Looking for 12 gauge Sabots out of Mod. choke

PoorRichRichard · February 15, 2012, 03:17 PM

Have an old Mossburg 500 smooth-bore with a fixed modified choke. I don't have the $ right now for a riffled barrel. Are there any sabot slugs that I can use safely with this gun? Looking for kill shots on coyotes at 75-150 yards. CANNOT use rifles in this area.

And most of my shots a to far out for buckshot and/or standard slugs. So, what are my options?

sweetshot · February 15, 2012, 04:09 PM

I don't believe a sabot in a smooth bore would work well at all unless they make a sabot that has rifling built in, but even then, your range and accuracy may suffer, and the mod choke may be too restrictive anyway. Rifled slugs may be a better choice, but don't give you quite the range. When I was a kid, I shot rifled slugs through a full choke Super X Model 1 and hit quite a few deer, but the average shot was only 30 to 40 yards for me. I should put a choke gauge on that barrel and see if it had any effect on boring out the choke. There is no evidence of bulging so it's not likely that it did any damage with soft lead slugs.

zippy13 · February 15, 2012, 04:13 PM

Sabots are for rifled barrels. Generally, they can be safely shot in a smooth bore, but why throw your money away, conventional slugs are less expensive. Most slugs will perform better in a choke more open than a mod.

Typically, rifles are restricted in areas where the authorities consider long shots a safety hazard. With your smooth bore, you might want to try the 'yotes closer than 150-yards. If rifles aren't permitted, how about a hand cannon for longer shots than slugs allow?

L_Killkenny · February 15, 2012, 04:47 PM

You have just about a zero chance of hitting a coyote with a sabot slug outta a smoothbore. Not an option, ain't gonna cut it, like zippy said you'd be throwing you money away. Do you have rifle sights on your shotgun? If you do you may be able to stretch your range to 75, maybe 100 yards with foster slugs if both you and the gun are good. But that's about it. Heck, even if you had a rifled barrel for your gun and could shoot sabots 150 yards is gonna be tough with a coyote size critter.

You really only have 2 options in a shotgun only area. Learn to sneak better or learn to bring em closer with a call. That's it.

LK

February 15, 2012, 03:17 PM	#1
PoorRichRichard Senior Member Join Date: April 13, 2011 Location: San Berdoo Posts: 269	Looking for 12 gauge Sabots out of Mod. choke Have an old Mossburg 500 smooth-bore with a fixed modified choke. I don't have the $ right now for a riffled barrel. Are there any sabot slugs that I can use safely with this gun? Looking for kill shots on coyotes at 75-150 yards. CANNOT use rifles in this area. And most of my shots a to far out for buckshot and/or standard slugs. So, what are my options?

February 15, 2012, 04:09 PM	#2
sweetshot Member Join Date: February 28, 2011 Location: Minnesota Posts: 45	I don't believe a sabot in a smooth bore would work well at all unless they make a sabot that has rifling built in, but even then, your range and accuracy may suffer, and the mod choke may be too restrictive anyway. Rifled slugs may be a better choice, but don't give you quite the range. When I was a kid, I shot rifled slugs through a full choke Super X Model 1 and hit quite a few deer, but the average shot was only 30 to 40 yards for me. I should put a choke gauge on that barrel and see if it had any effect on boring out the choke. There is no evidence of bulging so it's not likely that it did any damage with soft lead slugs.

February 15, 2012, 04:13 PM	#3
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	Sabots are for rifled barrels. Generally, they can be safely shot in a smooth bore, but why throw your money away, conventional slugs are less expensive. Most slugs will perform better in a choke more open than a mod. Typically, rifles are restricted in areas where the authorities consider long shots a safety hazard. With your smooth bore, you might want to try the 'yotes closer than 150-yards. If rifles aren't permitted, how about a hand cannon for longer shots than slugs allow?

February 15, 2012, 04:47 PM	#4
L_Killkenny Senior Member Join Date: February 2, 2007 Location: Iowa Posts: 2,676	You have just about a zero chance of hitting a coyote with a sabot slug outta a smoothbore. Not an option, ain't gonna cut it, like zippy said you'd be throwing you money away. Do you have rifle sights on your shotgun? If you do you may be able to stretch your range to 75, maybe 100 yards with foster slugs if both you and the gun are good. But that's about it. Heck, even if you had a rifled barrel for your gun and could shoot sabots 150 yards is gonna be tough with a coyote size critter. You really only have 2 options in a shotgun only area. Learn to sneak better or learn to bring em closer with a call. That's it. LK