Dumb 12G slug ammo question

[bladeracer]

From all I've read/been told.

In a smooth bore barrel shoot rifled slugs or solid slugs. Expect to hit a dinner plate at 50m tops.

In a rifled barrel ONLY use sabot slugs or you'll wreck your barrel. Expect to get 3" groups at 100+m. (Yet to hear definitively maximum accuracy). If you want to shoot buckshot or anything other than sabot you need to change your barrel back to smooth or you'll wreck it.

I've got a rifled barrel on order for my Adler straight pull. Didn't realise any of the above when I ordered it or the difficulty/cost ($145 per 50) in buying sabot slugs in Victoria or i wouldn't have bothered. All I dam say is it better be worth it or I'll be sore pissed.

I don't recall what sort of groups I was getting with Lee's 7/8-ounce, but I was pleased with them out to 50m. Not sure I've ever grouped them further than that. My shoulder really doesn't like playing with them. They're a sabot slug as they fit into a standard shot cup. Cast from recovered .22LR bullets makes them virtually free as well.

I ordered a rifled choke a few years ago but it never came in. I'm interested in your results, but I would only be using a rifled choke, I have plenty of rifles to do whatever I might want to do with slugs, but with better accuracy and far cheaper.

I might have to hurt myself shooting some groups I think

[bigpete]

You can shoot any 12g slugs in any 12g barrel and you won't wreck it,plenty of folks have and do shoot full bore lead slugs through rifled barrels and sabot slugs in smooth,results may vary though. You can even shoot shot in a rifled barrel and do no damage aside from a bit of leading.

[MontyShooter]

I just use rifled target slugs. Cost under a buck and maybe 3 or 4 inch group at 100

[bladeracer]

You can shoot any 12g slugs in any 12g barrel and you won't wreck it,plenty of folks have and do shoot full bore lead slugs through rifled barrels and sabot slugs in smooth,results may vary though. You can even shoot shot in a rifled barrel and do no damage aside from a bit of leading.

Copper, brass or steel slugs probably shouldn't be squeezed though a turkey choke, but I don't know if they'd actually damage anything other than the choke tube. My turkey choke is .640", I think the Lee slug is .685", plus the shot cup petals around it. The Lee is somewhat hollow so I'm sure it will swage down, if it's soft lead.

[boingk]

Unpick cheap target shells, replace the shot with cast slugs from the Lee mould, recrimp (i find a light trim helps) and enjoy.

I can easily hit a beer-carton-sized target at 75m with one. And if you're interested, its still 1oz of lead travelling at 1200fps... so the pressure remains the same, no barrel bulging or ruptures or any other weird mythes. Just use a cylinder choke preferably, or certainly no more than improved cylinder.

- boingk

[bigpete]

Unpick cheap target shells, replace the shot with cast slugs from the Lee mould, recrimp (i find a light trim helps) and enjoy.

I can easily hit a beer-carton-sized target at 75m with one. And if you're interested, its still 1oz of lead travelling at 1200fps... so the pressure remains the same, no barrel bulging or ruptures or any other weird mythes. Just use a cylinder choke preferably, or certainly no more than improved cylinder.

- boingk

Actually pressure is less due to liquid dynamics

[bladeracer]

Unpick cheap target shells, replace the shot with cast slugs from the Lee mould, recrimp (i find a light trim helps) and enjoy.

I can easily hit a beer-carton-sized target at 75m with one. And if you're interested, its still 1oz of lead travelling at 1200fps... so the pressure remains the same, no barrel bulging or ruptures or any other weird mythes. Just use a cylinder choke preferably, or certainly no more than improved cylinder.

- boingk

Have you chronographed them? I think they're slower than the shot load was rated at.

[Oldbloke]

Unpick cheap target shells, replace the shot with cast slugs from the Lee mould, recrimp (i find a light trim helps) and enjoy.

I can easily hit a beer-carton-sized target at 75m with one. And if you're interested, its still 1oz of lead travelling at 1200fps... so the pressure remains the same, no barrel bulging or ruptures or any other weird mythes. Just use a cylinder choke preferably, or certainly no more than improved cylinder.

- boingk

Actually pressure is less due to liquid dynamics

Please explain.jpeg (10.83 KiB) Viewed 6159 times

[bigpete]

Unpick cheap target shells, replace the shot with cast slugs from the Lee mould, recrimp (i find a light trim helps) and enjoy.

I can easily hit a beer-carton-sized target at 75m with one. And if you're interested, its still 1oz of lead travelling at 1200fps... so the pressure remains the same, no barrel bulging or ruptures or any other weird mythes. Just use a cylinder choke preferably, or certainly no more than improved cylinder.

- boingk

Actually pressure is less due to liquid dynamics

Please explain.jpeg

As a load of shot is propelled forward,because its not solid,it is also forced outwards into the barrel,thereby creating more pressure than an equally weighted solid projectile. The term is actually fluid dynamics ,not liquid dynamics.

[bladeracer]

Unpick cheap target shells, replace the shot with cast slugs from the Lee mould, recrimp (i find a light trim helps) and enjoy.

I can easily hit a beer-carton-sized target at 75m with one. And if you're interested, its still 1oz of lead travelling at 1200fps... so the pressure remains the same, no barrel bulging or ruptures or any other weird mythes. Just use a cylinder choke preferably, or certainly no more than improved cylinder.

- boingk

Actually pressure is less due to liquid dynamics

Please explain.jpeg

As a load of shot is propelled forward,because its not solid,it is also forced outwards into the barrel,thereby creating more pressure than an equally weighted solid projectile. The term is actually fluid dynamics ,not liquid dynamics.

Similar effect occurs with soft lead bullets as well. Even heavy jacketed bullets with very long bearing surface can benefit from this effect to obturate to fill an over-size bore, as with the .264" 160gn RN in .267" Carcano and Steyr rifles.