Good slugs for smoothbore?

Joined
Apr 25, 2013
Messages
3,094
Likes
1,993
Location
Mexico.....Missouri
Feedback: 3 / 0 / 0
I've got a Mossberg 500 on the way. it has ghost ring sights and I'd like to plink around with some slugs. Im not looking for high dollar hunting slugs or super magnum thumpers, more just pie plate/center mass accuracy out to 50. Would be nice for recoil and cost not to make it unbearable for regular practice. I'm not recoil shy at all, but we all know there's some shoulder hammers out there when it comes to slugs.

If I end up liking it enough I might cast slugs and load my own shells. I've loaded other shotshells and enjoyed it.

Anyways, any leads?
 
What kind of accuracy can be expected from a run of the mill slug through a smoothbore?

shooting off sand bags my 870 with "deer slug" barrel can hold about 7 moa at 100 yards withcheap shit remington sluggers....maybe a bit tighter say 5-6 moa with some of the lighter slugs or the federals that have the little stabalizer on the back of the slug.....
Minute of deer inside 50 yards off hand is all i can muster and all I ask for
 
I love Federal Classics if you can find them.

I once hit 3/6 clay pigeons at 100 yds. with my smoothbore Ithaca 37 at a turkey shoot.
Took home 3 turkeys...[smile]
 
I haven't found anything that would/will beat the Remington Buckhammers. Can't find tem anymore. Even the low-recoil ones were great bambi takers out to 80-90 yards. Had to use them in my 12 Winnie pump after my shoulder crapped out.
 
I'd advise you to eventually cast your own. I have pretty good luck with accuracy out of my Mossberg 500 24" smooth bore with rifle sights. Easily within a pie plate at 50 yards.

My load is a 0.690" round ball (Lyman mold), 7/8 oz plastic wad with most of the petals cut off, 38 grains of Blue Dot, and a roll crimp in a 2 3/4" shell with about 1/4" cut off the neck to clean up the old existing crimp and make the new roll-crimp look nicer. It takes a little time and money to get started but once you're set up you can load these balls very cheaply compared to commercial slugs. Some data specifies up to 50 grains of Blue Dot which must be insane. Ballistic Products has everything you need to cast and load slugs or balls.

This load I mention above leaves a devastating hole in a car...IMG_2185.jpg
 
Last edited:
I'd advise you to eventually cast your own. I have pretty good luck with accuracy out of my Mossberg 500 24" smooth bore with rifle sights. Easily within a pie plate at 50 yards.

My load is a 0.690" round ball (Lyman mold), 7/8 oz plastic wad with most of the petals cut off, 38 grains of Blue Dot, and a roll crimp in a 2 3/4" shell with about 1/4" cut off the neck to clean up the old existing crimp and make the new roll-crimp look nicer. It takes a little time and money to get started but once you're set up you can load these balls very cheaply compared to commercial slugs. Some data specifies up to 50 grains of Blue Dot which must be insane. Ballistic Products has everything you need to cast and load slugs or balls.

This load I mention above leaves a devastating hole in a car...View attachment 175017
I cast the lee 1oz slug but I never loaded them beyond 1200fps... I loaded them up for club slug shoot. they shoot well and Im sure 1200fps can be just as effective as 1600fps that some slugs are.
 
Federal Premium LE HP are what I mostly use since I got a good price on a case. 18.5 inch smooth bore barrel no problem offhand at 100 yards shooting minute of man.
 
Back
Top Bottom