What is the best of these two barrels for slugs?

Question

I have a 12 guage Remington 870 Express Magnum. It came with a 28" barrel I can shoot slug fairly well with it. Smooth bore open sights. I can hit a 6" circle at 100 yds.

I recently bought a 18" police barrel for self defense. I like to keep that barrel on my gun.

I heard (online) that not all the powder in shot guns will ignite by the time the slug leaves a short barrel. That a longer barrel uses all powder. The same site also said a longer barrel slows the slug down because of extra friction. (according to them you can't win for losing)

Both of these are smooth bore open sights. I do like the vent rib on the longer barrel. I also like the shorter barrel because itis easier to move around.

With me being able to hit the circle at 100 yds I am not interested in buying a slug barrel.

Are longer barrels better in this case? Do they steady the slug better? Can I use sabots in either barrel?
What would you do with this gun?

CM I only use buck shot for home defense. I was refering about slugs for deer hunting. Still yet buck shot does not spread all that much in a few feet such as I would shoot in my home. Even at 50' there is not a real big difference.

At close range I do feel buck shot has the most stoping power, with 9 .32 caliber shots.

da???? shot guns still would seem to have a lot of power with short barels otherwise sawed off would not be illegal. Even if there is some powder ingniting it proably is not that much of a distance.

Answer 1

I think the most accurate and efficient use of your charge is going to be with the longer barrel. The shorter barrel will work well for self defense or quail hunting when you want a cylinder bore when a covey breaks.

The sabots really work best through a rifled barrel as they require the rotation to fly accurately. Your accuracy will probably be better with the longer barrel as well as the further between your sights (the rear of the receiver in this case and the front sight the more accurately you can align the sight picture on your target. I would also say if you can keep the shot group to 6 inches at 100 yards that is quite accurate for a shotgun with rifled slugs.

So I would stick with the long barrel personally for the above reasons.

Good luck hunting!

Answer 2

Depends on the Use.

For Home / Self Defense. I would choose the 18 Police... but not use slugs.

For Hunting, depending on what you are going after, usual distance to game, etc... I would prefer the 28... but the 18 would suffice in brush, etc.

Slugs make a poor choice as a self defense weapon, as you are using a single projectile vs a multi projectile weapon. The slugs , as you state, are accurate to 100 yards plus... no self defense scenario (unless fired upon by an opposing force) warrants a single projectile round capable of that distance / velocity.

If for Home defense (you did not state for home or otherwise, but I assume home) I would prefer a target load (still lethal to the 20 - 30 feet ... usually the largest room in a home) of #4 (or so) buck shot... not 00 or slugs. #4 will take out the intended target, but not over-penetrate to a neighboring home... slugs will and so will 00. if distance to neighbors, or someone in you home is not an issue... you can get closer to the 00... but they will still travel 100 or so yards before losing their steam...so be careful when using for self defense (essentially 7 - 32 caliber bullets in the case of 00)

if only one barrel is necessary for both applications... choose the shorter barrel, and practice the long shots... but use a different load for the self / home defense

If worried about unburned powder after fitting when hunting... clean it more often...Like after you go hunting or practicing? Should not be an issue with the self / home defense rounds.

Answer 3

A longer barrel will give more velocity and greater accuracy. I have never heard of a gun losing speed because of the longer barrel.If As to not igniting the gun powder, I doubt that claim as well. You should avoid sabot slugs because they need rifling to spin the bullet because the bullet in a sabot is slightly smaller then the diameter of the barrel.

If your going to use the 18 inch barrel and can hit a 6 inch target a 100 yards, great, use it if your hunting from a tree stand and are worried about movement.

If your hunting from the ground, use the longer barrel. Good luck.

ps how about a rifled choke tube?

Answer 4

I've used a short barrel (I think 20"?) with rifle sights on it with the 870. The sights were adjustable and hitting a gallon jug a 80 to 100 yards was easy. It was smooth bore open choked. Might be able to trade the 18 incher towards one.
As for the slug slowing down in a longer barrel simple physics shows us that as long as the expanding gas is behind the projectile and the pojectile is sealing the gases behind it the velocity must increase as long as the projectile is in the bore.

Answer 5

If you are getting this kind of accuracy with slugs from the 28" barrel - which was never intended for slugs - go with it, don't change a thing.
When you're not out hunting, switch to the 18" barrel and load anything from #7 1/2 shot to 000 buck depending on how much potential inner- and outer-wall penetration you are willing to risk.

Answer 6

while it is true that at a certain point, you will see a difference in both velocity and acuracy, the difference between your two barrels is not enough for you to notice a drop in velocity. I carried an ithica shotgun with an 18 1/2" barrel for several season while setting out bear baits, and I hunted with it for deer as well. I could hit a pie plate at 100 yards with it, using slugs. That is more than sufficient for hunting and shots at 75-100 yards. I have taken black bear at 50-65 yards with it, and mule deer out to around 100 yards. I think you will be fine, just stay in practice with it and shoot safe.

Answer 7

We are only talking about a Ten (10)* inch difference here, therefore I don't see where the burning of the powder or accuracy would suffer.* I like to use the Remington Sluggers in mine.* Manufactures recommend you only shoot rifled slugs from a cylinder or improved cylinder chokes, because you get the best accuracy from those cokes when shooting rifled slugs.* Ten inches at 100 yards is terrific.*

Answer 8

Personally, I would leave the 18" barrel on. The difference in velocity is not going to be that much different.

Answer 9

salt