I've been contemplating an experiment using a cheap SxS 12 gauge with rifled choke tubes. Sort of a poor man's double express rifle.

I know nothing about rifled tubes - In studying up, it seems some do give a significant improvement in accuracy.

However, I'm under the impression that they don't like sabots, or full bore hardcasts and need lower velocities to actually engage the rifling.

Low velocities and soft slugs seems to defeat my purpose, but like I said, I really don't know how they actually work.

Does anyone use these things? Would appreciate any input. Thanks.

That project has crossed my mind more than once: inexpensive route to the "poor man's Paradox gun."
This guy got great results with a rifled choke tube and Foster slugs.
I am currently messing with a beater Stevens bolt action 20-gauge, but it has a full or nearly full choke and would need reaming and threading. It obviously isn't wild about either of these Ballistic Products slugs.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzWKjhWyxpw

I have a Stevens 12 ga double that had 30" barrels, The patterns were off enough you would be lucky to hit a barn door.
I cut the barrels to 22"
For fun, I epoxied sights on it. It didnt like foster slugs, but will group federal sabot slugs less than an inch apart at 35 yds.
I wonder if rifled tubes would help or hurt it?
I was going to put permanent sights on, but stacked it in the corner and forgot about it until I read this.

There is an outfit called Salem Specialties in Salem, VA. They make rifled choke tube blanks about 5" long. They are oversized by a lot and need to be turned down to choke tube diameters and then threaded. Once they are fitted to a double shotgun they would need to be regulated like a double rifle. I know of a man in Australia who was very successful converting a heavy SxS into a double 12 ga slug shooter issuing this approach. He used off-the-shelf rifled choke tubes.

I think that the actual idea is to increase spread of birdshot at very short range. Think rabbits at ten yards bolted from their holes by ferrets.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:
That project has crossed my mind more than once: inexpensive route to the "poor man's Paradox gun."
This guy got great results with a rifled choke tube and Foster slugs.
I am currently messing with a beater Stevens bolt action 20-gauge, but it has a full or nearly full choke and would need reaming and threading. It obviously isn't wild about either of these Ballistic Products slugs.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzWKjhWyxpw

A paradox done right is a wonderful blending of dimensions
Was talking to the gunsmiths at Williamsburg about the subject
Note to self:send them The book

Anyway…….paradox doesn’t work like a regular slug. It is made to move easily in the bore till it hits the restrictions of the rifling..
That way there is a tube of lower pressure gas but a huge volume of it.

Ross Siegfried (spl?) did a great article on it. Failing terribly at the beginning till he realized how they work. Barrel bore is very important
I want to do a 20 or 24 gauge paradox.

I have a Lefever double with 30inch barrels that will put both barrels on a 8x11 at 50 yards.

With standard foster slugs.

Done so several times.

I just don't have much use for slugs.

As I have plenty of rifles.

I've experimented quite a bit trying to get sabots rounds to group with a rifled choke tube. I never found any that shot well. The rifled choke tube did make standard lead slugs slightly more accurate however. It would be nice to be able to quickly convert one's turkey gun into a pig killer. You can still shoot 50 yards with a slug and smoothbore. I've even run standard slugs through a turkey choke when the choke is extra long past the muzzle and the constriction is past the end of the barrel. Now I just pack a pistol for pig opportunities.