I was recently given a Browning B2000 that came with both 3" and a 2 3/4" full choke barrels. I'm considering having the 2 3/4" barrel reworked to accept choke tubes. Can I use the barrel with slugs with the appropriate choke tube installed?

Thanks for any info

You should be able to do it without any problem but since its an aftermarket job you better check. Early problems with slugs in tight chokes led to changes in slug diameter and the "rifling" on the slug has nothing to do with spinning the slug but an attempt to fill the bore to get accuracy without damaging the barrel.

If you use an improved cylinder or skeet choke tube in your barrel you should be fine. Like steel shot, they (whomever "they" are) recommend that you should not use anything tighter than modified choke with slugs.

Tim

I've seen no warnings on boxes of slugs to not shoot them through tighter chokes. Improved cylinder chokes are recommended for accuracy. If they shoot pretty well through the existing barrels, I'd say you're okay.

I have shot a slug through a Hastings ported turkey super-full choke tube (forgetting it was in there) when I was testing whether turkey loads or slug loads recoil worse. I don't plan to do it again, but the slug didn't get hung up in the turkey choke (the Hastings choke did say "lead shot only"; I took lead to be the operative word here, but maybe when they said shot, they meant shot).

H. C.

1moa3006:

I've heard the same recommendation that TimB99 has about not using slugs in a choke tighter than "modified" for safety purposes. I recommend you contact Briley Manufacturing. Briley is renown for their machining of shotgun chokes and tube sets. Each shotgun manufacturer bore is different. Briley can advise best choke based on their research. Briley's technical telephone number is 713-932-6995. Website is www.briley.com

Buliwyf

I was curious about shooting slugs through anything tighter than a modified choke in my Benelli M1Super90 12 guage. I contacted Benelli through their e-mail technical support and they said that anything tighter than modified would cause pressure and excessive swaging of the soft slug as it was squeezed through the smaller diameter bore. The projectile would become de-stabilized and most likely highly inaccurate.

If you are having the gun reworked to use choke tubes, you can just buy a rifled tube while you are at it. Brownell's carries them and they are about $50.

They are the modern equvalent of the classic "Paradox" guns. About 4" of rifling gets some spin on your slugs. Since they extend a bit beyond the barrel, there is no problem remembering which tube you have in, either.