What caliber is a 12 gauge slug?

[Doug.38PR]

So what this amounts to is....you've got a pump our semi auto Musket ball shooter (a nonrifled large bore round). Boy would the Continnentals and the Confederates be impressed with such a musket (not that an AR-15 wouldn't impress them either)

[Mike1951]

Actually...........

Buck and ball was a common load for muzzle-loading muskets, and was very commonly used into the early days of the American Civil War. The load consisted of a full caliber round lead ball combined with three buckshot pellets.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck_and_ball

[TexasVet]

I have a follow up question about sabot slugs and thought I would just continue this thread instead of start another.
Why is it that all sabot slugs say that it should only be shot out of rifled barrels ? Many, many years ago when i got my mossberg 12ga I shot a few sabot slugs (3-4) out of it, not knowing it was not recommended, any damage to the gun ? It seems that they are making some cool new slugs, but all are rec. using in rifled barrels. Is it just better in terms of long range accuracy ?
Can someone point me to a good info source or clear things up for me ? Thanks

[mossytxn]

I have a follow up question about sabot slugs and thought I would just continue this thread instead of start another.
Why is it that all sabot slugs say that it should only be shot out of rifled barrels ? Many, many years ago when i got my mossberg 12ga I shot a few sabot slugs (3-4) out of it, not knowing it was not recommended, any damage to the gun ? It seems that they are making some cool new slugs, but all are rec. using in rifled barrels. Is it just better in terms of long range accuracy ?
Can someone point me to a good info source or clear things up for me ? Thanks

So called rifled slugs ( for smooth bore guns) do not live up to their name. If you look at one, they do have what appears to be rifling, but the recesses in the skirt are designed for the lead displacement when squeezing through a choke rather than rifling. They primarily attain their stabilization by having the heavy end on the front.

Sabot slugs have an outer plastic skirt that is designed to engage the rifling in the barrel to impart spin. Upon exit of the muzzle, the sabot is discarded and the bullet is stabilized by the spin.

Shooting a rifled slug through a rifled barrel will get you a bunch of lead fouling. Shooting a sabot slug through a smooth bore just wasted three bucks as the accuracy intended will never be attained.

There are also rifled choke tubes. They have an area a few inches long with rifling. Waste of money IMHO. Those few inches are not enough to spin a sabot, so the bullet will probably tumble.

For a good source of info, try the slug gun forum over on shotgunworld.com.

[TexasVet]

[quote][/quote]Shooting a sabot slug through a smooth bore just wasted three bucks as the accuracy intended will never be attained.[quote]

So really the plastic sleeve should keep it from damaging the smooth bore barrel, but not be accurate at extended ranges. How about conversational/home defense ranges ?

[seamusTX]

A slug discharged in a house will go right through a bad guy and six walls on the other side of him.

http://theboxotruth.com/docs/bot3_2.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

[mossytxn]

So really the plastic sleeve should keep it from damaging the smooth bore barrel, but not be accurate at extended ranges. How about conversational/home defense ranges ?

Neither will damage the bore. They just get dirtier in the wrong barrels. No biggie. As for accuracy, a good sabot in a good barrel will shoot 1-1 1/2" groups at 100 yards. Some guys are pushing to 150 and beyond.

At conversational distances, the extra 1-2 mm really doesn't matter.

Slugs are big and bad (and fun). Try for yourself. Go shoot a watermelon.

[stroo]

Box of Truth doesn't support that. It does support that if you miss the BG the slug will go through 12 sheets of wallboard. From this site http://www.tacticalshotgun.ca/content_s ... frang.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
it would appear that through and through shots should be common with slugs. However from reading on Evan Marshall's site http://www.stoppingpower.net/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, it appears that in practice slugs rarely go through and through. Evan is a big proponent of using slugs rather than buckshot because buckshot does spread out after a while.