Slugs in a Smoothbore?

[ForkyFreak]

Does anybody here have experience shooting slugs out of a smoothbore shotgun? If so, how's the accuracy and distance? Any difference between unrifled/rifled slugs?

 

[Derek44]

I’ve seen decent accuracy at 100 yards with rifled slugs

 

[Addicting]

You must use rifled slugs and I’ve killed deer over a hundred yards with them.

 

[Nick87]

Use rifled slugs not sabots. Sometimes accuracy isn't bad sometimes it is. All depends. Like @Derek44 said deer size game is doable out to 100.

 

[chevyman181]

My uncle used to, I'm not sure if he shot the rifled slugs or not but he would shoot about a hundred yards for deer.

 

[Gellar]

Shoot rifled slugs out of a smooth barrel. With a scope I have no problem out to 100 with my 20 gauge 870.

 

[jt13]

I've shot a lot of rifled slugs through relatively short-barreled smoothbore shotguns with iron sights. Very capable 100 yards and in.

 

[Gellar]

I will add, try different brands. My gun shoots the same size slug very differently depending on manufacturer. My gun likes the Federal power shocks.

 

[Nick87]

I will add, try different brands. My gun shoots the same size slug very differently depending on manufacturer. My gun likes the Federal power shocks.

Yup.

 

[Dave N]

If you decide to try 3" slugs, prepare yourself!

 

[ForkyFreak]

Thanks for the replies!

 

[brymoore]

I grew up shooting rifle slugs out of my shotgun. I had a smooth, sighted deer barrel. It’s still in my gun cabinet. It was before rifled shotgun deer barrels. Family killed a lot of whitetails with them. Longest kills were about 100 yards.

 

[INMT]

Ditto. Shoot rifled slugs out of a smooth barrel. I grew up shooting 20 gauge open sights. I was young so never shot anything over 40. Dad had a scoped 12 gauge and regularly killed deer at 100+.

 

[Jbotto]

I grew up in a MN a slug zone. Probably haven’t touched one of them off in few years. I shot rifled slugs through a smoothbore slug barrel on my 870. The barrel was stamped Improved Cylinder and had iron sights. I never knew if the whole barrel was choked down to IC or if it was just near the muzzle.

Anyways, I greatly disliked having to use slugs. But I shot dozens of different rifled slugs, over the years, to see what shot best out of my shotgun. That’s the key with anything but I think it’s even more important with slugs. Some brands patterned so poorly I wouldn’t even call it a group. Others were much more consistent.

I think my furthest shot on a deer was about 100 yards. That was the furthest I trusted them with my gun and my shooting.