I bought a new 12 gauge on an impulse buy kinda deal and I was wondering which chokes can be used to shoot slugs. I'm new to shotguns so any info would be a help.
Thanks.
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Hurtin' Albertan with nothing more to lose - too much oil money, not enough booze...
I'm a little leery to say shoot with no choke at all.It might be ok but with just bare threads that barrel is very thin.They get their strength from a combination of a choke screwed in snug and the barrel. I would use the modified which is .710" or improved cylinder which is .720" in a .729" bore.But the best as stated is a rifled choke which works fairly good. ,,,sam.
slugs through chokes, in all fairness I will state a great opportunity will open up should you purchase a rifled barrel. A variety of scopes are available for rifled barrels.
I have a rifled Rossi 20 gauge and I am very pleased with the accuracy
especially in the fifty to seventy-five yard range which is a good parameter for the twenty gauge.
Not to many years ago when you bought a shotgun it either had a modified or full choke barrell.
Personale speaking a modified screw in choke would be best and you can use it for shot like 5's, 6's up to 8 or 9 shot to hunt small game and field birds.
Agreed if you shoot your gun with no choke installed you are likely to damage the gun and it may cause injury to the shooter. The rule of thumb for smooth bore shotguns and shooting slugs is that you first use rifled slugs (these are ment for shooting through a smooth bore shotgun) and you use the most open choke you have available. I would stay away from shooting through a full choke though I have seen it done with no harm I don't suggest it. the choke constrictions in general are cylinder, improved cylinder, modifided, improved modified, full and extra full or turkey choke. Cylinder or improved Cylinder would be best they are the most open.
If you choose to use a rifled choke you will want to use a sabot slug.
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"I don't go shooting without my guns and they don't go shooting without me!"
when fired through a smooth bore. This is an old time marketing gimmick.
The chokes with riflings are not worth owning. They are a very short distance of travel for a slug and what motion they might impart is not
enough for hunting range accuracy.
Best advice = save some money and get a fully rifled barrel to get the most out of a slug.
The theory that "riflings"on foster type slugs made them spin was a marketing gimic as stated.The real reason for them is to allow the slug to be compressed when forced through choke constrictions.A slug is designed with a heavy front and a hollow base.The hollow base expands to form a gas seal when gas pressure hits it.With the "riflings"or grooves in the body/nose the slug can compress when sonstricted in a choke.I have seen .429" foster type slugs fired through a .665" turkey choke with no damage.That is .029"smaller than a full choke.Without the "riflings"or grooves it would be difficult for the slug to be compressed.With the grooves they compress very easily.I believe if you have screwin chokes you should use which ever is most accurate. ,,,sam.
can I use sabot slugs out of my moss 500 smoothbore?
Usually not accurately because the faster,lighter bullet requires spin to stabilise.If the bullet is heavy on one side making it pull to one side,with no spin it just keeps drifting in that direction.With proper spin it is drawn back to center.The foster type slug with its skirt that formed a gas seal also stabilises after it leaves the muzzle because when the imperfection in the front tips the slug one way it also tips the skirt the other way and it is forced back to center by air resistance re-stabilising the slug.This is not a complete stabilization and slugs are unstable to a certain varrying degree but with the skirt being pushed back to center they are way better than a round ball that has no skirt to hold it in line.Sabots using pistol bullets have no skirt to bring/hold them back to center and so when they begin to tip,they keep on going in that direction. ,,,sam.
