I'm getting ready to buy a shotgun. Figuring on a Mossberg 930 and likely a 3 round mag extension (I figure you can never have too much ammunition).

The question is about using slugs as well as shot. How accurate is a smooth bore 12 gau. with slugs? Not planning to do targets with it, just never know when I might need to knock something on its ass.

Also, can you shoot shot from a rifled barrel?

I figure you guys here are the knowledgeable ones on scatterguns. I've use one before but never OWNED one. I do remember from when I qualified and re-qualified for my armed security ticket that I sometimes forgot to pump the thing. The 930 is a gas-operated semi-auto so I won't have to do anything but cock it and squeeze.

Thanks in advance.

I have found that most standard barreled bead sighted shgotguns shoot slugs good to 50 yards, or so.

At 100 yards, not so good.

Even a screw in rifled choke tube can make your shotgun shoot good at 100 yards, with rifle sights.

You will also need to try several different brands of slugs to see what shoots best in your gun.

We are forced to use slugs for hunting deer in this state. Smooth bore slugs (rifled slugs) shoot differently in different guns. Some throw slugs all over at 50yds others are good out a little beyond 50.
Try different brands and different chokes in your gun. Different choke constrictions can make a big difference in grouping.

Thanks, folks. That's the sort of info I was looking for.

Oops! It just occurred to me that the 2nd part of my question didn't get an answer.

What happens if you use shot shells in gun with a rifled barrel? Is that OK? A total no-no? Would definitely influence my choice of which of the many versions of the 930 available.

I shot a lot of slugs through police shotguns.

Its a great help to have some type of sight besides the bead.

With a peep sighted 870P 20 inch IC barrel I had no trouble keeping all shots on a 8x11 at 100 yards. 50 yards fist sized groups.

Having good sites makes a huge differants

I seen a lot of good groups out of shot guns.


Shot out of a rifled barrel gives one a very wide pattern.

When you shoot shot through a rifled barrel the rifling spins the shot like a centrifuge. This gives a wide pattern with little or no shot in the center of the pattern.

Lapidary advised:

quote:

When you shoot shot through a rifled barrel the rifling spins the shot like a centrifuge. This gives a wide pattern with little or no shot in the center of the pattern.

I suspected that might be the case. Thanks for the confirmation. Reckon that means I'll get a smooth bore and get an extra screw in rifled choke tube for when I need to use slugs. That would seem to be close to the best of both worlds.

p dog shooter, I figured on adding a reflex sight to it anyhow. Never understood what the deal was with just a bead at the end of the barrel anyhow. Guess I'm just not a shotgunner at heart. Give me a pair of sights or at least a reflex or red dot sight.

Thanks for the great info all. Now if I can just convince the boss to let me GET the thing . . .

You know, that is a good question regarding shot through a rifled bore. I am hosting a get together in September and I have a bunch of 2X3 poster board. I will shoot some shot and buckshot through a rifled barrel and post pics of the patterns.

Gentlemen, there is a difference in rifling: there is straight rifling, and there is spiraled rifling, just like in rifles. I own several shotguns with rifled barrels, and the rifling is straight. I believe the straight rifling is there to slow down the shot cup so the pattern is not disrupted, but I am not certain.

Again, just saying that the rifling for slugs in shotguns is different from the rifling for shotshells...

Doubless,

I have a rifled barrel dedicated slug gun that I'll shoot it out of.

I live in NY state. Where I hunt deer in NYS I must use either a muzzleloader or a shotgun. I have a Rem 870 with a rifled Hastings barrel & a Leupold 1.5 to 5 scope. I can use variou slugs designed for rifled barrels and have used slugs that shoot anywhere from 1.5 inches to 2.5 inches at 100 yds off a bench. I have taken deer with them at 134 yards. For most of my wooodland type shots at deer this is plenty. I have shot birdshot from the barrel but it would not be my choice for shot ( rather use a smoothbore barrel). Since I started hunting with slugs in the 1960's there has been much improvement on both barrels and slugs. All that said if I hunt a different area my choise is a rifle but I never feel handicapped using my slug gun and with a pump a followup shot is both quick and sure.

Yes - straight rifeling is for shot.