Slug question...

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Brasso

New member
My only shotgun experience is with buckshot and foster slugs. I'm a bit confused over the various rifled slugs and slug barrels.

Can a foster style with the rifling on the slug be fired out of a rifled slug barrel, and can a slug made for a rifled barrel be fired out of a smooth bore?

What exactly is a Brenneke Slug and what type of barrel should it be fired from?

Can a sabot slug be fired in a smooth bore?

Thanks.
 
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mikenbarb

New member
A Brenneke slug is a foster type and should be used in a smoothbore barrel. You can fire either slug in either barrel but the results will be terrible. The sabot type slugs are made for a rifled barrel and the foster types are for smoothbores. The problem with firing a foster type out of a rifled barrel is that its a lead slug that has nothing to protect it from the bore surface and when fired in a rifled barrel, It will leave heavy lead deposits that are a real problem to get out. And a sabot type is enclosed in a plastic sabot which is designed to grab the rifling and induce a spin on the slug inside it. When the projectile leaves the barrel, The sabot falls away but the slug keeps spinning down range to the target. The sabot type with a rifled barrel are 10 times more accurate than the foster type and also give you a range out to 200+ yards with the proper setup. Typically a foster type is good for 50-75yds max. You will hear of guys shooting them out to 100-150yds and get good groups but in a real world, Thats almost impossible for everyone to do and 99% of slug guns wont shoot a foster type accuratly past 50-75yds. The best sabot type slug I have found to date is the Hornady SST and I can shoot them good out to 225yds and be able to keep them in an 8" circle. The best foster type I have found is the Federal Tru-Ball slug. I can shoot them well out to 75yds and keep them in a 10" circle. I have been hunting and shooting slugs for 29yrs. and have tried pretty much all of them and almost every barrel type made. The best barrels I have used for foster type are the factory Mossberg 24" smoothbore with rifle sights or Remington 22" smoothbore w/rifle sights. For sabot slugs, The Badger or Hastings are the best I have found so far. I also have a Savage 210F slug gun thats a tack driver.
 
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dabigguns357

New member
Hey there mike how ya been,i to have a question about slugs from a rifled slug barrel.Have you ever heard of this type of sabot slug and if it would be worth buying.It comes 25 rounds for 15.95 at ammunition to go .com

12 Gauge Federal LE Tactical Full Power Hydra-Shok Slug it says
this ammo is 2 3/4" and contains a 1oz. Hydra-Shok Slug. This ammo travels at 1610fps and has 2555ftlbs.Just hopin to get skinny on a shell i aint heard about before.
 
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nutty ned

New member
Foster slugs shoot just fine in a rifled slug barrel, I have not tried beyond
100 yds.
<
If you get leading use whatever bore cleaner you normally use, then cut
several strands from a copper choreboy pot scrubber or look alike from the dollar store, wrap these around a bore brush and push it through the bore 2-3 times. The leading if any will come out in chunks or bitty pieces depending the amount of leading. So remove the barrel from the reciever.
<
Before the above method I used a bore brush and WD-40 and the lead came out in chunks; but, WD-40 can gum up the works, so I no longer use it.
 
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jsflagstad

New member
Anyone had any luck with the Lee slugs in rifled barrels? This is the mold your own type and reload and they are wrapped in a conventional shotgun wad for the sabot.
 
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mikenbarb

New member
Dabig, Their ok for close range but the best are the Federal Tru Balls. Their great for smoothbores. The hydra shocks are a tactical round made for power up close but from what I have seen and heard at the range, their not too good over 50yds.
Jflag, I just cleared it. sorry
And yes, Im having extremly great results with the Lee keyed slugs. Their great and cheap to make.
 
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Bill DeShivs

New member
Sabot slugs work just fine in a smooth bore- as well as Fosters. Sub-caliber sabot slugs were developed before shotgun barrels were rifled. Lately, the sabots seem to be geared for rifled bores.
WD 40 won't gum anything up.
 
C

cptmclark

New member
Slug time of year

Has anyone been out testing the latest crop of sabot slugs? I can't tell anymore from the infomercials the gun magazines have become. My best accuracy in my cantilevered 870 is the 3 inch Lightfield Hybred Express. Unfortuneatly, some 560 grains at 1700 fps in a 20 inch barrel is not fun to shoot very many times. Believe it or not I like to shoot a lot in the gun I'll be hunting with. The new pointed winchesters got a good writeup, but I haven't read anyone testing them from the bench. Thanks

Oh yes, I concur with the truball being an accurate foster slug. My old wingmaster 20 inch IC amazes me with 1.5 inch groups at 50 yards (bench) and 5" (too big) at 100 yards. Not a hundred yard gun but still amazing tht it can do that.
 
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mikenbarb

New member
I got bad accuracy from the Winchesters and my gun didnt like them at all. I have tried about every slug on the market and have best results with Hornady SST's, Buckhammers and Copper Solids. I am now loading my own sabots with slugs I cast from the Lee keyed slug mold and having great success with them out to 150yds. Plus they only cost me .75 each to make:D.
 
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danweasel

New member
Brennekes are the ultimate bear defense in my book. Hardcast penetrating slugs (they don't have the hollow tip like a foster) and they are damned accurate. I like the green and the blacks. They work great in my smoothbore but they make some for rifled barrels too. I wish I would have taken a picture of this amazing group I got with them at about 50-ish yards. 5 in two holes about 1' apart. With a bead sight.
 
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cptmclark

New member
Mike, tell me more about the Lee slugs. Is there loading data and instructions? How do you crimp them? Sounds like the way to go. "Great success to 150 yards"? What accuracy are you getting, group size wise? Soooo many questions.
 
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gemmemk1

New member
I am trying to keep up here with the slugs. From what I have seen here, I should be using SABOT SLUGS IN THE 410/45 Judge as that hand gun is rifled . Is that right?
 
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gemmemk1

New member
Being the gun is or can be a 410 with rifling the question was which slug would I use if I wanted to. The slug may not go down range as far as the 45 LC. Shorter range? Or though as many walls or other things. Could this be a reson to use the slug in HD. I don't know, Just asking.
 
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hogdogs

Staff In Memoriam
I doubt imparting spin would hurt the accuracy of the .410 slug. I also do not know of any sabot .410 slugs as it would be a pretty small projectile. The physics that make the shotgun slug fly straight and true is a forward heavy tail light design. That is the same theory in play with lead air rifle pellets and they fly great out of my rifled air rifle barrel. So I would suggest getting some and verify it for your self but it WON'T harm anything to try it if you were worried about that.
Brent
 
R

Rammy

New member
Mossberg 500, Rifled bore.

I had gotten some Buckhammer's to try and sight in my new Mossberg. Besides about hammering my shoulder, the range was packed and I ended up not getting completely sighted in before I had to leave.
So, saturday I found Brenneke Slugs that stated for Smooth OR Rifled Barrels.
After some hesitation, and since they were less than $5/box, I picked up 3 boxes.
At first I was impressed. I found a much nicer range, and after 1 shot on the 25yd, I adjusted and put the next 3 rounds within 1 - 1 1/2". I moved to the 50 yd range (had it all to myself :D). I fired 3 rounds and all within 1 1/2" and just about an inch high.
So, I went the the 100yd range, again all to myself. I fired 3 rounds and Here is where I have a concern. The 3 shots were literally within 1" and touching. However, they were 6" low on my target. So, that's a 7 - 71/2" drop from 50 to 100yds. :eek:
I then aimed at the top of the Target and all hell broke loose. I fired 2 more sets of 3 and never hit the Target again. They were spraying all over the place.

So, couple of questions here. Are those slugs that bad? Could the Barrel have either loaded up / gotten dirty and totally lost accuracy? THe wind WAS picking up, but I didn't think it was that bad.

BTW, I now have 4 boxes of Hornaday SST's for this coming weekend. Learned my lesson on cheap slugs.

Thanks for any clarification or input on what happened.
 
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cptmclark

New member
Rammy, I think you said you shot three, three shot groups and all were very good groups. If these are the Brennekies I'm thinking of they are full bore size lead, with rifling" fins. That is a leading proposition in a rifled barrel for sure. Losing accuracy after several shots with lead slugs in a rifled bore is common and normal. You should have so much lead you can see it. If so, getting the lead out should return your accuracy. Six or seven inch drop is not excessive for these 70 cal flat plate bullets. If you have a rifled barrel and plenty of time for zeroing, I would (just my opinion) shoot some sabot loads for group. That will not foul your barrel, at least not for a very many shots. If you like the near full bore bullets, one suggestion is the Lightfield Elite. That's a sabot slug that's fat and shoots well for most. Many other good ones out there. Not more than a 100 yard proposition anyway, for most practical purposes. Good luck
 
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Brian Pfleuger

Moderator Emeritus
Has anyone been out testing the latest crop of sabot slugs?
Click to expand...


Winchester XP3 review by me here:

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=314816


If you want the short version: bad.


I currently shoot Rem Core-Lokt Ultras. They are very accurate in the two guns with which I have experience (Browning Gold and Rem 1187). I've been seeing good things about the new Rem Accu-Tips but the ballistics are poor compared to the Core-Lokts so I'll not be trying them.
 
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Rammy

New member
cptmclark, Thanks for the info. I figured the barrel must have had something going on.
I'll try these Hornaday SSTs and hopefully that will be good enough to get me thru Deer season. After that, I may do more experimenting.
I must say, being a Rookie in not having shot a Shotgun in 25 yrs, this is a BLAST. :D
 
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