Thread: Rifled Shotguns

I might be making myself look like a dip shit here but from the research I've done I have found literally zero rifled shotguns for sale in New Zealand (Besides one second hand Beretta barrel only on gun shitty for like $800). On top of that I'm yet to even see any rifled chokes either.

Anyone know where to suss one out in NZ? I am super keen on shotgun slugging but having my slugs go crazy off target after ~50 metres is getting old.

A few years back, a very good friend of mine did some testing of both rifled barrels and rifled choke tubes on a 12g. The fully rifled barrel consistently shot less than a 3" group for 3 shots @100, and the rifled choke consistently shout under 6" @100. He was happy to take shots out to 150-170. For the money he concluded that the rifled chokes were definitely worthwhile, easy to fit, no need for a whole barrel if your gun already has chokes, and way cheaper than a full barrel. The chokes he tried were about 150mm long from memory, and extended out the front of the barrel. Sourced from the US, shouldn't be too difficult to track down.

No real point here as you are not allowed to hunt with a shotgun on Doc land, so hence the unpopularity.
We also have no limits on seasons/firearm for which we would need slug hunting as in the US so rifles it is all year round.

Your best option would be to try source chokes from the states, brownells or midway?





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I seem to remember the gunsmith Dean Maisey in Tauranga could rifle the end of the bore on a shotgun for you.

Originally Posted by Spudattack

No real point here as you are not allowed to hunt with a shotgun on Doc land, so hence the unpopularity.
We also have no limits on seasons/firearm for which we would need slug hunting as in the US so rifles it is all year round.

Your best option would be to try source chokes from the states, brownells or midway?





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I had that discussion with a DOC officer and his bosses some years back, and if the barrel is rifled and you are carrying slugs, they deemed it a 12g rifle and we had it in writing. (Do not have it now as it was quite a number of years back and even tax forms aren't kept that long)

However we had some issues with getting accurate loads. You could not use a wadded slug, The slug itself had to be large enough to directly engage the rifling on the barrel. With a wad, it seemed to grab better on one side than the other and would "shave" the plastic and pull the slug to one side thus destabilising the slug. We had more tumbling slugs in the rifled barrel than the smooth bore. As with above, the rifled chokes seemed to work better, but a 410 with a 44mag worked nearly as well, or simply a 44mag rifle did the same job better, more accurately and cheaper too.

With the price of slugs and the effect there are other options that were a "better path" to follow.
>If you want a huge slow moving slug black powder rifles were better,
>if you wanted cheaper then the 7.62x39 worked well as did the 223.
>If you wanted something like a single shot you could break down the wee baikals were half the money of a barrel,
>and if you wanted to get that close Bows an arrows were starting to become more mainstream.

All of the above were easier to source than a 12g rifled barrel.

They have their place, but it is generally where they are all that you are allowed to use.

The shape of the slug and its size have a big influence on long range accuracy. All the slugs Ive measured are under bore diameter about 13 gauge so as to get out a choked barrel I guess without getting stuck and "sort of bullet shaped ie longer than they are wide which without spin means they will get a wobble on. A twist of 1 turn in 70 to 80 would be sufficent, and the old paradox guns had the last inch or so of the barrel rifled like this.
However the most accurate slug is a good old fashioned round ball paper patched and sat on the upturned base of a plastic wad fired from a cylinder bore. Basically a cartridge loaded brown bess. You have to roll your own but with the price of slugs its a no brainer if you shoot lots.

Pity you can't get sabot rounds with small stabilising fins.

have used a H&R Trapper with rifled barrel...they do come up for sale on trademe about once a year.....a saboted slug would probably be best bet as they are MADE to be used this way....like the idea of a patched ball,sounds like the go.....funny as heck to pattern shot of any size through rifled barrel...you get huge donut pattern with stuff all in centre.

Reloaders have a Mossberg 500 Field/Deer Combo pump action for $799.

I tried a Super Black Eagle with a spare rifled barrel years ago.

I was after something semi auto & grunty for spotlighting Pigs rooting up the paddocks.

Tried a few different slugs but couldn't get the accuracy I wanted.

The solids sounded cool ripping through the double cardboard boxes I used to pin the targets on

Originally Posted by Kiwi Greg

I tried a Super Black Eagle with a spare rifled barrel years ago.

I was after something semi auto & grunty for spotlighting Pigs rooting up the paddocks.

Tried a few different slugs but couldn't get the accuracy I wanted.

The solids sounded cool ripping through the double cardboard boxes I used to pin the targets on

I liked the holes in the targets at the range that you could poke a finger through.......Definitely got a few looks......

No problem with DOC around here, just get a small game permit with your hunting permit and carry what suits you. Even can get a game bird permit in season.

Originally Posted by timattalon

I had that discussion with a DOC officer and his bosses some years back, and if the barrel is rifled and you are carrying slugs, they deemed it a 12g rifle and we had it in writing.

Makes sense - if the barrel is rifled then its a rifle by definition isn't it.

Ive got a nice Cape gun in .577 cal twist rifling in one barrel, straight rifling in the other, bugger its Black Powder only