Can I shoot a Slug through a Modified Choke?

bfriendly

Bigfoot friendly
I am almost positive we shot slugs through my buddies Remington 870(25yoWal-Mart pump shotgun)12 ga. years ago, like when we just graduated high school. But it may have been his old 20ga breaker that we shot slugs through......thanks and I KNOW someone here knows, so I appreciate the help

Anyway, Deer Season starts Wed and if I am going to get (hunt4)a hog on Thursday, I cannot use my new .22mag.:banginghe

I can take the 12ga with slugs on Thursday right?(Pinelog WMA)
 

Dustin Pate

Administrator
Staff member
I would shoot it through an Improved Cylinder if you have one. Also unless you have a rifled slug barrel you don't need to shoot sabots. You need rifled slugs.
 

bfriendly

Bigfoot friendly
Thanks Dustin. WE only have the one barrel and it has a modified choke built-in(Not detachable), at least that is what Len says the barrel is.
So it will be safe if we shoot rifled 12 ga slugs?:huh:
 
Yes, it is safe to do so.

Slug performance is highly variable and you should try two or three kinds to see what provides the most accuracy.

Hint, shotguns are different from rifles, and you usually will get more accurate accuracy results shooting offhand as opposed to shooting of sandbags.
 
Hint, shotguns are different from rifles, and you usually will get more accurate accuracy results shooting offhand as opposed to shooting of sandbags.

Ok,you have peeked my interest(as well as your avatar does everytime i see it)

why do you say what you say it is better off hand than a stable rest?
 
why do you say what you say it is better off hand than a stable rest?

Because of the difference in the way that shotguns, especially pump guns, rifles are made.

With a rifle you have a barrel screwed into a rigid receiver, so that the barrel and receiver are essentially one unit. The whole thing is then tightly screwed into the stock.

With a pump shotgun such as the 870, the barrel essentially floats in the receiver (you can feel a bit of movement in nearly all barrels), and the barrel is not firmly attached to anything, other than the magazine tube, which itself is a press fit. The forearm, which is what rests on the sandbag, is not connected to anything other than the action bars, and so it has a lot of movement, and can press on either side or the bottom of the barrel when on sandbags. If you look at any well used 870 barrel, more than likely there are rub marks down one or both sides from play in the forearm.

So all this "looseness" leads to results that are not "accurate"
(pun intended) when shooting from a rest. It's the reason that the most accurate scoped shotguns have the scope mount on the barrel, and not the receiver as you do with a rifle. It's also the reason that card shooters tend to prefer bolt action shotguns, which are put together like a rifle.

This situation is better known among trapshooters, who want their gun to pattern a specific way. Shooting from a sandbag will place the pattern somewhere that is not necessarily the same as shooting offhand.
 

bfriendly

Bigfoot friendly
Thank you 25 06!

And thank you for that Avatar as well........what ever happened to HER show? I LOVED to watch it........she gets my pick for Sports woman of the decade!

Yea I know,:offtopic: But I got my question answered!
She just gets my attention:love:
Kind of like Nina Warrior Princess b4 her and Wonder Woman b4 her, probably Stevie nicks from Fleetwood Mac b4 her!

:biggrin2: awe memories....now everyone knows my age.....lol
 

Elkbane

Senior Member
2506,
IMHO, That answer you gave may be a little misleading. The reason a shotgun shoots to a different POI when shouldered rather than from a bench is likely due to mounting position, not deflection of the barrel (alot of trap guns are O/U which don't suffer from the barrel slop you described). Shooting a shotgun, your right eye is effectively the rear sight. When you mount a shotgun to the shoulder, if it is mounted the same way each time, your eye will "center up" over the gun such that you get the same sight picture relative to the bead and target. This is difficult to replicate from the bench, but if you can do it exactly the same, it will shoot to the same POI. Slugs are the same way - if you have a slug gun with sights mounted on the barrel, it will shoot the same if held as from the bench. What changes is when you shoot a no-sight slug gun from the bench - if you can't get your head exactly in the same position each time, your "rear sight" changes position, and hence an apparent shift in POI. In the final analysis, the gun will shoot where it's pointed, regardless of the way you hold it - you just gotta make sure it's pointed the same each time. And holding it from a bench is often more repeatable than holding it and shooting from the shoulder. No offense intended, just my opinion.
Elkbane
 

bfriendly

Bigfoot friendly
Elkbane, thanks for chiming in........Len's shotgun only has the end"BB" sight, so yes, my head(Eye) position is going to be the rear sight, so what you just said makes perfect sense to me!
I am going to practice like I do with my .22(Hard sights only)

When I am at the range, I will "see wilbur coming out of the woods", when he gets to my target, I will take him down.

I will do this from a Standing position, and also from a sitting position, but not on the bench. May try leaning against the side of the pole(like a Tree).

If I put a scope on my new .22 mag, I will more than likely dial it in using the bench and a sand bag....

I actually hit my target with a 22lr at 100yards. 1shot inside the 1" mark and 3 shots inside the 3" mark, 2 were actually on the 2" line........I never knew that old marlin .22lr was that accurate.......I was amazed I even hit the target from that far..........

No worries though, I wont be taking any shots from anywhere near that far with a slugger!

Once again, I thank you guys for the great info.
 
isn't an open choke generally the best choice for slugs out of a smooth-bore? Or can you shoot slugs through a constrictive choke such as a modified or IC? granted these two arent very constrictive, but it was my understanding that the open choke was the same inner diameter as the barrel.
 
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