So i know there are plenty of rifled barrel "slug" guns (H&R Ultra slug, ithica deerslayer II, Tarhunt…), and I have one myself and absolutely love it. It is dead-a$$ accurate (surprisingly) and has immense knock-down power. THe only problem is the sabot slugs are too expensive and I am not a believer of shooting rifled foster or brennekes out of a rifled barrel. So my question is are there any dedicated smoothbore slug guns?
Any dedicated smoothbore slug guns?
- Thread starter fatbill
- Start date
My Remington 870 super mag has the original barrel on it and it will stay that way. Smooth bore all the way. If I want a rifled barrel I'll pick up one of my rifles. I believe a shotgun should be a multi task gun. Not to mention for the price of a rifled barrel I could buy a new gun.
ligonierbill
New member
Good 'ole Remington 870; just buy a 20" IC barrel with rifle sights. Mine will hold about 3" at 100, but baby, does it kick. Honestly, busts my shoulder worse than my .338 Win Mag. Pretty accurate with Brennke KOs, however.
thanks ligonierbil I was thinking the 870 express deer, although I'm not sure if they even make it anymore? It's weird I can't get to that gun through remington's website, but if I type it in it gives me a link to it on the remington website. Your right regarding the improved cylinder that seems to be most accurate with the foster slugs and brennekes.
North East Redneck
New member
Maverick 88. Mine has a 24" slug barrel. Can use any of the Mossberg 500 barrels also.
Brian Pfleuger
Moderator Emeritus
I don't get this.... are you using this thing as a plinker? I hunted for years with both smooth and rifled slug guns. The annual price difference in ammo was probably $20. It'd be one thing if you already had another gun but buying a $500+ gun to save $20 a year doesn't make a lot of sense.
Ostyerboy, the cylinder bore should be fine for shooting anything really (besides sabot slugs, these won't hurt the barrel but will be highly inaccurate and a waist of money). The shot might spread quite a bit though. Though many associate the cylinder bore with foster and brenneke slugs, the improved cylinder is designed for these slugs and will yield greater accuracy. But in theory you could shoot anything through your bore, even a slug made of diamond. That would be an even bigger waist than shooting sabots through it and I would not recommend it 
. To Brian Pfleuger, I like to take my gun to the range too and I unload quite a bit of ammo. It gets very expensive with those Copper Solids and Collet Cup Sabots, and those are the only two my gun really likes. Oh and that reminds me I'd highly recommend the Collet Cup Sabots. They shoot better than any other sabot on the market. It's a major pain in the a$$ to order them though but if any of you want to just shoot an email here: emmayoung10@comcast.net
Anyway, I'm getting off topic and I'm trying to get a gun that isn't so expensive to shoot. Trust me, with the amount of ammunition I run through it, buying a whole new gun will be a wise investment. I want something dependable that many deer hunters use. As far as smoothbore slug guns go, what do you see on the field the most?
. To Brian Pfleuger, I like to take my gun to the range too and I unload quite a bit of ammo. It gets very expensive with those Copper Solids and Collet Cup Sabots, and those are the only two my gun really likes. Oh and that reminds me I'd highly recommend the Collet Cup Sabots. They shoot better than any other sabot on the market. It's a major pain in the a$$ to order them though but if any of you want to just shoot an email here: emmayoung10@comcast.netAnyway, I'm getting off topic and I'm trying to get a gun that isn't so expensive to shoot. Trust me, with the amount of ammunition I run through it, buying a whole new gun will be a wise investment. I want something dependable that many deer hunters use. As far as smoothbore slug guns go, what do you see on the field the most?
Yeah typically home defense shotguns are cylinder bore since they offer good spread at close range. Specifically designed home defense loads like your segmenting slug (I'm assuming PDX1) will actually benefit from use of a cylinder bore. Your segmenting slug is not designed for penetration but more for expending its energy as quickly as possible (hopefully before it exits the person). And to do this it has precut segments. Any kind of choke on this particular slug may put stress on the segments and hinder its performance when it reaches for target. So what I'm trying to get at is this:
1. Specifically designed home defense loads work best in cylinder bore barrels
2. Foster and Brenneke slugs work best with improved cylinder chokes
3. Sabot slugs only really work in rifled barrels
4. You can technically fire anything you want out of the cylinder bore barrel, it won't hurt it a bit
I know quite a bit about the ballistic performance of shotshells because a friend of mine likes to test certain loads at the range, and I really find it quite interesting. Hope this is helpful!
Any chance someone can answer my question though? What smoothbore slug guns do you guys see in the field most often?
big al hunter
New member
I hunt an area that is shotgun only. I have seen just about every make and action in the field, except for a lever action shotgun. Mostly pump guns. Remington and Mossberg seem to be most popular. Probably because of the price of the gun. Just saw a new Mossberg 500 for 299$, almost bought it. (My wife would have used it on me though) If I were in your shoes I would get a pump with screw in chokes. Then shoot it with different chokes to see which slug/choke combo worked the best.
If I were in your shoes I would get a pump with screw in chokes. Then shoot it with different chokes to see which slug/choke combo worked the best.