# Slugs



## DavidT (Feb 3, 2006)

Finally got a scattergun with a cylinder choke. (Used a smokepole during gun season up to now)
So what's the best hunk of lead to chunk out of an unrifled 12 gauge?


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## squid_1 (Jun 2, 2005)

Standard Remington Slugs will work just fine!


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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

I would use a rifled slug. Brenneke makes a nice slug. You will shoot a better group with a slug that is rifled.


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## doegirl (Feb 24, 2005)

I would buy some boxes of foster style slugs from different manufacturers and see which ones group the best. Saboted ammo will be a waste of money in a smoothbore.


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## Hetfieldinn (May 17, 2004)

I've been using Federal rifled Foster slugs (about $1.88 for a box of five) in my Remington 870 smoothbore deer gun for over a dozen years. When I first got the gun, I bought a couple boxes of slugs from different manufacturers, and tried them out. The Federals shot the best out of my gun.


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## DaleM (Apr 5, 2004)

I have used both Remington and winchester slugs both work fine in my 1187.
Doegirl- My brother has used sabots in his smooth bore and never had a problem. Not sure why you'd say a waste of money?? Granted he doesn't use them all the time but when he did they did the job. But I agree they are expensive when Remington or Winchesters work just fine.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I would put a few different brands through the gun and compare. All barrels seem to have their own preference. However, don't be afraid to try out the low priced Remington standard slugs. I have an old gun with a full choke field barrel and it shoots those Remingtons as true as anything else I could put through it.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

It's a waste of money to use saboted slugs in a smoothbore because it defeats the entire purpose of a saboted slug.

A bullet MUST spin to be stable in flight. You have two ways to spin a bullet. The old original way was, and is, with a foster type slug that has rifling on the slug itself to make the bullet (chunk of lead ) spin during flight thus stabilizing it's flight. This is the standard for smoothbore non rifled barrels.

The second option is a rifled barrel that spins the slug as it travels down the barrel. This is what a saboted slug was designed for. The plastic sabot spins with the rifling, spinning the bullet in the barrel and then drops off once it exits the barrel. To shoot a saboted slug in a smoothbore does NOT allow for stable (no spin)flight of the slug, it will tumble very soon down range. Not one manufacturer will recommend foster type slugs in a rifled barrel or a saboted slug in a smoothbore. It is one of the most blatant misapplications of guns and ammunition, yet it happens all the time just because people don't know any better.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

I agree. They will shoot fine from some guns, but they may indeed tumble and not "mushroom" as intended, even if POI is where intended. It would be almost impossible to see this when target shooting. By "waste of money", it would just basically being paying a lot more money with the same results as a Foster type slug would provide.


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## Toxic (May 13, 2006)

Try this site....... :! 
http://www.nrapublications.org/tah/Slugs.asp


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

That is a good point about not shooting sabots on smooth bore. I went for years shooting Rem slugs because that is all my smotth bore needed. Now my boy has a rifled slug barrel and I have him shooting sabots. The price tag is a huge jump up from Rem rifled slugs.


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## Toxic (May 13, 2006)

Here is some more info I just found...
Foster Type Slugs
Designed by William Foster, Foster type slugs date back to the 1930s. They are characterized by a hollow base single piece of lead with exposed rifling or fins along the side of them. Upon firing, the hollow base flares to the diameter of the bore and the exposed rifling combined with the nose heavy balance keep them on track towards their target. They are a good option for smoothbore shotgunners who only occasionally hunt deer with their shotgun and want to use the same barrel, but there are more accurate slugs available

Brenneke Type Slugs
Of German design, Brenneke type slugs date back to 1898 and differ from Foster slugs as they employ an attached wad or fin at the reward portion of the slug to ensure stabilization. Much like a badminton shuttlecock in flight, Brenneke type slugs are often an accurate projectile for smoothbore shotguns. 

Sabots
Developed in 1968, saboted slugs use a plastic sabot (French for shoe and pronounced say - bow) or "sleeve" around a smaller diameter slug. For serious shotgun deer hunters, this type of slug, when fired out of a fully rifled barrel is the most accurate for long-range shooting (For shotgun hunters anything over 100 yards is considered long range and saboted slugs retain more energy at longer distances due to streamlined shape and diameter). While the pros for sabots are many, one thing to keep in mind is that they must be fired from a rifled barrel to be accurate; without stabilization they will tumble and be far less accurate than either the Foster or the Brenneke type slugs.


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## Frank in the Laurel Mts (Jun 14, 2005)

I've tried just about every kind there is and have found that in smoothbores the Federal Tru-Ball are by far the most accurate....get the 2 3/4..1oz loads...just awesome !! They are difficult to find is some cases, they say tru-ball right on the pack...


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## Bigun (Jun 20, 2006)

Breneke rifled slugs. They don't kick as hard as the remington slugs, are more accurate, and similar ballistics.


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## kernal83 (Mar 25, 2005)

The new Federal tru-balls are definantly the way to go out of a smoothbore gun. They have shot great for me.


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