Full choke and slugs?

[chaparrito]

Not sure where to put this so I'll put it here:

I have a little NEF Pardner .410 single shot that I almost never shoot. Think I paid maybe 50 bucks for it. I got to reading about some of the velocities of of factory slug loads for .410 and they are pretty impressive. Then I remembered the old saw about not shooting slugs through a fixed full choke, which this gun has. Seems to me that rifled slugs ought to, for safety's sake, be sized to be safe through a full choke.
Anyone shoot rifled slugs through a full choke?

 

[mauser9]

Nope. Rifled slugs usually require rifled barrels. I have a smoothbore barrel for using Foster type slugs which has rifle type sight for adjustment. You would most likely get lousy accuracy firing rifled slugs in a smooth bore with a full choke. Foster style usually get good accuracy from cyl. choke guns.

 

[pawngal]

Nope. Rifled slugs usually require rifled barrels. I have a smoothbore barrel for using Foster type slugs which has rifle type sight for adjustment. You would most likely get lousy accuracy firing rifled slugs in a smooth bore with a full choke. Foster style usually get good accuracy from cyl. choke guns.

What ?????? Rifled slugs are for smooth bore barrels.

Rifled slugs perform best thru improved cylinder chokes but can be shot thru any.

 

[chaparrito]

What ?????? Rifled slugs are for smooth bore barrels.

Rifled slugs perform best thru improved cylinder chokes but can be shot thru any.

That's what I'd always thought. Sabots are for rifled barrels.
So you don't think it would be dangerous to either me or the shotgun?

 

[NYlakesider]

To the best of my knowledge slugs are sized to fit through any choke. Your accuracy might suffer a bit (you will have to check that yourself) but your gun will be fine!

 

[mauser9]

I apologize chaparrito I meant to say sabots are for rifled barrels. My dumb error. I was getting a lousy pattern with buckshot and poor group with Foster style slug in my Modified barrel with the Fosters so I ordered a slug barrel that is cyl. choked.

 

[pawngal]

That's what I'd always thought. Sabots are for rifled barrels.
So you don't think it would be dangerous to either me or the shotgun?

No, not dangerous, its not like you are going to shot 200 shots.
Accuracy might be a little less thru full choke barrel. Check legality of hunting with 410 slugs, seems I remember it is not allowed in some states.

 

[35Rem]

We are also talking a 410. Almost all are full Choked. It will be fine. Accuracy will be more limited by sights. About 50 yds max

 

[Big Cholla]

You and your shotgun will be good to go. "IF" you shot hundreds of rounds of slugs thru that barrel you might see a slight deformation of the choke to a larger dimension. But, even that would be inconsequential. Go shoot your slugs and don't look back. ...........

My recommendation is for your particular barrel and your use only. I am not advocating shooting any sort of slugs out of a valuable irreplaceable fixed choke barrel on a valuable shotgun especially a 12 ga. Always with a changeable choke barrel change the choke to as a minimum a modified choke or better yet a cylinder choke before shooting slugs. ........

 

[Salty RI]

I was reading just the other day about Hornady rifled slugs they said you can shoot them out of any choke but they reckermend mod or cyl.

 

[tops]

I once had a Model B Fox, 28 in. barrels, mod. and full. Either barrel shot slugs the best of any gun I have ever had. The best way to find how your gun shoots slugs is to shoot it. Larry

 

[jimmyj]

REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE:
#1 Son sighting in a Savage/Stevens 16 Gauge Double Barrel Shotgun using Factory Rifled Slugs.
Right Barrel-Modified Choke
Left Barrel - Full Choke
Third round though left barrel (full choke) barrel split from muzzle rearward two inches

 

[chaparrito]

Thanks for the replies. I am thinking about using the slugs on raccoons. Around here they're so fat that unless you get a good head shot it takes multiple .22LRs to stop them. I'd be shooting at well under 50 ft. or so. I don't have the best contrast vision at night so head shots are an issue for me. I did find an old box of #4 "long distance" shotshells that might pack a pretty good punch, but I think I'll order some slugs. None here locally

 

[rwsmith]

I've wondered about this....

I inherited a Browning A5 (1929) and the little star markings on the side of the barrel says that it is full choke. I'm reluctant to shoot slugs through it lest I harm the shotgun and myself. Is this advised? I'm getting from the thread here that it's ok to shoot them.

 

[NYlakesider]

I inherited a Browning A5 (1929) and the little star markings on the side of the barrel says that it is full choke. I'm reluctant to shoot slugs through it lest I harm the shotgun and myself. Is this advised? I'm getting from the thread here that it's ok to shoot them.

Just make sure your gas system is adjusted to take care of the heavier power level of a slug.

 

[fiasconva]

Two things, if you don't mind: 1.The steel in the barrel of that 410 is much harder than a soft lead slug so it won't damage it unless you shoot a ton of slugs through it and even then it probably wouldn't. 2. You may want to reconsider shooting slugs at coons unless it's in a pretty unpopulated area. Those things go a long way if you miss. 3 in. #6's or #4's if you can find them will do the job on those coons.

 

[BONDOBOB]

TAKE choke out??

How about unscrewing the full choke and shooting slugs????

 

[Squarebutt]

A gunsmith wouldn't charge too much to open up that full choke.

 

[snuffy51]

Advice for hunting, not shooting.

How about unscrewing the full choke and shooting slugs????

Never shoot any load w/o a choke tube installed. IC is usually recommended. Rifled choke tubes are available. I use my old 12 ga. Rem. 870,w/ factory 20" IC barrel with rifle sights, Rem. 1oz. Sluggers, and it does great. I like to hunt in the thick woods where big smart deer like to hide while the yuppies ride their four wheelers. Most shots are at 30-40 yards or less and I've never had a deer take more than a couple steps after being hit well. Accuracy is great, out to 75 yards with practice. We call it just "shooting" deer much farther out than that. Have a nice day and be safe.

 

[Big Cholla]

Noooooooo!

I inherited a Browning A5 (1929) and the little star markings on the side of the barrel says that it is full choke. I'm reluctant to shoot slugs through it lest I harm the shotgun and myself. Is this advised? I'm getting from the thread here that it's ok to shoot them.

rw: Brownings of that era were notoriously tighter in any given choke than other manufactures. So, your quite possibly tighter than standard "full choke" will be even more probable to suffer damage. While replacement Browning A5 barrels are available, they are quite pricey. If you have to shoot slugs out of that shotgun barrel do one of two things; have interchangeable chokes installed and then use a cylinder bore choke insert, or find a replacement barrel of modified or more open choke to use when shooting slugs. ...............