Slug barrel length.

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Mon Sep 07, 2015 10:36 am

I've been selected in a drawing to hunt deer on a Conservation area this year, weapons has to be a shotgun firing slugs. Last time I did this same hunt I used my BPS with the stock 28" barrel with universal turkey sights attached.

This time I'm going to buy a smoothbore slug barrel with rifle sights. The two lengths available are 20.5" and 24", does either length have any particular advantage for hunting? I'm tempted by the 20.5" because it's also a good home defense length but it is quite a bit more expensive than a 24".

Brake Weight · Post by **Brake Weight** » Mon Sep 07, 2015 3:26 pm

I would assume the longer barrel to have more velocity. Why a smooth bore? My rifled 870 and Hornady LeverEvolutions have a nice kick.

What sort of hunt? Stand or stalking? Heavy woods? Distance?

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Mon Sep 07, 2015 3:46 pm

Brake Weight wrote:I would assume the longer barrel to have more velocity. Why a smooth bore? My rifled 870 and Hornady LeverEvolutions have a nice kick.

What sort of hunt? Stand or stalking? Heavy woods? Distance?

You could use a stand or stalk, I hid at ground level last time, it's 50/50 woods and open, likely range is maximum 100 yards, I shot my last one at 10 yards.

A rifled barrel for the BPS is very expensive, plus I would have to add a scope to it, I'd rather just use a smoothbore with iron sights.

entropy · Post by **entropy** » Mon Sep 07, 2015 4:07 pm

A 24" rifled slug barrel would have an advantadge, but the added velocity (if any, depends on powder burn rate) would be little from a smoothbore. A 20" rifle sighted smoothbore barrel is great for HD, and Foster slugs for deer, within 50-75 yards. Brennekes are the best non-sabot slugs. (all slugs say rifled on the box, the 'rifling' on Foster and Brenneke doesn''t impart spin, it's mostly for looks.)

Brake Weight · Post by **Brake Weight** » Mon Sep 07, 2015 9:27 pm

I got an extra barrel for my 870, Remington brand, for around $200 IIRC. It had a cantilever rail and came with a scope that rattled loose and was replaced. Mossberg makes some for various brands also, but I didn't look for anything aside from what I wanted which was all Remington branded.

entropy · Post by **entropy** » Tue Sep 08, 2015 6:46 am

Mossberg makes them for the 870, also. IIRC, Skipper's was 22" or 24", with the last 2" or so ported. He wanted the Rem. rifled barrel with rifle sights, so I traded the Mossy cantilever barrel for one. He was actually mad about it. (Turns out he wanted both, but i'm not made of money, and he was only 14 then, so he couldn't get it on his own.)

The Mossberg barrel was a great deal, $150 on sale at Fleet Farm (this was 7 years ago) and it had a 3-9 Bushnell Banner on it.

Unfortunately, the Browning BPS only has one choice for a rifled slug barrel, and it ain't cheap. There is a 22" cantilever barrel listed in the catalog at @$400. You could easily buy a Mossberg 500 or Rem. 870 with a rifled slug barrel already on it new, in the Mossy's case, or used for the 870. for that.

I didn't see any smoothbore slug barrels listed at all for the BPS; Only the Turkey Special barrel, in 20.5" , had sights, and that comes with an Extra Full choke tube, so you'd need to change that out to an IC, Skeet, or Cyl. tube.
It isn't much cheaper than the slug barrel, either.

My personal recommendation would be;
1.) If you want to hunt deer with your BPS, get the cantilever slug barrel and a good fixed 2.5x scope. If you already have a good social shotgun, use that one for HD, keep the BPS a hunting gun.

2.) Keep the BPS for your bird gun, and do as I already mentioned-find a used 500 or 870 with the rifled barrel already on or with it. If you need it to pull double duty as an HD shotgun, 30" fulls are everywhere for 870's (28" for 500's) and cheap. You can buy one and cut it to 20" for HD use.

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Tue Sep 08, 2015 7:45 am

I've thought about buying another gun but I really don't need to. Right now I can pick up a 24" smooth barrel for $130 or a 20.5" for $220, both come with rifle sights. This is only the second time in four years I have been selected for this particular hunt so whatever I buy won't get much use.

The hunting budget is slightly curtailed this year, I also just won a charity auction to go on a luxury 2 day duck hunt in Arkansas, I have to pay for that too.

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Tue Sep 08, 2015 4:07 pm

OK, a 24" rifled barrel just popped up on Ebay, let's see where this auction goes.

My research tells me that a slug stops accelerating at 20", a 24" smooth barrel just slows it down slightly, so I'm either going to get the 24" rifled barrel if it goes within my budget or I'll get a 20.5" smoothbore.

entropy · Post by **entropy** » Wed Sep 09, 2015 10:23 am

Wise conclusion. Hope you get your deer with whichever one you end up getting!

Post by **bunkysdad** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 11:00 am

Just curious how it shoots with the slugs from your 28" barrel.

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 1:42 pm

bunkysdad wrote:Just curious how it shoots with the slugs from your 28" barrel.

It goes bang and stuff downrange breaks.

All I know is I sighted it in at 50 yards with the turkey sights, I was hitting a 2" group at that range. It also stopped a running deer dead in its tracks at 10 yards, I don't think I used the sights for that though, all my practice on the skeet field came into play for that.

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