Slugs for Winchester SXP Pump?

[BlackPowderGuy (AJHS)]

I am looking for slugs for a smoothbore Winchester SXP that I have mounted a scope on to serve as a backup gun in case I have guests come to hunt. I've been using Winchester Deer Season slugs but I just cannot get a decent group at 50 yards with them. This is a new gun to me, my old 20 ga Mossberg shot slugs very well. I am going to try some Brenneke KO's and Federal Truballs...but truth is I am thinking that this whole enterprise may not be worth it. Slugs are not cheap and maybe if a guest comes, I will just hunt with my ML and let the guest use the 350 Legend... Anybody have any experience with this particular gun and a slug combo that worked well?

 

[anonymouscowherd]

Do you have a rifled barrel or a rifled screw in choke? Use some saboted slugs (it is what they are designed for)

Do you have a screw in choke, but no rifled choke tube? Consider getting a rifled choke tube and some sabot slugs

If you are only going to shoot traditional Foster style slugs (aka "rifled slug") then you do NOT want a rifled barrel/choke, but you will want to experiment both with various loadings and with the choke you are running them through, though I wouldn't go tighter than modified.

Also, how is the scope attached - to the barrel or receiver? Ground up designed slug guns usually have optic attached to barrel and it runs back over the receiver via a cantilever to put it in the right spot for eye relief.... keeps minor wiggles between barrel and receiver from causing accuracy issues.

You mention the shotgun and 350 Legend, so I'm assume you are in a "straight wall case" area only. In that case, I'd recommend picking up a inexpensive bolt gun or single shot in an appropriate caliber...

 

[deermanok]

Breneke KO slugs or Federal Truball always shot good out of my old Mossberg 12 gauge with the 24 inch smooth bore barrel.

 

[BlackPowderGuy (AJHS)]

Do you have a rifled barrel or a rifled screw in choke? Use some saboted slugs (it is what they are designed for)

Do you have a screw in choke, but no rifled choke tube? Consider getting a rifled choke tube and some sabot slugs


You mention the shotgun and 350 Legend, so I'm assume you are in a "straight wall case" area only. In that case, I'd recommend picking up a inexpensive bolt gun or single shot in an appropriate caliber...

I have a screw in choke tube but it is not rifled. Not going to go with sabot slugs, they are just too expensive. Back before MD made straight wall cartridges legal, I had a Remington 870 with a rifled barrel. Accuracy was fine, but again, 5 slugs were nearly 20 bucks per box! The 350 Legend is cheap to shoot, with practice ammo 14 bucks for a box of 20. The scope is attached via a picatinny rail. The more I think on it, if I happen upon a box of Brenneke's, or Sluggers or Truballs, I'll pick them up and see how they do, but I am not going to place an expensive mail order for boxes of slugs that I basically don't even need.

In general, I am trying to get a handle on the "money burning a hole in my pocket" situation... I've got centerfires and muzzleloaders more than sufficient to get me through the hunting season. I am happy to drop a few bucks to try a different sabot (they came today!) or to drop a few more grains of precious BH 209 down the barrel to tighten a group from 2 inches to something tighter...but dropping a grand to buy a new ML with an MOA promise...that's a whole lot of money for a deer that isn't any deader!

 

[box_blaster]

Brenneke & slugger offerings always shot very well for me in 12 & 20ga nef tracker 2 rifled slug guns but they do tend to leave behind some lead. Bore snake every 3-4 rds usually keeps it in check. The ddupleks broadhead slugs sure look nasty but I've never tried them.

 

[Badwolf]

Truball shot good in my sxp