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A shotgun slug is a single projectile designed to be fired out of a shotgun.
Types
Many shotgun slugs are designed to be stable when fired from a smoothbore barrel, which lacks the rifling normally used to stabilize the projectile. The simplest shotgun slug is a round ball, which, since it is symmetric on all axes, will not significantly deviate from its path if it tumbles. Rifled slugs have what looks like rifling cast into the surface. This acts like fins to impart a spin on the slug as it exits the smooth barrel, and thus stabilizes the slug. Foster slugs are designed with a deep cup in the back, so that the center of mass is far forward and drag will tend to keep the slug moving point first. Many Foster slugs are also rifled; the forward mass of the slug helping keep it stable until the rifling begins to provide spin. A variation on the Foster design is the Brenneke slug, which uses a solid lead rifled projectile with an attached plastic, felt, or cellulose fiber wad that provides drag stabilization. Brenekke slugs are more suited for dangerous game, as the solid slug is less prone to deformation than the hollow Foster type (see terminal ballistics).
Saboted slugs are generally designed to be fired from a special rifled shotgun barrel. Saboted slugs are smaller than the bore diameter, and offer significant advantages in external ballistics with the reduced drag. Some shotgun slugs also use fins or a lightweight plastic portion in the rear to provide stability from smooth bores, and may be designed to work with or without sabots.
Shotgun slugs intended for use in smoothbore barrels need to be made out of very soft lead alloys or have a compressible sabot, as they must be able to fit through the restrictive choke present in most shotgun barrels. Even so, it is not recommended to fire slugs through very constrictive chokes, as the effort of compressing the slug will eventually flare the end of the barrel, effectively reducing the degree of choke.
Guns for use with slugs
Many hunters choose to hunt with shotgun slugs so they can get double duty out of their shotgun, saving the expense of buying a rifle for hunting. A barrel for shooting slugs does require some special considerations. Iron sights or a low magnification telescopic sight are needed for accuracy, rather than the bead sight used with shot, and an open choke is best. Since most current production shotguns come equipped with sighting ribs and interchangeable choke tubes, converting a standard shotgun to a slug gun can be as simple as attaching clamp-on sights to the rib and switching to a skeet or cylinder choke tube.
Many repeating shotguns have barrels that can easily be removed and replaced in under a minute with no tools, so many hunters will choose to purchase an additional barrel for shooting slugs. Slug barrels will generally be somewhat shorter, have rifle type sights or a base for a telescopic sight, and may be rifled or smoothbore. Smoothbore slug barrels are quite a bit less expensive than rifled barrels, though they do limit the ammunition that can be used.
The recent improvements in slug performance have also led to some very specialized slug guns. The H&R Ultra Slug Hunter*, for example, uses a heavy rifled barrel (see accurize) to obtain the most possible accuracy from slugs.
Legal issues
Rifled barrels for shotguns are an unusual legal issue in the United States of America. Firearms with rifled barrels are designed to fire single projectiles, and a firearm that is designed to fire a single projectile with a diameter greater than .50 caliber (0.5 inch, or 12.7 mm) is considered a "destructive device" and as such is severely restricted. The ATF has ruled that as long as the gun was designed to fire shot, and modified (by the user or the manufacturer) to fire single projectiles with the addition of a rifled barrel, then the firearm is still considered a shotgun and not a destructive device.
In many areas, such as the parts of the American Midwest and American South, rifles are prohibited for hunting animals such as deer. This is generally due to range concerns--shotgun slugs have a far shorter maximum range than most rifle cartrdiges, and are safer for use near populated areas. In other areas, there are special shotgun only seasons for deer. A modern slug shotgun, with rifled barrel and high performance saboted slugs, is the top choice for hunters who must hunt with a shotgun, as it provides rifle-like power and accuracy at ranges up to 125 yards (110 meters). Slugs for smoothbores, with their larger diameter and lower accuracy, are still suitable for wooded areas. Their maximum effective range is about 75 yards (70 m).
External links
- Slug Guns for Deer, Game and Fish magazine.
- The Scoop on Slugs, American Hunter.
- Shotgun slugs, Chuck Hawk's.
"Shotgun slug"