Slug barrel for HD?

3 gun · September 15, 2000, 10:17 AM

At a pin match last weekend I had my eyes opened to a hidden ability of rifled slug barrels. At about 25ft I was not able to knockdown a bowling pin with a 12ga loaded with 1 1/8oz #7 1/2 shot. The rifling was causing the wad/shot to spin and open the pattern VERY quickly. A test was soon undertaken. At 21ft,on a full size cardboard square, a 2" round aim point was placed in the center. With an 18" cyl bore barrel one shot was fired with the aim point being removed from the target. A tight pattern with just a couple of flyers. Next the slug barrel was fired at the same distance with the same load at the hole the first shot had left. The target showed no new damaged. At least at first. As the cardboard was brought in I could see that I had an even pattern around the hole of about a 30" dia.! Testing with 00 buck yielded the same kind of patterns. 12 of 15 dbl 0 would hit a man sized target at 21ft in about a 20" dia pattern. WOW. Wouldn't this be a good thing in a HD use? Really improve the chance of a good hit at close range? Say a load of 3"mag #2 buck,close to ideal? Good coverage with little chance of over penetration? Slugs in a Side Saddle for longer ranges. As a plus this might be the ticket to quick times in a pin/plate match. Numerous hits with single shots. More testing needs to be done. Anyone want to give it a try? Let us know what you find to work or not work. Like FUD says "Share what you know."

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Be careful what you ask for..You may get it.
An unloaded pistol is a paperweight.

CMOS · September 15, 2000, 01:10 PM

There are pages of pros and cons to this "wide pattern" theory, most of them bad IMHO.

Wide patterns mean misses. Misses mean that thos epellets are going somewhere other than the intended target. In addition, personally I want all of my pellets to hit my target. The more pellets that strike the intedned target the more delivered energy (read: damage).

Look at some of the many archive shotgun threads. You will almost always see discussions that talk about methods to reduce the pattern size.

Remember, there are many, especially in beloved Hollywood, that think the shotgun is used as a substutite for accuracy. That's rubbish of course. Shotguns are favored - for specific applications - because they can dump near nuclear amounts of energy into a target.

Wide patterns: BAD

CMOS

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NRA? Good. Now join the GOA!

The NRA is our shield, the GOA will be our sword.

G. Kennedy · September 15, 2000, 01:53 PM

Let me get this straight. You're shooting 00Buck through a RIFLED slug barrel? Are you sure you want to do this?.........

Dave McC · September 16, 2000, 08:08 AM

3 Gun, CMOS said it already, tight is right in HD scenarios. All spread does is mitigate the effect and send pellets elsewhere than where you want them to be.THAT can be tragic.

30" @7 yards is 5 feet wide @15. Even at 7 yards pellets are going to miss the target.

Poodleshooter · September 18, 2000, 04:11 PM

I tried using a 24" rifled barrel during a defensive shotgun course a few weeks ago. (My only other barrel was 28") Just as in your results I got incredible pattern spread. However, I couldn't knock over any of the steel poppers!! The pattern was so ragged I couldn't establish any center to the to it, and while I hit every target, I didn't transfer enough energy to knock any of them over. Stick to smoothbore.

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September 15, 2000, 10:17 AM	#1
3 gun Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 1999 Location: N41 24.283 W81 43.370 N.E.Ohio Posts: 561	At a pin match last weekend I had my eyes opened to a hidden ability of rifled slug barrels. At about 25ft I was not able to knockdown a bowling pin with a 12ga loaded with 1 1/8oz #7 1/2 shot. The rifling was causing the wad/shot to spin and open the pattern VERY quickly. A test was soon undertaken. At 21ft,on a full size cardboard square, a 2" round aim point was placed in the center. With an 18" cyl bore barrel one shot was fired with the aim point being removed from the target. A tight pattern with just a couple of flyers. Next the slug barrel was fired at the same distance with the same load at the hole the first shot had left. The target showed no new damaged. At least at first. As the cardboard was brought in I could see that I had an even pattern around the hole of about a 30" dia.! Testing with 00 buck yielded the same kind of patterns. 12 of 15 dbl 0 would hit a man sized target at 21ft in about a 20" dia pattern. WOW. Wouldn't this be a good thing in a HD use? Really improve the chance of a good hit at close range? Say a load of 3"mag #2 buck,close to ideal? Good coverage with little chance of over penetration? Slugs in a Side Saddle for longer ranges. As a plus this might be the ticket to quick times in a pin/plate match. Numerous hits with single shots. More testing needs to be done. Anyone want to give it a try? Let us know what you find to work or not work. Like FUD says "Share what you know." ------------------ Be careful what you ask for..You may get it. An unloaded pistol is a paperweight.

September 15, 2000, 01:10 PM	#2
CMOS Senior Member Join Date: June 10, 1999 Location: TEXAS Posts: 1,417	There are pages of pros and cons to this "wide pattern" theory, most of them bad IMHO. Wide patterns mean misses. Misses mean that thos epellets are going somewhere other than the intended target. In addition, personally I want all of my pellets to hit my target. The more pellets that strike the intedned target the more delivered energy (read: damage). Look at some of the many archive shotgun threads. You will almost always see discussions that talk about methods to reduce the pattern size. Remember, there are many, especially in beloved Hollywood, that think the shotgun is used as a substutite for accuracy. That's rubbish of course. Shotguns are favored - for specific applications - because they can dump near nuclear amounts of energy into a target. Wide patterns: BAD CMOS ------------------ NRA? Good. Now join the GOA! The NRA is our shield, the GOA will be our sword.

September 15, 2000, 01:53 PM	#3
G. Kennedy Senior Member Join Date: November 25, 1999 Location: Michigan, USA Posts: 148	Let me get this straight. You're shooting 00Buck through a RIFLED slug barrel? Are you sure you want to do this?.........

September 16, 2000, 08:08 AM	#4
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	3 Gun, CMOS said it already, tight is right in HD scenarios. All spread does is mitigate the effect and send pellets elsewhere than where you want them to be.THAT can be tragic. 30" @7 yards is 5 feet wide @15. Even at 7 yards pellets are going to miss the target.

September 18, 2000, 04:11 PM	#5
Poodleshooter Senior Member Join Date: August 7, 2000 Location: Floating down the James River in VA Posts: 2,599	I tried using a 24" rifled barrel during a defensive shotgun course a few weeks ago. (My only other barrel was 28") Just as in your results I got incredible pattern spread. However, I couldn't knock over any of the steel poppers!! The pattern was so ragged I couldn't establish any center to the to it, and while I hit every target, I didn't transfer enough energy to knock any of them over. Stick to smoothbore.