I bought a rifled slug choke for my JC Higgins this weekend and I'm not sure whether to shoot rifled slugs or sabot slugs .I read somewhere to use rifled for smoothbore and sabot for rifled barrels.I'm not quite sure what category a rifled slug choke fits in. Could someone please help me out? Thanks in advance!

I bought a rifled slug choke for my JC Higgins this weekend and I'm not sure whether to shoot rifled slugs or sabot slugs .I read somewhere to use rifled for smoothbore and sabot for rifled barrels.I'm not quite sure what category a rifled slug choke fits in. Could someone please help me out? Thanks in advance!

Only played with one rifled choke tube (on an 870) and it showed a distict preferecne for saboted slugs. Not real sure why Foster type (the traditional "rifled" slugs) don't care to be spun, but suspect that the soft thin walled hollow bases slugs just don't have the strength to take rifling without some defomation when striking that choke tube at full velocity.

You can give it a try if you like...just have some lead removal solvents ready for that rifled choke tube.

Sometime during the next few weeks, there will some tests done with a rifled choke tube running some of Dixie Slugs hard cast .730"-563 gr hollow base slugs. Although they have tested well in both smoothbore and fully rifled, no tests have been done yet with a rifled tube.
I also believe running the soft undersize Foster type slug through a rifled tube would just strip and lead........James

Ribbonstone I think I'll give the sabots a try. James looking forward to the test results on the Dixie Slugs. Thanks again guys!

Ribbonstone I think I'll give the sabots a try. James looking forward to the test results on the Dixie Slugs. Thanks again guys!

Was amazed at how well the old BRI slugs worked with that rifled choke tube...recovered sabots showed good celar rifling with little skidding. The Fosters (normal rifled slugs) actually shot better with the rifle tube removed and using the IC choke tube.

Consider that the slugs are going full speed when they are suddely confronted by shallow rifling and asked to spin...whatever the tough plastic on those saboted slugs, it takes the abuse.

Didn't try all the slugs out there...but I'd certainly stick to the saboted ones with that rifled choke tube.

ribbonstone......I think you are correct on the screw in rifled choke on soft slugs. We will have to see on our full size .730" hard cast heat treated slugs? I want to see actual tests though instead of a guess.
In the original Paradox guns, the hard slugs worked, but the twist might have been slower.........James

ribbonstone......I think you are correct on the screw in rifled choke on soft slugs. We will have to see on our full size .730" hard cast heat treated slugs? I want to see actual tests though instead of a guess.
In the original Paradox guns, the hard slugs worked, but the twist might have been slower.........James

Never measured the twist on the rifled choke tubes...kind of short and there wasn't an accurate way to get a decent reading with the tools at hand. On a guess, for the simple eyeball method, it's somewhere arround 1:22 to 1:33 and very shallow.

I'd not expect it to do wonders with soft lead...may hold hard lead.

The only paradox gun I got to look theough seemed to have (1) a garadual lead to the rifling (2) deeper rifling (3) what looked to be a progressive twist.

Sometime during the next few weeks, there will some tests done with a rifled choke tube running some of Dixie Slugs hard cast .730"-563 gr hollow base slugs. Although they have tested well in both smoothbore and fully rifled, no tests have been done yet with a rifled tube.

I'm looking forward to seeing the tests with the rifled tubes. It wouldn't greatly surprise me to see the rifled tube launched downrange by a hard slug grabbing it at speed, but who knows until you try it?

Hi Guy`s,

I don`t think the twist rate on the rifled choke tube really matters.

I was allways told its just to put enough spin on the first generation sabot slugt to help the sabot leave the slug faster than in a smothbore.This is so the sabot wont stick or leave uneven and help you get better groups.

Just my two cents.
Riflemen10x

What kind of accuracy, and range are you looking for? That may influence your choice of ammunition, or tubes. If you want good groups at 75 yards or less, use full bore slugs or the Hollow base Dixie slug. I have a JC higgins non-takedown pump, and it will shoot 5 shots into 2 inches at 50 yards. It has a cut down 21 inch vebt rib barrel with the worst reaming job I have ever seen. I have a Ghost ring sight on it, and have not problem shooting to 100 yards. Plus my total investment was $255 including the gun purchase, sights, trigger lightening, and Parkerizing. I forgot one thing, I had to put a Mercury reducer in the butt stock to handle my fast hunting load. It is a heavy version of the Talon load.
Greg

James, Hope that Francis isn't beatin' ya'll up too bad down there. Best wishes to all South Floridians. It will probably come see us next.(PENSACOLA) Have you had any experiance with or done tests with your slugs and shotgun bbls. that have had the forcing cones relieved? (12ga.in particular) Thanks for all your info---pruhdlr

Rifled slugs should not be shot out of a rifled barrel and I would imagine the same holds true for the rifled choke insert. The whole idea if the rifled slug is that the rifling is what makes it spin and accurate. If you use a rifled choke or a rifled barrel it will definitely detrack from your accuracy. Saboted slugs are specifically designed to be fired from a rifled barrel. While we are on that subject, does anyone have any experience with the 16ga Lightfield saboted slugs ? I have searched all around and this is the only company that I can find the currently makes a saboted slug for a 16ga rifled barrel. Any help is apppreciated.

Gregg

krag1899@aol.com

Ah Krag...hate to disagree with you, but I have had a Rem. 870 12 ga. sp, that I bought in 1990. It has a rifled choke tube, and the ammo it shoots best to date is the old win 1 oz. foster slug. When I do my part, it can get 5 shots touching at 50 yds., and 3" 3 shot group at 50 yds. I have killed 35 deer with this setup.

Mad Dog

OOPS!......Ment 3" group at 100 yds.

Mad Dog

Slugs will work out of all chokes and tubes. Individual guns need testing. My own slug gun is a Remington extra full chked gun.Foster base slugs or sabots work great, full lead rifles slugs require a more open tube. The one rifled barrel i played with fired all slugs well.

I am only going by what is written on the slug box, and what my hunting friends have relayed to me. They basically said the same as you, and what DocWills said. Depends on the gun. My point was that they are not SUPPOSED to be shot, not that they couldn't be shot from a rifled barrel. Maybe I should try foster style 16 ga slugs in my rifled barrel before I send it back.....