Sabot Slugs

[lawman]

I am just getting into hunting. I bought a Rem 12 Gauge for turkey in the spring and yesterday I picked up a rifled slug choke for the same gun at Cabela's. The salesman told me I could only use sabots. Why? Whats the difference? Has anyone had experience with the rifled choke? Those sabots are really pricey!

[Froggy4371]

You are right they are pricy but they are way more accurate and if you use regular rifled slugs they will wrech the choke tube and you will be out that money also for a new choke tube.

Froggy.

[Ray Mysterio]

Lawman,

A rifled slug already has the rifling on it to make it spin down the barrel which increases accuracy. A sabotted slug does not have any rifling so in theory the rifled choke tube makes the sabotted slug spin before it leaves the barrel. If you use rifled slugs with a rifled choke tube, the slug will be spinning on its own down the barrel until it hits the rifled choke tube, the choke tube will throw the spin of the slug off and it will be less accurate. The rifled slug can also fowl your rifled choke tube as the lead will fill in the rifling.

My brother is sales specialist for Federal Cartridge and is very knowledgable. He told me that a sabotted slug works well out of a rifled barrel, not a rifled choke tube. Basically the rifled choke tube makes the sabotted slug spin only one revolution before it exits the barrel - not helping accuracy that much. But when it spins down the entire barrel, your accuracy dramitically improves.

My suggestion, put an improved cylinder choke tube in your gun and go out and buy Federal Tru-ball rifled slugs. These slugs are the most accurate on the market for a rifled slug.Don't mess around with saboted slugs unless you have a rifled barrel

Just my two cents. Hope this helps and is understandable.

Mysterio

[SCUMFROG]

Lawman, I have an 870 12g with a rifled barrel. And I shoot Premier Core-Lokt Ultra Bonded Sabot Slugs from Remington only. I get groups that all 5 shots are touching at 50 yards, and I get 3 touching at 100. I've just started shooting last year. If you can get a barrel that's fully rifled I would use that instead.

[cupper]

I have to agree with scumfrog. The only difference for me is that I shoot the winchester partition golds (2 3/4").

[lawman]

I am never let down by this site. Thanks for the help guys.

[DooWap]

Diddo on the post by scumfrog I shoot the same set up with the same results. I put a 1.5-4.5X scope on mine too.

[hugonian1]

Along the same line, can you shoot rifled slugs out of a rifled barrel?

[uffdapete]

No. Doing so would result in major lead fouling in the rifling. Rifled slugs are designed to be shot through a smoothbore and sabots through a rifled barrel.

The first slug barrels were smoothbore choked to improved cylinder and had rifle sights.

[SCUMFROG]

DooWap,

My gun came with a 26' cantalever (sp) riffled barrel with scope and a 28' ribbed bird barrlel. Sweet combo from Gander.

[Ron Burgundy]

A gunsmith told me yesterday that he shoots the cheap federal or super-x through his rifled barrel with no problems.