Originally Posted by
DeerandbearhoG
huh??? rifled shotgun barrels have been around about 20years, shotgun slugs were invented over a hundred years ago. were they just sitting on the shelf waiting for slug barrels to be invented? of coarse you can shoot slugs out of a "bird barrel" as long as they are not sabots.
It's not the smooth vs rifled barrel that I'm referring to. It's the choke that many bird hunting guns come in. The purpose of a choke tube is to constrict the shot as it leaves the barrel of the gun. If I'm shooting turkeys with a 3" shell loaded with #4 shot, I like the constricted pattern. If I'm shooting a slug, I don't want any constriction.
Many (most?) dedicated bird guns come with an improved cylinder which is recommended when shooting slugs. But, as evidenced by the OP's pawn shop find, some of them come with a full choke.
At best, shooting a slug through a full choke will cause a loss of accuracy.