{"id":2835,"date":"2018-09-06T09:06:35","date_gmt":"2018-09-06T09:06:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ammunitiontogo.com\/lodge\/?p=2835"},"modified":"2025-10-06T19:20:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T19:20:08","slug":"rifled-vs-sabot-slugs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ammunitiontogo.com\/lodge\/rifled-vs-sabot-slugs\/","title":{"rendered":"Rifled Slugs vs. Sabot Slugs"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is a Slug?<\/h3>\n

For anyone new to shotguns, it helps to start with the basics. In this case, that means defining a slug.<\/p>\n

Most shotguns are loaded with shot, which is essentially a bunch of small pellets or balls that spread out when fired. Those pellets “pattern” and cover a large area which increases the chances of hitting the target. This spread is especially important when aiming for a moving target, such as a flying duck, pheasant, or clay pigeon.<\/p>\n

A slug, however, is basically a bullet for a shotgun. Slugs are solid, single-projectile bullets that, while not having the \u201cspread\u201d of shot, strike the target with a much greater force, delivering deeper wound channels. Slugs are generally used for medium-sized game, especially whitetail deer and similar-sized game.<\/p>\n

Shotgun slugs generally fall into two categories: rifled and sabot.<\/p>\n

So, What’s a Rifled Slug?<\/h3>\n
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Rifled Slugs were designed to be fired through smoothbore shotguns.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As the name suggests, rifled slugs<\/a> have slightly angled grooves on the side of the body. Karl Foster originally invented them. That’s why rifled slugs are sometimes called \u201cFoster slugs.” They are\u00a0designed to be fired through smoothbore shotguns (barrels without internal rifling), allowing deer hunters to use their bird guns to harvest deer.<\/p>\n

Myth Busted: Rifled Slugs do NOT Deliver Significant Spin<\/h4>\n

Rifled slugs do cause the projectile to spin, but it\u2019s not enough to create a noticeable gain in accuracy. It\u2019s commonly assumed that because rifled slugs have angled grooves (and because the word \u201crifle\u201d is in the name) they create the same type of spin that makes rifling so accurate. This is simply not true. Rifled slugs do spin, but the rotation is so small that it does not actually make a noticeable different in flight trajectory.<\/p>\n