Slug Selection

[BigUgly]

My Dad uses a Rem 11-87 with a rifled choke tube. Like others have said challengers are great from a smooth bore but Dad found the cheap Federal sabot slugs to be more accurate and better performance on deer. I have a couple of challenger slugs like posted picture but the fact is they are from recovered deer which means dead deer, never knock those slugs IMHO the best smooth bore slug there is. What I really suggtest tho is save up and buy a rifled barrel you will not regret it.

[Boo]

I read an article some years back and they examined slug diameter and found a fairly moderate variance in diameters of the slugs. The point of the article was that you need to find the slug that fits the bore best by either shooting the various by measuring the bore and slug and shooting or just shooting the various brands. Apparently some older slug barrels had a gradual taper creating a minor very long choke to prevent slugs from rattling down the bore.

[RyanB]

I read an article some years back and they examined slug diameter and found a fairly moderate variance in diameters of the slugs. The point of the article was that you need to find the slug that fits the bore best by either shooting the various by measuring the bore and slug and shooting or just shooting the various brands. Apparently some older slug barrels had a gradual taper creating a minor very long choke to prevent slugs from rattling down the bore.

If I'm not mistaken all of the sabot slugs that are meant to shoot out of a riffled barrel are surounded in plastic...almost like a wadding. The 3 or 4 brands I have shot have all had this plastic and when doing target practice you would actually see it flying thru the air landing about 30 or 40 yards.

If I do make it up moose hunting this fall I will be taking my slug gun as I am usually one of younger guys in our group that has to do most of the walking thru the thick stuff where you can't usually see more than 60 yards. I have seen the damage on of these sabots do to a deer at over 200 yards and feel comfortable shooting a moose with one at 150 yards or a little more.

Ryan

[Boo]

At 150 yards a 300 gr slug running into a moose's lungs at 1400 ft/sec is going to make it real sick!
http://www.winchester.com/products/cata ... =16&use=24

[Sliver]

This season, I'll be shooting Remington Buckhammers 1 1/4 oz out of my 870 using the 20inch rifled barrel.


BTW when I was using my smooth bore I shot with challenger slugs,, they seemed to work ok for me...

[butch]

Do you use that for moose??

[Paparock]

My money goes to Dixie Slugs for power and effectiveness because they are the only hard cast heat treated slugs, refuse to flatten out and they flat out penetrate.

[DropTine]

I really appreciate all the feedback. Everything was very informative. I made the decision to take the rifled choke back and got my refund as I didn't take it out of the package. Im going to take BigUgly's advice and save up to buy a fully rifled barrel, but it wont be this season as I just dropped $275 on a St.Croix Legend Tournamet fishing rod. I think im going to try those challenger slugs in my smooth bore barrel and get a fully rifled barrel for next shotgun season.

Thanks,

Matt

[MADMAX2]

Good choice Matt you will not be dissapointed with the rifled barrel.

[beretta96D]

For a smooth bore, I use either Challenger or Brennekke, but prefer the Brennekke. Followed by two 3.5" Federal buckshots.

When I use a rifled barrel, I used Lightfield exclusively. Heavy on the recoil but extremely accurate. Off the bench you can clover leaf with them at 100 yards with a factory barrel. Here's their link.

http://www.lightfieldslugs.com/

[RyanB]

How much was the choke? I would also rather shoot a riffled choke and a one of the sabots designed for it then a smoth bore and a challenger slug. With a bit of practice you should be consistent at 50-75 yards...I know guys say all the time that they can do that will challengers but I think its pure luck most of the time seeing they never practice. Also, you get great expansion with the sabots now compared to a ball of lead with a challenger that usually keeps its shape.

Ryan

I really appreciate all the feedback. Everything was very informative. I made the decision to take the rifled choke back and got my refund as I didn't take it out of the package. Im going to take BigUgly's advice and save up to buy a fully rifled barrel, but it wont be this season as I just dropped $275 on a St.Croix Legend Tournamet fishing rod. I think im going to try those challenger slugs in my smooth bore barrel and get a fully rifled barrel for next shotgun season.

Thanks,

Matt

[DropTine]

The choke wat $40

Matt

[M&M]

last year I got a new rifled barrel for my 870 12 gauge and I really wanted to shoot some of the new fast sabot loads so I bought a couple boxes of just about everything my dealer had and probably droped a good 250$ at least in ammo agrivation and I learned that most of it would shoot well at about 50yds but the groups would open way up at 100yds, the funny thing was that what shot best for me was the least expensive sabot load I tried it was made by hastings 1.25 ounce load and shot consistant 1.5-2 inch groups at 100 yds and the effect on the deer I shot with it was amazing, I shot a fat doe at about 70yds broadside and the exit wound was huge the deer just turned the other direction and it looked like it had a faucet just pouring the blood out!! amazing performance. M&M

[dutchhunter]

just left gobels in tburg has a large selection of slugs .I picked up some hornadys and the new remmy accutip bothgo about 2000 feet sec .so we will see how they group.just love this time of year getting things together trying new things keep post coming it is not possibel for one guy to try everything so lets hearwhat works for u

[Big John]

I also have tried many types of slugs in my Rem.'s. From the smooth bore I used the Challengers. They were very good to 75 yds. even 100 yds. I got very interested in Sabot shooting with rifled barrels. Hundreds of dollars spent on them and the range. I've took many Deer , Bear , and Moose with Sabot's. I posted last season one of the winchester sabots that came out of a Deer. They are Platinum 400 gr. "Excellent expansion". Beautiful groups. out to 150 yds. Then I found "Federal Barnes Expanders" had a very good range test, out to 150 yds. 1900 fps. From the rifled barrels they perform excellent consistantly. I use them exclusively now. Even the Remington Coreloc't ultra's out of the Remington guns, didn't perform nearly as well. IMHO, rifled barrels about double your effective range of Slugs with Sabots.