I didn't see a specific forum so if this is in the wrong place, apologies.

I have an old Remington Sportsman 58, which I understand is the forerunner to the 1100. It's in excellent shape and I have put quite a few shotshells through it with no issues.

I just got my Geezer License in the mail and plan to do a little deer hunting just because. The cover I will be hunting in is best suited to a shotgun with slugs or 00 buck.

My question is this: The 58 has a Modified Choke barrel on it. Is it safe/advisable to fire slugs through that barrel? I'm assuming 00 would be no problem, but I'd rather use slugs if I can.

Yes, you can shoot slugs through a MOD choke. Use rifled chokes, not sabots, which were designed to be shot through a rifled barrel.

Typically, shotgun topics get folded into the Rifle Room.

I haven't hunted with a shotgun in a very long time but I believe you want an improved choke. Modified will work but you may get better accuracy out of an improved choke.

Yeah foster slugs are fine, like what was said before get the slugs with the rifling on them and not the sabot.

My smoothbore 870 shoots foster-type slugs pretty well. No choke and I think it's improved cylinder.

It keeps all the shots within a small paper plate at 100 yards.

Regular slugs you find in the store, sometimes called pumpkin balls, will work fine thru a choke as they are designed with “rifling” on them....it’s a place for the lead to go to when it goes thru the choke.

Avoid sabot slugs as they are smaller and ride in the shotcup, and they definitely will ruin a choke.

Good luck findings any slugs nowadays, the hoarders have bought up all the ammo aroun d here.

Ah, thanks! I have a couple boxes of Remington rifled slugs, I'll go with that.

When sighting in be sure to try and pick up on the sound they make going down range.
It's a hoot...not literally, but smile inducing regardless.

Perhaps, like so many firearms related terms in modern times, “pumpkin ball” may have become corrupted to refer to any Foster type “rifled” slug, but that wasn’t its original meaning. Originally it referred to a true spherical ball that fit a nonchoked shotgun bore. Because it was a solid ball it will damage a choke—unlike a Foster slug that is swaged down by a choke. I don’t believe any manufacturers have offered spherical ball slugs in many decades because of that problem and because the Foster slug is also somewhat more precise, but when I was young it was still common to read warnings against shooting pumpkin balls through choked barrels. On the other hand, I have also read countless statements that Foster type slugs may be fired safely through any choke.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
I didn't see a specific forum so if this is in the wrong place, apologies.

Mason's Rifle Room is for discussion of long guns.

^^^Since it's an ammunition question, would the Ammunition sub-forum be better?

Well, the question was answered and the reasonS why were answered for me. Thanks fellas. I’ve got the correct slugs for my Wingmaster.

With its 28” barrel, I should be able to reach out & touch somebody. What a great pheasant gun she’s been for me.

quote:

Originally posted by recoatlift:
Well, the question was answered and the reasonS why were answered for me. Thanks fellas. I’ve got the correct slugs for my Wingmaster.

With its 28” barrel, I should be able to reach out & touch somebody. What a great pheasant gun she’s been for me.

Yep, no issue. I shot a lot of slugs through my 870 Wingmaster with a 28" fixed mod choke barrel and it was relatively accurate and reliable out to 50-75 yards. Broke down and bought a 26" slug barrel for the gun (smooth bore fixed IC choke). With the open iron sights it came with, groups where reduced quite a bit. I think that had more to do with the sights than the barrel.

As noted a Modified choke barrel won't be a problem when using Foster slugs but I would not recommend using Foster slugs in any choke or barrel tighter than Modified. I also wouldn't use 00 Buck in a barrel choked tighter than Modified, it can have a negative effect on the pattern.

Final note, do NOT use steel shot loads in your model 58 barrel unless it is specifically mark as safe with steel shot. Which is doubtful considering the probable age of your shotgun. The issue with shooting steel shot in a barrel designed for lead shot is the surface hardness of the inside of the barrel. Most modern shotgun makers use either a hardened barrel or one that has been Hard Chrome plated and that is why they are safe for steel shot.