Sabots and Slugs

[11-87]

I have a Hastings Barrel, and have always shot a Remmington Slug out of it.. 3" 1 oz.. and it is very accurate... I never questioned buying the "Sabot" style slugs for it.

Now I need to pick up a couple guns for the boys, and all the dealers say if I go with a deer barrel combo for the boys, I will need to buy the Sabots.. Like I say I never had a problem with long range on a standard slug...Am I missing something here or are they just trying to make an extra buck selling the sabots?? (they are still a lead slug, put in a mold, a little different design, and put in a plastic casing)

[RumRiverRat]

With a fully rifled barrel and sabot slugs you have a very deadly combo.

You can easily take deer at 175 yards with the sabots on the market today.

An 870 combo with the smooth and fully rifled barrel is a great value for the money.

The Federal Barnes Xpanders are a 100% solid copper slug with impressive expansion and devastating penetration while retaining 100% weight without fragmenting.

The newer tipped version is very accurate and can easily take deer at 200 yards.

[Shane May]

Federal Barnes Xpanders are te way to go. My very good friend works in the blastics room at federal and always is letting me know whats shooting the best for the times. Yes they are a bit more exspensive but coming from a guy that can group 1inch group patterns at 200yards (easy), I didnt takes his word until he gave me some for my bolt action Mossberg and o boy, I have been hooked since. All of the blastic gell shoot my buddy has done with them when they run them, he has never seen a single one of them tear apart. Good Luck

[96trigger]

A rifled slug, meant for smoothbores, will foul the rifling in a rifled barrel. A sabot is meant for a rifled barrel. Shooting regular foster, (rifled)slugs from a rifled barrel can wreck the rifling and thus, negating accuracy. I know you say that you have good luck with yours, but I don't think there is anyone that would tell you that what you are doing is "good" for your barrel. I am not sure if you have already wrecked the rifling or not. I would personally, NEVER shoot a foster style slug through a rifled barrel. There is quite a bit of information about this on the web.

[camo_marc]

I agree with 96. You are not doing your barrel any favors by shooting rifled slugs out of a rifled barrel. You may be accurate right now with what you call long range but you will be amazed at how truly accurate you can be at long range with a rifled barrel and sabot slug combination.