Rifled barrels

[Dano4734]

I know it has been discussed many times and I shoot sabots in my rifled barrel shotgun But if we shoot lead cast bullets out of our revolvers and jacketed too along with our hunting rifles like a 45-70 etc, how is a rifled barrel shotgun any different from a pumpkin ball or a sabot from a rifled barrel other than accuracy?

[Drm50]

I'm confused with your wording but if you mean firing other than saboted slugs in a rifled
barrel accuracy would be the difference. I have a lot of experience with slug guns. In most
cases a good smooth bore gun will shoot standard Foster Slugs into 3" at 100yds. Most
rifled barrels won't. I assume you are calling a standard Foster slug a Pumpkin ball, which
they aren't. Pumpkin ball is solid ball and I don't think you can buy factory loads anymore.
The only ones I have shot were handloads. The rifled barrel shooting the right sabot will
out shoot smooth bores. If you are using standard slugs the rifled barrel is a waste in most
cases. We were always looking for the edge with slugs because we had to use them. We made all kinds of slugs, bought molds and factory cast gimmick slugs. Both saboted and
non sabot types. Even used Brass casings in 12g. What we found out it was hard to beat the
factory made slugs of any type. Also that if most of your shots are 100yds or less there is
no point in going to rifled barrels and expensive sabots. The best slugs I have used in smooth bore Rems , Ithacas and Brownings is the Brenneke.

[T. O'Heir]

It's not the barrel. It's the slug itself. A Foster slug has the rifling on the slug. A sabotted slug does not. A rifle bullet, cast or jacketed, has no rifling on it either.

[44 AMP]

A Foster slug has the rifling on the slug

Not exactly. It has what looks like rifling, but isn't. At least not in the spin inducing sense like rifle and pistol barrels.

The spiral "grooves" on a Foster slug are there so "lands" (or vanes if you prefer) have someplace to go as they compress to pass through the shotgun's choke. This allows the slug to pass through all chokes, including full choke without raising the pressure.

They do not induce any significant amount of stabilizing spin. The Foster slug flies "true" (stays point first) the same way a dart does, because the majority of the mass in in the front.

They are called "rifled slugs" because they LOOK like fired bullets with the rifling marks engraved on them, not because the "rifling" on them makes them spin. It just looks like it would.

[Virginian]

A shotgun barrel is much thinner and operates at much lower pressures. A sabot round allows you to use a much lighter actual projectile and achieve higher velocities, as well as achieving greater accuracy from the rifled barrel. If you loaded a solid lead or jacketed slug sized to work with the rifling, it would work okay, but would have a trajectory like a rainbow.

[jaguarxk120]

The "rifling" on Foster slugs reduces the bore contact area and eases
the slugs passage through the choke section at the muzzle.

[Drm50]

I have found that smooth bores shoot Foster slugs more accurately than rifled
barrels. As far as trajectory it's the same. Used several different guns to arrive
at this because guys were buying rifled guns and barrels, then trying to avoid
buying expensive sabots. Bottom line, rifled barrel is a waste unless you use the
Sabots. The worst gun for this was 11-87. Some Mossbergs did ok but not as
well as same gun in smooth bore.

[Dano4734]

Thank you .