I shoot the hornady sst sabot slugs. Wait til they go on sale at dicks for about $8-9 a box and buy them up. I have a 25 year old mossberg 835 cantilevered setup. Works good!

 

Test a few different kinds and see what shoots best. Every rifle/shotgun is different.

 

I once had a rifled slug barrel for my 835 and the only slugs I could get to group was Remington copper solids...and that was after trying a bunch of different brands

 

Rottweil Laser Plus, available from Slugs R Us

 

I've owned mine for almost 20 years and have put a bunch of different ones down through her. The one thing I've found is that with the Mossberg 835, each one is different. What mine likes more than likely yours won't. Mine used to love the Barnes Expanders, on a rest at 100 I could cloverleaf them. But they aren't made anymore. Now I use the Hornady SST's, it's passable, but not as good as the Expanders were. Then again I can't remember the last shot I had over 50 yards and at that range they are very very deadly.

Since using my 835, I only have had 2 deer take a step after being hit. One was with a Copper Solid the first year they came out, for some reason it keyholed on me, that was a long track job, the other one took five steps then flopped, that was with a SST. Most just drop.

 

I'll echo the comments above. Slug guns can be finicky with ammo. At one point or another, I've tried most brands of sabots out of my 500, with varying success. The best shooters for me were Lightfields and the Hornady SST's. The ballistics are a little underwhelming for the Lightfields due to the weight of the slug (1.25 oz/545gr), so I made the switch the SST's for better performance.


Because your gun has a rifled barrel, it is recommended that you shoot saboted slugs. While they are much cheaper, standard non-saboted slugs and rifled slugs will not perform nearly as well, and according to some have the potential to damage the rifling in your barrel.

 

One of the positives of slugs is they usually come in just 5 in a box, plenty to see how they group from your gun. Buy a box of each different one and see how they shoot from your gun. Pick the best grouping then buy a few boxes to sight it in.

It has also been found that 2 3/4" tend to shoot better than 3", so don't think 3" is the perfect answer, but I would play with both sizes to find what works best for you.

 

use the search feature on this forum and enter "Brenneke Green Lightning" then click the "Show Posts" my post should come up explaining the Brenneke green lightning slugs, they shoot great in rifled barrels or smoothbore. its the only slug you will need. maybe this link will work too.

http://www.huntingpa.com/forums/57-shotgun-handgun-hunting-forum/158593-slugs-smoothbore.html

its the 7th thread down and goes from there, its long but good. explains everything i went thru. you do not have to try all the slugs on the market.

 

FYI, had my 835 for nearly 20 years and I now shoot the Hornady SST with great accuracy.

Chaos USMC

 

They are so expensive... You know if you have a reloading press you can buy a kit that everything in it to reload numerous sabots and or slugs... Go here and check it out... Shotshell reloading supplies, components, & accessories: Ballistic Products I reload my own predator hunting BB and buckshot... I have been considering reloading my own slugs and or sabots and saving $$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

HITS Reloading Packages at Ballistic Products

 

Lightfields (Blue shell) 2 3/4" Sabots shoot the best out of my Mossberg rifled barrel.

 

2-3/4" Lightfield sabots shoot very well in my Mossberg 500A rifled barrel. No problem doing groups less than 2" at 100 yards from a rest.

When I got that barrel some years ago, Dunham's had them on sale for less than a buck apiece. Should've gotten more at that price.

 

I echo Denny F and Meatpoll. The 2 3/4" Lightfieds (the blue shells) shot very well in my Mossberg 500.

 

I have a Mossberg 695 bolt action, rifled barrel that shoots 2 3/4" copper solids in a clover leaf pattern at 100 yards.

 

You really don't need a press to load slugs... All you need is a roll crimp device for your hand drill or drill press.. It's like $29.00. You can buy the hulls from the web site I referenced above already with primers in them... You can buy a kit from the web site that will give you 25 sabots or slugs and the hulls with the primers installed already.. .There will be even reloading instructions inside of the powder to use. I am excited I did buy the vice to hold the hull and the roll crimper device also as a kit..I elected to purchase the cheaper of the hulls the mfg sells instead of the Federal brand since I have plenty of hulls.. I also have the primers for the hulls I purchased too so if I desire I can reload them again...

 

Everyone on here is right about two things - your gun may not shoot my ammo very well, so you have to try different brands till you get it right, and second, they cost a fortune. (I started with Lightfields in my H&R 20 ga. 15 years or more ago & they were 4.99 a box, now they're 15.00. Three bucks every time you pull the trigger!!). If you don't have a boresighter, get "on the paper" with the Remington cheapies, scrub her good, and then start with your pick of sabots. With my H&R and 2-3/4" Lightfields, after 3 or 4 shots I have to scrub her to get the plastic out of the barrel. I learned this the hard way- I have missed deer because it needed cleaning. Good Luck & hunt safe.