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How to Clean Rifled Slug Gun Barrel?


Oregon Elk Hunter

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I need some help from my Eastern brothers. I have a shotgun only elk hunt (the only one in Oregon)for which I use a Benelli M2 rifled slug gun. Since shotgun hunting is a "foreign concept" in Oregon, I could not find a local shop that knew anything about slug guns, let alone carried them. I ordered mine directly from Benelli.

 

So my question to any slug gun hunters out there - what, specifically, do you do to clean the barrel. Do you clean it like a shotgun or like a rifle? Is copper fouling a problem (I am using Winchester Partition Gold sabot slugs)? Brass brushes? Solvents? Wipeout? Patches? etc?

 

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, OEH

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I clean mine the same as my bird barrel - some solvent, a brush, and wipe clean. The sabots protect the barrel from the slug just as your shot cup would protect your bird barrel and so it doesn't get very dirty. And besides, you'll only be taking one shot.

 

By the way, I use the same slugs and have found them to peform very well. Good luck!

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First ... the slug barrels cleans up slick as a whistle ... just don't shoot anything other than sabots through it. If you are not using sabot slugs through a rifled barrel or choke; it is my understanding that the rifling grooves fill up with lead after only a few shots. The rifling doesn't spin the soft lead slug as much as the lead just plows straight on out the barrel being scraped off as it passes over the lands. All of which happens under great temperature and pressure. Supposedly it's a pain to clean out after you've fouled the barrel. So, there is no damage; just world class fouling. I've shot most of the sabots out of my SBEII, including the new Hornady SST and repeatedly found the Winchester Platinum Tips to group the best so far "IN MY GUN." I got 4" groups as I was re-sighting in my scope at 110 yards a few weeks ago; and that will shrink to 2"-3" when I get serious. The Winchester Partition Golds grouped very good if you want more penetration and more range, but I didn't have enough shells or enough shoulder left to really test them. As far as performance goes ... the Win. Plat. Tips dropped 15 deer with 15 shots for me in 2004. Individual shotguns are extremely ammo sensitive, so you have to test them all yourself. A lot of guys have great success with Federals with the Barnes copper bullet. I like the looks of the new Remington Ultra Coreloks too. Someday I'll test the Remingtons. Bottom line is you have to try different ammunition in your gun. One thing you’ll learn if you do is ... different brands and loads behave radically different. There can be as much as a 4" difference in group size at 50 yards. I had some heavy and slow slugs that grouped decent at 50 yards, disappear off the target at 100 yards! So when you find a slug you like, buy some extras ... you don’t want to run out in the field because not much is going to behave like what you had. Be sure to take a "fouling shot" before you go out in the field for your elk hunt in order to clear any solvent or oil left in the barrel from your last cleaning. Your point of impact can move 2"-4" high at 50 yards if you don't.

 

Here's a few more sources of information for you:

 

Go to www.tarhunt.com for a lot of good slug shooting information. Click on the "shooting guide" tab and read through by clicking on the headings listed down the left margin.

 

Click on the word "SEARCH" right above (by New Topic, Post a Poll, Post a Reply) and type in "SLUG." About ten pages of information will come up. Read through. LOL

 

GOOD LUCK on your hunt!

 

Butch

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