What are your experience with shot gun slugs in smooth versus rifled barrel? I found it just about cut the size of the groups in half at 70yd. Aside from using the same "Remington rifled slugs" in the same gun the barrels were vastly different. The smooth barrel was a 28 inch raised bead site, the rifled barrel was a 22 inch with actual adjustable sites. Has anyone done a more fair comparison say with same length barrels with similar or the same sites? I have seen more popular guns offering more comparable smooth and rifled barrels. I would stick with rifled or cast lee slugs, rifled for dual use and the lee cast slugs in a wad intended for use in rifled bbl. Don't care for the uber expensive super fancy smaller saboted slugs.
I've played around with shotguns and slugs. Had a sawed-off double barrel 20 that we fired slugs out of...two at a time! Kicked like a mule, but you should have seen what it did to what ever we were shooting at! Also mixed slugs and buckshot....Man! I do wish that they made the rifled barrels just a little bit longer, the 22 inch barrels barely extend pass the tube magazine on semi-autos and pumps. I need to get some of those steel slugs and see what they can do!
I used to have a Montgomery Ward 16 ga single shot with a 24" barrel that had the last 4" rifled. I should have kept it because I've never seen another one. Used to shoot slugs and it was as accurate as my .22 out to 75 yards or so. Later in life I had a Mossberg that I tried slugs in (rifled and sabot) and couldn't hit a barn from the inside. Haven't messed with slugs since, though I have been thinking about a .410 auto with slugs or #4 buck.
This is where the 870 is King! I run a ported 21 inch smooth bore with no taper ("Francing") and can swap different chokes for different needs. I find that a rifled choke will almost match a full rifled barrel, with out the need to have a second or third barrel. For most Slugs under 1 oz, I run it cylinder bore or a light improved, and it does just fine, for heavier, I swap to the rifled choke if i'm going to be shooting past 50 yards and call it good! I know the Mossy 500's can do this as well, but the Remmy just makes it easier! Now, for my Winchester 1897 trench, that's a whole different ball game, I shoot the 1 1/4 oz "Rifled" slugs through it and it does just fine. no choke and no need to remember what choke is in, just crab a hand full of shells and go! Not the most accurate, but then I'm not sniping with a Shotgat ether!
