Is this recomended or not?

[Boar]

I have an Ithica modle 37 featherlite 12 ga. 3" mag with a full choke barrel. would like to shoot slugs thru it for being in the woods. Its not a rifled barrel, an have heard that shootin a slug thru a smooth barrel is not good. If it's ok do do so whats a good slug to put thru it for deer? Thanks boar

[96trigger]

2 things to consider.

#1, Most people shoot slugs out of barrels with modified chokes, but you can't do anything about that, so no big deal. I am sure there are plenty of people that shoot slugs out of fully choked barrels also.

#2, Shooting foster style slugs out of a smoothbore barrel will do absolutely no damage to the barrel. You want to make sure that the slugs you do buy though, are not for rifled barrels, or that they are not labeled as sabots. Most of them have "for rifled barrels only" written right on the box. They also cost alot more. If its your first time shooting slugs through the gun, buy a box of everything and see what gives you the best pattern. I would buy a box of each, Remington buckhammers, Winchesters, Brenneke's (KO's or others), and Federal Truballs. See which shoot the best off a bench and you are good to go. The difference between the foster and the sabots is the fosters use the wad to spin the projectile and stabilize the flight, a sabot uses the rifling in fully rifled slug barrels, (which you don't have)

Many people say that they can shoot the fosters up to 100 yards, and that is true, they can reach 100 yards, but I always tried to keep my shots within 50 for foster style slugs. It seems to me they are most accurate and give your best groups in that range.

[fr0sty]

When I use my smooth bore 12 for deer, I use a modified choke with federal truball slugs. Good combo. Range for me is 50 to maybe 70 yards.

I normally target practice at 50 yards and threw a few down range at the 100. I usually get 1 of 3 on the deer vital target.

[96trigger]

Yeah, I could conistently hit a piplate at 75 yards, but the group was pretty spread out. At 100 yards, there wasn't a great group.

[fr0sty]

I agree, 50 yards is a good range for that setup.

[Ufatz]

Shotgun slugs: get close-shoot straight. You won't have to chase the deer very far and most of the time they just go DOWN!

[Tator2k]

Here's the key, they will always tell you when looking for ammo.

1) Smooth Bore > Rifled Slugs

2) Rifled Barrel > Sabots or smooth slugs

[Boar]

Thanks guys. Boar