Sabot slugs or rifled slugs?

[TOM1960]

so I have a combo 12ga. one barrel is smooth and the other is rifled. are sabot slugs much more accurate in my rifled barrel or can I achieve the same thing with rifled slugs through my smooth barrel? I guess I am asking whether or not my rifled barrel is useless. I have deer hunting in mind in the future. If this is a stupid question please let loose on me. i would expect no less.

If I was armed with your shotgun, I would load the rifled barrel with a sabot slug (good for medium-to-longer range) and the smooth-bore barrel with a 3" load of 12-gauge 15-pellet buckshot. Use the slug for your first shot. If the game that you are hunting goes down but is not dead, then the second shot to finish the job would be the buckshot charge.

 

[StevieP]

If I was armed with your shotgun, I would load the rifled barrel with a sabot slug (good for medium-to-longer range) and the smooth-bore barrel with a 3" load of 12-gauge 15-pellet buckshot. Use the slug for your first shot. If the game that you are hunting goes down but is not dead, then the second shot to finish the job would be the buckshot charge.

Changing barrels between shots?

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[RIFLEMAN1000]

Killed many deer with both 12ga rifled slug , 20ga rifled slugs,and 20ga sabots. Slugs hit harder but have less accuracy than sabots but either will do unless your set up in an area that will give you 100! yards shots then use sabots. I would shoot no further than 150 yards with a sabot . Most of my kills measured in at less than 100 yards so rifled slugs wouldn't be a problem . Buy a bunch of different makes of slugs and sabots and find one thats accurate and doesn't blow your shoulder to bits . Accuracy is the most important part of deer hunting , its both ethical and humane to insure you get a good hit on the deer and it dies fast. All calibers mentioned will put a deer down fast with good shot placement. Have fun hunting .

 

[Babo]

This thread is hurting my melon..

If in eastern MA or RI, the relative hilly terrain means that at most the farthest shot you might get is something like 20 - 50 yds. I would use the smooth bore barrel, load a regular slug first, and then some buckshot for the second shot. The third shot is meaningless, as the creature is long gone by then, and the best that you can hope for is "spray and pray".
Don't use a scope if only shooting at these distances, as the target may be moving too fast to get a proper ...ahhh bead on it.

Based on that, a smooth bore barrel, no scope, and a regular slug is preferred.

If you are hunting where longer distances might be involved (beyond 50 yds or so, or in Montana) go with the rifled barrel, Sabots, and the scope.

This is not an exact science, as the prey tends to move about unpredictably.

Where will you be hunting?

 

[RIFLEMAN1000]

Babo i agree for the most part but take the buckshot and throw it in the trash, the stuff is useless. But in heavy woods i made a 80yd shot between 2 trees at so sometimes a long shot is available and you better be ready for it.

I feel buckshot should be illegal , its not very accurate and leads to many badly hit deer and it has more chance of deflection and after 30 yds you will not hit what you aim at.

 

[Babo]

Babo i agree for the most part but take the buckshot and throw it in the trash, the stuff is useless. But in heavy woods i made a 80yd shot between 2 trees at so sometimes a long shot is available and you better be ready for it.

I feel buckshot should be illegal , its not very accurate and leads to many badly hit deer and it has more chance of deflection and after 30 yds you will not hit what you aim at.

Agreed. The only deer that I've slowed with buckshot required a second, much closer hit to finalize the deal. It's certainly not the most prefered method of taking one of these down. Certainly not the most humane method, but if you need to put food on the table...

 

[TOM1960]

Changing barrels between shots?

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I am assuming his gun is a double combo. I have seen some doubles with Full choke in one barrel and IC/MOD in the other.

 

[Marty McFly]

thanks everyone for the help! you have all been very helpful.

 

[HorizontalHunter]

Babo i agree for the most part but take the buckshot and throw it in the trash, the stuff is useless. But in heavy woods i made a 80yd shot between 2 trees at so sometimes a long shot is available and you better be ready for it.

I feel buckshot should be illegal , its not very accurate and leads to many badly hit deer and it has more chance of deflection and after 30 yds you will not hit what you aim at.

There is nothing wrong with buckshot. It is just another "tool in the toolbox." The shooter needs to pattern it properly to see what the pattern and effective range is out of their particular shotgun.

The real problem with buckshot the shooter who doesn't take the time to practice with it. Sadly,there are many "hunters" that just grab a weapon and hit the woods without spending anytime at the range.

Bob

 

[MetalgodZ]

thanks everyone for the help! you have all been very helpful.

I'll throw one more opinion in here...

Read The Box O' Truth #46 - Shotgun Slugs, Sabots, and Smooth Bore Barrels - Page 4, look at the last two photos, read the last two notes, and make your own decision.

I've replicated the results with a rifled New England Firearms heavy barrel, 3" 12ga, with a crappy 3x shotgun scope. I could go shoot some sabots, but at $1ea, it'd be pretty darned expensive to figure out drops and wind out at the ranges where the sabots would have the advantage. Also, I've got two half boxes of two different types of sabots, and I've got 500 identical rifled slugs in the cabinet.

I'll stick to the rifled slugs, for now.

 

[chindogg]

My 2 cents... if you will be hunting in the woods etc... a rifled slugs in a smooth barrel are plenty sufficient and not to mention far cheaper.

If you have DEEP pockets and will be hunting in open country and can only use a Shotgun or something... go with the sabots / rifled slugs and a scope. Keep in mind that you will probably drop at least $50 just to sight in the scope, never mind go home with a black and blue shoulder. And if you cant afford a scope, you may as well stick with the smooth bore / rifled slugs and just practice enough to be confident.

Personally, I got into deer hunting in MA about 2 yrs ago and ran into the dilemma. I ended up ditching the rifled barrel on my 12ga and picked up a TC Impact muzzle loader and a good scope. It is less expensive to shoot, more accurate and opens up 3 additional weeks or so to the hunting season. I also find it more enjoyable to hunt with.

Who uses a rifled choke and if so on what length barrel ?

 

[TheRoland]

I have a rifled barrel which I hunt with. If I wanted to try a smooth bore with rifled slugs should I remove the choke? I am guessing yes.

What choke? Generally shooting with exposed threads is inconvenient.