Slug Talk

[carpediem]

Okay, I am interested in slugs. Not the things that leave the slime behind them when they crawl around on things, but the shotgun projectiles.
It has been my understanding, perhaps wrong, that the plain old Remington Slugger style rounds were good to go in smoothbore barrels with cylinder or improved cylinder chokes. As far as the chokes are concerned, the previous two, in addition the rifled slug choke, are the only ones suitable for use with slugs.
Next are the rifled slugs. I always believed those were for rifled barrels OR smoothbores with a rifled choke tube but not cylinder or improved cylinder choke tubes.
Lastly, the sabot slugs. Those I thought were limited strictly to rifled barrels.
Am I wrong? Do you have any information or experience stepping out of the accepted usages for the different slugs? Did it work or fail?

 

[Phauxtoe]

yea!
they kick more!

 

[ManrisFrack]

I'm pretty sure the Remington sluggers are rifled.

Saboted slugs work best in rifled barrels. They can be fired from smooth bores but might not stabilize and probably won't be very accurate.

Rifled slugs can be used in smooth or rifled bores. Just a guess but they might lead up a rifled barrel?

I have no idea how the chokes affect things. I've always used the barrels marketed as "slug barrels" and not paid attention what size the bores were cut to.

 

[Bananabandit]

Do not use slugs with tight chokes (full). I just use smoothbore barrels. N e ver used sabot.

 

[Eddie Gunks]

Slugs CAN be used with full chokes. It is a wives tale they can not.

Get the low recoil slugs. Itll save your shoulder.

 

[Criticalt]

Ive killed many deer with rifled slugs through a smooth barrel. A single shot 12gauge to be precise.

 

[Mk44]

This may help.... V

 

[carpediem]

This may help.... V

Does that guy know that cylinder bore is the choke constriction? I would say no. He is referring to a smooth bore.

 

[Greywolf224]

This may help.... V

Nice video. Always used rifle slugs in my smooth bore double barrels. Never gave it much thought.
Nice to know that not being able to shoot slugs out of a full choke is not true.

 

[Uzi]

Slugs CAN be used with full chokes. It is a wives tale they can not.

Get the low recoil slugs. Itll save your shoulder.

I have to ask. When I was shooting my pump 12 gauge about one year ago for the first time, I used slugs. It had about zero muzzle rise when I shot it and it was extremely accurate and easy to point and shoot which surprised me. The problem I had was after only 5 slugs, the recoil which was straight back only, gave me HUGE bruising and blood spots all over that webbing area. The blood spots appeared to be from the rubber buttstock pad grooves. I thought It maybe was positioned wrong, but it was right where you're supposed to hold it. I've found out that you're supposed to grab with the forearm and kind of pull forward to lesson the recoil as you shoot, but I'm not sure because I'm not a shotgun guy really. You mentioned low recoil slugs? I've never heard of those, where do you find them? Any tips to avoid bruising would be great too. I felt like everything was freaking awesome except that part....

 

[Greywolf224]

I have to ask. When I was shooting my pump 12 gauge about one year ago for the first time, I used slugs. It had about zero muzzle rise when I shot it and it was extremely accurate and easy to point and shoot which surprised me. The problem I had was after only 5 slugs, the recoil which was straight back only, gave me HUGE bruising and blood spots all over that webbing area. The blood spots appeared to be from the rubber buttstock pad grooves. I thought It maybe was positioned wrong, but it was right where you're supposed to hold it. I've found out that you're supposed to grab with the forearm and kind of pull forward to lesson the recoil as you shoot, but I'm not sure because I'm not a shotgun guy really. You mentioned low recoil slugs? I've never heard of those, where do you find them? Any tips to avoid bruising would be great too. I felt like everything was freaking awesome except that part....

What firearm and ammo were you using? May help someone give a more accurate answer.

 

[Uzi]

What firearm and ammo were you using? May help someone give a more accurate answer.

I just took this picture. It's a 18.5" maverick 88 with a mako folding stock. I was using Federal premium 2-3/4 rifled slugs that day.

 

[Eddie Gunks]

I found that the federal and remington hit about the same poi.

My semi does not like the fiocchi. But the fiocchis are the lightest kicking of them all. (3/4 oz ones)

This is what i use.

 

[MilesTeg]

I've around 100 deer with slugs. This year I'm hoping to upgrade to a rifle (see my thread hunting rifle). Rough breakdown 1/3 with a 12ga and 2/3 with a 20ga. There's a long story about the switch over but that takes away from the point.

For my 12 gauge adventures I used a mosburg 500 turkey special with a 3x9 scope mounted to it. This was a smooth bore setup. I use an improved choke, but agree with above the choke size is a myth and find what works for you. In this setup I would shoot what our family calls "foster slugs" which are just rifles slugs. I use to use the ones in the red hulls I can't remember what make sorry. These things hammered deer and where effective at some range. I don't have and accurate distance but one was suspected to be over 100yds. Being older now I would never take the shot again and account the success to youth and dumb luck. As mentioned above the slugs would hammer the deer to the point as everyone that was in ear shot knew when I killed a deer because it was a one shot deal. As hine sight is 20/20 I should have stayed with this setup.

For my 20 gauge setup, this is where the crying starts. I switched to a 20ga Remington 1187 with a rifles barrel and iron sites. Out of this setup I decided to go.with a more expensive slug because I had the money and everyone said it was a superior slug. I went with lightfields these were supposedly great shells but have had no luck with them. They pattern on paper great but fail to preform on live game. I don't want to bash the brand because maybe I'm a fluke but I have shot a lot of deer with them and everytime I've pulled the trigger I've had doubt on whether or not I will recover the game. Only one deer out of the many I have shot with this setup has dropped like it was vitally. A good example of this round not preforming is last season. Once again long story short I shoot a fawn (gasp first one ever). The fawn was in a full bore run around 30yds away I double lung it with my brother standing close to me. I know where I hit it he not being able to tell that I hit it tells me to shoot it again. Now with it about 50yds (it was running a circle around me that's why the lack of gained yardage) I shoot another round in it. I took out both front shoulder blades dropping it.

My final thought on slugs is find what pattern in you gun and use it. Then watch hoe the game acts either keep with that slug or switch up. Don't be like me and not read what the game is telling you and struggle to harvest the game. You owe it to the animal and yourself not to do that. I'm still dissapointed with myself for holding out like I did.

 

[Greywolf224]

@MilesTeg great info. I have only taken one deer with a slug and that was my first deer ever about 37 years ago. Used my dad's double barrel and 1 ounce slug.
It was a small deer dressed to about 80 pounds. Shot it while it was on the run about 25 yards away. Like you probably dumb teenager luck. I hit it in the hindquarters. Took out both back legs but the deer did not die. I destroyed some of the best meat. The kill shot was a slug to the head.
From that point on I made a decision I would not use slugs again. Not that there are no good just my personal decision.
I do feel that the smallest slug possible is best.

 

[Acer-m14]

Saboted slugs suck in smooth bore they fly all over the place .. .. i have 2 20 ga shotguns both 3 inch chambers and full choke and shoot slugs from them .. kick like mule , light weight single shots and got my first 6 pt buck with one .. never had a problem .. A box of rifled slugs will shoot in anything .. Sabots Rifled bore only .. .. my nickle ..

 

[Trauma47645]

Thats your problem.. That stock is not meant for comfort.. and you always pull a long gun tight into your shoulder.. if you are pulling it away you are creating "slack" which the firearm will accelerate through and impact your shoulder.. If you have the firearm tight to your shoulder, the firearm and your body tend to move more as one unit.. its simple physics..

 

[Robin]

My kids bought me an 1100 a few years ago, it has a rifled barrel for sabots, a shotgun barrel with different size chokes that screw in and out, and a slugger barrel that had a rifled screw in thing like the shotgun barrel. I haven't hunted with it yet, but I like shooting pretty much anything and this gun is fun to shoot. I enjoy experimenting, and making a long story short, my best success with Remington rifled slugs was with the slugger barrel and a modified choke insert. I am very particular about accuracy and would not hesitate to take a deer at one hundred yards with it. I don't know where accuracy falls off on this set up because 100 yds. was the range limitation. I was so impressed I bought a case of slug's, much cheaper than sabots, doesn't beat the crap out of the gun, or me, and consistent accuracy is comparable to sabotaged set up. Oh, and the fun factor can't be beat, for a low cost rampage against a horde of advancing water filled milk jugs!!!
Robin

 

[RandallOfLegend]

Check out taofledermaus channel on youtube. The guy has shot just about everything through a shotgun.

TAOFLEDERMAUS

 

[Uzi]

Thats your problem.. That stock is not meant for comfort.. and you always pull a long gun tight into your shoulder.. if you are pulling it away you are creating "slack" which the firearm will accelerate through and impact your shoulder.. If you have the firearm tight to your shoulder, the firearm and your body tend to move more as one unit.. its simple physics..

So I guess it's the pad that isn't great then. At the time, I was pulling it into the shoulder to keep it steady.

 

[hooked]

Upgrade the pad to either limbsaver or the remington supercell pad, that will help.
As for slugs just for deer hunting i switched to Hornady SST and havent had the need to track anymore.

 

[MilesTeg]

Upgrade the pad to either limbsaver or the remington supercell pad, that will help.
As for slugs just for deer hunting i switched to Hornady SST and havent had the need to track anymore.

Good to know. I was planning on trying them if I didn't get a rifle this year. I still might pick some up. I never know if we are going to drive. If we do because I'm one of the younger hunter I usually am a walker. A slug gun works ver well when walking.

 

[Bananabandit]

Slugs CAN be used with full chokes. It is a wives tale they can not.

Get the low recoil slugs. Itll save your shoulder.

I would not personally recommend it since from my experienc with smoothbore they are just as accurate. Its preference though.

 

[gun_slinger_boy]

SLUGGER® MANAGED-RECOIL® RIFLED SLUGS

Here are some reduced recoil slugs. I have a bunch of them and they do indeed feel nicer to shoot. But on a side note what good is a shotgun you can't shoot nickels through?

 

[Phauxtoe]

if you wanna learn all about Slugs, go watch
TAOFLEDERMAUS
TAOFLEDERMAUS

 

[freddy]

Federal PB127 DPRS. Approved by DocGKR.