[ShotgunPro]

If i want to shoot slugs does it matter what choke i have in the gun? My friend thinks my gun will blow up if it has a choke installed

its a benelli nova pump and just has the choke that was installed when i bought it.

 

[ShotgunPro]

Not sure about Benelli. I know you can shoot slugs through a modified choke in an 870.

 

[ShotgunPro]

Not sure about Benelli. I know you can shoot slugs through a modified choke in an 870.

You won't blow your gun up. The general consensus is don't use anything more constrictive than a modified choke, and most people say their guns pattern best with an improved cylinder choke. If you're going for accuracy, I'd test all of your chokes from cylinder up to modified to see what patterns best with the ammunition you are using.

 

[ShotgunPro]

what choke comes on the gun when you buy it? i dont want to be switching so will it hurt my gun if i shoot slugs with the choke that is already on it. I just want to blast a few water jugs not too worried about accuracy

 

[ShotgunPro]

Umm...shouldn't you switch out the barrel for a rifled slug barrel?

 

[ShotgunPro]

You should be fine shooting slugs through an IC. Rifled barrel is preferred for slugs.

 

[ShotgunPro]

Umm...shouldn't you switch out the barrel for a rifled slug barrel?

What is the need for that? The only reason I can see getting a rifled barrel to shoot slugs for is if you live in an area that doesn't allow high powered rifles for hunting. I can get consistent accuracy hitting beer bottles with 3 inch rifled slugs out of my cylinder bore 12 gauge out to 75-100 yards.

 

[ShotgunPro]

My dad killed a truck load of deer from Michigan to North Dakota with his M37 Ithaca 12 ga. and slugs. He said he once shot a deer 3 times (3 good hits) with a Win. 30-30 to put it down for keeps. He traded the rifle in on a High Standard revolver and started hunting with his shotgun and slugs. He said he never had to shoot a deer twice after that.

Oh yeah, that M37 has a 30" full choke barrel. It would keep 3 shots inside a small pie plate at 80 yds and the slugs would drop about 3 or 4 inches from point of aim at that distance.

I would suggest that you buy slugs from different manufacturers and try them to see what shoots the best in your gun.

I have an old Winchester M97 with a poly choke on it. Adjusting the choke on that one made no difference in how it shot slugs. Buying different brands showed me it like Winchester 1 oz. slugs best (vs. the Remington and Federal brands).

 

[ShotgunPro]

Umm...shouldn't you switch out the barrel for a rifled slug barrel?

Ummm...no.

Unless one is shooting sabot slugs.

 

[ShotgunPro]

If you shoot Foster type slugs, (standard hollow based slugs), you can run them through any choke. I wouldn't use the extra full "Turkey" type chokes, but anything from standard full on down should be fine. When I was a kid I can't count the number of these type of slugs I ran through various full choked shotguns, regardless of gauge.

When you get into the more sophisticated Sabot type slugs, most all will require a rifled shotgun barrel to achieve the accuracy and performance these more expensive slugs are capable of. They can still be run through standard, smooth bored, choked barrels safely, but it would be a waste of money because they were not designed to be shot from anything but a rifled shotgun barrel. The exception to this rule are the older Brenneke Rifles Slugs. They were designed before rifled shotgun barrels became all the rage.

 

[ShotgunPro]

i've shot plenty of slugs through my Nova. i keep the 3 notch choke in there most all of the time.

 

[ShotgunPro]

I use a rifled slug barrel on my mossberg 500 in 20 ga, and shoot the hornaday SST's. I hit a doe with it at 160 last year. I've read of people having pretty good luck shooting out to 200 with it, and I can't say i don't beleive them. My girlfriend shot a mossy in 12 ga with a field barrel and IC choke, because i was too cheap to buy her a slug barrel. She was using the federal truball i think and they would have been ok out to 80-100 yards. We run 3X9's on our shotguns though, I don't think i would be wanting to take a shot at a deer with just the front bead.

 

[ShotgunPro]

Don't want to change chokes? It's easier than loading the gun! If it's a smooth bore shoot rifled slugs. Think of it like this...one or the other needs rifling to stabilize the bullet in flight. If both have rifling you'll have inconsistent groupings at best or destroy the barrel at worst.

 

[ShotgunPro]

nova's have a mid bead and a FO front muzzle bead.

 

[ShotgunPro]

nova's have a mid bead and a FO front muzzle bead.

I was talking about my GF's front sight. Just a big ole white bead on the end was all it had.

Last year i was sitting in our cabin with my girlfriend and i heard 3 shots real fast about a mile out, about 2 minutes later i hear 3 more real quick followed by two more shots once the hunter reloaded. Come to find out it was one of my friends from high school hunting with an 870 with just a front bead sight. He didn't even touch the deer. Maybe he was a horrible shot, which im pretty sure he was, but im betting that the front bead only didn't help him out. All i remember though was sitting in the cabin and hearing all those shots and thinking to myself man they'll let anybody in the woods these days.

 

[ShotgunPro]

ok, well, i don't know what any of that has to do with shooting slugs out of a nova so... tada.

 

[ShotgunPro]

Don't want to change chokes? It's easier than loading the gun! If it's a smooth bore shoot rifled slugs. Think of it like this...one or the other needs rifling to stabilize the bullet in flight. If both have rifling you'll have inconsistent groupings at best or destroy the barrel at worst.

That's a wealth of misinformation...

Foster-type slugs--that is, unrifled--can be shot out of rifled or smooth barrels.

Rifled slugs can also be shot out of both; you aren't going to wreck a rifled barrel doing it...you might lead it up some, but that is easily fixed with a bore brush. I've fired rifled slugs out of rifled barrels and have gotten excellent accuracy out to 100-125 yards.

 

[ShotgunPro]

Don't want to change chokes? It's easier than loading the gun! If it's a smooth bore shoot rifled slugs. Think of it like this...one or the other needs rifling to stabilize the bullet in flight. If both have rifling you'll have inconsistent groupings at best or destroy the barrel at worst.

The rifling on "rifled slugs" have nothing to do with stabilization in flight. The rifling allows the slug to compress, or swedge its way through a choke. Which is why for the most part, it's ok to fire slugs out of most chokes.

 

[ShotgunPro]

That's a wealth of misinformation...

Foster-type slugs--that is, unrifled--can be shot out of rifled or smooth barrels.

Rifled slugs can also be shot out of both; you aren't going to wreck a rifled barrel doing it...you might lead it up some, but that is easily fixed with a bore brush. I've fired rifled slugs out of rifled barrels and have gotten excellent accuracy out to 100-125 yards.

Do what you want with your guns. Hell shove some dimes down the barrel too. Everything will work fine until it doesn't. Rifled slugs are for smooth bores, sabots are for rifled barrels.

 

[ShotgunPro]

Do what you want with your guns. Hell shove some dimes down the barrel too. Everything will work fine until it doesn't. Rifled slugs are for smooth bores, sabots are for rifled barrels.

I shall.

Just stop spreading misinformation by talking about things you don't know anything about...such as saying that firing rifled slugs through a rifled barrel will wreck the barrel. It won't.