rifled slug barrels + slugs without sabots?

[Silvertp]

Wondering why everyone uses slug rounds with sabots in their rifled slug barrels.  At 1/3 the price for a heavier slug, seems like a no-brainer.

Where has my thinking gone wrong???

Silvertp

[PreciousVideoMemories]

Greetings, if you were to use full bore slugs in a rifled barrel and that too soft lead slugs you will have a barrel full of lead and could not even hit a elephant at 60 yards after lets say a dozen rounds.
By using the sabot you eliminate that possibility plus get more accuracy at much longer distance while keeping your barrel clean.
Hoping bit helps.
Ajay
Video Memories
www.PreciousVideoMemories.com

[Silvertp]

PVM...

If the problem is basically one of leading the barrel I   wonder why one of the ammo manufacturers hasn't come out with a harder lead slug to deal with that problem.  Would still have to be cheaper than the spendy sabot route.

Do any of you cast bullet shooting folks "cast" your own slugs for reloading?

Silvertp

[SHOOTALL]

 You buy a rifled bbl to gain distance and accuracy . If you want to save money why bother with the rifled bbl in the first place ? A smooth bore will shoot non sabot slugs well and new slugs on the market have improved . A foster slug is a chunk of lead not a great shape for a bullet really . I would guess it is not blanced as well as a bullet . A sabot style slug is a better shape and well blanced and you pay for the quality.
For what its worth i hunt where slugs and buckshot are legal. Long before the rifled bbls got to the point they are today i had a rifle sighted smooth bore 870 bbl threaded for rem chokes . Had a briley tube for buck shot and a rifled tube for slugs . It shot better with the short remington rifled tube than the extended tube from rem . It also shot as good as a full rifled bbl. I got later. Just and idea if you want a gun to go both ways . With a full choke tube it shot foster slugs about as good as any gun shoots them .

[dpastordan]

When my uncle closed his gun shop, he gave me about 50 boxes of foster slugs.  I had an H&R with a rifled barrel but the sabot slugs are costly.  I sold the H&R and bought a Mossberg pump with a smoothbore slug barrel.  I may not have the distance...but I have enough slugs to last me the rest of my life for hunting purposes.  And most deer are killed under a hundred yards than over (I believe the average is about 30-45 yards).  I can always buy a rifled barrel for the Mossberg should the urge hit me.

[Silvertp]

You buy a rifled bbl to gain distance and accuracy . If you want to save money why bother with the rifled bbl in the first place ?

You are correct.  I cut my teeth shooting "punkin balls" out of a stevens 16ga single shot.  Eventually moved  to a Rem. 1100 with a "slug bbl". 

Now Im suffering slightly from TC barrelitis.

My rifled bbl sits on a TC Pro Hunter.  I was hoping to take advantage of the TC's great trigger and scope mounting capabilities to use in a local "short range" deer season.  Ive been using a muzzle loader and doing just fine, but the eyes don't do open sights all that well anymore. 

I just mounted a scope the other day and got sighted in.  My next step is to pick up a few brands of ammo to see what shoots best for me.  I was wondering if I should try the non-sabot loads so thought I would post and see what folks had to say.

I hope to start reloading slugs but won't be doing so by  this season.

Thanks all for the replies.

Silvertp

[marine]

remington advertises that their sluggers can be shot through a rifled barrel and i made a call to their customer service a bout this and they seemed to think that it was fine.  As for leading your barrel,  I dont think the few shots fired during gun season would be all that signifigant. just a thought.

[SHOOTALL]

Browning said so also along with buckshot .

[hunt-m-up]

I no longer hunt with slug guns, but when I did I shot foster type slugs through 3 rifled barrels a Browning B-80 with Hastings barrel and 2 different Mossberg 835's with rifled barrels. They didn't lead up excessively and the Fosters shot within an inch of sabot slugs, 2" vs 3" not enough difference to justify the higher priced sabots when most shots were under 100yds, more like 75. I also had a Remigton Wingmaster with the rifled choke tube/rifled sights and it was more accurate than any of the others.

[pozoutdoors]

I have a h&r ultra slugger that will shoot clover leafs with winchester foster slugs at 100 yds. I want to start reloading slugs for my wife. But I will still use my t/c encore .50!!

[PreciousVideoMemories]

Good moring and greetings to you all, I like to add. you can buy a Lyman 525 slug in wad mould and cast and load your own sabots for 10 to 25 cents if you care to reload and be accurate to 100 yards. Look into it, its great fun!



or even a round ball of .678 can be very accurate and deadly up to 70 yards

Hope it helps.
Ajay Madan
Video Memories
www.PreciousVideoMemories.com

[Silvertp]

Great info folks!

Slug shooting isn't going to be a "high volume" part of my hunting.  I basically live in rifle country and the shotgun / slug combo fits just one hunt I like to participate in.  Given that I'll probably try a variety of foster and saboted slugs to see what my gun likes.  Marine, Hunt-m-up and Pozoutdoors all provide info about the leading problem, suitability and or performance of the foster slug, so I go into it with eyes wide-open, a good cleaning rod and plenty of elbow grease.

In addition I do want to get into shotgun slug reloading.  PVM...I may buy cast slugs in the beginning but I have plans to start my own casting for a few of my rifles and one of my pistols, so will likely do the same with shotgun slugs. 

Don't try and make sense of my reasoning.... , there are some things that I do just because I want to.

Silvertp

[luckydawg13]

+ 0NE

[PreciousVideoMemories]

Hello Silvertp I agree with you, life is too short, put the pants on ( to let the pretty wife know who's the boss ) and go for it. Just my type of joke!
To start casting go for the new lead melting pot from Lyman for $29 from Midsouth soon to be available. I have two bottom pour from Lee what a pain all it does is leak like hell! Cant wait to get the new Lyman pot. I use wheel weight for all my casting, .300 Weatherby, 44 magnum Roger SRH and slugs.
I use to work for J.P.Sauer $ Sons in Eckernforde, West Germany where we produced the famous Weatherby Mark 5, Colt Sauer cam action rifle and Sauer drillings etc.
Ajay
Video Memories
www.PreciousVideoMemories.com

[deernhog]

Rem green box slugs for my USH, 5 shots one big hole then I run a bore snake thru a couple times. Never tried to shoot it out past that many rounds. Never was attacked by a 5 deer herd that needed exterminating and I always clean it when I shoot it.   Fouling is only a problem at the range it seems it you want to set and shoot for an extended amount of time. After one shot I'm hopefully busy dressing or hauling one out for a good day in the wods

[wreckhog]

I have a h&r ultra slugger that will shoot clover leafs with winchester foster slugs at 100 yds. I want to start reloading slugs for my wife. But I will still use my t/c encore .50!!

I have a 12 gauge bull barrel H&R Ultra Slug Hunter. I bought it because it weighed 13lbs when scoped. Almost fun to shoot with slugs and can't be had with a smoothbore barrel.

Shot Remington Sluggers. Useless. Winchester Super-X shoot great. I have never even tried it with sabots, though I just got quantity 500 from an auction at less than the price of Sluggers.

I generally shoot 20 rounds and clean it when i get home. Leading is not too bad. I wrap pieces of lead remover cloth around a brass brush and run it back and forth from the chamber end like I am trying to wear out the rifling. Maybe 3 patches and it is almost done. I clean it til it looks clean to the eye, but the patches are not 100 percent clean.

I have had FTF, a known issue with H&R, so it will only go out when I need to fill a doe tag.

[deernhog]

The bull barrell and the steel weight in the stock sure keeps mine from blowing around on a breezy day. Mine recoils similar to a stout duck load with slugs and I can shoot it all morning without a problem. I need to try the Winchester loads in mine but the Rems shoot so good I never invested in anything else. I may try some sabots just for curiousity sake. Its getting here quick so I will not monkey with it much.

[mrussel]

PVM...

If the problem is basically one of leading the barrel I   wonder why one of the ammo manufacturers hasn't come out with a harder lead slug to deal with that problem.  Would still have to be cheaper than the spendy sabot route.

Do any of you cast bullet shooting folks "cast" your own slugs for reloading?

Silvertp

[wiki=][/wiki]

 I just cast up a about 100 of the lee 1oz drive key slugs and loaded up 30 shells to try. I dont know how it will go,but I just mounted a red dot on my NEF Tracker II.

[mrussel]

Good moring and greetings to you all, I like to add. you can buy a Lyman 525 slug in wad mould and cast and load your own sabots for 10 to 25 cents if you care to reload and be accurate to 100 yards. Look into it, its great fun!



or even a round ball of .678 can be very accurate and deadly up to 70 yards

Hope it helps.
Ajay Madan
Video Memories
www.PreciousVideoMemories.com

So you roll crimp em? I thought the Lyman manual (I was reading it in the store,haven't bought it... yet) said to use a star crimp. Ive loaded up some with the Lee slugs but haven't had a chance to use it yet. Have you use the Lee ones? If so how do they compare to the Lyman ones?

[mrussel]

Hello Silvertp I agree with you, life is too short, put the pants on ( to let the pretty wife know who's the boss ) and go for it. Just my type of joke!
To start casting go for the new lead melting pot from Lyman for $29 from Midsouth soon to be available. I have two bottom pour from Lee what a pain all it does is leak like hell! Cant wait to get the new Lyman pot. I use wheel weight for all my casting, .300 Weatherby, 44 magnum Roger SRH and slugs.
I use to work for J.P.Sauer $ Sons in Eckernforde, West Germany where we produced the famous Weatherby Mark 5, Colt Sauer cam action rifle and Sauer drillings etc.
Ajay
Video Memories
www.PreciousVideoMemories.com

 New lead melting pot? I have a Lyman melting pot that I paid about 30 or 35 for from Cabellas. Whats the difference between the old one and the new one? Im glad I went with that instead of the Lee one from what your saying. I suspected there would be those kinds of problems with the Lee. If it leaks really bad though,there are some hints on the Lee website for improving the situation.