slug results from 18" smooth barrel?

[mbrevolver]

Does anyone have any experience with 12 ga slugs
from 18" smoothbore - either accuracy and/or expansion?

Thanks

['75Scout]

My 18" Reminton 870 has rifle sights and I can keep 1oz Sluggers on a man sized target at 100 yards. It's harder with bead sights, but can be done.

[donkee]

My Mossy 500a smooth bore and rifle sites puts them in the 0 ring at 100yds. That's with cheepie Winchester rifled slugs.

[Charles S]

My Mossy 500a smooth bore and rifle sites puts them in the 0 ring at 100yds. That's with cheepie Winchester rifled slugs.

My Mossy will easily shoot 4" 100 yard groups with rifle sites and cheap Winchester Slugs.

Charles

[donkee]

I was in a hurry and forgot to say the 0 on an IDPA target.

[Dave McC]

My oldest 870 qualifies. 18" plus the usual little bit more.

With the best slug, from the bench, I get 100 yard 5 shot groups of less than 5" ETE.

For comparison's sake, my usual slug gun is another venerable 870 with a 20" Remchoked barrel. With the rifled tube in, groups run an inch less.

Both have peep sights, mag extensions firmly clamped to the barrel and good triggers.

YMMV.

[Lee Lapin]

No problem dinging 10" steel plates at 50 yards offhand under pressure- 870, 18" smoothbore barrel with Skeet choke tube, Brenneke KO slugs, ghost ring sights. I shoot KOs because they are hard lead alloy, sharp ahouldered slugs that are not likely to expand in soft targets- a cookie-cutter .72" hole is big enough IMO.

lpl/nc

[Al Thompson]

Accuracy from several of mine have been "minute of deer" at 75 yards, which is about my max distance. I use a paper plate for a practice target and have yet to have a slug that couldn't stay on it at 75y. IMHO, having a rear sight regardless of flavor is critical.

I've killed and see killed/helped clean maybe 12 deer and 4ish hogs. The only slugs I've recovered were from big (200 lbs +) hogs. I've used Winchesters and Remingtons with great success, though I really like the KO slugs bunches. Oh yeah - I've never seen a deer stay on it's feet after a hit with a slug.

[2rugers]

The winchester 1300 I own really likes the Ko slugs. I have both a rifled barrel and 18" smooth barrel with rifle sights. With the rifled barrel and scope it will put 3 Win. sabots into 2" at 100 yds.
With the smooth barrel it does not like anything from federal and only winchester in the 3" mag. slugs.
What it really shoots well out of the smooth barrel is the Brenneke Ko slugs.
Three will stay on an 8" plate at 100 yds.
As far as penetration and knockdown power, I have shot two deer with rifled slugs . First deer was hit thru the lungs from about 30 yds. and managed to run, hobble, limp, maybe 50 yds. No slug recovery. The second deer was hit in the center of the chest head on, from about 60 yds. and ran maybe 30 ft.
The Win. 425 or so gr. slug was recovered in the ham of this deer.
It was flattened to about 1/4" thick, was nearly the dia. of a soda can top and looked exactly like a miniature horseshoe. Penetration would be 3 ft. plus.

[swampdog]

Dave,
Not to try to highjack this thread, but how does one go about getting a "good trigger" on an 870. It was my understanding that they are almost impossible to adjust because of the way they are designed. I found a drop in trigger kit at brownells but it's around $100 and recommends professional installation.

How do you do it?

[Dave McC]

Most 870s come with them. The few that do not can be remedied by most any smith. Last one I had done was about $50.

My two slug shooters, which double as HD tools, have triggers of 4 lbs and just under that. One came that way, the other needed a touch up. It was light but not crisp. Now it is.

NOTE. Most shotgunners should not do their own triggers for the same reason most drivers should not do their own brakes.....

Before you send it off, you might want to soak the trigger group in scrubber and then rinse and relube. Often this will improve the pull.

[swampdog]

Thanks, Dave.
I'll try the soak first. It's light enough, it just doesn't have that "glass rod" break.

[12-34hom]

Stevens - 67L - Series E - Federal 2 3/4 inch - Truball. - 55 yards.

12-34hom.

[Maser]

Well my cylinder bore barrel is 18.5", but anyways I am pretty accurate when using rifled slugs. When you put the annoying slug recoil aside, they are fairly accurate.