Rifled barrel required???

A

AdamGrier_atc

New member
I am new to shotgun hunting, but I want to give it a try. If I want to hunt with a slug load, do I have to use a rifled barrel, or is it OK to use a smoothe barrel? If it is OK, do you loose accuracy as compared to a rifled barrel?

Thanks in advance!!!

Adam
 
a guy here supposedly can hit a gnats ass with a smoothbore mossy:rolleyes:
why not try and see?
you can always get the rifled ltr:)
 
It Depends

If you have a smooth barrel, use rifled slugs. If you have a rifled barrel, use sabot slugs. Although I've never checked for myself, a gunshop owner once told me to never use rifled slugs in a rifled barrel. He said the rifling on the slug and the barrel twist in opposite directions.
 
the rifling on the slug and the barrel twist in opposite directions.
Click to expand...
I have heard something to that effect as well, but I can't verify it from any 'official' source. The basic question to ask is "what will I be hunting?" If you are after only big game, get a rifled barrel and use sabots. If you are bird/small game hunting only, or if you want a dual-purpose gun, get a smoothbore.
 
Not Exactly

The vanes on a rifled slug have nothing to do with spinning the projectile. A rifled slug will not hurt a rifled barrel or vice-a-versa. Accuracy is another point.
 
I agree with roy, the grooves on a Foster style slug are not there to impart spin. They are simply thinner sections of lead that expand and seal the barrel when under pressure from the gases produced by the burning powder. This means no gas can go past the slug and therefore the only way for it to get out of the barrel is to get that slug out of the way lol. Think of it as those little plastics they put on the back of CVA Powerbelt muzzleloader bullets. If it wasn't there, the gas would just go right around the bullet would probably land about 3 feet in front of you. This also explains a wad in shot shells. No wad and your shot would go literally about as far as you could throw it. All in all, I've said too much.
 
Regardless of what type of slug is used, a rifled barrel almost always provides noticeably better accuracy, esp. past 50 yards or so.
 
I would say get an Remington 870, really popular and versitile with lots of accessories......foster slugs are cheap and out of a smooth bore will be fairly accurate out to 50 or maybe 75 yards, there are other smooth bore slug loads that may get you farther, you just have to see which one likes your barrel....for any range farther than that you need a rifled barrel....I got a good Hastings rifled barrel for an 870 I rebuilt a few months ago from Sportsmans Guide for under $150....using Hornady SSTs Sabots I can hit a 16" gong at 200 yards...which amazed the **** out of me.....
 
Thanks for the great information. I have Remington 870 that I purchased last spring for turkey. I am beginning to hunt "thicker areas" and like the idea of the shotgun over the rifle. I think that I am going to find a rifled barrel and see what I think.

This may be dumb, but could be dumb if I don't ask... Is there any concern of damage to the rifiling shooting shot out of a rifled barrel?

Thanks again!!!

Adam
 
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