Slugs for Mossberg 500?

[TCW]

What type of slugs should I shot through my M500? Rifled or ...I can't remember the other type..."cabbot"? It has an cylinder bore barrel and no choke. Thanks!

 

[Dave McC]

TCW, there's no way of determining which slug will shoot best in YOUR shotgun w/o benchtesting. As a VERY loose rule,"Rifled" slugs and Brennnekes shoot better in smoothbores, sabots in rifled bores.But one could take identical shotguns with consecutive serial numbers and find they "Like" different slugs.

Buyamessa those 5 packs from various makers, benchtest them out and buy a lot of whichever prints the tightest groups in your 500.

 

[Patrick Graham]

When I bought my 500 I got just the smooth bore, 18 inch, rifle sights. There was some information with it that said something about sabots. Something to the effect of " make your shotgun like a rifle". Anyway, it left the impression that mossberg was saying that sabots were the way to go. When I took mine deer hunting back in the late 80's I used Remington rifled slugs, not sabots. They were the heavier slugs, 1 1/4 oz I believe.. I felt they were a bit heavy in the recoil department for that light little gun. Sabots may produce lighter recoil but I've never used them so I don't know for sure.

 

[Hueco]

If you have a rifled barrel do NOT shoot rifled slugs through it. I believe that the slug twists opposite of the rifling (I think, I could be wrong). Anyway, there was a guy who came into the gun shop the other day who had shot a rifled through a rifled. Two shots and the bore was destroyed.

Rifled slugs can only be shot in smoothbores.

Saboted can be shot in either, but are designed for rifled barrels.


Hueco

[This message has been edited by Hueco (edited May 29, 2000).]

 

[Jeff, CA]

How could shooting a soft lead slug through a rifled steel barrel destroy it? Isn't that like firing a lead bullet through a rifled steel barrel?

Can you elaborate on that, Hueco, or keep us posted?

 

[animal]

Shotgun barrels are thinner and inherently more fragile than a rifle barrel. The rifled barrels for shotguns are designed with the idea that the lead of the slug will never touch the rifling - only the plastic sabot does. It is my understanding that rifled barrels will lead up quickly if foster, brenneke, or shot is used in them. If the barrel is heavily leaded, then excess pressures could result. I doubt that 2 rounds would cause that much damage, though.
Personally, I wouldn't risk it. I've seen shotgun barrels exploded by a dove feather with a light field load.

Smooth bores: shoot any type you want to.
Rifled bores: sabot slugs only.

Sabot slugs gain spin from the sabot's contact with the rifling of the barrel. The "rifled" slugs(foster and brenneke) gain spin from air passing through the rifling grooves of the slug after leaving the barrel. Any spin imparted on a rifled slug while in the barrel is incedental.

 

[Mel Hoskin]

TCW, I had a 500 with the cylinder bore slug barrel that fell in love with the Activ 2 3/4" 1.25 OZ slugs. Would shoot a 3 shot group in a 3 inch hole at 100 yds. It did not like Rem, Fed, Win or a couple other brands worth a hoot. The only way you will know for sure which slug to use is to try the different brands shooting off a bench, where you can get the same sight picture for each shot. (I shot 3 rounds of each of the different brands that I had, gave the ones that were not digested well by my 500 to some of my hunting buddies.
Mel <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by TCW:
What type of slugs should I shot through my M500? Rifled or ...I can't remember the other type..."cabbot"? It has an cylinder bore barrel and no choke. Thanks![/quote]



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