolythic bullet, they have room left to put the excesses.

Dawgdad · Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 6:59 am Post subject: Re: Slug Gun

In my 870 I use Remington Copper Solid sabots with good results out to about 125 yards. I have taken deer each of the past five years and have never put more than one shot on a deer and most dropped in their tracks.

I tried Coreloct Ultras and about broke my shoulder - same with Buckhammers = too much recoil to be fun to shoot.

Light fields grouped well but I have not taken a deer with them.

I used the Winchester cheaper sabots (XRS123) and they group very well out to 75-100 yards and punch the deer like a muzzel loader with a .50 cal hole on both sides for a good blood trail but not the bang flop knock down power of the Copper solids. The doe I took with that slug ran about 50 yards.

I tried the Winchester Partion Premium but they did not group past 50 yards in my barrel.

I bought a Mossberg 500 with the cantalievered fully rifled barrel for my son and it loved the Hornady Sabots with the SST slug. 2 3/4' group better than 3" in that one. I have not tried any others yet.

I put a red dot scope on this one after the picture was taken.

SingleShotLover · Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 7:29 am Post subject: Re: Slug Gun

Aloysius wrote:

And in my opinion the rifling on a slug was only meant as extra safety when they are shot through a full choke... you can compare it with a banded monolythic bullet, they have room left to put the excesses.

I think you are right on this. At the velocities of standard Foster-type slugs, that little bit of rifling is depending on air pressure and really isn't going to provide much spin...and since the basic design of that type slug will cause velocity to deteriorate quickly to the point of dropping below the speed of sound (where shock-wave forces begin to cause all sorts of stability issues as the slug makes that transition from supersonic to sub-sonic) I don't see that rifling doing more than keeping pressure lower (as you suggest). If a hunter is anticipating shots much past 75 yards at best, you really need to consider the better sabot-style slugs which have higher initial velocity and retain that velocity better.

cbsweeney · Member Joined: Jun 18, 2010 Posts: 197 Location: New York

shrpshtrjoe wrote:

I have a slug barrel for my Rem 1100 that has a rifled choke but have not had a chance to shoot sabots in it. The rifled choke is for shooting sabots.. I would think that the slower sabots might shoot better through them. The choke tube isn't that long ..

I didn't know you are supposed to use sabots with the rifled choke. The friend that gave it to me didn't really say, I just assumed it was for slugs, and we all know what happens when you assume....

[quote=Chambered 221]I use one and found it to be very particular on what ammo it likes. So much so that lot to lot difference is a factor

Guess I'll have to do some after christmas shopping this weekend Very Happy

slimjim · Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 8:36 am Post subject: Re: Slug Gun

chambered221 wrote:

To my understanding your not supposed to shoot rifled slugs in a rifled tube.

I've heard that it leads up the barrel pretty bad. Also, that if you use rifled (Foster) slugs in a rifled choke tube the same can happen with inconsistent results.

Below is my smooth bore slug gun as I'm preparing to camo it. It is an old Mossberg bolt action 20-gauge that my Dad gave to me. I shortened the barrel to 22" and put a scope mount on it for a red-dot. I'm thinking of using an oak leave pattern. I'm trying it out in Photoshop first.

fnuser · Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2010 7:43 pm Post subject: Re: Slug Gun

My Theory on mushrooming lead bullets is based on simple observations but may be completely wrong, Like chambered it seems that the ones that mushroom compared to the ones that don't kill quicker so my assumption is that the energy is transfered more efficiently by the softer projectiles.