Has anyone here tried a rifled choke tube and round ball? If so, what sort of accuracy did you get?
I'm thinking bore size ball but a tight fitting ball in a shotcup would qualify too.
I ask because I like the idea of a modern Paradox style gun ~ smoothbore but with rifling in the last few inches of the barrel. This would also make the gun very versatile in that it could be used as a standard shotgun or with buckshot using standard choke tubes and round ball or other slug using the rifled choke tube.
I like bore size balls and slugs like the Dixie Tusker.
I have been working up loads for round ball and various slugs in a smoothbore slug barrel. It got me thinking of the Paradox idea but I think the modern choke tubes are rifled with too fast a twist.
A round ball or "square" slug wants a twist of around 1:110". I think a slow twist of 1:60" or less would do but the current sabot twists are much faster.
I borrowed a rifled slug gun at 1:38" twist and was surprised to find that with a 0.735" ball I got 2" groups at 50 yards ~ with open sights and whilst being slapped stupid by recoil, so it likely could do even better.
I'm thinking that even though the ball did well out of a fast twist it might be too much to ask a ball traveling at 1500+ FPS to pick up the fast twist in a short choke tube without stripping.
I don't have a gun with screw in choke system to try so was curious if anyone else had tried. I have been thinking about building a short rifling rack to make a slow twist choke tube but it is a lot of work if a commercial tube will do the job. I suspect it won't but...
If anyone has any answers please let me know.
Thanks,
Longbow